Hagakure Sakura Does Not Lament

Edited by LyraDhani

–”His” fate was twisted in September. It was about two months before the girl was almost attacked by a Demonic Beast.

◆ ◆ ◆ ◆

It happened on the way home.

With the sound of explosions rolling in the distance, Nanase Tsugumi held his side, which was dripping with blood. His uniform was ripped and his white shirt was stained a poisonous red.

“What the hell, this is…”

-In hindsight, it begins since this morning.

With these thoughts in his hazy consciousness, his mind went back to this morning’s events.

◆ ◆ ◆ ◆

The day began with a series of small mishaps that morning.

For some reason, his alarm didn’t go off, his twin sister left him because he wouldn’t wake up, and the train he boarded got stuck in an accident. And finally, on the short walk from the station to the school, he got caught in a guerrilla downpour and ended up a wet rat. It was truly a mixed blessing and a curse.

“It’s crazy. If it’s just one time, it’s fine but would you normally have that much bad luck? Thanks to this, I’ve arrived at the school during lunch break. Yeah, I feel like I’ve wasted my day…”

When he was so fed up and complained about this morning’s events, his friend, who was listening to the conversation, looked up and said in a dismayed tone, “–There are times when things like that happen. Maybe you’ve been having a bad day, Tsugumi-chan?”

“Don’t say random things. I didn’t do anything strange… and I don’t want you to be the one who said that.”

When Tsugumi told him this with a disgruntled look on his face, his friend-Amari Yukitaka sounded surprised.

“Eh, but I wasn’t thinking of anything.”

Yukitaka complained as if he really had never thought of such a thing. Perhaps he actually had no idea what he was talking about.

…What kind of mouth is able to say such a thing? Thinking of this, Tsugumi let out a weary sigh.

“I remember you were getting slapped by a junior girl on the way home yesterday. Don’t tell me you two-timed again?”

“How did you know?

“I received a commentary with a video. Do you want to see it?”

Yukitaka raised his voice in exasperation. “What the heck is this? Who the hell took these pictures!”

“It’s Meibuki-senpai and his merry band of friends from our class.”

Without hesitation, Tsugumi told him the name of the sender. Since they were rather flippant about spreading the rumors, there’s no need to hide it.

“Those black-bellied glasses and those idiots… Just because I’m popular with the girls, I can’t believe they’re being so shady.”

“Uh, yeah. Sure, you’re popular, but I think that’s another matter.”

-It’s not because of jealousy or anything like that, but it’s simply because you are not liked by those people.

Gently looking away from the frustrated Yukitaka, and thinking this without saying it out loud, Tsugumi gently pressed the side of his stomach.

“Then what? Is it because I exposed the alleged scandals of the Magical Girls they are promoting on the Internet? Or because his friend’s girlfriend switched to me because she thought I was better?”

“Wait a minute. I’ve never heard of that one.”

He wondered which one Yukitaka was talking about.

“Well, it’s very common of you to get angry at something like this, isn’t it? You’d hate it.”

“…I’m going to say this in an interview when you die after someone stabs you to death. I knew this would happen one day.”

“Haha, I wouldn’t screw up like that!”

When Tsugumi said it with sincerity, Yukitaka laughed and boasted lightly. The easygoing appearance of Yukitaka frightened him. But the reason why he was so loved and adored, despite his behavior, was probably because of his appearance.

This friend of mine is really a looker… If he had to use an analogy, it was as if Yukitaka was a manifestation of every beautiful boy’s existence in this world.

And he wasn’t too smart, but his words and actions themselves were friendly and likable. However, when it came to the content inside, it wasn’t as flattering.

“I love it when people look uncomfortable or angry!” This friend, who was not afraid to speak openly in public, naturally had many enemies. Frankly speaking, it would be more difficult to find someone he got along with.

Most girls were attracted to him because of his looks, but most of them couldn’t stand his personality.

After a few days, they left, disillusioned or enraged. Some of them became so intoxicated that they got obsessed, but Tsugumi didn’t want to look deeper into it. There were things he shouldn’t know about his friends, no matter how much he wanted to.

You should live moderately.

I don’t like it when murderous things happen near me. I don’t want to get caught up in it and get hurt.

Yukitaka laughed when Tsugumi told him this as if he were dumbfounded.

“Haha. It’s like Tsugumi to not say, ‘I’m worried about you there’.”

“You’ve never taken my advice, have you? How long do you think we’ve been together? Even I have learned that much.”

He had known Yukitaka for a long time. Tsugumi knew how to treat him.

“I don’t know why… but I always get the short end of the stick.” He gently pressed his aching head, remembering the commotion he was involved in last year, related to Yukitaka.

“I’m sure you’re not the only one with bad timing. You could have at least taken the day off.”

“Why? I was late for some things, but I made it to school safely. If I don’t show up here until my afternoon class, what will Chidori say to me later…”

Then, Tsugumi put on a bitter face. Chidori was his twin sister. If that honor student knew that her younger brother – Tsugumi – had skipped class, there was no telling what she would say to him later.

When Tsugumi told him this, Yukitaka exaggeratedly shrugged his shoulders and began to speak.

“I don’t know if you know this because you weren’t at the morning assembly, but the afternoon classes were suddenly changed to a school assembly. You see, there was a pretty famous Magical Girl in the third grade, right? Let’s see, Sato Something-san. She died in the line of duty yesterday, and they’re having a farewell party or something, but you’re not interested in that, are you?”

“…So I didn’t have to worry about the class credits?”

–Sato, uh, what was it? He remembered her name was Michiko or something like that. He heard that she was a famous senior, but for Tsugumi, who had a very limited circle of friends, he only had a vague impression of her.

Tsugumi quietly looked around and spoke to Yukitaka in a small voice as if muttering to him.

“And yet she was killed in the line of duty. I can’t say it too loudly, but she had a good run, right?”

“I guess so. She had been a Magical Girl for five years, so she must have been better than average.”

–”Magical Girl” is a very cute term, but the reality is quite bleak.

They are, so to speak, human weapons ・・・・ who have made a contract with a non-human being- a so-called “God” -to fight against Demonic Beasts.

–The event began 30 years ago. Suddenly, monsters called “Demonic Beasts” began to appear in Japan. The monsters attacked people, destroyed buildings, and eventually Japan ceased to function as a country.

When the lifelines were cut off by rampaging Demonic Beasts, and all the people were about to give up, wondering if they would be doomed to extinction – the first “Magical Girl” appeared.

The girl’s name was Sakura Akane. She was a Magical Girl who became the absolute hope for the people until eight years later when she was confronted by a powerful Demonic Beast.

She appeared like a comet, dressed like a shrine maiden, and walked across many battlefields.

–She had been on many battlefields, all in the name of exterminating Demonic Beasts and saving her country.

The effect of her presence was dramatic.

“–I heard that there is a girl who defeated a Demonic Beast.”

At first, it was such trivial gossip. Then one by one, two by two, more and more witnesses came forward, and finally she became well-known to everyone who had survived. How did she look like to those who were already on the brink of desperation?

–They were sure that no matter how hopeless the situation was, she would come to their rescue. Just the thought of it gave them the strength to survive tomorrow. From a narrow-minded point of view, she was an Idol that was much more useful than a bad religion.

Oddly enough, with the birth of the “Magical Girl,” there was a glimmer of hope. Those from the government agencies who were still alive were able to contact Sakura and talk to her contractor – a raven who called himself Yatagarasu.

In that encounter, Yatagarasu began to talk about the being above him – Amaterasu.

The details of the discussion were a state secret and had not been disclosed to the public, but to summarize, if this country was to be brought under the control of God – Amaterasu – again, they would provide protection for it.

The government accepted the contract, partly on the words of Amaterasu, who said, “If you do so, I will do my best to protect Japan.”

According to the information from Yatagarasu, who stood between her and the negotiations, these “Demonic Beasts” are a kind of concept-like life form that obtain energy from the bad feelings of living creatures. Conceptual beings that exist in a distant dimension, using colorless energy generated from a rift in the sky, form a shape and came down to this world to eat – to absorb despair. That’s the true identity of the Demonic Beast.

The reason for their sudden appearance in Japan is, as mentioned above, due to the rupture in the sky.

But Yatagarasu did not even explain why the sky split open. He simply said, “It’s because of the things that are too horrible to talk about.”

–The “Horrifying Thing” is still not understood.

In addition to such stories, Amaterasu created the “Amano-Iwato,” a ward against Demonic Beasts, through a vast number of transactions, and covered all of Japan with the ward. And in order to increase the number of soldiers to protect the country, Amaterasu used his own channels to negotiate with other beings like himself.

–The result is a system called “Magical Girl” ・・・・.

According to Amaterasu, they are so-called “branch spirits” who manifested themselves in the real world with the pure energy leaked from the rift in the heavens at their core. The first among them to manifest was Amaterasu.

–Originally, the ancient Gods could not interfere with mankind. This is the result of a decrease in faith from the human side and the rise of other religions, which have twisted the definition of existence as heresy.

If they tried to interfere in the world of man, they may even shake their own definitions if they were not careful. If they were unlucky, they could exhaust their power as Gods and cease to exist.

It’s an unwritten common sense even for the Gods, and no one wanted to be involved with humans to the point of risking their own existence.

–The energy that leaked from the rift in the sky was a simple reversal of this conventional wisdom.

If that colorless energy is used well, it’s possible to create a spirit with some power without the risk.

-Between you and me, the beings called Gods basically have too much time on their hands. What would they do if they knew that there is a way for them to easily walk around this world?

–I am sure that they will visit this Japan with the intention of seeing things.

Amaterasu was the first to realize this and dispatched his own subordinate, Yatagarasu, to the lower world to make a contract with humankind and become the rightful owner of the land. He then carved into the earth a technique to repel deities that harbored ill will toward Japan. That’s one of the effects of the boundary “Amano-Iwato”.

After completing his preparations, Amaterasu made this offer to the Gods who had flown their consciousness to Japan.

‘–Why don’t we do something more fun?’

The result was a sacrifice called “Magical Girl”.

The Gods who have descended as spirit offshoots could gain the right to interfere in this world by making a contract with a susceptible girl. In exchange, they made it their duty to have the contractor – the Magical Girl – exterminate Demonic Beasts. Magical Girls are visible bait.

From the human point of view, becoming a Magical Girl is a conversion to an honorable warrior, and for the Gods, it’s like an easy game of nurturing.

Humans, in order to survive, for themselves. Gods offered their power for their own pleasure. When the price is put together, new rules are made, adjusted and created so that everyone would benefit.

The system of “Magical Girls”.

Well, the contract, which at first had been settled peacefully, became a little inconvenient for the Gods, as detailed restrictions were imposed over time, reducing the freedom of movement for them.

Besides, polytheism is originally the standard in Japan. Even if they were despised as demons in some places, in this country, there was no superiority or inferiority in them.

Because of this unique sense of religion, the old Gods, who had been driven into the backcountry by other religions, were willing to cooperate with humankind in a very concessionary way, saying that they could cooperate if humans were willing to respect them.

–As Magical Girls were controlled by the government and came into force, the situation in the country slowly calmed down.

Under such circumstances, methods were established one after another to convert the bio-energy emitted when a Demonic Beast was defeated into a solid substance, to use the core of that energy as a substitute for oil and electricity, and to create medicines and other products with various beneficial effects.

And so, in less than a decade from the day the sky broke – commonly known as “the Day of Creation” – Japan had successfully rebuilt itself.

It was often said that all is well that ends well but there had seldom been cases of such reversal of fortune and misfortune.

As Japan moved in the right direction, countries which had refused to have relations had approached about restoring diplomatic relations, but the current government had turned down all such offers.

Of course, there was criticism from other countries, but now that everything could be provided by one country, such criticism meant nothing.

The people left all the hard fighting to the Magical Girls, and a new form of peace in Japan was created based on the precious sacrifices of the girls who became Magical Girls.

Incidentally, the minimum age to become a Magical Girl was set at 12, but it was believed that very few people continued to be Magical Girls for more than 10 years. It was a dangerous profession that had killed dozens of people in the line of duty. Well, most Magical Girls retired and quit after about five years of life.

–However, if you survived long enough, you could get the position, honor, and even money. High risk, the high return was exactly what it meant.

These days, famous Magical Girls were treated as if they were idols, and they were busy with various things other than protecting the peace of Japan, such as popularity contests and the like.

Because of this, people like Tsugumi, who had not known the hell that begin in the beginning, did not have a good impression of the existence called “Magical Girls”.

He knew these women were heroes, but knowing was different from trusting.

They had been working hard in such a competitive market for a relatively long time, and this senior wasn’t so lucky either.

“And yet, a rally… that’s a hassle, to be honest.”

When he said this, Yukitaka’s eyes narrowed as if he were looking at something interesting.

“You don’t like crowds, do you, Tsugumi-chan?”

“It’s like being crammed into a shelter, it’s suffocating me. There’s nothing I can do about it.”

As Yukitaka said, if there was no class, there might be no problem if at least one person went home.

“I think I’ll go home after all. Chidori knows I’m not good at that kind of thing, and I’m sure she won’t be that angry….”

“What’s wrong?”

“No, I thought I’d call Chidori just in case, but I forgot my cell phone ran out of charge. Sorry, but would you mind if you call instead?”

“Yeah, sure, but you owe me one.”

Yukitaka said, and then he slowly pointed his cell phone camera at Tsugumi and snapped a picture. Then he quickly edited the photo and held it out in front of him. On the screen, you could see a somewhat pale face.

“I’m sure it’s well-edited. I’ll call Chidori-chan and tell her I send you home because you look pale.”

“…Ah, yeah. Thanks. That helped.”

Should Tsugumi condemn him for sending the edited photo, or should he feel thankful for Yukitaka’s concern? After a bit of hesitation, he thanked Yukitaka. He was certain Yukitaka didn’t mean to offend him. Maybe.

When Tsugumi thanked him, Yukitaka began to gather his belongings on his desk without seeming to be particularly bothered by it. Then he finished packing his bag with all the useless little things that girls like to carry around in their bags, and turned to Tsugumi and said, “Sorry, I’m going home, too. Be careful on your way home. We have an alarm, so I’m sure you’ll be fine. –If you see Nagisa, tell her I left early.”

Yukitaka then clapped him on the shoulder and went out of the classroom with a flourish. Truly, he was a free man.

And when Tsugumi looked around, he noticed that more than half of his classmates had already disappeared. This was terrible, though, it didn’t affect his grade. The second-year F group, to which he originally belonged, was a class where problematic children gather. Rather, few people attend the class properly.

While thinking about that, he gave up and stared at the blue sky after the rain from the window. The weather was so refreshing that he couldn’t believe there had been a downpour. It was a beautiful rainbow.

Feeling somewhat irrational, Tsugumi stared bitterly at the sky for a while, but then exhaled in resignation and picked up his bag again. No matter how much you hate natural phenomena, there’s nothing you can do about it. In times like this, it’s best to just forget about it.

As he opened the classroom door, he almost collided with someone who was coming into the classroom from outside.

The person who stumbled forward, failing to put her hand on the door, was held back by Tsugumi. The sweet scent tickled his nostrils.

“Oh, my. I’m sorry. Sensei was a little careless…”

“Suzune-sensei, didn’t you almost fall down the stairs the other day when you said that? Be careful.”

When the Tsugumi said this, the teacher – Nagisa Suzune – dyed her cheeks red in embarrassment. He took his hand away from Suzune’s as he gave her a warning.

–She was the homeroom teacher of Tsugumi’s class, but she was somehow unreliable for someone so much older, or rather, she was so calm in the face of danger that you couldn’t take your eyes off her. Perhaps because of this, she was treated like an unreliable mascot in a class full of problem children.

She was not happy with the way she was being treated, but considering that she was the first person to get lost during the outside orientation in April, ahead of other students, it was the appropriate treatment.

Incidentally, at that time, even the class members worked together to find the lost teacher. Thanks to this, Class F, which was a group of problem children who would have been on the verge of class disbandment in previous years, was now a reasonably cohesive class.

At one point Tsugumi wondered if this was her intention all along, but seeing how natural she was on a day-to-day basis, he felt a little disappointed and wondered if it was just her true nature. Was it really acceptable for a twenty-six-year-old adult to be like this?

Despite this concern, he was inwardly sweating coldly, wondering what to do about the situation.

Suzune’s gaze wandered around the sparsely populated classroom in a dazed manner. Even the dullest Suzune must have noticed something strange about the classroom. “…I wonder if maybe the kids who aren’t here right now have already left.”

“Uh, well, you know, maybe.”

“Yeah, no, that’s terrible ……”

In a thin voice, Suzune said this, tears welling up in her eyes.

–Oh, no. I already thought about this, but I was a step too late.

A large, sparkling drop fell from Suzune’s eyes. His classmates, who had been watching them with grins on their faces, shouted with delight.

“Aah! Nanase is making Nagisa-chan cry.”

“What are you doing? Don’t you feel sorry for Nagisa-sensei?”

The few remaining classmates, giggling, let loose one after another in the field. He was not happy about this…

“It’s not my fault. You should complain to the people who left early.”

While lightly patting Suzune’s back to comfort her as she began to cry in earnest, Tsugumi complained to his classmates in a disgruntled manner.

“But you’re going home, too, right? Then you’re the same.”

“Gosh, that sounds like…”

His classmates had a point.

He had planned to sneak out, but now that he met his homeroom teacher, he had to inform her that he was leaving early. However, it was a little bit painful to tell her that he was leaving, as she was shedding tears.

Because more than half of the class was already gone from this place. If a school assembly was held in such a situation, it was inevitable that Suzune, the homeroom teacher, would be blamed later by other teachers.

As Tsugumi began to wonder if he should stay behind because of the predicament, he noticed that Suzune was staring at his face with wet eyes.

“Sensei? What’s wrong?”

Could he possibly be blamed for leaving? That’s what Tsugumi thought, but what came out of Suzune’s mouth were words he never expected.

“Nanase-kun. Are you okay?”

“What?”

It was an awful, worried tone of voice. Not understanding what she was asking, he asked, “What is it?”

When Tsugumi asked this question, Suzune opened her mouth, though she looked a little reluctant.

“If you’re not feeling well, you don’t have to attend. I’ll make sure to explain to the others…”

Normally, when a member of the class tried to take a day off or leave early, she would stop them with a sad look on her face. Inwardly tilting his head at Suzune’s words, he opened his mouth.

“Um, do I look that bad?”

“I don’t think you realize it, but you don’t look so good. Even I can’t tell a really sick kid to stay behind.”

When Suzune expressed her concern, his classmates who had been listening to the conversation approached Tsugumi.

“What? What? Nanase, are you sick?”

“No, not really… Do I look that bad?”

“Hmmm, I don’t really get it.”

Other classmates who were listening to the conversation also said that Tsugumi did not seem to be in particularly bad shape.

“Nagisa-chan is mistaken. You know, they say idiots don’t catch colds.”

They were talking to each other in an amused manner, and Tsugumi couldn’t help but raise his voice. No matter how unwell he may not look, the treatment was unacceptable.

“You guys should at least show a little concern. Besides, I’m not stupid!”

“What’s with you? You’re doing great!”

“Tsugumin never gets mad, but he yells at us.”

“Hey, don’t call me Tsugumin. It’s embarrassing.”

–This isn’t going anywhere. Ignoring the disgruntled classmates, Tsugumi grabbed his bag and headed out of the classroom.

As he exited the classroom without so much as a hello, he heard the sound of hurried footsteps clattering behind him. He turned around to see what was going on and found Suzune rushing up to him.

“Wait, wait, Nanase-kun.”

“Yes?”

“I made it… in time.”

Perhaps running down the hallway in a hurry, Suzune was shaking her shoulders and gasping for breath. But what was going on? Maybe there was something she had forgotten to say.

“Um, are you okay?”

Tsugumi asked, looking worriedly at Suzune, who was coughing and breathing hard. Then she gently held something out in front of him.

“Here, take this.”

“Is this a… good-luck charm? No, I can’t accept something that looks so expensive.”

Tsugumi shook his head when he saw the somewhat solemn-looking amulet, a small black cloth bag with a floral design sewn into it with red thread. Not only it was incomprehensible to him, he also felt that it would be a little too intimidating for him to carry.

“Just take it.”

Suzune squeezed the amulet in Tsugumi’s hand, without waiting for whether or not he would take it. The unexpected desperation of this move made his eyes widen in surprise. He had never seen Suzune act in such a forceful manner before.

“I have a bad feeling about this. Can you hold this for me, please, even if I’m being a selfish teacher?”

“…What’s with that? I’m a little scared.”

When Tsugumi asked the reason in a surprised manner, Suzune only shook her head and didn’t try to give a detailed explanation. Feeling a little confused, he tossed the amulet into the breast pocket of his school uniform. He wasn’t sure, but he was certain there was nothing wrong with it, as long as he had it with him.

“I’m sorry. I said something weird.”

“Well, if it makes you feel better, this is fine.”

“Really, be careful on your way home.”

When Suzune repeatedly told him that she was worried about him, Tsugumi halfheartedly nodded his head.

“I’m fine. My physical condition is not that bad.”

“…Right?”

Suzune turned her anxious gaze toward Tsugumi while replying in a somewhat halting manner.

Then, as if wanting to say something, she opened her mouth, closed her eyes deeply as if hesitating for a moment, and smiled softly as if regaining her composure.

“Well, I’ll see you tomorrow. Don’t be late this time and come to school.”

“…Ahaha. Good-bye, Suzune-sensei.”

Then Tsugumi turned his back on Suzune and started walking straight toward the front door again.

He was unaware that Suzune was staring at his back.

◆ ◆ ◆ ◆

When the Tsugumi’s back was out of sight, Suzune softly murmured in a voice so small that no one could hear.

“…That boy is all red…all over.”

Suzune said, but if the students in the class had heard these words, they would have tilted their heads in confusion, because Tsugumi looked just like “the usual” to them.

–What was Suzune really seeing?

“That’s probably already at… No, that’s why…”

Then Suzune folded her hands in prayer and silently lowered her eyes.

“I can only pray, but please–don’t die・・・・・”