Arriving at school, Hirai Yukari walked along the path lined on both sides with cherry blossom trees. She greeted the classmates she ran into naturally, casually chatting all the way to her classroom.
Class went by as ordinarily as always. This period was literature; the teacher was copying out a passage from Murasaki Shikibu's The Tale of Genji on the blackboard. If she could choose, Hirai Yukari wished the teacher would cover more modern literature rather than such classical prose—reading it made her head spin.
Such mundane worries. In a daze, the girl almost believed the world before her eyes hadn't changed at all—that she was just an ordinary high school girl worrying about her studies and her love life.
But that was nothing more than an illusion.
Just turning her head slightly, she saw the boy seated right next to her. And there, in his chest, Hirai Yukari clearly saw a dancing flame, a reminder of the world's true nature.
"…"
The girl pressed her lips together.
So… Sakai-kun has died too?
Nitocris had explained this to her before: when humans suddenly disappeared after their entire [Power of Existence] was taken away, the resulting shock to reality would attract attention. To prevent that, Crimson Denizens created replacements from the leftover scraps of existence, called "Torches."
Though they were substitutes, Torches were merely fragments. Over time, their presence would fade, their traces slowly diminishing until the faint Power of Existence inside them completely burned away. Then, like candles extinguishing quietly in forgotten corners, they vanished without notice.
If Nitocris hadn't appeared, that would've been the fate awaiting Yukari and her parents.
Yukari rested her chin on her hand, deeply gazing at the boy beside her.
She remembered his name: Sakai Yūji. A diligent and intelligent student whose grades were similar to hers. Their homes were close too, so occasionally they'd meet on the way to or from school.
Sakai Yūji hadn't noticed Yukari's gaze; he was focused intently on the lesson, jotting down notes. Reaching for his eraser, he accidentally knocked it off his desk. It rolled and stopped near Yukari's feet.
A bit flustered, Yūji bent to retrieve it—but Yukari beat him to it, picking up the eraser and handing it back.
"Thank you," he whispered softly.
Yukari smiled back in response.
The biggest difference between her and Sakai-kun was simply luck… When her life was about to vanish, Kami-sama had appeared, nothing more.
But if Kami-sama could save herself and her parents, then maybe she could also save Sakai-kun? And other Torches as well…
Yukari couldn't help but let her imagination wander.
"Kami-sama, could you bring Sakai-kun back to life too?"
"Yes."
The great existence dwelling inside Yukari responded.
"Really? That's wonderful…"
"But you cannot."
"???"
"I am the manifestation of Anubis, God of the Underworld, and also Pharaoh who governs the skies. My will is an extension of the will of Death itself. However, to avoid burdening this world excessively, I can normally only reside within your body like this. The power I can wield mainly depends on the capacity of you, my 'vessel.'"
Yukari understood Nitocris's meaning: her quality as a vessel wasn't sufficient, unable to bear enough of Nitocris's power to restore Torches directly back into humans.
"But it's not entirely hopeless. Though my immediate power is insufficient, we can acquire additional strength from elsewhere."
"Acquire? From where?"
"From Crimson Denizens, of course. Since Torches are born from the [Power of Existence] stolen by them, if we reclaim that stolen power, we can restore those who've become Torches back into humans."
At this moment, Yukari suddenly recalled the incident in the shopping district—when Kami-sama had revived them, she'd used [Power of Existence] left behind by defeated Rinne.
Then that meant… Sakai-kun, and others whose Power of Existence was stolen, could all be saved!
Unable to contain her joy, Yukari's face broke into a bright smile.
Then joy quickly turned to disaster.
"Hirai-san, what are you smiling at, hmm? Was there something funny in my lesson? Why don't you stand up and tell the class?"
"!!!"
Snapped out of her happiness, Yukari hurriedly stood up, clearly sensing her classmates' gazes sharpen due to her heightened awareness from hosting Nitocris. She felt her cheeks grow unbearably hot.
Perhaps because Yukari was a girl, the teacher didn't trouble her excessively, though he sternly continued, "Then, please continue reading the text from where Yoshida-san left off."
"Ah… ah… umm…"
What do I do? I wasn't paying attention at all… Where did Yoshida-san stop…
Kami-sama, help me…
"Page 35, second paragraph, starting from 'Beloved, quickly knot your garment's hem, bind my wandering soul and return it to me.'"
The voice, audible only to Yukari, belonged to Nitocris.
The literature teacher stared impatiently at Yukari, his furrowed brow showing clear annoyance and displeasure.
Daydreaming in his class was bad enough, but laughing too? Wasn't that far too disrespectful, completely disregarding him as a teacher? Even if she was a girl, he couldn't just let this slide—he had to reprimand her to preserve his dignity.
However, before his scolding could form, Yukari suddenly began reading aloud, accurately picking up from the correct passage.
"…Forget it. Don't let it happen again. Sit down."
"Yes… thank you, Sensei."
Having narrowly escaped, Yukari breathed a deep sigh of relief.
Thank you, Kami-sama, she mentally thanked Nitocris.
"It's only natural for humans to offer gratitude and prayer to the gods, thus, your thanks I accept," Nitocris replied.
...
It was an enclosed, dimly lit space.
The area was rather expansive, yet empty of furniture or decorations. The sole source of illumination was a city model in the center, resembling a sandbox map.
Surrounding it were countless dolls—big and small, dressed in all manners of clothing. Some grotesque, some adorable; some worn and battered, some pristine. They leaned against the walls, encircling the space entirely.
"Strange… Why has one of my Rinne disappeared?"
The speaker was a slender man in a pure white suit.
His face remained hidden in shadows; only the small doll he held close in his arms was clearly visible.
And astonishingly… the small doll dressed in a frilly skirt spoke up.
"Master, could a Flame Haze have come to this city?"
"Ah, my dear Marianne."
The suited man's furrowed brow immediately relaxed, a tender, watery smile forming as he gently stroked the doll in his arms, whispering softly, "It's too early to be certain. Besides, mere Flame Hazes are soulless tools of extermination. I won't let them harm you, my beloved Marianne."
Confidence and composure filled the man's voice. Naturally, as he was no ordinary Crimson Denizen but a powerful Crimson Lord. He'd personally slain many Flame Hazes, and possessed a power capable of instantly killing them. It was no exaggeration to call him the "Flame Haze Killer."
"I love you most too, Master. But what worries me is whether their arrival might ruin your plans…"
"Ah, yes, you're right, my clever Marianne. Those extermination tools have keen noses indeed, always appearing at the most inopportune times. Your reminder is precious to me. I'll carefully arrange everything going forward. You only need await your rebirth peacefully, my dear Marianne. I won't let anyone disrupt our plans—for your sake, my Marianne, I'll do anything, sacrifice anyone."
He kissed the doll's forehead lightly, his lips curling upwards slowly.
He had absolute confidence. All Flame Hazes were merely prey to him—after all, he was known as the "Hunter." He saw no possibility of defeat at the hands of soulless extermination tools.
However, it wasn't yet confirmed his Rinne died by Flame Haze hands—it could've been something else… perhaps even a special Torch like Tenmoku Ikko.
If the enemy was a Flame Haze, he had nothing to fear. But if it was a special existence like Tenmoku Ikko, he'd have to act cautiously.
"To find the truth, I'll have my servants investigate carefully."
Saying this, he snapped his fingers.
Around him, several eerie dolls' eyes suddenly lit up.
...
"Are you really alright, Hirai-san? You seem quite distracted today…"
"N-no, not at all… It's nothing, really! You're worrying too much, Yoshida-san. I'm perfectly healthy."
Yoshida Kazumi was Hirai Yukari's classmate, sitting just behind her.
Because of their close proximity, Yoshida Kazumi sharply sensed something was strange about Hirai Yukari today. Yet no matter how perceptive she was, Yoshida Kazumi was still just an ordinary person. She couldn't possibly uncover the truth from these scattered clues; she merely thought Yukari was feeling unwell.
"Haah... I never realized Yoshida-san was so observant until today."
Walking home after school, Hirai Yukari sighed helplessly, the pendant on her chest faintly gleaming under the sunlight.
"It just shows she genuinely cares about you. She's a kind girl," Nitocris remarked.
Even Nitocris hadn't expected that they would meet the male protagonist and the second female lead—Sakai Yūji and Yoshida Kazumi—so quickly.
So Hirai Yukari was actually classmates with both the male protagonist and the second female lead...
However, Sakai Yūji was already a Torch now. That meant the [Treasure Tool] central to the entire story—the Reiji Maigo—had probably already entered that boy's body.
Better find a chance to take it, huh? After all, the plot made it seem like the whole world was after that particular Treasure Tool.
Since Yukari herself seemed intent on turning Sakai Yūji back into a human, they might as well claim the Reiji Maigo as payment. Sakai Yūji probably wouldn't refuse. After all, if he was no longer a Torch, he wouldn't need the Reiji Maigo to replenish his [Power of Existence] every day.
"Kami-sama, you're a god from Egypt, right? Can you understand our classical literature too? Or is reading every language just a basic divine ability?"
Yukari had been curious since class. Simple conversation was easy to understand, but she noticed that Kami-sama inside her could apparently comprehend even the contents of her textbooks.
Last night, Nitocris had revealed her identity to Yukari in a dream, stating that her true name was Nitocris, manifesting in this world as the representative of the god Anubis.
Yukari hadn't heard of Nitocris, but she certainly knew Anubis—the Egyptian deity with a jackal's head, the god of death whose name was even more widely known worldwide than Osiris, Lord of the Underworld.
At a high-school age, she hadn't fully graduated from chūnibyō yet, and being a girl didn't exempt her from this. Upon realizing that mythological deities truly existed, Yukari naturally wondered if other gods also remained in this world. Nitocris had merely replied, "The Age of Gods declined, and the world could no longer bear their power, so gods retreated beyond this world. Humans gradually became the center of existence."
Nitocris hadn't lied. This world truly couldn't bear the power of gods—indeed, it couldn't even withstand her divine essence as Anubis's representative... well, strictly speaking, it wasn't entirely incapable of doing so. This human world had had too much [Power of Existence] brutally stolen by Crimson Denizens. Although the world hadn't collapsed completely, countless distortions remained. Even Torches could only mitigate but not erase these distortions. If Nitocris's true form descended, these distortions would magnify immensely—a scenario she wished to avoid.
Ah, she'd rambled too much. Yukari had only asked how Nitocris could read those complicated texts.
"I am the God of the Underworld, but also the Pharaoh enthroned in the sky. As Pharaoh, wouldn't it be shameful if I lacked even this degree of wisdom?"
Nitocris's tone was light, as though explaining something obvious.
[Wind of the Desert Night A], a skill derived from Imperial Privilege, embodied the idea that 'Nothing upon the earth is impossible for a Pharaoh.'
"Besides... I have some impression of that woman named Murasaki Shikibu. She truly adored books, and her room was always filled with countless volumes. As a deity, even for a woman from a foreign land, I should reward someone who treasures knowledge."
"Eh?"
"But her personality was a bit timid. Every time she saw me, her face would pale slightly. Although revering the gods is humanity's natural instinct, and disrespecting them a sin, still... hm... being frightened to that extent indeed made things rather troublesome."
Somehow... from the way Kami-sama spoke, it seemed like she had a special relationship with Murasaki Shikibu?
Why though? A god from ancient Egyptian mythology, and a Japanese literary figure… no matter how you look at it, these two shouldn't possibly have anything to do with each other, right?
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, Nitocris let out a sound of surprise.
Yukari halted her steps, looking in confusion at the golden pendant on her chest.
Though Nitocris dwelled within Yukari, the pendant allowed her to communicate freely. This was something Nitocris had manifested, inspired by the contracts between Crimson Lords and Flame Hazes.
"What's wrong, Kami-sama?"
"I sensed it... Those Rinne that disappeared earlier have returned."
Yukari's pupils shrank, realizing the urgency of the situation, her expression immediately turning grave.
"Should I go tell Mom first?"
"Will it take very long?"
"No. Life's creation may take ages, but death comes swiftly in a mere instant. Besides, they're just a few Rinne."
"Then, let's go deal with those Rinne first! Saving lives is more important!"
Yukari immediately closed her eyes.
The next instant, gray flames enveloped her figure—flames not hot, but chilling enough to freeze one's soul.
Jackal-like ears, short white hair interspersed with strands of black, eagle-patterned pauldrons connected to a dark crimson cape, shimmering golden eyes, brown skin; below her waist were tightly wrapped black bandages, and between their gaps wasn't flesh but dazzling flames.
"Ahh… I can feel it. Today, there seems to be an especially heavy sin awaiting judgment."
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