I wrote this story in Japanese, and it was translated into English with the help of AI.
This is part of a series. If you haven’t read the previous chapters, please start with those first.
Episode 1⇒https://00m.in/NGWRT
Episode ２⇒https://00m.in/bivGd
Episode ３⇒https://00m.in/tXUwq
Episode４⇒https://00m.in/WwNCp
“Are you okay?”
A clear, cool-sounding girl’s voice reached my ears. I opened my previously shut eyes.
In front of me stood a beautiful girl, about my age. She looked at me with clear eyes full of concern.
I’ve never seen someone this beautiful before―――.
“Thank goodness. And I’m glad you seem okay.”
The girl smiled with relief. That adorable smile captivated me instantly.
“You looked like you were in a lot of pain. So I thought I might try helping you.”
“Ah, uh… thanks.”
Wait—what? Who is this girl? Why is she here in this empty, desolate place where there was no one else but me? And where did that other thing go?
“Hehe, I appeared in the form I thought you’d like best. I’ve interacted with humans quite a bit, you know. But no one has ever interfered with me this much before. That’s why… I find you very intriguing.”
I felt the blood drain from my face. Who—or what—is this?
“You already know, don’t you? After all, you were heavily influenced by us―――Oh, humans are such fearful creatures. They can’t accept things that deviate from the norms they’ve created. That’s why your perspective remains so limited.”
A strong wind suddenly blew past me, like it had surged up from beneath my feet. My hair lifted, and so did the hem of the girl’s skirt.
“Kyaa—don’t look!”
Indeed, her legs were quite exposed, and I nearly saw her underwear. But strangely, I felt no urge to look. Oddly enough, even though her long hair didn’t move at all, only the hem of her skirt fluttered. My own hair and clothes were clearly affected by the wind, so why…?
The girl smiled sweetly at me.
“I thought boys your age liked that kind of thing. But I didn’t want to mess up my hair. Anyway, look—it’s much better than before, right? Let’s sit and talk for a bit.”
The once-empty place had transformed into something like a lush park. Nearby, a white table and chairs had appeared, complete with teacups.
As the girl walked over to the table, my feet started moving on their own, even though I had no intention of sitting down.
“Stop it! Don’t move my body on your own!”
Why does this one scare me more than any of the strange beings I’ve seen before?
“That’s because I resemble you the most.”
As I heard her words, I was made to sit across from her, against my will.
“Because you’ve been affected by us, you’re no longer scared by appearances that would terrify most humans. That’s why.”
She—no longer even looking human—spoke to me with a smile still on her face.
“Now, here’s a question: Do you think beings like us need the same things humans do?”
These things aren’t human. But what happens if I answer incorrectly?
“Nothing at all. So relax and answer.”
I couldn’t believe that, but I felt like I had no choice but to respond.
“You don’t need them…”
“Correct! …But wrong!”
They don’t make any sense―――.
“I’ll tell you. We’re not like you, so of course we don’t need anything like you do. Nothing at all. But actually, we need everything. Still, don’t worry—we don’t need them in the way you think.”
She was spouting nonsense again.
“It can’t be helped. Your words are too limited to convey certain things. Let me give you one truth: if you see your little sister again, there will be no further changes. However, the memory of this will remain.”
“The memory… of me destroying the world? You changed this place in an instant—can’t you just change it back?”
“Hmm… but that wouldn’t be fun. And I’m technically not allowed to. Well, I could… but I can’t. We were never interfered with before, but now that we’ve been affected by something that is being interfered with, we’re no longer immune.”
“Interfered with? What are you talking about―――”
“You were affected by us. And because of that, we’ve now been affected by you—in a way. Indirectly.”
“But… you said if I meet Momoka, that’ll fix things, right?”
“Sort of. I only thought that just now. We don’t usually decide or feel anything. We could know what comes next if we tried, but we don’t. Still, this time, I made a little restriction. Want to know what it is?”
The being in front of me laughed with glee—but it looked more like the smile of a demon.
“How rude. A demon? But demons were created by humans. You made something convenient and blamed things on it. It’s amusing. Still, I took this form just for you. Well, you’re not like the other humans anymore.”
“Then—what about this weird power of mine? Can I learn to control it?”
“Who knows? But I’ll tell you this: even if you meet your sister, if you use or feel that power even slightly, the same thing will happen again. You might even return to your original time and place.”
Again, she spoke like she was enjoying this. Even though none of it was funny. For a moment, I felt that if I could control even a little of this power, I might become invincible—but I definitely didn’t want to repeat this nightmare.
Anyway, this one—and the others—always talk in contradictions. I have no idea what I can trust anymore.
Ugh!
Suddenly, I couldn’t breathe. Breathing, which should come naturally, had stopped. It felt like I was underwater. My chest hurt.
“Hehe, does it hurt?”
That smile—still unbroken—filled me with hatred. My head grew fuzzy. No—I don’t want to die like this!
With a sharp crack, I was suddenly able to breathe again. The pain in my chest vanished.
The teacups on the table were both shattered to pieces.
“Aww, and they were such pretty cups. Lovely design, don’t you think? And now, totally destroyed.”
Apparently, I had done that―――No, I knew. It was my power. She must have stopped my breathing, and I broke the spell using my own power—causing the cups to shatter.
“See? Even if something horrible happens, like just now, you still can’t use your power.”
Damn you…
“Then why don’t you just take my power away? Or seal it or something?”
“I don’t want to. And why should I have to?”
“What!?”
“I think that’s enough for now―――”
And just like that, she vanished before my eyes. A few seconds later, the trees, table, and even the chair I was sitting on disappeared, and I landed on the ground with a thud.
“Ow—just disappeared like that…”
I stood and looked around. There was nothing. Just like I’d destroyed it.
The sun was beginning to set. It had been bright just a moment ago—yet now, as if time had jumped forward, dusk had arrived.
“Damn it! What am I supposed to do?”
There was nothing around me. Not a single building, not even a plant. It was slightly chilly at night, but there was no bed, no blanket, nothing to wear.
Still, I started walking. Maybe… just maybe, something is out there. Even if it’s not a building, maybe a cave or something? Am I just being stupid, like in manga?
No matter how far I walked, I saw nothing. The land was flat and endless. No hills, no rivers—well, there was a place that used to be a river. But it was bone dry.
“Am I just going to starve to death like this? But… she said I’d see Momoka. Was that a lie?”
Eventually, I lost track of how long or how far I’d walked. The world had grown completely dark. Only the stars in the sky gave off light.
“I’m tired… I don’t want to walk anymore.”
Strangely, I wasn’t thirsty or hungry despite not eating or drinking. I didn’t even need the bathroom. But I was exhausted. So, I curled up in that empty space and lay down to sleep.
To be continued.
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