Dakara, Anata o Koko de Koroshimasu - Chapter 41 – ‘The Killer’ Celestia Valentine ①

“I went to senior’s room to greet her, but…. I still didn’t get a response.”

As soon as she returned to the living room, Gillian announced that with a meek expression.

Karen, who heard the report, held a cigarette in one hand and blew the smoke out in a gloomy manner.

Immediately, the inside of the room was filled with a burning scent.

“Well… I’m sorry I keep sending you in so many times, Gillian.”

“No, it’s okay. I’m doing this for senior too……. it’s no good at all though.”

“But we can’t just wait forever. We’ve pretty much lost our place in the world. We have to wake Serra up soon.”

“It’s no use saying that. I lost the person I loved most in my life. I understand that pain as well as you do.”

Karen frowned at Olivia’s complaint and scratched her head in distress.

Then, held the cigarette again and slowly inhaled the smoke.

With her eyes downcast, he turned her gaze far away, and muttered a little while exhaling smoke.

“In the end, we can’t help in this matter, Riko …”

―――― Two weeks have passed since the battle with Rinka and others ended.

To put it bluntly, Karen and the others were at a standstill.

※※※※

―――― By the time Karen and the others reached Serra, the battle was already over.

There was a figure of Serra crying while holding Riko’s body.

From what they heard, it seemed that the embedded “bomb” had detonated. The condition was to defeat Rinka. From the beginning, there was no intention of having her save Riko. She could only tremble because of the anger at the cowardly trick and the feeling of helplessness that she couldn’t help.

However, there was no abnormality in Serra’s state until this time. Sure, she was mentally unstable, but she was still able to talk to the others.

Then they returned to the city, found a battered empty house, and decided to stay there. Originally, there were no plans to stay there for long, so the hotel had only been booked for one night, and more importantly, the citizens were suspicious of the girls as they smelled thick with blood. Fortunately, there were some vacant houses in the simple quiet town.

Then Karen and the others suggested building her grave, at least to mourn Riko. They had speculated that the proposal would be rejected because Serra’s shoulders shook as soon as she heard the comment, but surprisingly Serra nodded at the suggestion. At this time, she was still trying to accept Riko’s death.

The bracelet with the red jewels Riko was wearing was left to Serra, a simple casket made, and Riko’s body laid to rest there and buried. A few minutes later, something happened to Serra.

For a while, she was staring at Riko’s tomb in a daze, but suddenly she started to cry and collapsed.

Clutching Riko’s bracelet, she called out her name over and over while crying, “Give her back!”. The figure was so heartbreaking that Karen and the others couldn’t even look directly at her.

No matter how much combat experience or determination she had, she was still a girl. Her heart wasn’t strong enough to keep her calm after losing her long-cherished lover.

After some time passed and she stopped crying, she couldn’t move from the spot. She didn’t reply when called, and when she returned to his room, supported by Gillian and the others, she had an unsteady gait.

Then, after returning to her room, Serra locked the door for a while.

―――― Two weeks later, she’s still confined in her room.

※※※※

“…………”

Serra sat silently with her knees crossed on the bed.

She wore a bracelet with a sky blue jewel on her right arm and a bracelet with a red jewel on her left arm.

So that she could feel the presence of Riko as close as possible…. she’s been wearing it for two weeks, but she couldn’t fill the loneliness and isolation she felt.

She didn’t drink, she didn’t eat, and I didn’t sleep at all for all that time. Because she is immortal, she would not starve due to malnutrition, but her body was thin, and her eyes are swollen red with dark circles because she has been crying all the time.

Her emotions have become unstable, and she kept crying while dwelling on her memories of Riko. In addition, she lost feelings of anger and fear due to the effects of approaching the “critical point”, and Serra was on the verge of becoming an invalid.

Her spirit reached its limit, and it was only a matter of time before her death.

Though Serra was sobbing with her face buried in her lap, she felt the presence of someone and muttered quietly in her dying voice.

“………… you’re here, aren’t you, Sakura?”

“Uh oh, you got me ✩ Yes, I’m coming out now!”

Without a sound, Sakura appeared in front of her.

Serra quietly raised her head and looked back at Sakura with a lifeless expression.

“…… Riko was Homunculus, wasn’t she?”

“Yeah, that’s right. I made it myself.”

“Then, make another”

Said Serra in a trembling voice.

“I can’t do it anymore. I can’t stand Riko’s absence any longer. I’ll do anything. I’ll listen to anything. So, please. Let Me See Riko.”

With tears in her eyes, Serra begged Sakura.

However, Sakura only sighed at Serra’s appearance.

“…Are you crazy? Do you really understand what you’re talking about? To create life artificially. It’s the greatest abomination and blasphemy against life.”

“Even so, it’s fine.”

“And making a homunculus involves a lot of sacrifice. Hundreds of people will die to make one Riko. Is that alright with you?”

“It’s fine.”

Without hesitation, Serra replied.

“I don’t care about other people anymore. Let me see Riko. I really do anything. I’ll listen to everything you say. So… Please…”

Serra didn’t really care about other people.

Serra wouldn’t hesitate to even kill someone else to meet Riko right now. Even if she becomes a pawn in Sakura’s hands, it was already a trivial matter to Serra. However, if she could meet Riko, she wouldn’t hesitate to even offer her own life.

Serra had been broken to the point of having such contradictory thoughts. The loss of Riko, who had become her stopper, destroyed her sense of ethics because she couldn’t control her insanity and she couldn’t accept reality, and her sense of repulsion and guilt had disappeared.

Like that.

Looking back at Serra, who was on the verge of expiring.

Sakura said.

“Impossible.”

Serra’s eyes were wide opened.

Serra became frantic and asked while grabbing Sakura’s shoulder.

“Why!? You are God, right? If that’s the case, reviving Riko is nothing! Hey, let me see her soon! I can’t do it anymore!!”

“There are so many things I can’t do even though I’m told that. Hey, Serra. Do you know where the souls of dead people go?”

“Even if such a thing is said, I do not know…”

“Well, that’s right, isn’t it? The correct answer is, it disappears. It’s gone to nowhere, and exists no longer.”

“――――!”

Serra’s movements stopped at the end of Sakura’s remark.

Sakura had a far away and nostalgic expression as if she were reminiscing.

“A long time ago, I also had an important person die. When I realized it, I was Undying and didn’t even have time to mourn her. I thought I could do well enough with a Homunculus, so I tried, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t do it, no matter how hard I tried.”

“That…”

Serra’s face was dyed in despair by Sakura’s words.

When Sakura saw it, she had an expression of sympathy, not the usual smile on her face.

“At first. I could put up with it even if it’s fake. But as I got more intimate, got to know them, I felt more and more uncomfortable because it wasn’t that person. The uncomfortable feeling as they talked differently with the same face, the same voice, and the same tone increases. After all, you can’t meet the dead again, no matter how hard you try.”

“Then, then what should I do!!”

“Figure it out yourself. Will you continue to rot, or will you find what you want to do of your own will? You’re going to have to work hard to find out.”

“Wait!!”

Without waiting for Serra’s still voice, Sakura left.

Serra touched Riko’s bracelet and was stunned for a while.

— Live.

“………… ah”

Suddenly, Riko’s voice ruminanted in her head, making her gasp.

Already, this was a curse. Even though it’s so hard, painful and painful to lose a loved one, she still won’t be given the option of committing suicide because she wants to fulfill her wishes. A world without her was worthless. There was no point in living.

However, Riko will surely not permit it. That’s why she had no choice but to live. There was no choice but to live alone in a world without Riko.

―――― Then, you will at least allow me to live as I want to.

Serra was beginning to think that way. No, if she hadn’t thought like that, her heart would have broken down by then.

In other words, I will live to the day when my life will be destroyed, and in the meantime I will continue to do what I can. And there’s only one more thing left for me to do.

“All right, Riko… I’ll try a little harder. I’ll live to the end.”

Serra quietly murmured at her, who is no longer here.

And Serra lovingly stroked the red bracelet on her left arm and stood up.

Serra no longer had color vision, but they said that the jewel of the same color as Riko’s eyes was applied. If that’s the case, then it’s a good thing. Because Riko’s color will not be lost even if blood is splattered.

Yes, kill. Let’s kill them all. Just keep killing. That’s all I have left.

Riko’s intentions have nothing to do with it. But even Riko should be glad to see me living as I willed.

Humans in this world. This is my life until they all die. Perhaps when it is achieved, I am no longer me. It will break through the “critical point” and my spirit will decay.

Let’s keep killing until the day comes. Because I am.

“– Because I’m a killer.”

That brought it to an end.

Serra picked up her sword and started walking slowly.

―――― This is not the beginning of a revenge tragedy.

It’s simply a murder play.