The Empty Box and Zeroth Maria
Book 6: Chapter 12

I make my way back to my own seat unsteadily, relying on the chairs to hold me up several times.

The lethargy presses down on me all at once like weights on my shoulders, and I can’t move at all anymore.

All the same, I still have to think.

Now that Aya Otonashi is a Subject, there is one final obstacle to overcome in fulfilling my requirements for victory.

Summoning Kiri, the owner of the Silver Screen of Broken Wishes.

All I need to do is get her here, and then I can coerce Kazu into doing away with her Box.

“Kokone, I love you.”

I react to the sound of my own voice coming from the speakers.

I’ve been watching the images on the screen for a bit now.

On it, I am embracing Kiri in a classroom. Tears stream from my eyes.

But even though my arms are around her, Kiri’s hang limp and doll-like at her sides. She doesn’t respond.

I say it again to help the words reach her.

“Kokone, I love you.”

That’s how she suffers.

Such directly expressed feelings bring her pain. Tears well up in her eyes.

What Kiri is feeling from me isn’t unabashed love so much as a twisted obsession.

—Don’t abandon me. I love you too much.

That’s how she must hear it. It’s a threat. A threat pressuring her not to change. A threat that asks her to remain the girl with no self-worth, who believes she is ugly and deserved those cigarette burns. That asks her to keep on suffering like this.

I was really an awful guy.

I couldn’t be him any longer.

I had to change this world.

I had to correct the ones who had made her this way, who would try to do the same in the future. I wasn’t cleaning the world of bad people. Rino and the others weren’t bad people. No, they were just fools who lacked imagination. They can see only what’s in front of them, not what lies beyond it. All I would be doing is righting that part of them. And if I could fix that, tragedies would no longer occur.

Kokone Kirino would be able to remain Kokone Kirino.

Right?

And all is as it should be.

Nothing else matters.

My happiness, Kiri’s happiness—neither of them matter.

“—Yeah.”

That’s it. I’ve found it.

I need to use the Misbegotten Happiness on Kokone Kirino.

Someone whose spirit is already broken will want the Misbegotten Happiness. I’ll use Kokone Kirino to erase Aya Otonashi’s memory and make Kazuki Hoshino give up hope.

—Am I getting something wrong? I’m not, right?

The moment the idea of using Kiri arises, for some reason I also hit upon a means of getting her here.

It’s easy, now that I think about it. As her childhood friend and former lover, I can conceive plenty of ways to lure her to me, obviously. If anything, how come it hadn’t come to mind before now? Did I maybe have some sort of mental block?

I issue an Order to one of my fanatics. “Send an e-mail to the address I’m going to tell you now. The address is—”

I mentally write out Kiri’s address from memory, then continue.

“Here’s what it needs to say.”

Kiri definitely won’t come if I tell her to straight-out.

But I know she will if she thinks I’m crying for help. If she suspects I’m at the end of my rope, she’s sure to come to my side. That’s how she is. She’s the type to place my happiness before her own.

I think of the message that would most effectively tell her I’m on the brink, then issue the Order to write it. It’s the most despicable words I could say, and the most despicable line from the movie.

“Kokone, I love you.”

All the same.

Yeah.

I am at the end of my rope.

Kazuki Hoshino 09/11 FRI 11:02 PM

“Maria became a Subject?”

I repeat Mogi’s words without thinking.

“Kasumi…what does that mean? Wh-why would Maria…?” Haruaki asks Mogi, raising his head. He’s still kneeling on the road.

“Th-that’s just what Yanagi told me, so I don’t really know any more…”

How could such a thing happen?

I was okay when Iroha stepped on my shadow, so Maria shouldn’t have become a Subject when Daiya stepped on hers.

As long as she didn’t want to.

“...!”

My phone suddenly rings with the sound of an incoming e-mail text. When I pull it out and start to open it, I hear another one.

“…Wh-what the?”

I can’t help but feel uneasy about receiving two right in a row, now of all times.

On the screen is an unfamiliar e-mail address. The second one consists of only a single letter. O. More arrive even as I’m looking at it.

In total, there are eight texts from unknown senders, each arriving at five-second intervals, all containing just a single letter. In chronological order, they say:

F

o

r

g

e

t

m

e

Whether I like it or not, this tells me who the sender is.

“Maria…!”

Yes, it’s true.

Maria has become a Subject.

No, it’s probably something else, actually.

“Maria has given Orders to at least eight people…”

Maria has become a Ruler.

“…Why…has this happened…?”

During our confusion, yet another new text arrives. While the address of the sender is just as unfamiliar as before, this time, it contains more than a single letter.

Watch the news.

I swallow, then start up the 1seg app on my phone.

I find the program in question right away.

A female announcer is reading the details.

“This just in. Katsuya Tamura, one of the so-called dog-people with strangely doglike behavior, has come back to his senses. This is the first instance of recovery from this condition. According to the statement from the police force with Mr. Tamura in their custody, his mind is clear, and he is calm with no signs of confusion. Mr. Tamura has also stated that he has no memory of his time as a dog-person, and that he murdered his parents and is willing to make reparations for any crimes....We have a follow-up report. A suspect by the name of Yasumi Ishikawa, who had also become a dog-person, has come back to her senses……”

What’s going on here? Why has Daiya returned his dog-people to normal now? Wasn’t his plan to make people think about their ethical standpoint by mass-producing dog-people? Wouldn’t reverting them undo all of that?

If so, then maybe Maria is the one responsible?

Assuming she is, why would Daiya allow it?

Right now, it almost looks as if it’s Maria who holds the reins of Crime, Punishment, and the Shadow of Crime, doesn’t it?

“……No way.”

What if she actually does?

Could Maria have wanted to have Crime, Punishment, and the Shadow of Crime of her own free will? Could she have become a Subject, and then a Ruler, in order to use its abilities freely?

If she did, then why?

“—No, that…”

I understand everything.

If she did, I fully understand Maria’s motives.

Her wish is to make other people happy—that’s all. She wouldn’t work toward any other purpose. So what she’s doing here is meant to bring happiness to others.

In short, she’s reached a decision.

A decision that Crime, Punishment, and the Shadow of Crime is a Box that can make others happy.

True, Maria had been seeking a Box. And the Box she obtained was Crime, Punishment, and the Shadow of Crime? The power to control other people?

“What the hell…?”

I clench my teeth.

Isn’t that all but saying Daiya, not I, is the one who understands Maria and needs her?

I—

“I won’t let her.”

I know what Maria is going to do next now that she’s taken Crime, Punishment, and the Shadow of Crime.

Unlike Daiya, Maria isn’t going to do anything showy. She’ll meet with each and every person the hard way, controlling them in the way that best suits them in an attempt to guide them to happiness.

It’s an impossible, unending endeavor. It’s spending her entire life in the service of others.

All the same, I’m sure Maria would be glad to devote the entirety of her time on earth to the joy of those around her.

She’s happy to have made progress at long last.

“I won’t let her.” I say it again.

The only reason she thinks this is because she’s under the sway of “Aya Otonashi.”

She’s acting to ignore her own happiness.

“…………I’ll do it.”

If so, then it’s obvious how I’m going to respond.

“…………I’ll crush it.”

I won’t let her have any hope as “Aya Otonashi.”

I will plunge “Aya Otonashi” into despair.

“I’ll crush Maria’s Crime, Punishment, and the Shadow of Crime, too.”

That hope you finally found? I don’t give a damn.

Maria’s cries and screams won’t keep me from crushing that Box.

My mind is made up.

The question is how.

Daiya can give Maria Orders. He can make as many demands of me as he wants. He could even threaten to Order Maria to use the Misbegotten Happiness on Yuri, if I make one false move.

Once he puts that out there, I’ll have no choice but to comply with whatever it is he wants of me. If he tells me to destroy the Silver Screen of Broken Wishes, then I’ll have to destroy it. If he tells me to watch Maria leave, then I’ll have to watch her leave.

“—Grr.”

So what’s my best option?

Daiya is firmly blocking the path to Maria. If I don’t find some means of fighting him, I’m going to lose before I can bring her back.

—A way to fight him. A way to fight him…

What I come up with is—

My gaze shifts over to Haruaki, who was asking me to do something a moment ago. He wanted me to take him and Kokone into the Silver Screen of Broken Wishes with me.

“Haruaki.”

Yep, she really is the only way of fighting back against Daiya.

“Let’s meet up with Kokone.”

And then I shudder.

I’m considering something truly awful.

Mogi is kind enough to say she wants to help, but there’s no way I’m taking her into the Silver Screen of Broken Wishes, so Haruaki and I head to meet Kokone after rushing her back to the hospital.

Since we had contacted her earlier, she’s already waiting for us in the parking lot near the dorm where she’s been hiding.

The instant we meet, Kokone hugs me with her head against my chest.

“Daiya said it,” she tells me in a quavering voice. “He said he loves me.”

She doesn’t lift her face.

Even if she weren’t shaking, I’d know she’s crying.

“He’s never said anything like that since I became this way.”

Haruaki chews his lip wordlessly as he watches her.

“I’ve decided. No matter what anyone says.” Kokone raises her face and turns her reddened eyes on me. “I’m going to save Daiya.”

Her determination is immovable at this point.

“……Kokone.”

That “I love you” probably came through some indirect message. It’s a trap no matter how you slice it. But Kokone wouldn’t listen even if I told her that.

Still, her resolve to see Daiya works out in my favor. It’s perfect for the plan I have in mind.

“Will you do whatever it takes to help him?”

“I will. I’ll risk anything. Even my life.”

That’s exactly the answer I want.

If I’m going to use Kokone as a countermeasure against Daiya, those are the words I need to hear.

“Let’s go, Kokone, Haruaki. To the Silver Screen of Broken Wishes.”

I’ll even take advantage of Kokone’s strong feelings for Daiya to get Maria back.

But Haruaki still smiles at me. “You’re doing it! Thanks, Hosshi!”

He takes my hand with both of his. It’s really firm.

“Th-that hurts, Haruaki.”

Despite my protests, he doesn’t loosen his hold.

There are tears pouring from his eyes as he gazes directly at me. “Thank you, Hosshi.”

Still, there’s no guarantee we’ll be able to save Daiya just because Kokone is coming along.

Actually, Haruaki is crying only because this probably means he will be nearby when Daiya meets his end. He mistakenly believes I made my decision for Daiya’s and Kokone’s sakes.

Haruaki finally releases his grip on my hand.

My hand has gotten hot.

“Oh—”

My heart is quickly heating up, too, to an almost unbearable degree.

The two’s sincere tears for Daiya are like an assault.

That’s when I notice it.

“Unh…gh…”

I inspect my hand, burning after the heat of Haruaki’s grip. This hand is the one that holds the power of crushing Boxes, of laying waste to wishes.

Possessing a hand like this makes me less human.

Taking advantage of their emotions, for Maria’s sake, makes me less human.

After all, what I’m on the verge of doing is—

“AAAAaaaaah……”

When did I become so inhuman? Oh, maybe I was already crazy from the moment I tried to kill Iroha. I lost my way a long time ago, but it took me this long to realize because Iroha didn’t happen to die.

I wish for happiness. I wish for the happiness of Daiya and Kokone and Haruaki. I want to cry alongside them. I want to help Daiya, with our hearts as one.

But I can’t.

Maria will be mine again. This is my top priority, and nothing can change that. Nothing. That’s who I am now.

I was remade to be this way when I obtained the Empty Box.

“Nn—nnnnnnnhhh……”

I start to cry.

But my tears aren’t like Kokone’s and Haruaki’s, beautiful in their sympathy for another. They are selfish, shameful tears that only mean I regret my own nature.

“Haruaki, Kokone.”

All I can do is be honest with them about my feelings.

“I love you two.”

If nothing else, that is real. So unbelievably real.

Haruaki puts his arms around Kokone and me.

Kokone begins sobbing loudly.

I feel deeply guilty over how different my tears are from theirs. Kokone’s tears wet my cheek. Sadness washes over me again as her innocence reminds me of how deeply sinful I am.

“I love you, but I may betray you.”

The two of them look at me, their eyes round.

“I’m sorry. That won’t stop me from doing whatever I have to for Maria’s sake. I’ll even make use of your feelings to take her back. Saving Daiya might be too much for me to do. I may even push him over the edge. And yet, I think—I really do think I want to help him. That’s just a thought, though. I’m sorry. I’m sorry it’s no more than a thought.”

My tears don’t stop.

“Please forgive me.”

Neither of them speaks for a moment. We simply embrace one another in a circle.

The one who speaks up is Kokone. “You can’t do anything about that.” She continues in a tearful voice. “I’m only doing this to save Daiya, too. Haruaki wants me to be happy, but I’m sure he can’t act on it.”

Pushing against my chest, she breaks free from our circle of three and smiles.

“I’ll forgive you, so you forgive me.”

As I look at Kokone’s and Haruaki’s tears, something occurs to me.

Just like those four movies Daiya is watching, there isn’t going to be a happy end to this tale, either.

Where did things go wrong?

When did the mistakes begin?

If everything was screwed up from the get-go, then was Daiya right in trying to fix the world?

I don’t know.

I don’t know, but we have to go.

To the shopping mall so that we can enter the Silver Screen of Broken Wishes.

To Daiya.

To Maria.

Before that, I’ll mark myself to show I’ve strayed from the path of humanity.

Yeah, my right hand should do the trick. I’ll carve my punishment into my right hand, the one with the power to crush Boxes.

And once that’s done—

—let’s go watch the credits of this story.