The Empty Box and Zeroth Maria
Book 2: Chapter 15

May 5 (Tuesday), Children’s Day

May 5 (Tuesday), 2:10 AMI’m dreaming.

It’s the same dream as always.

I’m standing in front of corpses, playing with a rabbit plushie that’s missing an ear. I stick my pointer finger into the hole where the torn-off ear would have been and start widening it.

I slide my finger in and stir it around. The rabbit’s head changes shape. The cotton inside feels nice. Around and around and around, squish, squish, squish. One of the rabbit’s eyes pops off. Cotton stuffing is spilling out of its torn face.

I look at my hands. Aside from the drying blood covering them, there shouldn’t be anything unusual. But all I can see is a pair of pitch-black, rotting extremities.

My body is filled with sludge that consists of pure hatred. I want to slice my body open and drain it out.

“Well, well, this is quite the interesting little scene we have here.”

“Eek!”

The sudden voice starts me so badly my heart almost leaps from my chest.

“Of all the incidents that could have occurred around that boy, this one is the ultimate perversion. Yes, this is fascinating indeed. The manner of your involvement in this incident is superb, and your feelings toward him also intrigue me.”

I turn around and behold the owner of the voice behind me.

Their silhouette… Well, maybe it’s because this is a dream. Something is blurring my vision, making it impossible to see them clearly. I can’t even tell if they’re a man or woman.

“Wh-who are you? H-how long have you been there…?”

Instead of answering my question, he (or is it she?) merely smiles.

I look over at my brother. He is still screaming silently, oblivious to the presence of this stranger.

Where is this? We should be in our house, but something’s wrong. It doesn’t feel real, more like we’ve been put inside a picture of it.

“You’re very interesting, too, though not quite as much as that boy. I know in theory that humans become empty when they despise themselves, but it’s electrifying to see it happen right in front of me. Yes, I can see no reason not to give you a Box.”They’re completely ignoring my question and ranting about something I don’t understand.

But there’s one thing I do know: They are captivating. Unbelievably so.

“Do you have a wish?”

Of course I do. I’m always wishing for something.

“This Box can grant any desire,” the stranger says in an enchanting voice, then hands me something that resembles a container. Now that I think about it, it does look like a box. Even though it’s very close to me, I still can’t see it clearly.

I try touching it.

That alone is enough to let me know it’s real. The certainty isn’t born of logic or anything similar; it’s a conviction that permeates every fiber of my being.

I accept the Box.

“How do I use it…?”

“Just imagine your wish as clearly as you can. That’s it. Humans have an innate power to make wishes come true, so this Box isn’t actually anything that special. All it does is simplify a person’s wish and make it easier to grant.”

My wish. My wish is to not be Riko Asami. To become anyone other than the girl I despise so thoroughly.

Who should I become?

The first person who comes to mind is Maria Otonashi, the one I admire so much. But that’s not possible. She isn’t human, after all. Something like me could never become her.

I suddenly know just the person.

“I’m going to make my wish.”

He’s a boy who cherishes his mundane everyday life as if it was the most natural thing in the world. A boy who for some unfathomable reason has made Maria Otonashi his.

He values his life? What a bunch of garbage. Let him have a taste of what I consider “normal” and see if he still thinks that. The way he gets to bask in happiness for no good reason disgusts me.

So hand it over!

“I want to take the place of Kazuki Hoshino.”

As soon as my wish is made, the Box begins folding in on itself with loud slams. It becomes small and hard, then shoots with the force of a bullet straight through my eye and into me. Before I even have time to feel the pain, it’s nestled inside my heart and threaded through my veins to take control of my entire body. I… I… I’m being torn apart, broken, dissected, torn asunder, controlled, manipulated by the Box……and disappearing.

“So you want to take his place, do you? Heh-heh… You must be truly miserable.” A charismatic smile spreads across their face. “You must be truly miserable to understand it’s just taking his place.”

Why? Disappearing is all I’ve ever wanted.

“Empty people can only dream up empty wishes. I’m sorry, but I was well aware of that little bit of information.” Their smile is tender and irresistible. “Oh, you are too precious. You think you can escape your actions so easily—that childish nature of yours is so adorable, I can hardly stand it.”

And then my dream self is dumped into the muck.

As it swallows me, I can’t even scream, let alone breathe.

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.