191 – Between Names (3)
The wind was cool. The morning, when the sunlight was obscured, still contained the cold air of dawn. Now that the moonlight had set, the world was losing the scent of spring and sinking into darkness and dampness.
But not all light has disappeared yet.
The white thunderbolts were still blooming bravely and coloring the sky.
“Why are you… Ugh!”
Silver Luna didn’t know why he saved her, so he tried to get up with his face in despair.
However, every part of his body throbbed and he couldn’t even move. In particular, his right side was particularly painful.
“…Ah.”
Silver Luna realized that he was hurt. It is not a slander. It was just slightly grazed by the beam. Although he was in a lot of pain due to the laceration, he was able to endure it, and after a little treatment, he will return to his daily life without any discomfort.
“Ah, ahhh….”
But this hurt of hers was enough to convey to her her great despair. A feeling of emptiness like the endless darkness I witnessed in the heart of the scorpion just now.
It was because the person who caused the wound was none other than a scorpion.
The attack just now wasn’t just a light beam.
Scorpion poison. It was a beam of light filled with the energy of loss.
The poison spewing out from the scorpion’s spear was not all. Deep inside. The poison was also concentrated in the cannon that was left as a secret weapon.
“No. No….”
Silver Luna fumbled around her body, searching for what had been taken from her. On the other hand, she traced her memories.
Somewhere, you have to find a sense of incongruity.
There is nothing wrong with the body. Although there is intense pain, there is no feeling of being particularly unhealthy. Development remains the same. The body, which had stopped growing and aging in its heyday, was still the same.
Two older sisters, mom and dad. I remember it clearly. Her family was not lost.
No, wait a minute.
“No… No….”
Did I have two older sisters? What are the chances that she actually had more? Were there any parents or cousins or anything like that? Have you ever had a friend, a friend with whom you have been friends since childhood? I don’t remember. I don’t know.
Silver Luna didn’t feel confident in her own memories. She was afraid She fears that she will end up like her two older sisters. She was afraid that the hurt she felt at that time would be passed on to someone else.
Silver Luna stopped groping herself and raised her head. There was a monster there, surrounded by lightning. She is the benefactor who saved her.
Why did that monster save me?
“You… Why did you protect me…?”
A fearful voice. Not a shred of her usual arrogance remained.
“Well, what did you have to do with me? “What were you of mine?”
Her watcher looked down at her quietly. Her girl was miserable. She was the strongest magical girl. She was the youngest of three sisters, she was a child who loved her family, and she was afraid that she would not be able to give what she was given, so she was forced to take care of her children. It was just that.
Twelve years old. She became a magical girl to protect her family and was no different from back then.
“It was nothing.”
“That’s a lie! Then why did you save me? “Unless you’re in a relationship of some kind… It doesn’t make sense!”
The Watcher slightly bent her knees and made eye contact with her.
“When you save someone, do you remember your memories with that person?”
“That…Thing….”
“I was just like that too.”
Just as a magical girl protects her citizens, he also protects them. There is no difference in this composition.
“Do not deny your history. I am nothing more than giving love to you just as you gave love to someone whose face you do not know. “I am nothing to you.”
It was nothing. There is no special affection or memory or anything like that. A dry relationship where we don’t know each other’s faces and don’t even speak to each other.
But there are things that exist even without a name. It was humanity and duty.
If you received it, give it back, if you tried, you would be rewarded, and if you failed, embrace it. It is possible to congratulate her on her life of endless hard work. Even if it’s an unrelated person, you can at least applaud.
Because their love gave humanity a little breath, there was no reason to hesitate in returning that love and giving it breath.
He even had the ability and will to do so.
“I see… I see.”
Silver Luna felt slightly relieved after hearing his words. But even for a moment. There were no relationships, no memories, or even health, so there was only one thing left.
“…Then.”
I held the pendant around my neck anxiously. He was as light and fragile as a fallen leaf. It slowly crumbled in his hands.
The pendant that controlled the divinity began to slowly break down. Like a sand castle, like ashes in a bonfire, it began to disappear in vain, scattered by the wind.
What was lost was starlight.
It was her strength, her only confidence, and her hope.
“As expected.”
Silver Luna calmly accepted that fact, letting out a hollow laugh. It was a coldness that even she had not expected.
The reason was complex.
Part of it was that it was a relatively better loss compared to the loss of previous relationships or memories I had just thought about, and part of it was that the fear I had every night of losing this power one day was a preventative measure, and the loss was so sudden that I couldn’t even feel it. There were also sweets.
“I imagined that a time like this would come someday. “I don’t have any talents other than this strength, so I’ve received so much just because I’m a little stronger… so one day, I’ll be punished.”
That calmness lasts only for a moment. Tears slowly began to form in Silver Luna’s eyes. Teardrops as big as the full moon.
“…It’s all over now.”
It didn’t matter whether there was a monster in front of her or not, she hugged her knees and buried her face.
“I have become nothing now.”
Because of this power, she has been loved. She couldn’t even return all that love yet, and it all ended here.
She is no longer the national magical girl or the proud daughter of her parents. Even her respect, the only thing that connected her to her two older sisters, would disappear.
Her ambition to overcome her scorpion and regain her relationship with her sisters disappeared as if water had dried up, and the nuisance she caused by coming to this foreign land became impossible to resolve.
How many families will fall apart today?
“…I knew. I have no right to have this kind of power. But you can’t help it! It’s not like I wanted to be like this! “I just… I just hoped no one would die…”
I hated fighting. She grew up to be a precious daughter who didn’t even like to sweat, and she was the one who cried non-stop when she fell and got a small scratch on her knee.
Even though she sweated like rain every day, she never complained, and even when she was in pain, not a single tear was visible. As she got older, she figured it out automatically. If you continue to look like this, you will only become someone’s burden.
So she endured even when it was difficult and did not back down even when she was scared. As she put on masks one by one, she became an arrogant young woman.
“It was scary, but I endured it! “I have to be confident so other people won’t be afraid!”
If the superior is weak, those weaker than him will only tremble in fear. I had to be confident. In order for citizens to feel at ease, they had to decorate themselves.
“I’ve worked so hard… But it’s all gone in vain. “Now I am nothing.”
Now everything is meaningless. The promise that I had built up so far has returned to nothingness, and I have become a worthless being, so it is literally no different from obscurity.
The watcher asked one question to the girl who started sniffling.
“What is your name?”
Silver Luna responded bluntly, burying her face in her knees.
“…Why is that?”
“Didn’t you say it became nothing? “I guess the name is still expensive.”
Her heart was pounding, but the words were not particularly wrong, so she finally opened her mouth and said them.
“…Mitsuki. “I’m Mitsuki Shimizu.”
After Mitsuki answered, he asked again.
“What does it mean?”
She answered by looking back on her memories.
“They say the moon was especially pretty when I was born. So, the character ‘moon (月)’ was written in the word ‘beautiful’ (mi), and the name ‘beautiful moon’ was written as ‘mitsuki’ (美月).”
The name contained many memories. Her sister was also here with her.
“My sisters’ names all have the word beauty in them. Maybe that’s why, wherever I went and heard our names, we treated them like sisters without any explanation. Her first older sister is Nozomi (望美), and her second older sister is Mika (美花).”
A beautiful wish, a flower, and the moon. The connection between the three sisters began with that name, and that connection still remains today.
“So, my sisters often told me… That flowers would bloom with hope and the moon would rise far above them, that you would become the biggest person among us… And they would tease me with playful and affectionate words…..”
A story about when I was much shorter than my sisters. When Mitsuki asked when she would grow up like her sisters, they told her to rest assured that she would become the biggest person.
I remember getting angry every time, saying, ‘It’s all just a play on words!’
“Well, it’s all in the past now.”
A name that was meaningful when attached loses its meaning when it is separated.
They are all common names, and just because they don’t have a specific name, it doesn’t feel awkward.
They just became each wish, flower, and moon.
Beauty was attached, but it did not become a connection, and the connection that came from the name lost its power.
“That’s strange.”
But Han Jae-joong was at odds with that fact.
“Just now, you said you were nothing, but you were the moon and light of the family. She was the daughter of a couple and the youngest of three sisters. “Then why are you nothing?”
“My parents suffer from dementia, so they don’t even notice me when I get close to them. The sister’s year was scattered by scorpions. In the meantime, I even lost my strength. What’s left for me? My proud daughter lost what little status she had as a respected magical girl! “There’s nothing left!”
Mitsuki screamed in anger. It was a cry that was closer to a desperate wail rather than anger.
“Do not deny your history.”
Han Jaejoong cut off the wailing with just one line. At first glance, it felt like it was heartless.
“Didn’t I tell you earlier?”
“…Yes?”
“Don’t pretend like you don’t know what ‘Yes’ is, even though you know it all.”
Silver Luna’s story is truly sad. A story that even Han Jae-joong, who read the original work, did not know. I can only guess how well she kept her secret hidden.
There are two cases where someone hides their private information so thoroughly. Perfectionist, lack of self-love.
From noble mtl dot com
Someone who is obsessed with making themselves look perfect to others, and someone who hides their weaknesses for fear of being hurt by others. Mitsuki was closer to the latter.
Han Jaejoong pitied her. Did you say that people know themselves more than others? Those were words that suited her exactly.
In the original work, it is nice to see him burning his life to protect the citizens of this foreign land, and doing his best to keep the number of deaths to a minimum until the end.
Her final monologue was her lament over her own weakness, and her last words were her longing for her family.
“You are someone’s younger sister and daughter. He was a beloved and loving member of a loving family. Even if other families forget this, this fact will always remain true.”
I know. The scorpion we face this time is not an enemy that will end with just one or two sacrifices from a magical girl. Even if everyone here risks their lives and fights with all their might, there is little chance of winning, and it may not end even if everyone dies.
“I sacrificed my youth to protect people, and I resisted the instinct of fear so that no one would tremble. She whipped herself and bled. You were always glorious. Even if someone forgets this grace, this fact will always remain true.”
But that fact alone could not break his will.
“Even if you denied yourself, your life did not deny you. The trajectory of your life was worthy of bringing you love and glory. “You deserve it.”
I was standing here now to avert the death in the original work.
“Do not deny your history.”
Giving up here was no different from denying his life.
“If you doubt, I will be your witness now. I will affirm the life you have built. So, child, do not deny. “I was proud of you.”
The hunt is not over yet. No one died.
“I know. Just words of comfort will be empty to you now. Rest assured, girl. “I will restore what you lost.”
There was ample opportunity to take on the challenge.
Silver Luna was silent for a moment. Sorting out her confused emotions, she distilled the question into her words, which she succinctly blurted out.
“Why, why are you doing this to me?”
I asked with suspicion, longing, and a little hope. It was a hope as faint as a firefly. In the deep swamp, that level of light was enough. That alone is enough for a person to move forward.
“I am nothing to you, but in fact, you are nothing to me.”
He answered without hiding anything.
“I am a watcher. “He is the one who saw a star in you.”
**
‘Isn’t this too formal?’
‘Maw.’
After evacuating Silver Luna to a safe place, he headed towards Scorpion again. In the meantime, I received a message from Belt.
‘Isn’t it too pretentious to distribute distribution in a scorpion duel where the winner takes all?…’
‘That’s right. Bluff.’
I will take it back. What arrogant and optimistic thinking this is. Even Jaejoong Han himself doesn’t have the power to do that. The ability to restore someone’s memories or relationships to their original state was something that was difficult to hope for from someone who only held the key to a solution through force.
A truly irresponsible statement.
‘But looking at a kid who worked so hard, telling him to be satisfied with this because he lived so hard is going too far, so sometimes you have to show off.’
‘Indeed… It is a pedunculated species.’
‘You look the same as me, dude.’
However, this did not mean that we would continue to be irresponsible.
‘And it wasn’t just bravado.’
He made such a statement because he had devised a solution in his own way. This is a plan I have been thinking about since I was one of the few victims of scorpions.
It hasn’t been shared yet, and its feasibility is unclear, but it was well worth a try.
‘We have to find Odette and Jason.’
Of course, this is all possible only if the scorpion is defeated. Only by killing the scorpion can you gain what it lost.
The majesty of the scorpion that has become a giant combined robot has not changed even now that it has become a block of ice. I am anxious that I will wake up again at any time and spread evil on the world.
With Blue Sirius blocking the Scorpion’s movements, this was the only opportunity.
We must gather our strength during this gap.
‘Odette? Where are you now….’
Boom!
As soon as communication began, the sound of a shell booming was heard. Not from a scorpion.
“On the path of great challenges!!!!”
“…Argo family?”
Something like a huge ship appeared.
“What is that?”
There was a reason why it could not be confirmed that Han Jae-joong was a ship. The appearance was unmistakable of a ship, but that was because the background on which it was swimming was the sky, not the sea.
“Let’s challenge the galaxy!!!”
“Waaa!!”
At the front of the deck of the aerial ship is September. A monster in the constellation Carina was seen. After that, the giants who seemed to be somewhere between humans and monsters responded loudly every time September declared something.
“We are taking on a challenge that will go down in history….”
There was a shadow quietly approaching behind September.
It was Botis.
**
“Botis! Hey b*tch! What are we doing? “Why are they suddenly locking me up?”
The archer screamed loudly. What comes back is an echo. His own voice was everything.
Goldilocks Zone, like a huge mountain range, was a beautiful place embracing the grandeur of nature. In his eyes, it didn’t look beautiful at all and was just frustrating.
It’s been several minutes since he was trapped here.
This meant that a few minutes had passed since the protest started.
The entire surrounding area was a sea of fire. It was the result of shooting and swinging arrows as a demonstration. The refreshing smell of grass was nowhere to be found, and only the acrid scent of ash filled the air.
“If we continue like this, everything here will be ruined! Know?!”
Tuk. This time, instead of an echo, a different answer came back.
When I looked back, I saw that a monster had fallen from somewhere in the air. A low-level monster who couldn’t even create a constellation.
“What the f*ck are you! Go away! “Get out of here and bring me Botis!”
-Crrr.
The low-level monster retreated and the archer continued his protest.
“You really fell behind! Come back and see! I will twist the hair branches and tear them off! You f*cking goat b*tch! Cow b*tch! Search! Search!”
Tuk. As I was repeating swear words, a monster fell from the air once again. He turned his eyes to see who had arrived this time.
“I told you to f*ck off….”
“Ugh… I’m not being too rough with the patient.”
Unlike before, he was not a low-level monster. However, the level of energy was no different from that of the lower class.
“…Jason.”
“Oh, isn’t it comrade?!”
His identity is the only close friend who shared the oath of comradeship.
“Did you get hit by Bo too?”
Even after being betrayed, he was an unnecessarily nice brat who still called Botis by his nickname.
