Distrust is a vicious, deep mark—a scar, I’d call it, the kind of wound on the heart that people collect over the course of their lives.
Because you believed, you were betrayed. Because you hoped, you were disappointed.
In the world of men, is that really the absolute, correct answer?
“Can I be honest?”
“.....”
“What’s inside that coffin, why you distrust and hate humans so much, and why you suddenly pointed a weapon at me.”
Several nights and days passed.
By then, the Raptures I’d hunted down were too many to count.
From my first journey with Grave—or perhaps from our very first meeting—the “misalignment” between us had never truly been resolved.
The misalignment persisted,
the NIKKE who distrusted humans grew increasingly suspicious,
and I, moved by her “nobility” and “moving spirit of sacrifice,” believed in her to the very end.
Faith and distrust.
The precarious balance between those two opposing forces eventually collapsed.
“I never asked you a single question until you spoke first. And even so, you react like this? What should I do?”
“.......”
“So the reason you couldn’t trust me was, in the end, because of me......is that right? Or did your thoughts change? Did something shift in your mind?”
“.......”
As usual, after dealing with the Raptures—massacring them, really—night fell. This happened while we were camping in the forest today.
Without a word, she pointed the box-like firearm at me.
It was the same threatening weapon she’d aimed at me the first time we met in that ruined city.
A weapon with firepower so immense it could only be compared to a tank.
“Would it sound like an excuse to you if I told you this now?”
“......”
“Or should I just die after being hit by this weapon, just as you wish?”
Some people wouldn’t understand this situation.
Even with a weapon of tank-class firepower—something capable of obliterating mechanical Raptures—pointed at me, the two of us were talking calmly and naturally. The dissonance must have been absurd.
And yet, why wasn’t I panicking?
The answer was—ridiculously enough, because I was certain I wouldn’t die even if I took a shot from that weapon.
“How about it? Will you hear me out before you kill me? Or do you want to tell me your story first?”
“........”
Slowly turning my head, I saw only the black helmet that hid her expression.
Her outfit looked like sportswear, paired with a tattered black coat. And her “hand”—proving she was a cyborg rather than a human—was a robotic limb with the synthetic skin peeled away.
Even so, I quietly waited under the gaze I could feel, and—
“You. dangerous.”
“......Because a human is destroying Raptures? Or because the power I showed you seems like a threat to you and that being called ‘Cinderella’?”
“I. don’t. trust. humans.”
“......”
“Thank. you. for. helping. But. you. are. too. dangerous. a. being.”
I quietly stared at her.
The point was that she had judged my danger level to be high enough to threaten both herself and Cinderella.
She claimed she didn’t trust humans, but that didn’t seem to be the whole story.
“Why do you think I never asked what was inside the coffin?”
“......”
“Why? I could have knocked you down with my power and smashed the coffin open to check its contents if I wanted to.”
“!”
The weapon aimed at me trembled slightly.
She carefully shifted her body to hide the coffin from view, but my gaze was already fixed on Grave.
From the start—
“Because you were crying while hugging that coffin, I thought asking what was inside would be more than rude. It would have been tactless.”
“.....Lies.”
“Why do you think it’s a lie? Ah—could it be that you were captured by the Ark and tortured or dissected by humans?”
“!”
Click!
Looking closely at the box, I could see a large-caliber muzzle.
At a glance, it was the size of an anti-aircraft gun or a heavy sniper rifle; it looked incredibly heavy.
Even with the muzzle aimed right at my face, I spoke calmly.
“Go ahead and shoot. If you’re really that uneasy and suspicious, removing that ‘factor’ right here wouldn’t be a bad idea.”
“.......”
“But there’s something I want to say. My thoughts to leave you before I die.”
“.......”
Maybe she was flustered by my composure, or maybe she was simply staying on high alert.
Ignoring her reaction, I told her what I was thinking—why I wanted to help her.
“Where should I start? Ah, right.....from the beginning? From the point where you shot at me, ran away, and I helped you when you were cornered?”
I shifted my gaze to the campfire burning quietly.
“I don’t even know why I gained this power—Eunwol’s skills—or where that power came from.”
I tossed a few more branches into the dying flames to strengthen them.
“I just thought it was something that happened while we were both still wary of each other, and that saving you when you were in danger was the priority.”
“I tested my power through the night, and I thought maybe with this strength, I could fight back against the Raptures.”
“What’s wrong with helping a ‘person’ who’s about to die? The important thing is that when a life is on the line, it’s only natural to help without hesitation.”
The blazing campfire dyed the surroundings a deep crimson.
Ignoring the gaze I could feel from Grave beside me, I kept talking.
“I rushed in without thinking. Because you were about to die.”
“Because I was in a situation where I didn’t even know why I was in a place like this.....you were the only one who could possibly help me find a way out.”
“I’m selfish too, but I needed your help. So I smashed the Raptures attacking you and saved you.”
“At first, I just wondered why the world had changed like this. And whether there were any other survivors.”
The shadows stretched by the campfire began to shrink little by little.
Even so, I continued my story.
“....Surprisingly, you weren’t a human body at all. You were completely made of machinery.”
“And you were so heavy. I was curious about what was inside that coffin too, but first things first—you waking up was the priority.”
“So I took you somewhere safe and waited beside you until you came to.”
“The moment you woke up, you broke down crying while hugging the coffin.”
“That was when it started. The sight of you crying while clutching that coffin.....felt just like a ‘mother’ to me.”
I quietly turned my gaze back to Grave.
The weapon in her hand had already been lowered long ago.
Our eyes met in a silent exchange.
“My memories are tangled up too. Still, if I wanted to survive in this harsh world, I felt I had to keep my head on straight.”
“At first, I was going to ask you for information and leave on my own. But.....seeing you desperately trying to fix something, and then trying to take ‘responsibility’ to the very end, I guess I was moved.”
Pointing at the coffin with my thumb, I continued.
“It was complicated. What was inside the coffin, what you were trying to take responsibility for, and why you distrusted and guarded yourself against people. I was curious about everything, from start to finish.”
Lowering my hand, I looked back at the campfire.
“You might think I’m acting on a whim, or that I’m impossible to understand. Because when you said you’d ‘rewrite the story,’ I felt something stir in my heart.”
I smiled faintly and looked at Grave.
“I just genuinely wanted to help you. More than living alone. More than wandering around by myself, not knowing how this world even works.”
Even if my words were disjointed, I expressed the simple feeling that had pulled me forward: “I want to help you and walk beside you.”
“I wanted to see with my own eyes the new story you’re writing. I want my sincerity to reach you.”
Like a child, recklessly, simply because my heart was drawn that way, I wanted to help her and live in this world.
It would be nice if I could return to my original world, but that wasn't my current reality.
Even with an inventory, skills, and food secured, my heart wasn't satisfied.
I wanted to see the “story” being rewritten together with her, with Grave, and with Cinderella—the one she so desperately wanted to protect.
I had conveyed my sincerity, but Grave continued to stare at me without a word.
A silence that felt both short and long.
In the end, I let out a snort, turned my head away, and quietly closed my eyes—but—
“It. will. be. a. long. story.”
What returned was the story of Grave and Cinderella.
The forgotten tainted story began.
========
“My. memories. are. not. intact.”
“There. are. several. major. threats. to. NIKKEs.”
“Among. them. are. identity. changes. and. thought conversion.”
“I. am. not. thought. conversion. I. was. made. that. way. after. being. ‘experimented. on’. by. humans.”
The selfish humans had mercilessly broken her.
“An. old. NIKKE. drifting. on. the. surface. under. the. name. of. ‘lost. technology’.”
“I. was. dissected. by. the. humans. of. the. Ark. Brain. scanned. Subjected. to. all. kinds. of. experiments. Tortured.”
Her history had turned into a tragedy.
“My. broken. memories. I. was. a. technician.”
“I. made. Cinderella.”
“For. humanity. For. the. Goddess. For. victory.”
“I. made. the. ‘Fairy. Tale. Second. Generation’.”
“I. know. there. are. three. more. NIKKEs. besides. Cinderella.”
“I. don’t. remember. their. names. I. wanted. to. fight. alongside. those. three. different. girls.”
I had thought her past—her desperate struggle for humanity and victory—would shine like brilliant glass.
“But. Cinderella. was. ‘corrupted’.”
“Whether. by. something. inside. or. by. Raptures.”
“Cinderella. was. corrupted. and. attacked. us. humans. like. a. Rapture.”
“Humans. called. Cinderella. a. ‘Heretic’. They. made. her. bear. the. stigma. of. ‘Anachiro’.”
“Cinderella. bore. that. stigma. and. was. eventually. hunted. down. once. by. the. Goddess.”
The story of her and the Cinderella born from her hands—who should have shone brighter than anyone—never saw the light, and was instead stained and dirtied with blood.
“Even. after. being. hunted. down. the. recovered. Cinderella. became. an. experimental. subject. for. humanity’s. ‘revenge’.”
“She. woke. up. thanks. to. an. ‘Unchained’ who. escaped. corruption. but. everyone. hated. her.”
“Cinderella. did. nothing. wrong. Humanity. hated. and. despised. her.”
“I. persuaded. the. collapsing. Cinderella. and. sheltered. her. She. cried. in. pain. and. felt. wronged.”
“She. dreamed. of. fighting. alongside. the. Goddess. Her. dream. was. shattered.”
It wasn’t only that her story was stained with blood. Stigma, hatred, and distrust tightened even further around Cinderella’s throat.
“She. shouldn’t. have. just. felt. wronged. We. had. to. set. what. was. wrong. right.”
“Cinderella. wanted. to. finish. the. story. until. the. very. end. She. wanted. the. wrong. ending. to. end. beautifully.”
“I. and. the. other. three. girls. and. Cinderella.....went. into. space....and. stopped. the. Queen.”
“The. number. of. Raptures. was. infinite. but. Cinderella. did. it. It. wasn’t. an. infinite. number. of. Raptures. There. were. many.”
“It. was. a. success. Cinderella. didn’t. defeat. the. Queen.....but. she. held. it. back.”
Even in that situation, Grave, Cinderella, and the Fairy Tale Second Generation NIKKEs fought the Raptures to the very end. From the unstable voice she spoke with, I could infer one thing: Cinderella dealt the Rapture Queen in space a decisive blow.
In the past, the Raptures—once so numerous they were almost infinite—had been reduced to a countable number.
“I. was. disappointed. I. couldn’t. tell. the. story.”
“It. was. a. victory. no. one. knew. about. A. story. no. one. knew. about.”
“Cinderella. fell. from. the. sky. She. was. badly. broken.”
“I. tried. to. fix. Cinderella. I. wandered. everywhere.”
“Then. I. was. captured. by. humans. and. experimented. on.”
“I. was. photographed. Electricity. was. painful.”
“It. hurt. It. was. hard.”
“But. I. endured. For. Cinderella,”
“I. saw. hope. in. the. fact. that. we. stopped. the. Queen. So. I. tried. to. write. a. new. story.”
“I. was. in. a. lot. of. pain. but. I. never. gave. up. on. Cinderella.”
Even when broken, she stood back up.
Distrust and hatred, and a history stained with blood, were left behind.
Even so, they rose again.
To write a new story, to set right what had been wrong even if it had already been dirtied.
“.......”
“It. is. a. strange. story. I. can’t. tell. it. properly--”
“Stop. That’s enough. I get it.....I understand what you’re saying.”
I now understood why Grave had been broken. As someone who had pushed through the story up to the 1.5th anniversary, I finally learned Cinderella’s hidden past.
“......You. crying?”
“Sniff! I’m. not. crying! I’m. not.....sniff! Hh...hngh!”
“......”
“Damn it! Seriously! Why do my eyes keep hurting! Ngh!”
The past of Anachiro—or rather, Cinderella—who had simply been written off as a Rapture corruption incident, was unbearably sad.
She had wanted to fight the Goddess she admired, and wanted a beautiful story that would defeat the Raptures and bring victory to humanity.
And yet, this was tragic, and still never let go of hope until the end.
And—
“Don’t. cry. It. feels. weird—”
“I said I’m not crying, damn it! Hngh...sniff!”
The “maternal feeling” I had sensed from Grave wasn’t my imagination at all. It really was maternal love itself.
Their story is a beautiful one, tragic yet determined to set its ending right, with not a single flaw in sight.
The behind-the-scenes story I never knew.
Maybe that was why I kept wanting to help her, why I kept feeling that inexplicable resonance.
That reason—and the path I had to walk from here on out—had been decided.
“Sniff! I’ll help you, for sure. I’ll stay by your side and protect the story you and Cinderella are rewriting, so it won’t be ruined.”
“.......”
“You said it was unfair, right? You said it was wrong, so you’d set it right. That’s still true now, isn’t it? Fixing Cinderella is your goal, and rewriting the story is what you want to do, right?”
I held out my hand.
At that sight, Grave hesitated, wavering, then carefully took my hand.
She shed tears and gave a slightly broken smile, but the touch of her hand felt cold and somehow familiar, as if it connected with mine.
“.....Sorry. For. doubting. you.”
Grave quietly apologized.
“And. thank. you. for. helping.”
Then she thanked me again, opening her heart.
========
It had been quite some time since Grave and Hook had finally begun communicating properly, breaking down the suspicion and caution between them.
They fought the Raptures together, matching each other’s rhythm.
And the misaligned relationship between the two of them gradually began to heal.
“Not. there. superhuman.”
“You said you needed power, right? There’s a place that looks like a research lab over there.”
“That. place. is. a. Rapture. field. There. is. nothing. there.”
“Ah.....seriously, what the hell are these bastards always stealing? Leave some behind!”
Their goal was to repair Cinderella, who had stopped moving—to heal her and wake her up again.
“To. treat. Cinderella. we. need. massive. energy.”
“From what I heard, that equipment called the ‘Glass Slipper’ has to be paired with Cinderella for the treatment to really work, right?”
“That. is. still. too. early. To. fix. the. Glass. Slipper. we. need. special. material. glass. wide-angle. panel. parts.”
“Then wouldn’t it be better to find that first?”
“It. is. dangerous. To. go. there. we. must. eliminate. the. Tyrant. Rapture.”
But their goal began to take a long time.
Grave said it would be an endless task if she did it alone, but with Hook accompanying her, they could at least estimate a timeframe.
At that, Hook frowned and offered her opinion.
“Let’s take it down. That Tyrant Rapture. If we need an energy supply right now, but the Glass Slipper pairing isn’t working, then it’s useless anyway, right?”
“It. is. dangerous.”
“It’s all or nothing. If it comes to it, I can handle it alone.”
“You. can’t. Tyrant. is. strong. And. it. ‘corruption’. triggers.....ah.”
“I’m human, so I won’t get corrupted, right? And did you forget? It’s been about 200 days since you and I started living together.”
“......Haah, superhuman. Sometimes. very. stubborn.”
“If there’s a chance, you grab it fast! Come on! Let’s go! We’re fixing the Glass Slipper first!”
“.....Wait.”
Unlike Grave, who was careful and methodical, Hook often clashed with her because of her somewhat reckless drive.
That could have made Grave suffer, but thanks to Hook’s absurd skill, the Raptures didn’t stand a chance.
Watching her casually take down a Lord-class Rapture, Grave kept shaking her head, desperately trying to prevent any thought conversion from happening.
And then------
“.........”
“........”
A wasteland where not even a blade of grass grew.
Standing side by side in the blowing dust, the two of them watched the situation unfold.
Grave carried the coffin where Cinderella slept.
Hook had the broken, immobilized personal weapon of Cinderella, the Glass Slipper, chained up and slung over her shoulder.
“Was. that. why. the. large. Rapture. groups. were. moving. Because. of. ‘that’?”
“Whoa, that’s huge.....is that a Tyrant-class Rapture?”
The two of them stared at the massive creature exuding a murderous aura right before their eyes.
Its insect-like legs, mouth, and jaw, along with the bumpy, hard outer carapace, made it look like some kind of giant insect.
With a sticky sound, the sacs of flesh that clung and peeled away began corroding the surrounding ground and the remains of the Raptures.
{ Grrrrr!? Krrk! Chrrrrrr! }
Its size was unlike an ordinary Rapture, and its cry sounded less like a machine and more like a living creature.
“My first fight with a Tyrant Rapture.....this is kind of exciting, isn’t it?”
“Don’t. push. yourself. If. the. Glass. Slipper. gets. any. more. damaged. we’re. done. for.”
“I’ll leave it here. Hide somewhere and keep watch. If any other Raptures come—”
“I. will. intercept. Don’t. worry. Worry. about. yourself.”
“Ha! Don’t worry about it!”
Hook slowly stepped forward, wearing the black-and-red knuckles on both hands—the [Appsolabs Knuckle].
And the giant Tyrant Rapture, Ultra, which had detected a life-form, glared at Hook with hostility and whipped out something like hidden insect wings, flailing them wildly.
“Come on. Let’s have some fun!”
{ Kiiiiiiiiii! Kuaaaaaaa! }
As she knocked aside the poison sprayed in all directions, Hook’s fist slammed into Ultra.
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