Monogatari Series - Volume 28 - Chapter 1.19

019

The epilogue.

But it was not a few days later, but a few years later.138

Since then, it had been two years, or rather, almost three years—compared to six hundred, that number was the size of a virus in comparison, but the current day was the day of Manase National University’s graduation ceremony.

However, the graduation ceremony was held remotely.

The only ones who were allowed to actually attend were the carefully-selected honors students from various departments, so, as a poor student who had only scraped by with the unbelievable fortune of not having to repeat a year, I could only attend from the apartment that was my lodgings. Incidentally, my girlfriend, Senjougahara Hitagi, was there in person to deliver the graduation speech. I was so proud of her. Though it wasn’t clear if she felt similarly proud of me.

Well, in any case, remote technology had made great strides, so instead of simply attending via the front camera of my computer or smartphone, I was using VR equipment that had been developed recently. I would be able to receive Hitagi’s words with the feeling of actually being there—I would even be able to receive my diploma, by wearing a glove-like controller. Seeing as I’d skipped out on my high school graduation ceremony, I wouldn’t be able to keep myself from feeling exhilarated at the thought of receiving my first diploma since middle school, even if it was virtual.

Of course, there was no delay in the communication between the graduating students, either… In the end, my project to make a hundred friends had cruelly fallen apart, but I had forged a friendship that would last for a lifetime in Hamukai Meniko, and that friendship was worth a hundred friends. While the graduation ceremony had no audience, as long as they could prepare their own VR equipment, there was no limit to how many guests could attend. My parents had promised to attend from their workplace. It was a very understanding workplace—as long as they didn’t end up at a murder scene.

With steady progress, the times continued to evolve.

As though that evolution held a direction.

Furthermore, over the past two years, while the situation that had encompassed the entire world had gone back and forth between good and bad, things had slowly but surely gotten better. Most of the population of Japan had gotten vaccinated, and the strain on health care had lightened up. The economy was showing signs of recovery, and unemployment and suicide rates were lower than before—as for me, let’s just say that my place of employment had been decided.

The Olympics and Paralympics, which had been the subject of much controversy, had ended with resounding success, and the Koshien, which was to be held this month with much fanfare, would surely be met with great fervor—Naoetsu High’s girls’ basketball team, with much assistance from the OGs, would surely show good results at the Inter-High School Basketball Tournament. Speaking of which, starting next month, apparently they’re completely resuming face-to-face lessons at Kanbaru’s university?

Restaurants and recreational facilities could now choose their hours of operation at their own discretion, and concerts and theaters could now openly announce their attendance figures. On TV shows, the partitions placed between entertainers were made more transparent or removed entirely—the fact that “This program was filmed while taking disease prevention measures into consideration” always appeared at the beginning had become just a fun little quirk.

Though it wasn’t exactly peacetime, we were able to leave the house without any restrictions on time, so that god of walks, whom I wanted to hug to my heart’s content, could now display her full power… I was sure the Kitashirahebi Shrine would manage to reclaim its usual prosperity. Naturally, there were still harsh restrictions on overseas travel, but as long as you took the proper precautions that had become commonplace, it was possible to go sightseeing anywhere at any time—the era of masks and toilet paper being sold out was now just a story to laugh at. Ah, but face guards had become a bit of a fashion item for the trend-conscious, so they were always in short supply.

The local governments had slowed down their announcements of confirmed cases, first to once a week, then to once a month, and only after careful analysis of the data. And the number of news programs that reported on the data had vastly diminished—yesterday the birth of a baby panda in the Wakayama prefecture had been the headliner.

The practice of regularly checking one’s temperature had raised people’s health awareness, and as a result, on top of bringing the novel coronavirus into control, humanity had also brought the influenza, hay fever, and the norovirus into control as a sort of side effect or byproduct. Words like “suspended”, “postponed”, or “reduced in scale” had completely vanished from the newspapers, and the “Three Closes” had started to get a stronger impression of referring to a threefold closed room, and it finally felt like the world was starting to restrain themselves from using the word “self-restraint”—I had managed to reconcile with Oikura, and after the remote graduation ceremony ended, we were going to go to a photo studio together. The furisode I picked out would surely look good on her. I even made amends with Sengoku, who had achieved her dreams in Tokyo. The disparities and divisions in the world had disappeared, and Hanekawa, having returned to Japan safely after finishing her duties, was now living with me in my apartment. She’d been up late last night, so maybe she wouldn’t wake up until the afternoon?

That was the world of two years later.

Let’s just say that’s how it was.

“My master,”

said a voice.

As I changed out of my pajamas into the crested hakama that my parents bought for me, a golden-haired young girl appeared from my shadow—since bright lights had been set up for the remote graduation ceremony, my shadow was strongly pronounced.

The golden-haired young girl.

Of course, not thirteen years old, but an eight-year-old young girl.

The young girl, who was actually six hundred and two years old, had crawled out on her own accord, but it seemed she was hesitating to speak—she had never been shy to directly sink her teeth into a topic, but it felt a lot like she was biting her tongue this time.139

Did she want her teeth brushed or something?

“No way. Um, so, how should I put it. On this ceremonious day, where you are about to depart for the next chapter in your life, I was not sure if it was such a good idea to tell you this—”

“What is it? If you’re okay with me, I’ll hear you out, all right?”

“Deathy has died.”

As though she’d made up her mind, Shinobu said so decisively.

Fixing her awkward demeanor, she looked straight at me—but, died? Deathtopia Virtuoso Suicidemaster—er, the former Suicidemaster did?

“Yes. She had gotten infected with the novel coronavirus. Her condition suddenly took a turn for the worse during her quarantine, and it didn’t take long after that.”

I’d already heard from Kagenui-san that she was in quarantine.

I also knew that the pandemic was more severe than Japan in many parts of Europe—but still, I was bewildered at this sudden news.

“Eh… Really?”

“Yes. Just a moment ago, I got a hunch. A moment of inspiration. Perhaps I could even say that I had a dream at dawn—the fact that there had not been any time for her to suffer is a small comfort. Though Deathy was closer to human than you or me, now that this precedent exists, we had better not lower our guards. For this disease, either.”

"............”

I’d been at a loss for words, but I couldn’t just keep quiet. I had to accept the reality of the situation.

“...If I hadn’t told you to suck the blood of the former Suicidemaster, then she wouldn’t have died from the novel coronavirus, right?”

If she hadn’t been human.

If she had still been a vampire, she wouldn’t have gotten infected by the novel coronavirus, and she wouldn’t have exhibited any symptoms—at Suicidemaster’s age, I should’ve known how high of a risk it was if I’d only thought about it, so it was like I’d killed Shinobu’s one-and-only sworn friend myself.

“Now, now, ‘tis because I knew you would think like that that I was hesitating to tell you. Of course, even if I did not tell you, you would start trouble with me over the fact that I did not tell you. Well, rather than start trouble, ‘twould be more like getting yourself into trouble. You idiot. If you had not made me turn Deathy into a human, we would not have had these final two years in the first place.”

Shinobu spoke as though she found my attitude to be thoroughly irritating.

Even her disgust was leaking out.

“It had all been done remotely through the screen, but these two years were only made possible because it was remote, and it was quite enjoyable to keep up this cultural exchange with my sworn friend. She had been grumbling about this and that all the time, but I am sure Deathy also found some enjoyment in it, for the remainder of her life.”

That spring break, when you kept me alive when all I wanted was to die… I think I finally understand those feelings of yours—said Shinobu.

“Thank you. For saying it that way.”

“I am the one who should be thanking you. On behalf of Deathy, and on behalf of Tropicalesque, too.”

It was somewhat atypical, and even though it was on the other side of the world, it was the first time someone close to me had died of the novel coronavirus, so I couldn’t hide my anguish—it was like how, even though I knew how ferocious bears could be, as long as no one I knew had been killed by one, I could still imagine them as fluffy and cute. Or like how, even though people knew that vampires sucked the blood of humans, as long as no one they knew had been sucked by one, they would not understand how terrifying vampires could be.

Now, after several years had passed since the beginning of the pandemic, I had finally come to understand true fear towards this disease—but, thanks to Shinobu’s words that may have just been mere consolation, I did feel a bit reassured.

However, it did not keep me from the awareness that I’d committed a grave sin.

During that hellish spring break, I had so fervently wanted to die as a human, but for Suicidemaster and Kissshot, I did not allow them to die as demons.

Once again, that truth had been thrust upon me.

“About the funeral… How are things going right now? Over there in Europe.”

“Well, traveling there or attending will be difficult. But there is no need to worry. I will not be going there to consume the remains or anything. I have performed my memorial service two years ago, you see.”

All I shall do from here is send my prayers.

For my sworn friend, who has finally managed to die, to rest in peace.

“For Deathy, too, this day of her death is a day of departure. ‘Tis not returning home, but leaving home. For her, who did not end up killing herself but instead lived out her splendid life, I shall not say ‘Goodbye’, but ‘See you later’. Almost like that Hawaiian-shirt brat… Or perhaps, like a butler. Ka ka.”

In that case, you’d be a maid.

But after murmuring that, as though she were mourning, grieving, and hurting, Shinobu once again went to lie dormant in my shadow—I was a bit afraid that she might shut herself in there for over six hundred years, but surely that wouldn’t end up being the case.

She had already made it six hundred and two years by overcoming all of that.

Just as humanity had overcome all sorts of infectious diseases.

And just as they would continue to do so.

“Thank you.”

Again, I said my thanks.

This time, it wasn’t to Shinobu, but to her sworn friend, the former Suicidemaster—two years ago, I’d felt so awkward that my words of gratitude had not come out properly, but now, I would say it to the end.

Thank you, for allowing me to meet Shinobu.

For being friends with Shinobu.

For not leaving Shinobu to be on her own.

Up until now, and from now on.

For being alive, and letting her live.

And continuing to live on, as something like genes, within Shinobu.

Before the graduation ceremony, it felt like I’d been soaked up to my shoulders in the feeling that I’d graduated from something else entirely—as I thought about going to meet Gaen-san as promised, all the while flawlessly upholding the infection control measures.

It was time for a cultural exchange.

This was—a tale of death.

A tale of death that was covered by blood, stained with blood, cleansed by blood, fought with blood against blood, and linked by blood.

A tale about licking each other’s blood, as though licking each other’s wounds.

Our precious death tale.

The act of barbarity of traveling to a foreign country with my partner in the midst of a worldwide pandemic was not something I could so overtly speak about at the moment, but perhaps someday, as time passes and a steady peace is recovered—I’ll be able to tell it to everyone.