Ash Returns to the Sky 4

Eichi: Sakuma Rei. You are a powerful, virtuous man without equal, so remarkable as to achieve the lofty realm of the inhuman.

But it is only in shounen manga that a lone hero can save the entire world.

You have no choice but to die for your love.

You cannot abandon anyone because you love too deeply, and therefore you will be crushed by the weight of that which you bear. Your love will cut you to pieces and poison you.

...Oh, my. You’d best get going; you wouldn’t want to miss your flight, would you?

For the sake of all those people in far-off nations who love and admire you... there’s no time to delay, little hero ♪

Rei: Sure. I’ve got nothing left to do here at Yumenosaki, anyway.

But it pisses me off seeing you get all high and mighty like this, so lemme leave you with one last curse.

Just like a monster, eh? You’re the one who made us out to be inhuman, so the least you can do is hear me out.

Tenshouin Eichi-kun... right? You’ve been on “this side” for a good while now.

Even if you waste your whole life looking...

You’ll never find a soul who’ll be a true, dear friend. ‘Cause you trampled over and killed anyone who mighta given you that.

You poor thing.

Eichi: That’s the highest praise I could hope for. Thank you... senpai ♪

Tsumugi: ......

Tsumugi: (Is Eichi-kun all right...? He collapsed as soon as Rei-kun left us.)

(I carried him to the nurse’s office, but I’m worried about him.)

(Our live tomorrow is a big one: a battle against the last of the Five Oddballs, Hibiki Wataru-kun.)

(But staying alive is more important... I should tell Eichi-kun to stop pushing himself so hard.)

(I don’t think he’ll listen to me, though. He’s the kind of person who uses even his own life as a pawn...)

(And I get the feeling he’s kind of fixated on this particular live.)

(He has always said that he’s a big fan of Hibiki-kun.)

(I’m sure he wants to give last rites to the person he admires so much.)

(It’s not like anyone is actually dying, though; it’s just a concert... Well, I suppose treating it like that really does make me sound like I’m “removed from it all.”)

(Eichi-kun was cast as the protagonist in this story, and I was put right in the middle of everything. But all I’ve done is watch things play out, like I’m just a reader.)

(That’s probably disrespectful of me, huh?)

(To all the people who go at life with everything they’ve got... I must come off as a despicable person.)

(I’m just one of the masses that gave up on thinking—the kind of person Eichi-kun set out to change.)

(It doesn’t matter whether I’m here or not; I can be replaced by anyone else...)

(I’m just part of the crowd—no, I’m more like some kind of bug. At the bottom of the food chain, waiting to be eaten up.)

(You’re right, Rei-kun. It’s no different from being dead. That’s why I envy you all so much.)

...Eek?!

Wh–what? Whoa, I didn’t know you were here, Natsume-kun.

That encyclopedia that just came flying at me probably would have dented my skull if it had made a direct hit!

Natsume: Tch, you dodged it. You’re surprisingly light on your feet, senpai.

Tsumugi: Wait, you were aiming at me? I thought it was an accident!

Why would you throw something that could kill a person if it hit them? That’s attempted murder, you know!

Actually, well I don’t really mind either way, but I noticed you’re calling me Tsumugi-senpai again!

Was I just hallucinating a time when you loved me and called me Tsumugi-nii-san?!

Natsume: Shut up. How dare you show your face to me, fine?

Tsumugi: Oh, yeah. The duties of the library committee are never done. I’ve got to check and organize all of the books down here in the underground archive.

It’s been dragging on for months, now.

Lately I’ve been busy doing things with fine, though.

But I’d feel bad if I left this a mess, so I thought I’d make some free time to make some progress.

Eichi-kun took a nasty fall, and it seems the other members in fine will be a while before they come back...

So since I have the time, I’ve decided to make the most of it ♪

Natsume: ...I’ve watched you for a while now, but I still don’t understand how you can be so inept.

Do you even want to finish this work? You’ve had to recheck your work so many times; you aren’t working efficiently at all.

Tsumugi: Well, I’m in no rush. But if you notice something, you should tell me, okay? I have a hard time noticing that sort of thing.

Natsume: I’m not obligated to do that. I’d rather watch you lie in the bed you made; it’s more satisfying ♪

Tsumugi: Really? If it makes you smile to see me struggling, I’ll just have to struggle more often ♪

Fufufu, I’m happy that you talk with me more casually now that I’ve started coming down here more often.

Eichi-kun did get mad at me, though, since I could leak information to the enemy.

You were grouped up with the Five Oddballs before anyone could even blink, Natsume-kun.

Natsume: Hmph. I’m only filling out the numbers...

What I’ve gained from interacting with the other Oddballs has been immeasurable thanks to that. But in the end, I’m nothing more than a sacrificial lamb.

Now I could puke whenever someone calls me an Oddball.

Tsumugi: Really? Do you want me to ask Eichi-kun to stop calling you that, then? I have some sway with him, since we’re friends ♪

At any rate, the tale of the Five Oddballs ends after tomorrow’s live.

So if you don’t like that name, I’ll respect that.

Maybe I’ll ask him to change it to something like the Three Oddballs?

I think that was the original plan, actually, to use Three Oddballs instead of Five.

Oh, I’ll get Shu-kun taken off the list too, while I’m at it.

Apparently he was pretty badly traumatized, and now just hearing the words “Five Oddballs” or “fine” causes him a good deal of agony.