Even in Hell 2

Eichi: (To mirror the three main gods in Japanese mythology, there will be three Oddballs... no, three might not be enough.)^[1]

(It would be were the story to be contained within Yumenosaki’s walls, but I don’t intend to stop there.)

(Hibiki Wataru as Amaterasu, Shinkai Kanata as Susanoo, and Sakuma Rei as Tsukuyomi... the image might be too picture-perfect.)

(It’s exactly why Keito seemed so interested in it.)

(But if it’s too perfect, it will take too much effort to destroy. The laws of physics state that the more complex a structure is, the more fragile it is as well. Taking that into account...)

(There ought to be a little more room for fissures to open.)

(Otherwise, the tale of the Three Oddballs will only serve to strengthen them.)

(Those who have been acting separately would become united by this; they would achieve perfection as solid, absolute beings.)

(It’s counterproductive. Perhaps we need to add two or three more characters to this story.)

(Even the Bible was created out of the prophecies that saints received from God, whose words were then filtered through interpretation by their disciples when the scripture was written down...)

(It is because of this process that contradictions and differing interpretations have arisen.)

(In order to avoid naysaying of the fundamental principle that God’s Word is the absolute truth, there arose various excuses and flexibility in readings...)

(But in doing so, the integrity and strength of the Gospels have been damaged.)

(Such foolish, sinful, insignificant humans—)

(They provided the leeway to deny and criticize the singular, absolute, inviolable God. It is something that should never have been allowed to happen in the first place.)

(And it is this sort of gap which we should aim for. Right... Keito?)

(I know what you’re thinking.)

(When I visited the student council room just now to discuss my grandfather’s funeral, we exchanged some words... On the surface, it would seem that we were fighting.)

(But I believe we got through to each other. Might I believe that we share the same goal... old friend?)

(I don’t mind even if it’s only a misunderstanding or delusion; I don’t mind if you’ve already forgotten the promise you made me.)

(No matter how much sin and filth I cover myself with, no matter if I am left with nothing but my bones, my pain, and my despair when I am sent off to the crematorium...)

(You will let my soul pass on.)

(I still remember our promise. I’ll let you bury me when I’m dead. So while I still live... I will do whatever I am able.)

(As it is, though, I haven’t been able to lay all the groundwork. The soil hasn’t been nourished nearly enough to allow such large flowers to bloom.)

(I can’t help but be impatient when I don’t know whether today will be my last, but I’m still at the stage where I must sow my seeds.)

(With the death of my grandfather, I will soon have more money and influence at my disposal. I intend to make good use of both, but for now I must be satisfied with making preparations.)

(People can be bought with money. Those who believe love can’t be bought are simply unskilled at using it.)

(With only ten thousand yen, you can make just about anyone do just about anything.)

(Even in hell money is law. As the Tenshouin heir, I will make everyone understand that.)

(The transcendent Three Oddballs... no, the Five Oddballs are not immune to human affections.)

(Their genius may be monstrous, but still they cannot suppress their own humanity.)

(Humans are social creatures that live in herds; they cannot bear to be lonely. So I will contaminate everyone around them, one by one.)

(The poison will seep into everything and wither those beautiful flowers.)

Tsumugi: Hmmm? What are you doing in the library, Eichi-kun?

Eichi: Fufu. I was looking for you, Tsumugi.

Tsumugi: Me? It’s after school... Did you want to hang out somewhere together, or something? Maybe we could go to karaoke?

But I had all this work for the library committee pushed on me, so...

Eichi: Yes, I heard from Keito—from Hasumi-kun, since he’s also on the committee. As your friend, I had the mind to help you out, so I stopped by.

Hasumi-kun is apparently very busy with his duty to the student council, so I’m acting as his substitute.

Tsumugi: Wow, that’s a big help! Thank you, Eichi-kun!

Honestly, no one else ever does any work for the committee, so I’m always the one saddled with it. It’s exhausting!

Eichi: No thanks necessary. We’re friends, aren’t we Tsumugi? ♪

(However, in exchange for helping you with your work, I’ll get information out of him.)

(Tsumugi has a considerable number of friends and acquaintances... In other words, he’s among the most well-informed at the school.)

(I’ve taken so much time off due to illness, so I have a poor grasp on the state of affairs at Yumenosaki Academy... I need to understand the foundation of things—that is to say, the network of relationships at play.)

(If I reel him in, it should be easy to get a read on things.)

(What a wonderful thing it is... to have friends. You can move and position people merely on the basis of such hazy sentiments as camaraderie.)

(You don’t even need to sign a contract.)