VOLUME 2

Chapter 6: I’ve Tried Hard Enough Today

“Sasamisaaan~~.”

My brother was calling me.

I quickly straightened out my bed hair and gave a nice, long stretch.

Outside my window, I saw that the sun had already sunk below the horizon, bringing forth a calm night.

“Sasamisaan~~. Sa. Sa. Mi. Saaaan~~. Your name has so many ‘sa’s in it, Sasami-saaan~~. It’s your oniichan, please let me into your roooom~~. Ahah, maybe I need a pa.s.sword to get in! You’re testing your oniichan’s love, aren’t you?! Ah, I know, ‘Who’s the person Sasami-san loves the most in the world?’ And the answer is… ‘Oniichan,’ right?! That’s the pa.s.sword, right?!”

“Ugh, shut up! Stop making so much noise in the hospital!”

I took off the night cap I was wearing and threw it at the door.

I was in our town’s general hospital, resting in a room on the top floor.

I was wearing a pair of pajamas that Tsurugi had brought me a while ago.

I lifted my body up and sat on my bed. Maybe I had lost too much blood, or maybe it was the painkillers I was on, but I felt really woozy.

It appeared I had suffered a wound serious enough to put me on the boundary between life and death, and up until a little bit ago n.o.body was allowed to visit me.

Although, Tsurugi had snuck in through the window earlier to pay me a visit.

Meanwhile, my brother had been obediently waiting outside all this while, and he seemed really worried.

“Sasami-san!”

My brother’s patience ran out and he bound into the room with his usual embarra.s.sing dance-like enthusiasm. Thank G.o.d I was in a private room.

“Are you safe?! Does it hurt anywhere?! Anywhere?! Ahh, Sasami-san, I feel so sorry for you! If I could switch places with you I will! No, I’ll switch right now! Show me where it hurts! Come on, quickly! Our sibling bond and my love for you will create a miracle, and transfer all the pain to me-“

“Stop spouting all your nonsense and hugging me! Kyah! My chest is where the wound is, dammit! Stop, stop stripping me, you d.a.m.n pervert oniichan! I’ll kill you, you weirdo!”

I sent a shower of awful abuse at my brother, but even then I was pretty disoriented.

I really couldn’t remember everything too well…

Today at school, Tsurugi told me to buy some things for her, and because she was always helping me out here and there, I agreed to do that for her.

I remembered going to a drugstore to buy some things, and then… what happened after that? I do remember wandering around Uzumenoana a bit, but then my memories kind of faded out…

But when I looked down at my chest, I saw that the sarcoma had vanished.

At least I didn’t have to worry about when it would take over my body again.

Although, I was a bit conflicted. It almost felt a bit lonely, like a roommate had just moved out.

Ahh, speaking of the sarcoma, when Tsurugi visited me earlier, she had said something strange.

”Both Tsukuyomi Sasami and that sarcoma inhabited the same body. You could say they were the same person. But, I decided to save one, and condemn the other. Why do you think that was?”

I mean, it’s not like I knew what she was talking about, so of course I couldn’t answer.

”The sarcoma had done something wicked, and had involved a lot of humans in that wickedness. So I punished him. But he wanted the same exact thing as Sasami… to live freely. Both of you also cause trouble for the people around you.”

That’s right.

I had betrayed the hopes of all the people at the Tsukuyomi Shrine, and had submitted to a carefree, peaceful lifestyle.

If anybody hated me for it, or wished me harm, it was all my own fault.

”So, in the end, the sarcoma had committed a single sin.”

Tsurugi put her hand on my chest and smiled.

”He was so obsessed with getting his own happiness that he even sacrificed others. He mistook the power of the Supreme G.o.d as his own, and used it selfishly. You, however, are aware that you cause others trouble, but are apologetic because of it, and you try hard to minimize the damage to the people around you… you really do try hard.”

Her fingertip was warm like the sun.

”You make sure you don’t ask for too much, and even if you have the power of the Supreme G.o.d, you restrain it and definitely don’t use it for your own gain. Rather, you’re tossed around by that power, to the point where you dislike it and want to reject it. You’re the complete opposite of that sarcoma… so, I hope an old grump like me can place my hopes in you for just a while longer and give you this for safekeeping.”

A sublime, extraordinary something filled my body to the brim.

”Please continue to do your best. Until you can finally lead that peaceful life you wanted and don’t have to try hard anymore. Until you can go on like a normal girl, used to a mundane life with no strange powers or Supreme G.o.ds who don’t follow the rules. Watching you humans struggle with things like that is the only thing that brings this tired worn-out girl joy anymore.”

Tsurugi continued to spout things I couldn’t make head nor tails of, and then calmly left through the window.

What was all of that about? What did Tsurugi mean…?

“Sasami-san.”

My brother suddenly lifted his face up and watched me from point-blank range.

“I watched the SWP and I found something a bit strange. If you used the power of the Supreme G.o.d, you could achieve all your goals so much more easily.”

SWP? What was that?

I had no idea what he was talking about.

“But I finally understood. Sasami-san wants to learn and grow not as a G.o.d, but as a human. Your oniichan is very proud of that. Tsurugi-sensei and the others and I… that’s why we want to support you and cheer you on forever.”

“Eh? Ahh, okay…”

My brother seemed really happy. But visiting hours were apparently over, and my brother was forcibly pulled from the room by the nurses as he frantically waved at me.

“Please… try hard from here on out, Sasami-san!”

Sorry, Oniichan.

But, I’m completely exhausted right now.

Yawn…

I let out a yawn and lay down on my back, sinking luxuriously into complete stillness.

It’s not like there was a point of overdoing it.

I wouldn’t try hard today anymore.