Aochi
The cosmos stirred.
“Why do you choose loneliness for yourselves?”
The voice came from the entrance to the plaza we had arrived from. This time, the voice wasn’t just beautiful—it was audible.
There was a silhouette standing there. Just as I thought I couldn’t quite make it out, the swaying cosmos clearly began to move with intention.
The figure at the entrance reached an arm forward, and the flowers made a wave, as if to carry him closer.
I’d planned to fight the moment he showed up—but this isn’t fair. He should’ve entered more violently. No one said anything about arriving carried by flowers. And this person—
The cosmos stilled. The figure stood before us—or rather, before the Harvester—and said:
“It’s been a while, hasn’t it? My rebellious little cell.”
Just like the voice, the person was terrifyingly beautiful. Unreal.Eyes peeked out from wet, dark gray hair and landed briefly on me.
—So beautiful it’ll drive you mad. That’s how the Harvester had described him.
It wasn’t an exaggeration.
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“I was waiting just beneath the sea until a moment ago.”
That was all he said before turning back toward the Harvester.
The moment our eyes met, I felt like I might vanish.Oze gripped my hand tightly.Please, keep needing me. I don’t want to disappear yet.
“This is troublesome. Even this Harvester has been completely swayed by you.”
Now he glanced at Rhone. That slow, elegant shift of his gaze—it was seductive. He really did resemble the Harvester.
“Are you talking about him?”
The Harvester pointed at Rhone.
“Yes. I can’t allow you to remain a Harvester any longer.A cell that rebels against me will only multiply—and eventually, it will destroy me.”
Rhone’s profile, too, reminded me of this god. It made sense that all of them came from his cells.
“No, you can’t!”
Suddenly, Oomi shouted and jumped in front of the Harvester.
“So, you’re the one he’s favoring this time.”
“Glasses, shut up. Don’t make this harder for me.”
The god stepped forward.I couldn’t tell whether he’d walked or if the cosmos had carried him.
“Harvester, you mustn’t become this man’s eyes.”
Even as everyone here turned hostile eyes toward him, the god’s expression didn’t change in the slightest.His clothing wasn’t pure white.That trivial detail caught my attention.No—this color had a bluish tint. Moon white.
“Let’s settle this other issue first.As a Harvester, you want to witness the passengers’ end, don’t you?”
He’s planning to erase Oomi and me.He’s going to use that heart-burning spell.I clutched my chest without thinking.
The Harvester gently moved Oomi aside and stepped forward.He approached to a distance where he could reach the god if he extended his arm.
“If I become your eye… can’t you take all of them with you instead?”
“No. Do you really understand what you’re doing?That tall boy behind you—he’s the true body, right?That child will be cast into eternal solitude.And the reason I came all the way here today… was to deliver that cruel truth to you myself.”
The cosmos roared to life—and then suddenly stopped.
“I’ve found and killed the true bodies you saved, in every world since.”
And once again, silence—like the god had absorbed all sound—fell over the plaza.