Dragon Life Chapter 61

Chapter 61

Chapter 61

“Welcome back, me . ”

Tl’d by Ninish~

Today is a school day . The hateful day in which we return to reality from summer vacation .  Well, it will only be until noon, so I shall forgive you .  What kind of G.o.ddess you think you are, me .

I wake up because of the alarm I set on the previous day, and change into my uniform with half-asleep eyes . When I go downstairs into the living room, on top of the table there’s some bentou made by Touka, who should already have left for school .  But there’s a problem the number of bentous .

“There’s two? Did Touka forget his bentou?”

He should have made three; one for our working older brother, one for me to eat once I come back home at noon, and the other would be his own since he would stay behind at school until evening because of club activities .  However, the two remaining ones mean that Touka forgot to bring his with him .  I laughed with a bitter smile at him for forgetting to bring something he made himself; he also has a cute side to him, hm . After putting one of the bentous in my bag, I leave the house .

After finishing the task of returning to the reality and quietness of a school day, and meeting the friends and the homeroom teacher whose faces I haven’t seen in a while, I want to return home to just laze about, but today I have a mission .  I have to deliver the bentou that I put in my bag to Touka . Because I ain’t such a useless sister who would abandon her starving younger brother .  I know that being hungry is so harsh that it can become painful, to the point you’d eat other humans… Yeah, It seems that I have become broken because of this summer’s heat .  I don’t even feel like retorting to myself .

My younger brother’s middle school is not so far away from the high school I attend; I have so pa.s.s by it on my way back .  I’ll get there in a moment since I go to school by bike .

With the crisp sound of the pedals, I advance towards my destination while facing the lukewarm summer wind .

“Sooo hooooooot . ”

No matter how much I pedal the wind doens’t become refreshing .  It is such a h.e.l.l when I have to stops at a red light .  Suddenly I start sweating because of having been moving, so I wipe the sweat with a towel, but the heat of my body does not go down .  I want to quickly return home and go to sleep in the room that has an air conditioner . Pushing down those feelings, I return to the task of rowing the pedals .

Arriving at his middle school, I place my oh so beloved bike in the bike parking area,

and head to the clubroom where my brother ought to be, while trying not to stand out .  Although Touka looks like that, he’s a member of the ‘blooming with youthfulness’ track and field club .  There were a lot of times during the vacation when he wasn’t at home because of attending summer training camps .  Above all, his specialty is running at short distances; he even has a record of partic.i.p.ating in a tournament and winning the championship; such a capable younger brother I have .  While I feel proud as his older sister, at the same time, as an older sister I’m so useless .  Sorry for being such a good-for-nothing oneechan, Touka .

I visit the club room with the intent of stealthily peering inside, but n.o.body is there .  Maybe they are practicing at the sports grounds? After thinking of that, I swiftly try to turn around but I’m startled by someone who was behind me .

“Oh? Isn’t that you, Ito-chan? Did something happen?”

In front of me was a lively girl, who had her brown-dyed hair up in a ponytail, and whose skin was tan because of the sun . I was startled for a moment, but I immediately calm down at seeing a familiar figure .

“Such a good timing, Yuu; I wonder if you could pa.s.s this to Touka? He has club activities today but he forgot his bentou . ”

I take out the bentou box from my bag and hold it out for her, and she receives it .  My mission is now complete .  Let’s return now .

“Touka should be accompanying Nao at the school infirmary… That’s right! Don’t you want to go with me, Ito-chan?”

What .

“At the school infirmary? Did Naoki collapse again?”

Oh my, right on the heels of yesterday .

“I was thinking that he was in an unexpectedly good condition today, but when the morning cla.s.s ended, he abruptly collapsed! Just like his batteries had run out . I was so surprised! And then the teacher tried to call the ambulance . Even though this always happens!”

“Taking precaution is never excessive . ”

“Well, that’s true too…”

‘It’s just that the teacher is p.r.o.ne to worrying too much’, she adds with a sigh .  According to what I’m told, five ambulances were dispatched last month due to Naoki .  …That’s excessive indeed .  Naoki’s condition is not an acute disease, but he often suffers from anemia . The usual pattern is that he’ll be better after lying down for a while .

But as expected, I’m worried about him so I decide to go to the infirmary .  Of course I’m not thinking of wicked things such as ‘how the infirmary will be cooler than here’ at all!

I’m in a different uniform, and as a highschooler I feel some resistance to loitering about a middle school . Moreover some curious stares are coming my way, but I’m saved somewhat by the fact that cla.s.ses have ended and there

there are few students around .  Forgive me for standing out .

With a, ‘please excuse me’, I enter the school infirmary together with Yuu, but the doctor is not here; and in the bed is Naoki, while my younger brother Touka is sitting in a chair by his side .

“Neechan? Just why are you here . ”

“I came to deliver your bentou . You must thank me, Touka!”

“…Oh . ”

Touka’s expression says ‘Ah d.a.m.n’ when he’s handed his bentou box by Yuu .  Apparently he hadn’t notice that he forgot it .  His cheeks redden a little in embarrasment .

“M-more importantly, listen, Naoki has this thing!”

Trying to change the subject in a panic, he’s so cute, this d.a.m.n guy .

Now that he said so, I wonder if Naoki’s all right . I glance at his face and am relieved that he’s not so terribly pale .  I guess he recovered a bit after taking a rest, but, as Touka pointed out, he’s holding a small open book in his hands .

“Hm? What’s that? Looks like an ancient book?”

Yuu peers into its content with great interest .  It’s thick like a dictionary, but it’s small enough to fit snugly in the palm of your hand .  Its colors are faded as if it had acc.u.mulated dust for a long time .

“I found it at the library . I tried to borrow it since it was unusual, but it had no card so I just brought it out with me . I wonder if someone left it there as a prank?” (Naoki)

“Er… That is to say, you don’t know if you could bring it out without permission?” (Itoka)

Perhaps it is what is known as a forbiden book .  I look at the cover’s spine, but I see no  mark that could indicate such a thing .

“But it’s strange, look at this . ” (Naoki)

Naoki holds a spark in his eyes as he shows us the contents .  Naoki loves reading, and it’d not be an exaggeration to say that the word ‘bookworm’ was invented just for him . When he finds something to be extremely interesting he comes show it to me, but I’d like you to please stop it with the scary books like the blackmagic ones . Just look for ordinary novels, I beg you .

“Wow, what is this, English? No, it can’t be . ” (Yuu)

“Right? These weird letters look like crawling worms . Don’t you think it’s some kid’s prank too?” (Touka)

“But Touka, it’s pretty elaborate for a prank; look here, it even has ill.u.s.trations . ” (Naoki)

The three people express their thoughts to each other thoughtfully, but I can’t see the contents of the book from here . ‘Let me see it for a bit’, I say as I take the book from Naoki . There, there was a fine ill.u.s.tration of a drawn landscape which just couldn’t have been drawn by children .  Next to it are

it are the characters that, as Touka described, look like crawling worms, but still are scrawled evenly .

What is this, it’s like something that could be cla.s.sified as the ancient characters that you could watch on television .  There’s no way we could decipher such a thing .  You should pa.s.s it to an archaeologist . Or to a collector of curiosities .  But… I got the feeling that this is not that kinda thing .  It seems to be just a book but… yeah, it’s something that shouldn’t exist in this world .

I give a bitter smile at having started to think like my older brother does, and turn the pages, but only more ill.u.s.trations and strange letters come out . ‘What, this book’s not interesting at all’, I say .

“…Woah!?”

I close the book and try to return it to Naoki, but Touka who was by his side suddenly crouchs down while holding his head .

“Touka, what’s wrong?”

I tought that maybe he saw a bug, but I shift my line of sight to peer at his face, and his eyes were wide open and shifting all over the place .

“Wh-what’s with this voice!!”

What voice? What’s he talking about?

“What’s this…!?“

This time Yuu holds her head and begins to look around .  ‘As I thought, her voice too’, she’s muttering .

“This is… a girl’s voice?”

Even Naoki closes his eyes and scrunches his brow while on the bed .

—Uhm, wait a moment .  I can’t hear any voice at all .  Rather, I can’t hear anything other than the voices of three people who are making noise .

I don’t know what’s going on .  I can’t do anything but stare at them all dumbfounded; while they bend their heads in pain because of hearing a strange voice .

In the end, I become surprised because the book I was about to return to Naoki begins to emit light .

“…Wh, what’s this!?”

I let go of the book in a panic . At the moment that the book falls onto the floor, it actually starts to glows more brightly, and that light creates several bands that begin to creep over the floor of the infirmary . It’s like it is enclosing us; yes, something like a magical formation that I’ve seen in games emerges, giving off a shining golden light .

“T-, Touka! Naoki! Yuu!”

I call their names, but the three of them have closed their eyes as if they were enduring something harsh .

— What the h.e.l.l is going on…!? Moreover this super development is similar to the beginning of a hero summoning template that my brother made me read about before .  No, I don’t actually know what’s happening in front of my eyes; but, a mysterious voice that only the protagonists can hear, an old book that suddenly starts giving off light, and a magical formation— This, absolutely means, that something will happen…!!

My head is chaos at the paranormal phenomenon which should absolutely never happen in reality, happen in reality, and yet it is now happening right in front of me . My instict tells me that this is dangerous so I try to leave the infirmary, however, the door which I attempt to open is closed tightly as if it was locked with a key .

“No way!? I was open until just now!?”

I’ll run away even if I have to break the window to escape! Although I lift the chair where Touka had been sitting and try to hit the window strongly with it, Touka catches me by the arms and ends up stopping me .

“N-Neechan what’re ya doing! That’s dangerous!”

“It’s more dangerous to stay here!”

—Heeey! I don’t know what’ll happen but I don’t want to get caught in it! Let go of me, little brother!!

As we are struggling like this the floor lights up even more, and our sense of direction disappears just as if s.p.a.ce itself had been twisted . I don’t even know when I let go of the chair and it falls off my hand, disappearing somewhere .  Touka’s hands which were holding onto my arms disappear too .  Not only that .  My surroundings disappeared .  I can’t see anything because of the pure-white light . I feel bad, as if I was thrown just as I am  into outer s.p.a.ce; I can’t stay standing and try to stick my feet to the floor .  No, I can’t even confirm if the floor’s still there .  I don’t understand a single thing .

I could just feel, like my consciousness is swaying and began falling down .

Spinning spinning spinning spinning .

The inside of my head is chaotic like a storm .

Spinning spinning spinning spinning .

I closed my eyes tightly without knowing what was what .

Who am I?

Someone speaks to me .  I reply .

— …Itoka .

Who am I?

— I am Itoka; yeah, Itoka .

Who am I?

— Didn’t I just tell you that I’m Itoka…

But, I should have another name .

—Another name?

Once more .  Remember, a name that sounds similar: that name .

— I don’t have anything like that .

There has to be one .  Please think carefully, now .

— Mine’s a weird name, but this name that my parents gave me is the only one I have, you know .

Really?

—Really .

Really?

—Really!

Can you really say that? Can you really affirm it? Can you really swear that’s true?

All right, one more time .

— …Itoka .

All right, one more time .

— …Itoka .

All right, one more time .

— …Ito .

All right, one more time .

— …“Vito”?

Yeah, that’s it .  So, what am I?

— …A human .

That’s right, but what was I until just a while ago?

— …A Dragon, which carried human memories .

Correct .  So one last thing .  What happened to me?

— …I, died .

When I open my eyes, a girl with two clear-cut blue eyes smiles at me .

“Welcome back, me . ”

Chapter 61 Welcome back, me . Tl d by Ninish Today is a school day . The hateful day in which we return to reality from summer vacation . Well, it will only be until noon, so I shall forgive you . What kind of G.o.ddess you think you are, me . I wake up because of the alarm I set on the previous day, and change into my uniform with half asleep eyes . When I go downstairs into the living room, on top of the table there s some bentou made by Touka, who should already have left for school . But there s a problem the number of bentous . There s two Did Touka forget his bentou He should have made three one for our working older brother, one for me to eat once I come back home at noon, and the other would be his own since he would stay behind at school until evening because of club activities . However, the two remaining ones mean that Touka forgot to bring his with him . I laughed with a bitter smile at him for forgetting to bring something he made himself he also has a cute side to him, hm . After putting one of the bentous in my bag, I leave the house . After finishing the task of returning to the reality and quietness of a school day, and meeting the friends and the homeroom teacher whose faces I haven t seen in a while, I want to return home to just laze about, but today I have a mission . I have to deliver the bentou that I put in my bag to Touka . Because I ain t such a useless sister who would abandon her starving younger brother . I know that being hungry is so harsh that it can become painful, to the point you d eat other humans Yeah, It seems that I have become broken because of this summer s heat . I don t even feel like retorting to myself . My younger brother s middle school is not so far away from the high school I attend I have so pa.s.s by it on my way back . I ll get there in a moment since I go to school by bike . With the crisp sound of the pedals, I advance towards my destination while facing the lukewarm summer wind . Sooo hooooooot . No matter how much I pedal the wind doens t become refreshing . It is such a h.e.l.l when I have to stops at a red light . Suddenly I start sweating because of having been moving, so I wipe the sweat with a towel, but the heat of my body does not go down . I want to quickly return home and go to sleep in the room that has an air conditioner . Pushing down those feelings, I return to the task of rowing the pedals . Arriving at his middle school, I place my oh so beloved bike in the bike parking area, and head to the clubroom where my brother ought to be, while trying not to stand out . Although Touka looks like that, he s a member of the blooming with youthfulness track and field club . There were a lot of times during the vacation when he wasn t at home because of attending summer training camps . Above all, his specialty is running at short distances he even has a record of partic.i.p.ating in a tournament and winning the championship such a capable younger brother I have . While I feel proud as his older sister, at the same time, as an older sister I m so useless . Sorry for being such a good for nothing oneechan, Touka . I visit the club room with the intent of stealthily peering inside, but n.o.body is there . Maybe they are practicing at the sports grounds After thinking of that, I swiftly try to turn around but I m startled by someone who was behind me . Oh Isn t that you, Ito chan Did something happen In front of me was a lively girl, who had her brown dyed hair up in a ponytail, and whose skin was tan because of the sun . I was startled for a moment, but I immediately calm down at seeing a familiar figure . Such a good timing, Yuu I wonder if you could pa.s.s this to Touka He has club activities today but he forgot his bentou . I take out the bentou box from my bag and hold it out for her, and she receives it . My mission is now complete . Let s return now . Touka should be accompanying Nao at the school infirmary That s right Don t you want to go with me, Ito chan What . At the school infirmary Did Naoki collapse again Oh my, right on the heels of yesterday . I was thinking that he was in an unexpectedly good condition today, but when the morning cla.s.s ended, he abruptly collapsed Just like his batteries had run out . I was so surprised And then the teacher tried to call the ambulance . Even though this always happens Taking precaution is never excessive . Well, that s true too It s just that the teacher is p.r.o.ne to worrying too much , she adds with a sigh . According to what I m told, five ambulances were dispatched last month due to Naoki . That s excessive indeed . Naoki s condition is not an acute disease, but he often suffers from anemia . The usual pattern is that he ll be better after lying down for a while . But as expected, I m worried about him so I decide to go to the infirmary . Of course I m not thinking of wicked things such as how the infirmary will be cooler than here at all I m in a different uniform, and as a highschooler I feel some resistance to loitering about a middle school . Moreover some curious stares are coming my way, but I m saved somewhat by the fact that cla.s.ses have ended and there are few students around . Forgive me for standing out . With a, please excuse me , I enter the school infirmary together with Yuu, but the doctor is not here and in the bed is Naoki, while my younger brother Touka is sitting in a chair by his side . Neechan Just why are you here . I came to deliver your bentou . You must thank me, Touka Oh . Touka s expression says Ah d.a.m.n when he s handed his bentou box by Yuu . Apparently he hadn t notice that he forgot it . His cheeks redden a little in embarrasment . M more importantly, listen, Naoki has this thing Trying to change the subject in a panic, he s so cute, this d.a.m.n guy . Now that he said so, I wonder if Naoki s all right . I glance at his face and am relieved that he s not so terribly pale . I guess he recovered a bit after taking a rest, but, as Touka pointed out, he s holding a small open book in his hands . Hm What s that Looks like an ancient book Yuu peers into its content with great interest . It s thick like a dictionary, but it s small enough to fit snugly in the palm of your hand . Its colors are faded as if it had acc.u.mulated dust for a long time . I found it at the library . I tried to borrow it since it was unusual, but it had no card so I just brought it out with me . I wonder if someone left it there as a prank Naoki Er That is to say, you don t know if you could bring it out without permission Itoka Perhaps it is what is known as a forbiden book . I look at the cover s spine, but I see no mark that could indicate such a thing . But it s strange, look at this . Naoki Naoki holds a spark in his eyes as he shows us the contents . Naoki loves reading, and it d not be an exaggeration to say that the word bookworm was invented just for him . When he finds something to be extremely interesting he comes show it to me, but I d like you to please stop it with the scary books like the blackmagic ones . Just look for ordinary novels, I beg you . Wow, what is this, English No, it can t be . Yuu Right These weird letters look like crawling worms . Don t you think it s some kid s prank too Touka But Touka, it s pretty elaborate for a prank look here, it even has ill.u.s.trations . Naoki The three people express their thoughts to each other thoughtfully, but I can t see the contents of the book from here . Let me see it for a bit , I say as I take the book from Naoki . There, there was a fine ill.u.s.tration of a drawn landscape which just couldn t have been drawn by children . Next to it are the characters that, as Touka described, look like crawling worms, but still are scrawled evenly . What is this, it s like something that could be cla.s.sified as the ancient characters that you could watch on television . There s no way we could decipher such a thing . You should pa.s.s it to an archaeologist . Or to a collector of curiosities . But I got the feeling that this is not that kinda thing . It seems to be just a book but yeah, it s something that shouldn t exist in this world . I give a bitter smile at having started to think like my older brother does, and turn the pages, but only more ill.u.s.trations and strange letters come out . What, this book s not interesting at all , I say . Woah I close the book and try to return it to Naoki, but Touka who was by his side suddenly crouchs down while holding his head . Touka, what s wrong I tought that maybe he saw a bug, but I shift my line of sight to peer at his face, and his eyes were wide open and shifting all over the place . Wh what s with this voice What voice What s he talking about What s this This time Yuu holds her head and begins to look around . As I thought, her voice too , she s muttering . This is a girl s voice Even Naoki closes his eyes and scrunches his brow while on the bed . Uhm, wait a moment . I can t hear any voice at all . Rather, I can t hear anything other than the voices of three people who are making noise . I don t know what s going on . I can t do anything but stare at them all dumbfounded while they bend their heads in pain because of hearing a strange voice . In the end, I become surprised because the book I was about to return to Naoki begins to emit light . Wha , what s this I let go of the book in a panic . At the moment that the book falls onto the floor, it actually starts to glows more brightly, and that light creates several bands that begin to creep over the floor of the infirmary . It s like it is enclosing us yes, something like a magical formation that I ve seen in games emerges, giving off a shining golden light . T , Touka Naoki Yuu I call their names, but the three of them have closed their eyes as if they were enduring something harsh . What the h.e.l.l is going on Moreover this super development is similar to the beginning of a hero summoning template that my brother made me read about before . No, I don t actually know what s happening in front of my eyes but, a mysterious voice that only the protagonists can hear, an old book that suddenly starts giving off light, and a magical formation This, absolutely means, that something will happen My head is chaos at the paranormal phenomenon which should absolutely never happen in reality, and yet it is now happening right in front of me . My instict tells me that this is dangerous so I try to leave the infirmary, however, the door which I attempt to open is closed tightly as if it was locked with a key . No way I was open until just now I ll run away even if I have to break the window to escape Although I lift the chair where Touka had been sitting and try to hit the window strongly with it, Touka catches me by the arms and ends up stopping me . N Neechan what re ya doing That s dangerous It s more dangerous to stay here Heeey I don t know what ll happen but I don t want to get caught in it Let go of me, little brother As we are struggling like this the floor lights up even more, and our sense of direction disappears just as if s.p.a.ce itself had been twisted . I don t even know when I let go of the chair and it falls off my hand, disappearing somewhere . Touka s hands which were holding onto my arms disappear too . Not only that . My surroundings disappeared . I can t see anything because of the pure white light . I feel bad, as if I was thrown just as I am into outer s.p.a.ce I can t stay standing and try to stick my feet to the floor . No, I can t even confirm if the floor s still there . I don t understand a single thing . I could just feel, like my consciousness is swaying and began falling down . Spinning spinning spinning spinning . The inside of my head is chaotic like a storm . Spinning spinning spinning spinning . I closed my eyes tightly without knowing what was what . Who am I Someone speaks to me . I reply . Itoka . Who am I I am Itoka yeah, Itoka . Who am I Didn t I just tell you that I m Itoka But, I should have another name . Another name Once more . Remember, a name that sounds similar that name . I don t have anything like that . There has to be one . Please think carefully, now . Mine s a weird name, but this name that my parents gave me is the only one I have, you know . Really Really . Really Really Can you really say that Can you really affirm it Can you really swear that s true All right, one more time . Itoka . All right, one more time . Itoka . All right, one more time . Ito . All right, one more time . Vito Yeah, that s it . So, what am I A human . That s right, but what was I until just a while ago A Dragon, which carried human memories . Correct . So one last thing . What happened to me I, died . When I open my eyes, a girl with two clear cut blue eyes smiles at me . Welcome back, me .