Saikyou Series Volume 2 S1chapter 1

Jinrui Saikyou no Jun'ai – Nisioisin
p. 8-11

After it was all over, that is, after it had died, I recalled a conversation I had with somebody at some point—that’s certainly not to say that had I remembered, had I more properly thought things through, then it wouldn’t have met with such an end; I wish things were that simple, but anyway, that doesn’t change the fact that I recalled it.

“Aikawa-san. What would you think if someone died, or suffered an avoidable tragedy, because of you?”

Huh? What kind of a question is that? I don’t get it. You mean, like, “How does it feel when you kill someone?” You’d be better off asking our old friend Zerozaki-kun, if that’s the case. Though we probably all know how he’d answer.

“No, um, it’s not that direct, or rather, I’m not talking about something premeditated. Setting aside the proper usage of premeditated, that is…”

So, when you kill someone by mistake? When you inadvertently ruin someone’s life? Accidents and errors and stuff?

“Not quite. I don’t mean accidents and mistakes, where you don’t feel remorse… Perhaps it would be easier to understand if I gave an example. Um… there was a trendy argument a while ago, wasn’t there, about children causing trouble, or getting caught up in trouble, due to bad influences from manga and such?”

Oh, there was, wasn’t there. I mean, it’s still around today. So that’s what you’re talking about? But didn’t that have no statistical basis, and it was just prejudice from adults? You can grow up to be a fine person like me only reading manga, you know.

“Somehow that lacks persuasion…”

Did you say something?

“I didn’t say anything. And personally, I don’t think I’m one to hold anyone to account for the bad influence of manga on children. Although, it’s not so simple as only being a good influence and never exerting a bad influence… Well, this isn’t what I’d like to discuss.”

So, what do you want to talk about? You’re so roundabout.

“What I mean is, violent language and cruel stories, and s.e.xual ill.u.s.trations too, aren’t they a pretty powerful stimulus for children who can’t yet judge between good and bad? But that’s not it—well, I’ll keep using manga as an example since it’s easy to understand. Say there’s a nationally renowned manga artist who grants dreams to children. Some of those children won’t be satisfied just reading the works they’re offered, and they’ll be influenced to want to become manga artists themselves, right?”

Definitely. Sure. You can’t blame them for looking up to someone.

“But the world is harsh. Half those children—rather, nearly all of them will have their dreams crushed. They’ll experience failure that they never needed to experience. All the effort and hard work they did until their dreams were crushed will be no different from playing around. What do you think about that, Aikawa-san?”

Hmm? Looking up to someone, and failing? Could happen, wouldn’t happen… no, you’re right. And there’s another thing; maybe they weren’t directly aiming to become a manga artist, but they had read manga and were inspired to be an athlete. After becoming a pro player, they give an interview and say, “Actually, it’s all thanks to the manga I read as a child,” and it all seems pretty moving, but that one person’s influence crushes the dreams of a million readers. But really, so what? It’s pointless to get on your high horse and pick apart a moving story like that.

“True. But there’s a more extreme scenario. Speaking of sports, let’s say there’s a child who looks up to a top-cla.s.s Olympic gold medalist, and wants to follow in their footsteps—”

And has their dreams crushed?

“—Having their dreams crushed would be preferable. A tragic future may very well await them, where they take a wild pitch to the head, or in martial arts they get an injury so serious that they can never recover. When the star athlete is told about that… should the star feel any sense of responsibility? Even if they’re not legally responsible, should they feel morally responsible?”

Automobiles are useful, but they kill a lot of people in accidents, right? That criticism is more constructive, but it’s also destructive at the same time. If you start the blame game there, you’ll box yourself into a corner.

“Right… The blame game? What about the ones being blamed?”

Well, naturally being blamed is annoying too, but I just thought that the ones doing the blaming would get hedged in as well. I didn’t mean much by it. In any case, arguing about something that doesn’t work as an argument is as unproductive as it gets.

“Indeed, this is unproductive… If you start talking like that, you’ll have a hard time just walking down the street.”

Special people have a special influence—I can understand how someone could believe that, but ultimately, isn’t it nowhere close to the influence of parents and friends and stuff? That’s how it was for me.

“Like your father?”

Yeah, like my father. Like those pieces of garbage. No doubt, if it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t be here—and it’s not like I never blamed them. Uh, what were we talking about originally? Not this general stuff; you had something to ask me, right?

“Yes. Say there’s an idiot who looks up to you and fails. They want to be like you, they try to look good, and they die an ugly, pointless death. But isn’t all of that completely separate from your intentions and actions, Aikawa-san? Even if they’re as ma.s.sive a fool as someone who tries to become a bird and jumps off a cliff to their death; could you simply call them a fool and cast them aside?”

Mmm.

“Aikawa-san?”

I have only one thing to say to you right now, user of nonsense: Don’t call me Aikawa-san. Only enemies call me by my last name.