The expanse of darkness, darkness, darkness.
Black as far as the eye can see.
That’s only natural, I suppose.
It’s two in the morning, a time when even the bad guys, let alone the good ones, would be starting to think about sleeping.
At this hour, in a place like this, it would be stranger if it were bright.
The name of this place is Aokigahara Forest.
There’s no artificial light to be found here, naturally. The only lights there might be are the streetlights along the road.
Even from above, it looks so pitch black it might be mistaken for just an area of pure darkness.
The residential areas are far, far away.
Those lights don’t reach this place.
There might be some wild animals, but it’s a space where people, relying on civilization, aren’t found.
“What on earth am I doing at the start of the new year…”
“I know, right? Just quietly in a place like this. It must be tough for our opponents too.”
“Mom, what are you so impressed about? It’s because of people like them that we’ve been dragged here. To us, this is a huge nuisance, so why do you look so happy?”
“Do I look like the kind of woman who dwells on every little thing that happens? If I’m attacked, I retaliate. That’s all there is to it. Aren’t we going to get revenge now? Rather, think of this as a great opportunity to relieve the stress you can’t usually let out. Don’t make such a sulky face, enjoy yourself.”
“Enjoy myself, honestly.”
My mother and I gaze down at the space from above.
That is, there’s a difference in emotion between how a parent and child view it.
My mother looks visibly amused, while I sigh as if to ask why things have become like this.
Even though it was to prevent something, I somewhat regret my actions from a little while ago, wondering why I said what I did back then.
But, since we’re already here, I resign myself to it, though I prepare myself for what’s to come.
I may not be as giddy as my mother, but at least this won’t interfere with my work.
Despite the intense difference in our emotions, there’s one thing my mother and I have in common.
“Oh, there are quite a lot of them.”
“You see them as a matter of course. Well, I can see them vaguely too.”
Don’t people put their hand to their forehead when looking into the distance?
My mother exclaims with admiration, making such a gesture, but normally, beyond her sight, there should only be the forest sinking into darkness.
Yet, my mother speaks as if there’s something there.
Has she lost her mind? If I asked her that, I’d probably get beaten.
Of course, I have no intention of committing such a foolish act.
More importantly, I understand the meaning behind my mother’s words, so there’s no point in asking.
In other words, I too can see the scene my mother is looking at, the light hidden within the darkness.
There’s a bright area, so much so that it makes one think a festival is being held in the forest.
However, the electronic equipment on board the helicopter shows no reaction.
Yet, we can see it.
This means that the place is hidden.
It’s a place that should normally be concealed by special technology, a place that shouldn’t be visible.
At times, this might be seen as a strange statement, but this is not that kind of situation.
Rather, it would be a problem if we couldn’t see it.
The gazes of my mother and I are focused on a single location.
If you were to describe it in the forest, it would be on the Mount Fuji side.
Not too close to Mount Fuji where people wouldn’t approach, but not quite in the center of the forest either.
An exquisite location, it seems, with countless bonfires.
And, countless people dancing there.
Ah, I don’t need to be told.
I know that some kind of ritual is taking place there.
And, that we are about to crash it.
“Well then, don’t tell me I’m being unfair.”
“Who are you talking to, Jiro?”
“The leader of an opponent I’ve never seen before.”
“Isn’t that a bit late? They challenged us. We just accepted. What reason is there to show mercy?”
“That’s true.”
I agree with my mother’s words with a wry smile.
Well, we can’t just stand here staring at the bonfires forever.
As I said before, we came here to crash that ritual.
“I’m holding a gun for the first time, and it’s surprisingly light.”
“It’s still considered on the heavier side. Still, it makes me happy as a parent that my son is so sturdy.”
I take the sniper rifle out of its case and slowly, carefully lift the unfamiliar object.
Its black, gleaming body, despite being light, has a solid weight that I feel in my arm.
Its body is imposing, and long.
“Speaking of which, is Kirie preparing something like a Hecate meant to insult me for leaving home?”
The PGM Hecate II.
A sniper rifle developed by the French company PGM Precision.
It bears the name of Hecate, the Greek goddess of magic, and is a modern weapon specialized for killing.
I was impressed at the thought of a day when I’d be holding such a thing, but my mother’s expression is far from good, as if our emotions from earlier have reversed.
“An insult? What do you mean?”
She seems displeased with the prepared gun, but it appears to be functional and suitable for what we’re about to do.
What could be the source of her dissatisfaction?
“My family’s shrine runs a shrine. Why would you prepare a gun named after someone else’s god?”
“So that’s what it is.”
Her words instantly cleared my doubt.
The issue was a mental one, her expressing dissatisfaction with what she perceived as a roundabout insult.
“That’s right. What if I couldn’t use it?”
“You can’t use it?”
“I have used it before. While drinking with some foreign troops.”
“…What were you doing?”
I show my astonishment without hiding it, but my mother doesn’t seem to care.
Seeing that, I think to myself, what’s the big deal?
My mother’s unconventional nature isn’t something new.
We’re not in a relationship where I’d be overjoyed or upset whether my mother shot a gun or not anymore.
Besides, from my mother’s perspective, I’ve probably done something similar.
It’s just not with a gun. For me, such rough work is also an everyday occurrence.
I’ve cut down people and monsters with my Ore Tree.
I’ve shattered bones with my fists.
It’s not just humans; I’ve seen many lives extinguished.
“It’s just now for me, too.”
If you ask me if I have any sentiments about what we’re about to do, I can say yes.
But, if you ask if I’ll be overcome with grief, that’s not the case.
“Mom, do you have experience firing it in actual combat?”
“…Yes. To protect your father.”
“…I see.”
The sentiment is largely due to the unexpectedness of the situation, something our past selves could never have imagined happening, that we would find ourselves doing this.
Even without speaking, our gestures hint at the truth, allowing us to understand each other.
This is what they mean when they say you never know what life will throw at you.
My mother, somewhere on this Earth.
And I, in another world unknown to her.
It truly is a strange coincidence.
Perhaps that’s why our conversation was so brief.
“Now, enough of these somber topics. Let’s finish this quickly.”
“Yeah, you’re right.”
That awkward atmosphere is dispelled by this one exchange.
My mother and I have had our share of family quarrels, not just with words, but physically too.
We can generally understand each other’s intentions.
If it means finishing the job, I’m all for it.
Following my mother, who sways the rifle handed to her, I also prepare for my shot.
As I make various preparations, I come to understand the characteristics, or rather the purpose, of this gun.
Seeing is believing; although it looks ordinary, the feel of it in my hands tells me everything.
This gun is no ordinary weapon.
In fact, from the prior explanation, this rifle differs from regular rifles due to the special enchantment within it.
Both the gun itself and the bullets have been modified.
The main body enhances range and spell penetration.
The bullets possess barrier-breaking effects and jamming capabilities.
A normal gun would be useless for delivering bullets to the site of that ritual.
And simply delivering them wouldn’t be enough.
There’s no point unless we go to such lengths to break through defenses and disrupt the opponent’s ritual.
“Think it’ll hit? Why did Kirie prepare something like this for me? Wouldn’t you be enough, Mom?”
“Stop muttering, Jiro. It’s unmanly. Besides, are you thinking of sending a weak woman like me out alone?”
“Where is she weak? A weak woman wouldn’t kick a grown man and send him flying. And of course, I have complaints. They just hand me this, give me a brief explanation, and expect me to know what to do? I only know how to shoot. Don’t underestimate my beginner’s luck.”
Even if I miss, don’t complain, I think as I look through the scope.
Even for a veteran sniper, aiming and successfully firing from a swaying helicopter at night is difficult.
The scope shakes, and as a result, the scenery shakes too.
If this were long-range human target practice, I wouldn’t feel confident about hitting the target.
However, there’s one exception that won’t miss.
“Whether you’re a beginner or a novice, it doesn’t matter. It would be bizarre to miss a target that huge.”
If the target is massive, the situation is different.
My mother and I, armed with anti-materiel rifles.
The muzzles of our two rifles pointed at the dome-shaped barrier visible through the scopes.
This bullet is the one to break through it.
“Are you ready, Jiro?”
“Always.”
I stabilize my breathing and assume a shooting posture, guided by a very brief explanation.
I lie prone, resting the butt of the rifle on my shoulder.
I put on my earmuffs to protect my ears and look through the scope.
The two of us are side-by-side, aiming from our positions in the spacious helicopter.
I can vaguely sense each other’s breathing.
Perhaps because of that, without a signal, we both hold our breath, gently extend our fingers to the triggers, and gently yet firmly pull them.
A strong jolt runs through my shoulder, and I feel the bullet being fired.
“…Alright, next one, let’s go.”
“Hey, hey, aren’t you going to watch the impact?”
It’s not in “zanshin” (lingering vigilance), but my mother stands up immediately without watching the result of her shot.
I start to scold her, astonished by her actions, but.
“What are you talking about? There’s no way I’d miss.”
In my line of sight, the bullet we fired shatters the barrier. A flash of purple lightning erupts, momentarily illuminating the forest, and then a single spot lights up.
“You hit it perfectly too.”
“Beginner’s luck, I guess.”
“Then, shall I teach you what I learned from training with the Marines?”
“Spare me.”
After confirming this, we put on our gear and descend into the forest via ropes from the helicopter.
If this were a manga, you might expect people in Miko outfits or with swords, but our equipment is entirely modern.
Night-vision goggles, bulletproof vests, and dark-colored gear designed to blend into the darkness.
In our hands, we carry rifles, a handgun at our waists, spare magazines, and knives.
We look exactly like special forces.
“I’ll lead the way, follow me.”
“Understood.”
This must be familiar territory for my mother. She moves through the unpaved paths of the forest at night with the agility of a beast.
I, too, am used to similar paths from my time in dungeons, so I follow my mother without difficulty.
It’s about two kilometers, I’d estimate. The moonlight doesn’t reach within this forest, so we rely on our night-vision goggles to find our destination.
It takes about twenty minutes.
“There’s quite a commotion.”
“Indeed.”
“Are we going to charge in there?”
“No.”
“That’s a relief.”
Deep in the forest, we can see lights within a distance where night-vision goggles are no longer needed. We hide in the bushes and observe.
The projectile we fired was intended to disrupt the ritual.
As a result, the group of people dressed like Onmyoji are in disarray. They were struggling to restore the energy supply they had gathered from various places.
We observe them from a distance, and the order is to suppress them if possible. Reinforcements have been requested, but it will take time.
“Then what do we do? Wait for backup?”
“Judging by their state, we don’t have time to wait. We fired to prevent the ritual from being completed. But they’ll likely recover soon. We need to inflict critical damage before then.”
“So, we have to do it ourselves. It seems we’re severely short-handed.”
“There’s no use wishing for what we don’t have. Well, we’ll use what we do have.”
“What are you planning to do?”
We can’t just sit here and watch.
And for me, who has no experience with actions like this special forces operation, I can’t predict what my mother will do next.
“Oh, come on.”
My mother rummages through her bag, and I can only stare in disbelief at what she pulls out.
“Let’s let them experience some karma, shall we?”
It’s a clay-like substance.
Even someone like me, who knows little about it, recognizes it.
My mother kneads it with a smile, and then, humming a tune, she says to me.
“Now, Jiro, I’ll prepare here. Go and kidnap two people who are roughly your size and steal their clothes.”
She casually instructs me to go kidnap people, and I think as I look at her.
She’s so used to it.
A word for today:
Seeing my mother’s true nature, I thought it was for the best that I didn’t see it when I was a child.
That concludes this installment.
Thank you as always for pointing out typos and for your feedback.
If you found it interesting, please leave a review, rating, bookmark, etc.
*The first volume has been decided to be published by Hayakawa Bunko JA.
It was released on October 18, 2018.
The e-book version was also released on October 31 of the same year.
Furthermore, the second volume was released on December 19.
And the third volume was released on February 20, 2019.
The content has been revised and expanded from the original submission to “Shōsetsuka ni Narō,” including an unpublished interlude.
Please check out the new releases as well!!
Also, a comic adaptation has been decided for Kodansha’s “Young Magazine The Third.”
