Entry 13: On the roof

—–The moment I get out on to the roof, I doubt my eyes. The sky is black. The town is black. The ground I look down on is black as well. It’s as if I’m at sea at night. The whole world was, in an instant, blotted out with darkness. The only thing saving me is that the idea of elevation still holds meaning. The horizon and the ground have been transformed into a black ocean, but the water level doesn’t reach up to here. The high ground of the roof is still safe and  —-

Female student :: Aaaah—-! I just barely managed to get up here, who’s grabbing my leg! Stop it, I said let go! Aren’t we friends!? Why are you doing this to mee!?

I can hear screaming coming from the third floor below me. I might relapse and try to save her, but the whole third floor has been consumed by the noise. …but, still, it’s…

Female student :: No, nooo! Stooop! Get it out! It’s no good! I’m gonna diieee….spare meee…!

…That noise is “information.” It throws your head into chaos and calls up memories with no context. Or no, it’s because you’re confused that those forgotten experiences come to the surface. The black noise melds with the information of everything it touches and entirely overwrites it with “it’s own” information. It’s like a plaster attached to a wound merging with the wound like bacteria.

Female student :: Aaaah…I’ll disappear…! I, I’m gonna disappear…! No, no, even though I finally got it back!

…her voice is gone now. Her avatar was overtaken by the advancing information, and even the vessel of her soul was saturated with the information and consumed.

…there’s that sick feeling again. My fingers are terrified at the twisted scene before me. My tongue and my throat are dry with thirst, wanting to cry out for help. But the dryness in my throat doesn’t come from fear. If this trembling was just fear, then why —- why does my body burn like this? The power that keeps my heart beating so strongly is the opposite of fear.

Unknown speaker :: …Heeheehee. Peeking at others’ secrets is most uncouth, little miss Master.

…! From above my head…no, from above the sky a voice resounds. It’s a girl’s voice, tone is sweet and honeyed, sounding at once like It’s scolding and flattering me, innocent and wicked.

Unknown speaker :: Running all the way up here. Did you really think you could escape from me, when I am the world? What an idiot. I worked so hard to make you forget, but you went and remembered. But I’ll forgive you. You don’t need to worry about anything. I’ll let you win —- There will be no fighting, no struggle, no one will be hurt. So just sleep, unthinking, like a my little dolls. I will give you the Holy Grail —- So, see, you just need to give in. Give in, please. Give in already. Just give in. Give in! If you’ll just give in —-

[The “black noise” has appeared all over the roof now.]

I don’t understand. The world is ending. With nowhere left to run, there’s nothing I can do but stand here trembling, just like the students who were consumed.

Unknown speaker :: Yes, just like that. Go to sleep now, like a good child. After all —- after all, all of you are utterly worthless creatures…!

—-That’s it. Give in, the darkness whispers to me over and over. But I can’t do that. Now I know why my heart beat so hard and I felt sick. This is anger. It may be ridiculous, but with my own voice, I will rebel against this person who has ruthlessly judged all these students worthless —-!

Unknown speaker :: ?

I must not look away now. I must not give in now. No, I cannot give in. Even though I know it’s pointless to resist, that there’s no way to run from the world, as long as blood flows to my limbs, I’ll never…!

Unknown speaker :: Wha — what!? No, not there, you can’t…!

[Hakuno jumps off the roof.]

—- Being prepared to die wasn’t such a big deal. I just jumped off the roof because I didn’t want to give in.

Unknown speaker :: —-, —-! !!!!, !!!!

Unchanged from https://tsukinoura.wordpress.com/2013/06/25/entry-13-on-the-roof/. Please support the original translator.