Tsuki Tsuki Vol 2 Chapter 4

Chapter 04: Reason to reach out…

I woke up on the sound of the faint wind.

Who was there? I got up alarmed and approached the window—- at that moment.

But that wasn’t all. The curtain hung up on the frame of the window got ripped off and the sallow full moon light fell into my room. I was blinded and jumped back.

I was already in a panic, when yet another sharp puff of air along with someone else was sent after my head in pursuit. It burst over me, who had fallen down, without mercy and for a moment my mind felt dizzy. I was breathing out moaning on the floor and readied myself for the next attack, when someone entered my room from the window with a light step.

A silhouette bathed in the moonlight. It was unexpected small. It must have been a girl. When I looked at the silhouette, I inadvertent widened my eyes.

The word “Devil” crossed my mind and I realized that the attacks from earlier were similar to old man Bram’s attacks. But

But they were faster and heavier than Bram’s.

I received a heavy blow to my back and my breath was taken away, but the attacks didn’t stop there. Something directly hit me in my stomach, then slowly pressing onto my abdominal region with force. With the wall behind me, I couldn’t get away. I couldn’t ready myself for the next attack.

“….It’s your fault. Because you led me astray. You took her from me. So I have to act this time…. Or she’ll be taken away again….”

And I found that voice familiar.

I said agonizing while my neck was strangled and the girl loosened her grip in confusion.

Along with the light, the silhouette of the girl was enlightened.

Machina was a devil? Normally one would feel fear when realizing that, but I didn’t. Nor did I get angry about being strangled.

—She had a teary expression.

How weird. When I realized that I didn’t want her to make such an expression while strangling me… I forced myself to smile. I wanted to tell a stupid joke like usually, but since I was strangled, no words came out.

“….Why. Why are you smiling!”

The moment her hands let go of my neck, I coughed on reflex, but I opened my mouth to say something to Machina.

The bright light blended my eyes and I closed my opened mouth. While holding my hands up, I faced the light.

The talisman from Gogyou-san emitted a light and was flattering like it had an own will.

When I looked at the talisman while covering my eyes, I heard a sudden and loud BAM sound from the veranda window. Then someone tumbled into the room through the earlier opened window.

“Get away from Nanjou-kun.”

The black-haired girl, who emitted a dignified, yet threatening aura, was

I was surprised at the unexpected appearance of her, when a knock on my door disturbed this whole situation.

Along with Luna’s worried voice, the door opened.

Luna realized the situation, widened her eyes in surprise and when she looked at Machina,

Luna said surprised.

“Nanjou, it’s your fault. You took my sister from me…That’s why I’ll take your precious person away too….!”

“Nanjou-kun, I’ll explain it in detail later!”

Damn, she was athletic.

“Shinobu-san! I’m going too!”

I could see her strong resolve in her eyes.

“Okay, let’s go.”

As not to lose track of her, I chased after Gogyou-san.

“….Kuh”

Seeing that expression, I understood.

I raised my gaze to the sky in front, but there was no sign of Machina.

“If I hadn’t failed back then, you wouldn’t get put in danger…”

“Then the hybrid devil you spoke of….”

I was surprised by these news, Gogyou-san explained that she didn’t recognize Machina when she transferred in, since she was half-human, half-devil. And that she couldn’t win against her before, since she was too strong.

Then Gogyou-san looked straight at me and said.

“I see. Thanks.”

“….I kinda used you as a bait. And then I even let her get away….”

Gogyou-san made a really sorry expression, so I clapped her shoulder, when I heard a “Shinobu-san” from behind.

“Ehm, where’s Machina…?”

I stopped in the middle of the sentence. I looked at Luna and asked.

“Ah, right. She, Machina is my little sister.”

I got an unexpected answer, so my thought progress stopped for a moment. But I got my gears back to work and pondered.

I shook my head on that thought.

“Why is Machina so obsessed over me? Actually, she doesn’t resemble you at all, Luna.”

“It’s only normal that we don’t look alike. After all Machina and me aren’t sister related by blood. Machina is the real daughter of my step-father.”

“Yes. She has the same hair and eye color as father, hasn’t she.”

Old man Bram had red hair and amber eyes just like Machina.

Right, that was why Machina was half-human, half-devil.

And also Machina’s words from earlier.

When I thought about the meaning behind these words, Nazuna’s face appeared in my head.

I didn’t want to believe it, but I couldn’t discard that possibility. Furthermore, I had shown her Elni’s house and told her that Nazuna was there.

“That’s possible. For now, let’s confirm if Nazuna-chan is safe.”

Luna continued with a “That’s why”.

“Yeah, you’re right.”

Someone, who couldn’t leave a crying kid alone and couldn’t finish me off…… who always had a teary expression, couldn’t really do harm to Nazuna, could she?

I just wanted to talk to Machina and started running towards the parched river bed.

While suppressing my impatience, I continued to run and reached the river bed—Elni’s house.

When focused my eyes, I could see it were Machina, Elni and Nazuna.

“Elni!”

There Machina turned around and looked at me.

“Stay away.”

WHOOOSH. A sound like air was being concentrated. A transparent ball that made a sharp sound while spinning. That was what appeared around Machina.

Upon these words, Gogyou-san put her hand on the sword on her waist and took a battle stance. When I shifted my gaze to Elni, she, like she didn’t know any fear, had her arms spread out to shield Nazuna.

“Machina.”

“Why, Sister!”

“Why are you with a guy like that! There’s no reason you have to obey such a guy, Sister! That chocker too was placed on you by that guy, wasn’t it? That’s just weird! You’re a devil. It’s weird for you to become the slave of a human! Staying with that guy…Why aren’t you coming home?”

“….A devil?”

“Luna-san… is a devil?”

“Nazuna-chan, I—“

“Sister is a devil.”

“She’s different from you guys. She’s different from weak humans! Don’t lump her together with weak humans! You would never be able to stand on equal grounds with her! You can’t stay with her forever! The difference to humans is too great! There’s…. There’s no way devils can live together with humans!”

To that sadly echoing voice,

Nazuna answered while lightly shaking her head.

Nazuna looked straight at Luna. Luna’s eyes were filled with uneasiness, so Nazuna smiled and said.

“Don’t screw around!”

“…What’s wrong with your head? Stay with a devil forever? You…. can only said that because you don’t know anything about us!”

“In the end you’ll betray her too! Humans are always like that! They’re only kind at the beginning! But in the end they betray you! You too, will just call us “Monsters” and leave when you get to know about us! Even though we didn’t do anything, you label us “monsters”!”

“…You don’t know anything about us… So don’t…. dare to run your mouth!”

“Saying we don’t know anything is not true!”

“I know lots of things about Luna-san. She’s pretty, kind and smart, but she’s bad with machines and sometimes fails at things. She actually hates getting up early, but she gives it her best so that she can wake up my brother. She’s always trying her hardest. And she loves my brother and me very much….”

“Being a devil doesn’t matter. I love Luna-san. She always welcomes me back, pats my head and hugs me tightly. I love this kind Luna-san very much. That’s why I want to always be with her. Even as a devil, Luna-san is Luna-san. You have no clue how I feel. I would never call Luna-san a “monster”!”

I opened my mouth to call out to her—-when.

Machina turned around, as she noticed Gogyou-san’s footsteps, and waved her right hand at the same time.

It were more than ten and when Machina raised her hand, the transparent balls—-the air bullets flew towards Gogyou-san while making a moaning air-cutting sound.

“Kuh!”

But in that short time, Gogyou-san managed to twist her body and avoid the bullets. Then she approached Machina from the right. But Machina also had time to form more bullets around her.

When I said that, I moved.

Ever since she talked with Luna, she had made a teary expression.

Machina widened her eyes in surprise, since she didn’t expect my action.

When I stepped another step forward without answering, Machina made her move. After a little hesitation, she raised her right hand and sent the air bullets flying.

BAAAANG! The clashing of our powers caused a shockwave…. But that wasn’t all. I didn’t receive any damage.

Machina said with a dumbfounded expression as she couldn’t believe what happened before her eyes.

I approached her and continued.

I laughed provokingly, when Machina held her breath. But in the next moment, she glared at me and pulled down her right hand swiftly.

I couldn’t take on all of them. I could smash at best 2-3. I let all bullets that weren’t directed at my face hit my body and ran with my whole body in pain.

I clenched my teeth, clung to my consciousness and advantaged towards Machina.

Why would I go so far by enduring it with clenching my teeth?

—I felt that it was none of that.

For some reason I had this certain hunch and advantaged without stopping.

I smashed half of them, the other half I missed…..No, I missed them on purpose.

Shock was written in Machina’s eyes.

To her weak voice, I answered while coughing up blood.

The moment I said that, Machina’s right hand trembled. She still shot the bullets with her hand trembling, but they didn’t hit me. They hit the ground to my feet, passed closely by my cheeks or crossed over my head.

That was why I reached out. I draw close and grabbed Machina’s hand. Her hand was trembling and from close up I could see that Machina was indeed close to tears.

I understood why I approached her while getting my body all beaten up. So I wanted to pat her little head this time, but

Suddenly a silhouette approached from the side.

My body moved on it’s own. I jumped in front of Machina to protect her and exposed my body to the incoming blade.

“Ugh!”

Immediately a couple of screams emerged and someone rushed over to me, but

I shouted with an angry voice.

I faced Gogyou-san, who stood there dumbfounded with her blade soaked in blood. Gogyou-san dropped her sword.

Gogyou-san spoke with a raspy voice, whereupon I shook my head and said.

“….But, Nanjou-kun, you were nearly kill—“

I interrupted Gogyou-san and declared.

Gogyou-san widened her eyes and I continued with a “Hey,”.

When I turned around, Machina was indeed making a teary expression.

The scene of Machina reaching out to the crying kid as the first floated in my head.

I said that while coughing up blood, when Gogyou-san’s eye flickered with perplexity as she was at a loss what to do. At that moment,

—A small voice echoed.

“Weren’t you going to protect your precious person at all costs? You said you became strong for that. So why are you protecting me now? The one you should be protecting isn’t me, but sister! All this blood… When you die, you can’t protect anyone….!”

Certainly my body was wounded all over and continued to bleed and I would faint if I were to relax. But

I slowly reached out my hand.

I smiled naturally.

I wanted to pat her head with the teary expression.

“…Idi….ot…”

“Why? Why are you so kind to me? When you took away my sister from me. Humans are always like that…”

“Humans took away my mother from me too. And they killed her, saying she was a devil.”

—My wife was killed by humans.

Machina said with a voice filled with sobbing while her hands trembled.

Tears flowed down endlessly. Machina shouted hoarse.

A failure. Neither human or devil, a hybrid devil.

“So I only had sister left, yet you took her away… That’s why….”

A small and weak hand. She had always been enduring it with these hands. Continued hated by her surroundings and continued being robbed of things. But, despite that she couldn’t do it herself. She couldn’t take away someone else’s happiness.

I reached out my hand once more.

I gently patted Machina’s head while saying that.

I kindly told the crying Machina.

The moment I said that a bawling voice emerged.

Hearing that cry, Luna immediately rushed over to Machina and gently embraced her.

The moment I relaxed, the tension broke and I fell on my knees. And then I was about to fall over to the ground, but someone held up my body gently.

“….Don’t worry. I’m….immortal….”

Amidst my blurry vision, I could see Luna and Machina hugging each other, then my consciousness blanked out….

Chapter end