Later on, Tiara Hoozeyers called it The Story of the Starry Sky.

　When I asked her what the title meant, she smiled and said, "My master and sister Yotaki are the stars that lit up my pitch-black world. I am the first star and Yotaki is the second star. She said happily that her life began to shine as the light illuminated the other stars that she hadn't been able to see for so long. I remember the look on her face at that moment, and I remember it well.
　No, I've forgotten it now, but I thought back to it many times at the time.

　That's how much I never tired of seeing her smile.
　And at the end of that story, she would always leave me with something to say.

　Believing only in a happy ending, she would point to the sky covered with the dark clouds of The Devil's Poison and say, "One day, when this too dark world is full of beautiful stars!　That's the finale of my story! And.

　The story with her is such an overly positive and dazzling one--.

　I'm going to watch the prologue now.
　When I think back on it now, I realize that it was a very standard story, a promise, and a commonplace one.

　One day, I am suddenly summoned to another world and surrounded by strange adults in a dimly lit basement. Fear drives me, a timid coward, to run away from there. And on the way there, I happen to meet a princess.
　At the top of a tower.
　In her room, we succeed in calling each other's names.

"-- 'I'm Uzumi' ......, 'Aikawa Uzumi'. ' "What's your name?" ......?
'I'm Tiara' ....... 'I'm Tiara Hoosiers' ......--

　The distance between us is close enough to reach out and touch.
　They pointed at each other's bodies and checked each other out.

"'Tiara' ......
'Kanami': ......

　We stared at each other in the too-dark darkness.
　It must have been the moment when the two of us, cursed from birth, found a cursed stranger for the first time in our lives. The confirmation process took a long time, and the two of us left clear traces of each other's light on our retinas.

　It was a coincidental and fateful prologue, I suppose.
　If I had to name that prologue, it would be this.

　"Introduction, the starry reason why a boy and girl met."

　It's an expression that aligns with the chapter titles of the stories to come. Above all, I'd like to read the story first (・・・・・・・・・) and call it dressed up to the limit to match her (・・・・・・) sense of style as she writes it in place (・・・・・・) a thousand years later.

　It's just that very dressed up prologue: .......
　It ends very easily.

　We both learn each other's names and continue to learn the language at the top of the tower.
　But soon the heavily armed knights who were searching for me barged into the room, and before I could resist, I was captured and taken back to the 'Temple of the Gentile Summoning Ceremony' where I was originally from.

　There was no longer a line of strange adults there.
　Instead, what was there were three apostles and--

　A younger sister who had been missing.
　Aikawa Yotaki was there.

　This is how the opening chapter in my other world ends, and the first chapter begins.

　Finally, after being far behind "her" and "him".
　I'll be watching too.


◆◆◆◆◆



"--and vortex waves!　Why did you run away!

　The first word.
　As I was taken into the dimly lit basement, I was strongly scolded by an unknown woman.

'Wait in the summoning formation a little longer and be quiet!　Properly, we apostles were learning the Japanese language, and now it's all ruined!

　A tall, blonde beauty dressed in a bizarrely made silk costume stands in front of me. I roll my eyes, overwhelmed by the gaijin's fluent Japanese.
　I was too upset to reply, so I couldn't help but look around.

　Now I'm in the basement where I first woke up.
　It's a prehistoric stone-built space with no air conditioning, and the air feels strangely thin. The only light is from long, thin candles standing at regular intervals, and the four corners of the room are so dim that they cannot be seen.

　There were five men and women standing there.
　One of them, my sister Yotaki, couldn't see them and stepped in between them.

''Sis, please don't be so angry with her. If anything, it's my fault for not properly explaining my brother's pettiness. If you think about it, your brother was the kind of chicken-hearted person who would run away immediately if he was surrounded by strange adults.

　My sister followed up on my actions as my brother, although there were some strange insults mixed in.

　Furthermore, I roll my eyes.
　I was truly amazed that that Youtaki was standing on his own feet and speaking fluent Japanese.

　A lot of things have really happened today, but this surprise outweighs all of them.
　Coupled with my sister first, I ask Yotaki first and foremost.

''Hi, Yotaki......!　You know, I've got a lot to ask you, but first, that face ....... You look really, really good: ....... You're not even coughing ....... Why ......
'Yes. Let me explain that first. Otherwise, your brother would not even be able to talk to you safely - "I managed it!　I... I... I... I did...　It's not the DiPlacula or the Legacy there, but this Sith!　Phew!　Woo-ha-ha-ha!

　Before Yotaki's explanation began, a tall blonde beauty named Sis shouted out her answer.
　Her words made my eyes roll beyond the limit.

''Somehow ......?　What, do you mean ...... cured (...)?　Mr. Sis: ......
'Mmm. No, I'm not completely cured, but I'm ....... But I'm almost out of my death throes!　It's because of this me!
'De-lived ......?　From there?　From that state to ......?　Really ......?

　--No way.

　In any case, the last time I saw Yotaki, he was on the verge of becoming a human being. I'm sure that the reason he went missing is because he wanted to take his own life without my knowledge.

　There's no doubt that YouTaki was one of the incurable diseases that modern medicine cannot cure, and on top of that he was in the final stages of his illness. The fact that it could be cured so easily was so unrealistic, and everything was like a dream--

'You don't believe it!　Look at those waterfalls over there!　She's the witness!　And you better be thankful!　From now on, every day of your life, praise me!

　But Sis-san is right, the energetic Yotaki is there as a real person.
　He comes next to me in bewilderment and calls me "Brother ......" and holds my trembling hand.

　--Warm.

　Yotaki's palm, which had been so cold, is unbelievably warm.
　Even if the whole thing was a lie, it was warm enough to be forgiven. If it was such a warm lie, I would want to be fooled again and again.
　With that in mind, I lower my head vigorously before the tears pour out.

''I praise you, ......!　Of course, I praise you!　Thank you!　Mr. Sis!　Thank you so much!

　I'm tempted to call him Sith-sama now and worship him, but I repeat my thanks within the bounds of common sense.
　I continue to thank the benefactor in front of me with tears.

'Thank you so much ......, thank you so much ......!

　I can't find any other words for it.
　However, in response to my gratitude, Sis returns the question.

'Yes, thank you ......?'

　It was as if he was hearing those five letters for the first time.
　Mr. Sith checks his surroundings as if to make sure he was really being told. The man, who is probably the oldest man in the room, can't see this, and replies.

'Thank you ....... Probably a thank you. Sis.

　It's an old man in a loose-fitting silk robe, with a long white hair beard hanging down and a wooden staff on the ground. From his wrinkled voice and calm motions, you'd think he was Sith's guardian, but a new voice echoes through the basement.

'Thank you?　Oh, thank you. Thank you, apparently, Sis.

　This is a child. He's probably in the middle of elementary school at about his age. He's a boy with a very sleepy look in his eyes hidden under his short, dull brown hair. He is the only one dressed in a ragged cloth suit and continues to stare at the ground and ask himself questions.

　The two people who seem to be related to Sisu-san have offered to help her, and the color of understanding gradually spreads across her face.

　Just when you think she's happy to see her face light up in a flash, she immediately waves her hands wide from side to side with a bang

"--Don't get me wrong!　There's no reason for me to thank you!

　They refuse to appreciate me.

　I ponder the meaning of those words.
　Is she trying to tell me that I am a righteous friend who helps people for free, so I don't need to thank her? It's not even worth mentioning. If that's the case, then what a cool person she is.

'But you cured Yotaki, didn't you ......?　I'm her brother. I can't stop thanking you. In fact, I'd like to repeat my thanks a hundred times from now on: ......!
'No need to repeat it!　No!　It's a badge of honor as an apostle to be thought to have treated you!　I'm an apostle of justice who lives for the world, and I shouldn't be putting myself on the shoulders of individuals!　All you have to do is praise me for being awesome!
'Seh, the 'Apostle of Justice' ......!　......!

　The woman in front of me called herself an 'apostle of justice' rather than an ally of justice.
　I sympathize and groan at that twist of sense.

　And I am also moved by the preciousness of her good intentions.

'I repeat myself!　I just cured Yangtaki for the world!　You better understand that I didn't do this to thank you!

　I let go of my hand and start walking forward after making sure Yotaki is warm enough.

　It's a shame to miss it, but it's important to repay my benefactor now.
　I shake both of Sis's hands and repeat my thanks as best I can.

''Still ......, but still. Thank you, Sis-san. Thank you so much .......
'And yet?　Huh?　I've got my Japanese wrong: ......?　

　However, the thanks still didn't arrive well. Ms. Sis began to check to see if the conversation was happening. The guardian, who was waiting nearby to do so, would follow up with a follow-up.

'Probably not wrong. You're welcome, then. Sis.
'Um, ...... Oh, yes. You're welcome ......?

　Sis-san, who had seemed so confident, easily became anxious and looked around with a scurrying look on her face.
　In order to reassure her, I continue to patiently express my gratitude.

'And that's fine. Thank you so much, Sis-san.
It's ......, I don't know about you, but you're welcome!

　I let go of my hand, letting out a smile as I saw that Sis-san had returned to the same smug look she had at the beginning.

　Then Sis-san looked at me a little bit regretfully and then stared at her hand that had been held earlier.

'It doesn't feel so bad. Despite all the agony, I'm glad I fixed Yotaki. Thank you ...... for that, you know.

　The other two agreed with that.

'Yes. That's not bad. I have a good feeling we made the right decision today. Today, you know.
Not bad?　Not bad, not bad, not bad. Oh, that's not bad: ......

　They are three unique people.
　From the distance between them, you can guess that they are like relatives.
　It's like one guardian grandfather and two grandchildren.

　And while the grandson, Sis, alone, laughs at his hands, "Hmmm," the grandfather, who seems to be the quickest one to speak, comes forward.

I am Diprakra, the apostle of knowledge and moderation. Brother Yangtaki, let's get this straight. The Sith there have misled you a bit, but that girl's treatment is temporary and not free.

　Grandfather called himself Diprakra.
　He crowned himself 'Apostle of Knowledge and Moderation', but unlike with Mr. Sis, I don't feel like I've found a like-minded person. I can sense a certain intelligence that isn't a joke from each of his behaviors.

　I pull myself together and listen to Mr. Di Prakula.

I understand. If there's anything you can pay me for, you can tell me anything you want.
The story is moving fast. ...... I'd like you to help me fulfill my apostle's long cherished desire. I swear to you that Aikawa Yotaki will not die during that time. So-called give and take.

　The grandfather is obviously not Japanese, but his command of Japanese is surprising.

　In the middle of the conversation, a cis man nearby said, "What?　It goes without saying that it's only natural for a person to cooperate with us apostles--" he mouthed, and the brown-haired girl tsk-tsked him, "You'd better be quiet. Little by little, I think I'm beginning to understand where the three of them stand.

''I understand. So, what is your long-cherished desire and what kind of cooperation are you all looking for from me?

　Unlike Sis-san, I'll need to have serious negotiations with Diprakra-san, so I politely ask her one by one.

'Hmm. Our goal is to create a perfect 'vessel that can adapt to the demon's poison'. As part of that, we want the Onushira brothers and sisters to understand the [Reason of the Stars].
"............. Ha, ha ....... It's an understanding of the logic of the stars in the creation of the vessel. ...... Of course, I will help you. I will, but its .......

　The old man, who I thought was very intelligent, abruptly rattled off a bunch of words that sounded like religion, and I was at a loss for a response. I'm trying to understand him, but I don't know what he means. I love that kind of flirtation, but I'm feeling left behind.

　Yotaki, who couldn't bear to look at me, comes in between us.

Di Prakula. I'll chew it out with my brother after I've been briefed first. It will be quicker that way.
Nuh-uh. I'm not sure if the same words are used in the same way or not. ...... I've learned another lesson. I'll leave it to you, my fellow countrymen. Aikawa Yodaki

　Yangtaki's care helps me.
　That and Diprakra's quickness of understanding and caring helped me.
　I didn't have the confidence that I would be able to understand the content of the conversation even if I continued to talk about it.

　Then Yotaki, who was next to me, came out in front of me and asked me straight away.

''Brother, first of all, do you understand that this is the 'other world'?'''
...... Yeah. That's just barely, sort of.

　It was a word that had been floating around in my head ever since I woke up in this castle. Among the men who were chasing me, there were clearly non-human beings mixed in. I'd never heard the language I'd been taught by Tiara, the girl I'd just met, nor had I ever heard it in my sixteen years of life. I've been telling myself that it's a foreign movie set all my life, but it's time to move on.

'I have to admit it, but I don't want to admit it, so I guess I'm on hold. You'll have to admit it soon.
I'll admit it: ......

　I was forced to, and finally I accepted.
　It was partly because I was nearing my limit, but I had faith that if that sister (...) was saying it, it was true.

''Listen, brother. In this 'other world', there's a black fog floating everywhere, doing some really bad things. It's a miasma, or as my brother likes to say in his game, a miasma. The miasma is an 'unknown substance' that cannot be understood in our world.

　And then he tried to explain the problems of this "other world" one by one. The choice of the word "miasma" was clearly an explanation that was exclusive to me. I'm going to be able to say that the mere fact that it is a miasma is a good thing.

It's a good thing that you're able to have a good time with your friends and family. The world over here was full of 'unknown matter', so think of it as the extent to which cures for illnesses related to this were advanced.
...... If Yotaki says so, I'll leave it at that for now.

　It's the part I'm most concerned about, but right now I'm trying to understand the demands of Mr. Diprakra and the others rather than the disease.

"And the removal of the 'unknown substance' of this 'other world' is the goal of these apostles. As a means of doing so, they want us to become 'vessels capable of adapting to the demonic poison' - 'experts in the removal of unknown substances'.

　Words that we didn't understand the meaning of earlier start to feel a little more familiar to us.
　Furthermore, the most important part of the story for us is explained.

'As a reward, the treatment of my disease will proceed. Because a deeper knowledge of this 'unknown substance' means a deeper understanding of my disease. They and I have a very real alignment of interests. -- me, the disease.
It's in my interest. Yangtaki's illness is as good as mine.

　I answered immediately.
　Even for Aikawa Uzumi, this reward is unbeatable. If there is even the slightest hope of curing that incurable disease, it's worth risking your life.

　In the middle of that explanation, Sis-san was about to interrupt again. He leaned forward and said, "No, no. You guys are going to be our pawns--" he was about to speak up and the two remaining people were angry at him for being "quiet".

'It's a pleasure, brother ....... Thank you so much ....... I'm going to bother you again. ......
'We don't want to bother you. We're just two families (・・・・・・・・), brother and sister. This is the way it's supposed to be.
'Hmmmmm ....... Hmmm--, yes, you're right: ......

　With Sis-san in the background, who is a little teary-eyed, Yotaki also laughs, with tears of emotion.
　Holding her sister's hand tightly, I showed her that we will live in another world together. Seeing us siblings like that, Diprakra-san lets out a cry of surprise.

''Oh, oh ....... You've already received approval. I've been told that we're brother and sister, so we're close, but I didn't expect ...... to be so quick to talk to you. It's a good idea to have a blood connection.
'Diprakra, please note that this is just us. I don't mean to brag, but we are the closest siblings in the whole world.

　Indeed, there aren't many siblings who trust each other so much. However, it's the same with admitting to being an extreme ciscoe, so it's a bit embarrassing.

'Hmm, well ....... But because of their close friendship, it seems that Uzumi has convinced him of the premise. I'll take over the conversation from here on out. It's a good idea to be able to have a good time with them, because there's a lot more to explain to you.

　Gohonk, Diprakra cleared his throat.
　Then, he slowly began to speak.

　It's this 'other world'--

'Let's start by talking about what 'unknown substances' are. What properties it has, how it was created, and what evils it does ....... Before we get to the Vessel of Adaptation to the Demon's Poison, let me explain--

　-- the story of how we came to a lifetime.

　We siblings hold hands as we listen to the horrors of this world.
　About a world that we will know for more than a thousand years to come.
　One by one...