Chapter 130: The Garden of Sinners Premiere (Part 4)
As the battle between Ryougi Shiki and the group of wraiths came to an end, the perspective shifted to a scene vastly different from the ruins before—a tall building, inside which a pale woman lay on a hospital bed, her eyes blank. She didn't react until Aozaki Touko opened the door to what was clearly a hospital room. Only then did she respond to her surroundings.
"The view here... is beautiful, isn't it?"
"Mm."
"Indeed. I... really love the scenery from here. In spring, the flowers bloom... like a massive cluster of blossoms exploding in the sky."
"If only I could see it again next year..."
"You're my enemy, aren't you?"
"Yes. The boy you attacked, and the girl who attacked you—they're both my friends. Strictly speaking, I am your enemy. But I'm here this time with just a few questions for you. Of course, I understand your current state, so I won't force you. How long have you been here?"
"I don't remember. A long time... a very long time. Every day... all I can do is look out the window."
Hearing this, Touko glanced around the room briefly, understanding the situation at once. Without a doubt, this girl had been afflicted by an unbearable illness, losing the "wings to fly" and being confined to this closed-off space.
"It's painful, isn't it?"
"But... because this scenery won't disappear, no matter how much I resent it, it's all I have."
"So, day after day, you stare out the window, eventually engraving this view into your mind, gaining the ability of 'Overlook.'"
"Yes. By the time I realized it, my vision had already moved to the sky..."
"Did you lose your sight at the same time?"
"Yes. My eyes can no longer see anything, but the scenery in my mind remains unchanged."
"Is that why your consciousness ascended to the sky? But if that wraith on the ruins was your consciousness, you should have already been killed by Shiki..."
"That wasn't me... that was the 'me' who left me behind, disappointed in the me trapped in this cage."
"Split personality? No, it doesn't seem like that. Your consciousness clearly hasn't been divided. In other words, one personality controls two bodies. Someone must have given you a new vessel, right?"
"Dual consciousness. That's what they called it."
"Why? Isn't it enough to 'overlook' the outside world like this? I don't think you needed to make those children jump to their deaths."
"Those children came to me on their own. I thought... they could be my friends. But they didn't notice me..."
"Because their contact with you was unconscious. Without awareness, it's natural."
"So I wanted them to notice me. I thought if they became aware, they would pay attention to me... I just told them, 'I'm here, I'm right here,' and nothing more. I didn't mean to make them..."
"Is that also why you tried to take Kokutou away?"
"I met him for the first time in the hospital corridor... every week, every week... at the same time. He always carried a beautiful bouquet. I hoped he would take me away..."
Having learned the root of it all, Aozaki Touko quietly stood up. She wasn't a law enforcement officer and naturally had no authority to execute the girl. All she could do was offer a final piece of advice to someone who could no longer see any hope:
"Escaping comes in two forms: escaping without a destination and escaping with a purpose. The former is often called 'drifting,' while the latter is called 'flying.' Your ability of 'Overlook' belongs to one of these, but it's up to you to decide which. However, if you choose one of these paths with a guilty conscience, you're mistaken. We don't carry guilt to choose a path; instead, we should choose the right path and then bear the corresponding guilt."
With those words, Aozaki Touko turned and left the room.
...
The scene on the television gradually faded to black. In Edward Tavern, the audience was utterly silent, for by now, everyone had realized the choice the girl in the story had made. Unsurprisingly, as the perspective shifted again, a faint monologue began to emerge.
[Flashback]
She recalled the last words of that person... She must have known the outcome I would choose. I couldn't "fly"; I was just "drifting" there, because I was too weak to do what that person had said. I couldn't resist this temptation. That moment when my heart was pierced, I experienced a flash of light that overwhelmed everything—the flood of death and the pulse of life. Though I thought I had lost everything, in reality, something so simple and important remained.
But... it seems impossible to face that kind of death again. A fate so intense will never be felt again. Like ash, like a sword, like lightning piercing through me—that death... So, I want to get as close to it as possible. No problem, at least I've already decided the method, and that's unquestionable. I think my final conclusion will be the best: a fall from the perspective of "Overlook."
End of the monologue.
In an instant, the girl found herself at the top of the ruins, though she was unsure how she got there. Looking at the distant town glittering with lights, she chose to embrace the fall, her final longing fulfilled as she decided on the "flight" that was destined to end in a fall.
"Only those in that state would understand the happiness of death. Because there's no place left to escape to, after the aimless drifting—'floating'—the first purposeful 'flight' is to seek that death..."
While watching the end of The Garden of Sinners on TV, Latisha was the first to speak up with a sigh:
"Although it's rare to see such people nowadays, back when the Empire had not yet been established, almost every day there were people choosing to embrace the embrace of the God of Light. Because life itself is painful. Even if you want to escape this dark world, there's nowhere to run. Even if you have wings, what difference does it make? The place you exist is hell, and no matter how much you fly, the outcome is always the same—falling. Embracing death directly became the only choice."
"...."
The people present, who had not lived through such an era, appeared confused. Only Belldia seemed deeply thoughtful. However, since his head was currently held by Saeki, his expression was somewhat ambiguous.
Meanwhile, the plot in the show was not yet finished. In the final scene, the conversation between Ryougi Shiki and Kokutou Mikiya continued...
"Do you think suicide is the right thing, Mikiya?"
"...Uh, how should I put this? For example, if I were cursed in a very dangerous way, where as long as I live, everyone in the world will die, but if I die, everyone will be saved, then I'd probably choose to commit suicide."
"What kind of analogy is that? Such an impossible situation can't even be considered an example."
To Shiki's mockery, Kokutou Mikiya simply smiled and said, "Well, whatever. What I want to say is that my reason for choosing suicide is not because I'm strong; it's because I'm too weak. I don't have the courage to live on and fight against the entire world, so I choose to die. Isn't it simpler that way? A momentary courage versus a lifetime of courage, it's obvious which one is harder. Similarly, for someone suffering from a serious illness, choosing to live is much harder than choosing to die because death is just a moment of pain, but living means enduring pain for life."
"Although this may sound extreme, I think death is actually easier. This is a conclusion drawn from two decisions, and I believe the person involved may just want to escape no matter what. After all, we are just weak humans..."
"But that's not right. No matter how justified the reason, choosing death is inherently foolish and weak. No matter how ugly or wrong it may be, we should live to correct our mistakes. To live, and to bear the consequences of our actions—that is truly brave. Of course, while it may sound noble, I don't think I could do it myself."
With these simple words spoken in a calm tone, the true ending of the story seemed to be approaching.
The audience watching the television at the tavern was now in an awkward silence, unable to find the words to say. It was like a conversation where one person says, "I think this movie is amazing," and the other asks, "So, what's amazing about it?" And the first person stammers without being able to answer.
After all, the world doesn't have nine years of compulsory education, and the general public's knowledge is uneven or generally low, so this kind of situation is to be expected.
In contrast, the immortals—Belldia, Saeki, Viz, and Latisha—seemed quite talkative. After all, they had all experienced 'death,' so they understood how precious and happy it could be to have the ability to choose death.
After all, living on while being rejected by the world and fighting against it is something over 90% of people wouldn't even dare to imagine. In fact, these four immortals were all once brave enough to struggle at first and ultimately choose to keep living. The weak ones, on the other hand, probably embraced the happier option of death right away. After all, choosing to "live" often requires more courage than choosing "death."
At the same time, as the crowd murmured and exchanged thoughts, Chase, who was reflecting on the ending song, seized the opportunity to ask Edward:
"Is that it? Director Durin, your shooting time took longer than I expected. This can't be just a short film, right?"
"Hm? Didn't I say? To celebrate the successful production of the TV series, I planned for The Garden of Sinners to air as a three-episode special, though there are a total of seven episodes plus one extra."
Instantly, hearing Edward's words, the crowd turned to him in excitement. They clearly hadn't expected such generosity. After all, since it was a TV show and didn't require tickets, this free continuous airing felt almost like a dream.
As expected, after the ending theme of the first chapter of The Garden of Sinners, which focused on the perspective of the scenery, finished, a flash of images appeared on screen, followed by a series of large words that clearly read: "Coming up next: The Garden of Sinners Chapter 2: A Study in Murder - Part 1."
But before the audience could celebrate for a few seconds, the screen changed again, and new text appeared.
"Stay tuned after the break for even more excitement!"
At the same time, a countdown began in the upper right corner of the screen, starting from '30:00'.
Undoubtedly, the The Garden of Sinners commercial would last a full thirty minutes. Considering the time, it was only around two or three in the afternoon, making it feel like an agonizing wait.
"What's this? A commercial? Why is there something like this…?"
"Pfft, fine, put in a commercial, but why does it have to be thirty minutes? Is it trying to make us miserable?"
"Perfect timing, I've got something to do at home. Bro, hold my spot, I'll be back in a minute."
"I've never felt that thirty minutes could be so long..."
"By the way, what kind of commercial is it? I'm really curious."
"Yeah, I'm curious too. After all, my friend's friend wanted to make an ad with the movie's director a long time ago. But because the movie didn't allow ads to be inserted, it never happened. Now that this TV show has launched, I feel like I should notify him right away."
"...."
Amidst the lively discussions of the crowd, the images on the television screen gradually appeared. The first thing that greeted the audience was three figures dressed in magician robes. At the center was Ska, with Picole and Dillon on either side of him. These two newcomers had joined the TV station earlier and were now fortunate enough to be part of the world's first-ever commercial.
"Ahem, to all the viewers in front of the television— Hello, everyone. I'm Ska, the Tower Master of the Alchemy Tower at the Imperial Mage Academy, and one of the inventors of the television."
It seemed that this was Ska's first time doing something like this, as he fumbled through his lines twice. However, the audience didn't mind, instead watching in surprise at this middle-aged mage on screen, seemingly amazed to see such a "big shot" appear in this format for the first time.
On the other side, as Ska's slightly nervous actions continued, a television set that looked identical to the one currently airing the show was brought out from beside him.
Clearly, this was the theme of the first-ever television commercial: the television itself.
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