Chapter 8: Extra: The Divergence Between Inside and Outside

Author Note

If every episode was from Yuri's perspective, it would be too heavy, so to change things up, I'm writing from a child's perspective that has nothing to do with the main story (not that it's related at all), so you don't have to read it, or so I said, but the main story itself doesn't have a set flow to it anyway, so I'd be happy if you read this episode as well.

Extra: The Divergence Between Inside and Outside

"All volunteers please gather here!"

Stretch my left arm as high as I can to make it a landmark. The key here is to hop around lightly so that it's easier to see. In the cold winter air, it's important to get as much exercise as possible.

When the volunteers heard my signal to gather, they immediately gathered and came over, perhaps because my actions had been successful. No, perhaps this was arrogance. I think it was due to everyone's honest virtue.　

After about a minute, all the volunteers gathered around me.　

The genders were about half and half, although there were perhaps slightly more women. The ages ranged from small children to the elderly. There were about ten people in total, and it seemed like a diverse range of people participated. I felt even more motivated to do my best to repay everyone's kindness in some small way.　

"Thank you all very much for participating in today's volunteer cleanup organized by our church. I will be leading the cleanup of this area today. My name is Kikyou. Please feel free to call me Sister Kikyou."　

Maybe it's because the air is dry today, or maybe it's because it's cold. I don't have much knowledge about these things, so I don't know the real reason, but my voice carries well. The volunteers were mostly quiet and listened to my greetings, so I was able to introduce myself without any problems.　

"Now, let's get straight to the details of today's work. Today we will mainly be picking up trash that has been discarded within the park and on the surrounding roads. Please wear the gloves that you brought with you and take great care to avoid injury while working. We also have a small number of gloves available to lend out, so if you have forgotten yours, please don't hesitate to ask for help."

The explanation of the work flowed smoothly and this also went smoothly without any problems. It's even in these small details that you can sense the goodness in human beings, and it makes me smile.　

"Now, I will distribute garbage bags and cleaning tongs, so please line up in front of me."

After I said that, everyone lined up in front of me.

Standing at the front is a little girl. Her mother is probably standing behind her. I'm grateful that both mother and daughter have volunteered to clean up the neighborhood.　

"Yes, please, be careful."

"Yes!"

"Yes," I said, handing her the garbage bag and tongs, and she accepted them with a big, bright smile on her face as if they were treasures. They seemed a little big for her small hands.

At this age, they tend to admire adults and prefer things that are the size that adults use. Just having something like that makes them feel like they've joined the adult club, and especially big, hard things like metal seem strong.

I think I went through a period like that too.

She clutched the cleaning tools I handed her to her chest with both hands and stepped aside. She looked like a young elementary school student, but she was quite reliable.　

"Here are the cleaning tools."　

"Thank you, Sister."　

Next, I handed some cleaning supplies to the woman standing behind her, who said "Thank you," and then quickly stepped aside and headed toward the child. It turns out they were mother and child after all.　

But even so, it's a bit of a formality.

I'm lending cleaning tools to the volunteers, so if you look at it from the perspective of lending them, it might be appropriate for them to say "thank you," but since they are participating in the cleaning work that we recruited them for, I feel a bit bad about it.

How can I put it? A match-making scheme? Shall I call it that? I wonder if this choice of words is correct.

Those words are also meant with good intentions, so I'm just putting a thorn in my own heart.

Ah, my thoughts have wandered off topic. I'm currently on cleaning duty, and I'm lending out the tools for that. I'll deal with those kinds of evil thoughts after work.

"Here are the cleaning supplies...oh?"

Thinking this, I picked up the cleaning tools I had set aside and was about to hand them to the person behind again when I suddenly stopped.

I don't know why.

Why?

Standing before me was a girl about the same age as me, or maybe a little younger, with a bright, kind-looking smile on her face.　

(...What is this?)　

I wonder where this strange feeling is coming from. It feels a bit like a small fish bone is stuck in my throat.　

However, perhaps sensing my suspicion, the girl in front of me began to smile with a slightly puzzled expression, as I had stopped moving due to this thought.　

When I see it, I open my mouth to cover it up.　

"I'm sorry, I was a little surprised. I guess you're a high school student. It's rare to see people your age attend. I apologize if I offended you."

"Oh, I see. It's totally fine."

When I gave her a reason that sounded like I'd just made it up, she said, "I see," and agreed with me, her expression half convinced and half puzzled.　

In fact, the volunteer participation rate among junior and senior high school students is not very high, so I was a little surprised by that. This is an age where club activities and friendships are the top priority, and I think that is healthier.　

But still...

I didn't do it intentionally, but that's no excuse. I lied and even deceived the volunteers. I'm no good either. I'll make a point of apologizing to her from the bottom of my heart.　

With this in mind, I handed her the cleaning supplies.　　

It's been about an hour since we started cleaning.　

At first, everyone gathered together to start the work, but now people are cleaning in small groups with family and friends.　

Today's work is scheduled to take two hours, so we're about halfway there. The weather forecast said today would be good, and if it stays this way we should be able to finish without any bad weather. I breathed a sigh of relief.　

"What's that...?"　

As I looked around the park to make sure all the participants were OK, my eyes landed on one particular spot.　

There were two women there. One of them was the same woman I had messed up with earlier. The other woman looked to be in her forties, and just based on the age difference, they looked like mother and daughter.　

But somehow, to me, the two didn't seem like mother and daughter.

There are some insufficient reasons for this, such as the fact that their faces cannot be similar, which may be considered rude, but to begin with, the two of them were not standing in line looking particularly friendly when borrowing equipment before the cleaning began.

There were about ten people in attendance, so I think my memory is accurate. The girl's figure is deeply engraved in my memory, along with my regrets. I believe she was the third person, and the lady was the eighth.　

I wonder if they knew each other.

"Oops! I shouldn't keep slacking off like this. As a sister, I have to be an example to everyone."

"Everyone, it's time to finish, so please gather here!"　

Exactly two hours into the work, I loudly announced the end.　

And just as soon as the event started, the participants heard my voice and gathered around, holding the garbage bags filled with the trash they had picked up. At a glance, there was no trash to be found in the park, and that alone made me feel refreshed.　

"Then, I will collect your trash, so please place it on the blue tarp behind me. I will also collect the tongs, so please leave them here. At that time, I have prepared some tea and sweets as a small token of my appreciation, so you can exchange them for tongs."

After saying that, the group naturally split into about half going to put away their trash first and half coming to return the tongs first.　

The first person to come and return the tongs was the same little girl as in the beginning. I tried not to look at her too closely, but I did my best to keep an eye on her. It would be a problem if she got hurt or something.　

Fortunately, there did not appear to be any injuries of that nature, and the only change was slight redness around the cheeks and nose due to working for long periods in the cold.

"Here you go!"　

"Hehe, thank you very much. Thank you for your hard work. Here are some sweets and tea."　

"Wow, I did it!!"

Her adorableness made me burst out in laughter. She was pure and innocent, gazing at the sweets with such joy.　

Next, the person who appeared to be her mother, who had arrived with her, returned the cleaning tools and, while expressing her gratitude, handed her sweets and tea just as she had done to the child.　

"Hey, Mom! Want to exchange tea and sweets?"　

"Well, Mommy wants something sweet too. But more importantly, Hana-chan, you've been cleaning all day. Aren't you thirsty?"

"You can drink lots of tea when you get home! It's nice to have lots of sweets, so it's fine!"　

"Oh, you can't help it, kid. It's fine, but don't eat it all at once, okay? You won't be able to eat dinner."　

"Yes!"　

The two people who showed such a warm side of their family were indeed mother and daughter. I finally got confirmation at the very end. It was a scene that warmed my hearts just by watching it.　

I ended up seeing something great at the very end. I feel like I got a bargain.

The two of them then picked up the garbage bags and headed toward the blue tarp.　

I turn my gaze back to the front and think, "Then it's time for the next person." If this continues, maybe the next person will be...　

"Thank you for lending it to me, Sister."　

"No no thank you very much. Thank you for coming today. Here are some sweets and tea."

(Well, that's not going to happen.)

However, the next person to arrive was not a high school girl, but a beautiful woman. She seemed to have bags under her eyes, which worried me a little, but she was a volunteer for the cleaning today. Perhaps it was a problem if she intruded too much.

Now that I think about it, she seemed friendly with the girl in question while she was cleaning, but the fact that she came here alone makes me wonder if they're not mother and daughter. Thinking back to the scene earlier, I feel that's the case. If that were the case, I think she would have returned both of their tools even if she was alone.　

After receiving the sweets and tea from me, the woman bowed and said, "Thank you," and quickly tried to leave me.　

"...?"

She then looked at the blue tarp with a look of envy and dazzle, then shook her head and headed toward the tarp.　

This exchange of tongs, snacks, and tea was repeated several times. As there were only about ten participants, the work was coming to an end soon, and it felt like this was the last time.　

(……Ah)　

"These are the tongs."　

"Thank you very much. Here are some sweets and tea."　

I didn't pay much attention to her after that and didn't notice, but in the end she was the one who left the strongest impression on me.　

The snacks and tea have already been handed out, and my work is now finished. I had explained in advance that once the exchange and collection of the garbage bags were complete, everyone would be dismissed, so there were hardly any people around. It was late, and besides, no one would bother to come to the park in the cold winter season.　

It was just me and the girl in this large park.　

So, my curiosity got the better of me and I decided to talk to her.

"Um, can I talk to you for a moment?"　

When I asked her, she smiled and replied, "It's okay." I decided to take advantage of her kindness and talked to her for a while.　

"This may be rude, but you're probably a high school student, right?"　

"Yes, I go to a high school nearby."　

"Ah, I thought so! It's quite rare for a high school student to volunteer to clean up. Thank you for coming today."

My expectations had come true, and feeling a little elated, I clasped my hands together and expressed my gratitude. She replied with a smile, "No, no, it's nothing at all."　

She seems calm and devoted for her age, but I still can't help feeling like there's something stuck in my throat.

"Where did you hear about today's cleanup? It was advertised on posters at the community center and so on."

"As for me... well, I saw the poster and decided to participate. I want the town I live in to be beautiful after all."

"That is truly an admirable attitude. I think it's wonderful."

"Ahaha, thank you, Sister."

Her smiling face is adorable, and it puts me at ease. I know this may sound rude, but if I may say so, she's not the most stunning looking, but she's still beautiful enough, and the smile she gives off is adorable. If she's like this at school, I'm sure she's surrounded by lots of friends.

(……Hm?)　

But what is it really? This feeling of a small bone getting stuck in my throat? I can't help but feel like I'm misunderstanding something.　

I wonder why this is.

She looks like something incredibly evil, and it seems as if a faint black aura is emanating from her entire body.

She is such a polite girl, has above average social morals, and is very kind.　

Why am I looking at her with such suspicion?　

I don't understand that.

I guess I just haven't trained enough. I think I'm too immature to properly judge people. This is no good.　

Oh Lord, how many times have I sinned just today? How many times have I hurt and degraded her in my heart?　

I suppose it was my weakness that led me to see her, a pure woman, as evil. I had sworn to myself to be chaste as a servant of God, and perhaps I had unconsciously become jealous of her, who had attained a purity even more perfect than mine.　

Oh Lord, please help me, this sinner. Please...　

"--Hii?!"　

At that moment, I couldn't help but scream.　

I was overcome by a sensation as if cold water had been poured over my entire body, and I let out an obscene cry. This should never have happened.　

It shouldn't happen, but...　

(But... but what about that just now?)　

For just a moment, even if it was just for a moment.　

She was smiling brightly in front of me, and I had the illusion that she could see into the depths of my heart and grasp all of my sins.　

I had a vision of someone clutching my heart, crawling all over my naked body like a snake, and sucking my soul out with a deep kiss.　　

What exactly is this feeling?　

As I trembled in fear, she smiled again, acting as if to make me think that the vision before was a misreading, and took a few steps away from me.　

"Well then, Sister Kikyou, this is it for me."

She turns her back on me and walks away. For some reason, I feel a sense of relief at the sight. Inappropriate thoughts of having survived and being spared keep coming to my mind.　

The sunset was dazzling, and although we only had two hours to clean, the early winter sunset left the sky completely red.　

Looking at the scenery, decorated with the revitalized park and the beautiful sunset, I was somehow reminded of hell.

I felt as if I saw her large shadow smiling as she walked away from me.

Author Note:

Why Yuri was volunteering at the church... I think that will be revealed in the main story eventually, but it may not be revealed.

The sister in this story is really just a mob character in this episode, so she doesn't have a character setting.