The Maiden Called Hero or Monster - Bonus Chapter 2

    ── Nice short and sweet bonus chapter. We've got two chapters left now, so it seems like I'll actually be able to finish before the year ends as I planned. I don't really have much to say this time around other than Happy Thanksgiving to those celebrating. For those not celebrating it, just be sure to have yourselves a good one regardless. I appreciate you guys sticking through what I've translated so far. To be fair it's the only english version of this novel online atm, albeit being fan translated, so it's probably more a 'take what you can get' kind of situation. With that said, hope you all enjoy the chapter. 

 

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     ── It was dusk.

    The hero and Matari, who had gone shopping, returned home with large bags in hand.

    "We're home. Could you guys come help us, please!...... Is anyone even here?"

    The hero called out several times at the door, but no one replied.

     Matari tilted her head in confusion.

    "Uh, the door was unlocked, wasn't it?"

    "Yeah, it was."

    "So, I guess they both went out."

    "And they didn't even lock the door? Well, it's fine. I don't have anything someone could steal anyway. If you're up there snoozing away, I'll hit you. I asked you to get stuff for me, Pinky and round eyes."

    "Um, I actually dropped an apple on the way back. Can I go get it?

    "...... You should've picked it up on the spot once you noticed it."

    The hero was taken aback.

    Matari quickly made an excuse.

    "I-It's because, we both had our hands full with the bags. If I set them down, all the apples would have rolled away."

    "Alright, alright, I get it. Just hurry and pick it up. Before some glutton eats it!"

    "Understood, I'll be quick!"

    Matari rushed off at full speed. 

    After seeing her off, the hero stepped inside again with the bags. Once she carried the food into the kitchen, she went back for Matari's things when she ran into the other people living in this house. The other inhabitants of the house being Edel, a necromancer, and Lulurile, a scholar.

    "Welcome home, hero-girl."

    "Thank you for buying groceries."

    Without answering their greeting, the hero scowled and squeezed out a reply.

    "...... It pains me greatly to ask this. But what the hell are you guys doing?"

    "We thought we'd greet you in these outfits. Matari was the one who was scared that something was in the house. So, I figured we'd try and dispel her unwarranted fears. I guess we did go a little overboard."

    "This is the so-called shock therapy. The idea is to build up a tolerance to something by deliberately exploiting the problem. If it proves successful, Ms. Matari's fear of ghosts will be eliminated. You will not know until you try, so we have decided to try."

    It could be said that their appearances were much different from the norm. They were dressed like corpses, and their faces were covered with elaborate death-like makeup. Their appearances were that of zombies swirling with resentment toward the living.
    It was apparent that Matari had a problem with something in this house from the start. An unidentified, suspicious shadow seemed to be in the house. A terrifying ghost, according to Matari. The hero told her repeatedly not to worry about it, but that was seemingly difficult for someone like her.
    So, in an attempt to relieve her fear, Edel and Lulurile were going to put her through trial by fire. Of course, their real reason for doing so was because of nothing more than boredom. They seemed to have had a great time preparing and planning.

    "...... Wasn't there someone who could've prevented this all from the start? ...... Surely they couldn't be in this house."

    The hero sighed while holding her temples. 

    The inhabitants of this house including the hero, to put it simply, never listened to others. So, the aforementioned "someone" could not exist among them.

    "Oh, did you want to help out too, hero-girl? It's just makeup, so I can easily whip you into shape right now. Wanna do it?"

    "I'm not gonna play along with your nonsense! Besides, I'm busy. Now, move over!"

    Pushing aside the two zombies, the hero began to organize their things. They had bought a complete set of daily necessities, including everyday clothing, nightwear, home and cooking utensils. Some of these things were already in the house prior to moving in, but she seemingly did not want to use them. She didn't even know who used them prior; so, obviously it would be disgusting to use them. Therefore, everything in this house would be disposed of sooner or later. It all would be burned to ashes and completely forgotten.
    

    "...... Hm?"

    The hero stopped unpacking and looked around.

    "Is something wrong? Did you by chance see a real ghost?"

    "No, it was nothing...... More importantly, why is your eye falling out? I'm sure you don't need to make something this elaborate to scare her."

    The hero poked Lulurile's eye with her finger. Behind her cracked glasses was an eyeball nearly torn out its socket. 

     Lulurile worked all night to craft such a thing. It was unnecessarily detailed and a faithful recreation to the touch. The workmanship was so good that it could be mistaken for the real thing.

    "I am a firm believer that if you are going to do something, do it thoroughly. Though, I did have a hard time getting the eyeballs to be tactile."

    "Well, just make sure you clean up after yourselves."

    "I understand. It is what we call joint and several liability. I look forward to working with you then."

    "You don't get it at all, do you!? ──I mean, look, you can see there's fake blood everywhere! Even though I went through the trouble of cleaning!!"

    As the hero got angry, her face blushed. 

    Indeed, a red liquid was dripping from Edel and Lulurile's ragged garments, staining the floor yet again in red.

    ──Even though she had just made the previous ones less noticeable.

    "Do not worry. This fake blood does not smell and is easily wiped away. I was sure to think about what was to come after."

    "I don't like how proud you are of dressing up like dead people. Anyway, you guys are cleaning this up on your own!"

    "I know── Oh, no, Matari's coming back. Come on, Lulu, let's go!"

    "Please stop calling me, Lulu. Ms. Pinky."

    "Then how about you stop too."

    "I will take that into consideration."

    Two zombie-like figures bickered while making their way to the front door. To sell the act, the two stuck out their hands and staggered to and fro much like a zombie would. After seeing that, the hero fell back onto the sofa with a sigh. It seems that the audience has a good idea of what is going to happen next.

    A short time later, she could hear them rushing from the door up to the second floor. The two zombies were running as if to escape from something.
    Matari followed; her eyes were hyper-focused as she slowly ascended after them. Her mouth was slightly twisted, and a boiling rage could be felt emanating from her entire body.
    As a result of Edel and Lulurile getting carried away and scaring her, Matari fainted. And when she awoke, the atmosphere around her had changed completely. As soon as Matari got up, she unleashed a powerful punch that left a huge hole in the entrance wall. If one was to get hit by it, they would surely die.
    
    The voices of the two zombies trying to explain themselves fell on deaf ears, as Matari began to move towards them with a maniacal smile on her face. That one was much more terrifying to the hero.
    

    The two zombies had been cornered in the upstairs bedroom. Edel held out her hands in front while desperately trying to appease Matari. Drops of sweat lined her forehead, unable to hide her desperation.

    "W-Wait. H-Hey Matari? Just calm down for a second. You'll understand if you hear us out! Come on, take a deep breath and relax!"

    "This is the so-called one that does not listen. It is said that when people are infuriated, the hair on their heads stands towards the sky, this must be exactly what that implies. I am learning a lot."

    "This is no time to be calm! We have nowhere to run!"

    "It is okay. I will survive at your expense. I probably will not forget you."

    "Not a chance!"

    "H-Hey, stop it. I do not want to be in front. S-Stop pushing me!"

     Lulurile, who had been calm all this time, suddenly panicked and resisted. The two wrestled with each other trying to push one another forward. Meanwhile, Matari slowly approached, one step at a time.
    

    "... Kill"

    Matari stopped as she was about to take her next step, as Edel muttered something.

    "You've got it all wrong. We were just trying to help you get over your fear. Yeah, with a little bit of will, and a little bit of luck, you'll──"

    "Kill, kill, kill! Evil spirits must die!! All those possessed by evil spirits must also die!!"

    "...... Her eyes are completely gone. Ms. Matari really is relentless as a berserker. Ms. Pinky, I am sorry, but you will have to give up this time."

    "This time!?' There's not going to be a next time! And I keep telling you my name isn't  Pinky, you musty smelling four-eyes! Has all that scholar crap made your memory worse!?"

    "I do not smell musty. Please retract those words immediately!"

    "No, I hate you and your scheming glasses! Why don't you wipe off those tacky round lenses and ask me again!"

    "I-I cannot tolerate this rotten Pinky any longer! I will dye that pink, red!"

    A blushing Lulurile grabbed Edel.

    "L-Lulu, l-look in front of us!"

    "──Eh?"

    Matari smiled with a grin and twisted at her waist, firing a ferocious punch. The roaring iron fist hit Lulurile directly in the face.

    ... Or so it seemed. But the hero successfully stopped her just in time. She entwined her arms around the tall Matari's neck, tightening her grip as hard as she could.

    "Really, playing a prank like that on her is like throwing oil on a fire. You guys saw the sparring match we had before."

    "B-By a hair's breadth. Really, you have saved me."

    "... Kill, evil spirits!!"

    "I told you, there aren't any evil spirits in this house, and if anything comes out, I'll protect you. So, calm down."

    "Ugh, guaaaaah!!" 

    Matari shook her head and was flailing about. Her red face and disturbed hair gave no indication that the voice of the hero had reached her.

    "Nothing? Well, this is too much trouble. For now, just go to sleep."

    When the hero concentrated her strength, Matari lost consciousness and finally became docile.

-

    When things settled down, the hero, uncharacteristically, lectured Lulurile and Edel, and pinched their cheeks. She then ordered them to clean up after themselves and put Matari to bed. Lulurile and Edel seemed to be sorry in a way for overdoing it, so they began cleaning up as they were told. And while they were at it, repair the massive hole in the entrance wall. With that in mind, the two nodded at each other in agreement to never tease Matari again for fun.

    The hero huffed out a sigh, sat down in a nearby chair, and then stared at me.

    "...... You're there, right? Sorry we ruined your house. I already punished them, so please give us a break."

    ". . . . . . . . . . . ."

    "I can see you, or you guys. Only faintly, though. You guys used to live here, right?"

    ". . . . . . . . . . . ."

    I thought about the question. My parents have already gone, but I am still here. Who, what am I? I am not sure now that I've mixed it up. But I'm pretty sure I lived here. I don't know if she'll get the message, so I'll just nod to myself for now.

    "I don't really know what's going on. But as long as you don't do anything bad, you're free to stay here as long as you like. I don't care. However, this is already the house of a hero. Remember that"  

    Saying that the hero gently smiled at me. I've been watching them for a while, so I know most of their personalities, but this was extremely unusual. Because everyone in this house it twisted in some way. All of them, including myself, are people who can't be honest with themselves.

    "Really?"

     I tried to move my mouth. I wonder if I conveyed the message well.

    "Yes. But if you become a demon, I will annihilate you without mercy. Never do anything bad."

    If she said no, I really was going to leave without doing anything. The hero is one who kills demons. I couldn't win against someone like that. I didn't want to be extinguished. So, when she reminded me, I nodded deeply.

    I also don't know if she would be able to see this, but I pointed it out behind her. And so, she looked towards the bed where Matari was sleeping.

    "Hm? What's over there? ── Geh!"

    The hero turned around to see Matari petrified with her eyes wide open. Her face had completely paled.

    "Y-You were just talking to someone right now, weren't you? You were definitely talking to someone! T-There, w-who's there!?"

    "I'm just talking to myself. Is there something wrong with that habit, Matari !?"

    The hero tried yelling to deceive her, but Matari wildly shook her head.

    "You're lying!! You were talking as if someone was by the window! C-Could it be, the people who used to live here!? Or is it the death god!? Someone help!!"

    After shouting, Matari held out a bundle of talismans in front of her chest. The hero remembered that she had prepared them before as a countermeasure for spirits. But unfortunately, they have proven ineffective.
    Matari trembled while trying to chant some kind of scripture. She looked like a very skilled swordsman, so it was a strange sight to behold.

    "Those two unpleasant women really made a mess of things. Ah, what to do."

    The hero exclaimed while holding her head.

    I wanted to thank her for letting me go, so I put in some extra effort into this one. I moved in front of Matari and revealed myself and gave her a big smile face-to-face.

    "... Eh?"

    Matari's eyes rolled to white, and she fainted yet again, bubbling and foaming at the mouth.

    I actually thought it was pretty funny, but then the hero poked me in the head.

    "...... I told you not to misbehave. What'll we do with this boar."

    ". . . . . . . . . . . ."

    "Hey, are you alive?"

    The hero shook her body, but there was no reply. She was completely unconscious, straightened out like a board.

    "I guess her phobia of ghosts won't go away for a while. Well, it doesn't really matter to me. I'm not bothered."

    "I'm sorry." 

    When I moved my mouth, the hero just laughed and told me not to worry about it.

    Since then, whoever I am, have been living in this house I love. I don't do much. I just watch everyone whenever I feel like it. Then when I get tired, I just go back to sleep again. It's a cycle. I won't curse or possess anyone, and I rarely even scare anyone. In the end, they're still using the old furniture from before and never disposed of it. It makes me a little happy to see new things together with the old ones; in that sense, it makes me feel as if it's okay for me to be here. Maybe the hero actually cared, or maybe she didn't think anything of it. I don't care which it is.
    Time in this house started moving again. Some of it was funny, some of it was hard. There were sad times, and there were happy times. There were so many different feelings going around all the time. It was fun to watch it all unfold, and sad that all I can do is just watch.
    I want to stay in this house as long as I can. I love this house and those who live in it. Sometimes the hero will smile at me. Sometimes one of them feels something and turns to me. I might not be able to express my intentions, but I'm glad to feel at least some kind of acknowledgment.
     I wonder if one day, I'll go over there too. Two other people are waiting for, whoever I am, to come. But when that time comes, I'll tell them what I haven't been able to say for so long.
    But I'm not done playing yet. So, I want them to miss me for just a little longer. I'm sure they will at least forgive me for my last act of selfishness,

 

◆    Little disclaimer regarding the ghost's dialogue. I really have no idea what they're referring to, nor how to translate this line: 私なのか、僕なのか. The ghost uses a variation of this line three separate times throughout the chapter, and each time uses both Boku(僕,) and Watashi(私.) I'm not going to act like I possess extensive knowledge of japanese. But are these both not considered pronouns? I know they're interchangeable to a certain extent, but from what I've gathered, watashi is more often used by females, and boku by males. Then なのか, from what I've looked into, is used when requesting information. So, in this instance, I'm inclined to believe the ghost is attempting to recall either their place or who they were as a person, or their gender. So for posterity's sake I've used a placeholder line for the meantime. So if anyone with actual knowledge of japanese wants to help out, it would be greatly appreciated.