Hagakure Sakura Does Not Lament

Translated by LyraDhani

Edited by LyraDhani

After getting out of the bath, Tsugumi had a silly talk with Yukitaka for a while, and since he would go out early tomorrow, he decided to borrow the sofa in the living room and go to sleep.

“…Anyway, I wonder what this scent is. That guy said it was some kind of relaxing incense.”

Tsugumi said while sniffing the sweet scent.

Yukitaka had said, “This was a gift, but I’m not interested in this kind of thing, so please use it and tell me what you think,” and left an aroma stand with a small flower-shaped incense stick on it.

The smell wasn’t unpleasant, but the sweet scent like sugar candy was somehow unsettling.

But time passed as he thought about such things. Tomorrow he had school, so he had to leave here early in the morning and go home to get ready. In the morning, he could save some time with transportation, but it would still be better not to stay up late any longer.

Thinking that, Tsugumi turned off the lights in the room and lay down on the sofa. Then he draped the borrowed towel over his belly and slowly closed his eyes. At the same time, he fell into a comfortable slumber.

–Today is another rough day. I’m really tired.

With these thoughts, his consciousness sunk into the darkness. And then, as if a thread snapped, Tsugumi quietly fell asleep.

◆ ◆ ◆

–After Tsugumi stopped moving, a shadow crept into the living room where the lights had gone out.

Yukitaka, wearing a white shirt and black slacks instead of a pajama, entered the living room, holding a small box in one hand.

“You sleep well. Well, it’s only natural, since you inhaled the smoke containing sleeping pills. –I hope you’ll forgive me since it’s the kind of medicine that doesn’t leave a residue on your body.”

Yukitaka looked down at the sleeping Tsugumi and gently reached up to his neck and touched his soft throat, putting in strength.

“I can’t kill you myself. If I were to directly harm a person, the government’s Gods (dogs) would find out about it. I don’t want to play tag with them. I’m sorry, I’m not very good at this.”

Saying that, Yukitaka smiled and let go of his neck, pulling out a small bottle from the small box. The vial was filled with beautiful water that looked like red jade that had been crushed into a liquid.

Yukitaka quietly opened the lid of the vial, brought it to Tsugumi’s mouth, and slowly tilted it.

“Here, drink it. It’s a pure power I’ve accumulated over time. You’ll get used to it.”

Tsugumi’s throat rose and fell as he gulped down the red liquid. After watching him drink up to the last drop, Yukitaka tossed the vial away and sat down.

Yukitaka narrowed his eyes as he stared blankly at Tsugumi’s sleeping face.

–Who would have thought that I would become so devoted to a mere human being. Thinking that, Yukitaka mocked himself.

Basically, the human species hated, persecuted, and tried to keep away from “things that are different from them”. This came from latent fear, and it was also a defensive instinct as a species.

As they grew up, these cowardly instinctive people learned the definition of good and evil created by religious people and came to abhor what they themselves declared to be evil, while believing themselves to be right.

–But this wasn’t the case with Nanase Tsugumi.

Even before he was born into this world, the human being called Nanase Tsugumi had his soul adjusted by Shikabane Sakura, the spirit of Lucifer. He was a vessel to accept the evil Gods. That is to say, the soul had been made not to abhor [evil].

In other words, as long as Tsugumi didn’t suffer direct and terrible damage, he would tolerate evil like Yukitaka. …The person himself probably never knew what a rare miracle it was.

“Me too, Lucifer (that person), in the end, we’re in the same boat. We, who were once called Satanael–God’s messengers, fell into evil like a pre-established harmony. We’re not allowed to live any other way, but it doesn’t mean I don’t have my own feelings about it.”

–Behind the scenes, Yukitaka was called a soulless angel. He always thought the name was odd. Because Yukitaka, an outsider living in human skin, was literally a failure of an angel.

“Belial–I was called the Evil One, and unlike that guy who was called the Bringer of Light, I had to do a lot of dirty work. In the current Satanic lore, I did more than she did. Ah, I guess that’s why people hate me even if I put on human skin.”

Yukitaka muttered and shrugged his shoulders. Even if he put on human skin and pretended to be human, he would still be hated by those who sensed the hint of evil that seeped out of him. Some people with weak hearts or people seduced by his beauty might come to him like fanatics, but they were very few.

In addition, the Creator’s blessing (curse) – to be an enemy of mankind – didn’t change even when he took on human form. From the beginning, Belial had used a lot of power of Demonic Beasts when he came down to this land. With that in mind, it was quite natural for him to behave as an antagonist of mankind.

Acting evil, unrestrained, spiteful, and trampling on people. Well, it was trivial enough not to be noticed by other Gods.

And to begin with, the fallen angel Belial was incapable of acting in the best interest of mankind. Because it was what that inflexible Creator wanted of him.

However, Yukitaka himself didn’t think anything of it. For Yukitaka, human beings were nothing more than toys to kill boredom and pathetic sacrifices to be consumed for his own pleasure.

But because of this, no one in their right mind would ever approach Yukitaka. Because they would see the evil behind him that they should despise.

–But Nanase Tsugumi was different. He was the only one who truly saw ‘Amari Yukitaka’, not Belial as evil. He immediately realized that it was probably a result of Lucifer’s adjustments, but it didn’t matter.

How could he describe the shock of that moment? Agitation, fear, and just a hint of hope and longing swirled through his heart. A new toy–a feeling of exhilaration as if he had a precious treasure in his hand. Nanase Tsugumi was like a new drug for the demon.

The new feelings and thoughts that only Tsugumi could sway from him. It was something new and unattainable for Yukitaka.

The only person who had escaped from the wedge created by God. Yukitaka loved and cherished Tsugumi–that’s why he wanted to kill him.

The first time they met, he knew that Tsugumi didn’t live long. The spell entwined in his soul was deeply rooted, and Yukitaka, in the body of a human being, was unlikely able to deal with it.

The Demonic Beast that imitated the God of the outer law nestled in Tsugumi’s soul and would eventually devour his soul and the soul of the Lucifer that protected it. Yukitaka couldn’t allow that to happen.

Therefore, Yukitaka decided to put an end to this wretched human being with his own hands. …Well, in the end, it was closer to possessiveness than good intentions.

If he was going to lose him anyway, he wanted him to die in the same soul (shape) that he loved. This was the only reason for Yukitaka’s action.

With such childlike motivation, Yukitaka invoked the power of the Demonic Beast within him, interfered with the cracks, and read the information on the appearance of Irregularities. Sometimes, with the help of his collaborator Tsukuyomi, he drove Tsugumi into a corner, but the attacks using the Irregulars failed again and again, and Tsugumi was steadily approaching the end of its days.

–All this because there were people who got in the way.

Frustrated, Yukitaka grabbed Tsugumi by the chest and squeezed it tightly. Cough, Tsugumi exhaled in pain.

“Hey, Lucifer. No, should I call you Sakura now? You’re probably listening anyway. I went to the trouble of sharing my powers with you, so hurry up and answer me.”

When Yukitaka announced this in a cold voice, Tsugumi’s eyelashes swayed. Then his eyelids opened silently. However, the color of his eyes was reddish-black which didn’t resemble Tsugumi’s.

“…Shut up. Don’t just touch what’s mine. It’s annoying.”

Tsugumi-shaped creature announced this in a cute little girl’s voice.

Then, with a look of disgust, she brushed Yukitaka’s hand away and sat up, looking down at him. Fiery reddish-black eyes stared at Yukitaka.

“So? Why did you bother to call me, cat burglar Belial-kun?”

The girl’s voice echoed in the dark room. –The secret encounter between the demons was about to begin.