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volume 2
pp.157-192
By Mizuki Hakase
Wings Comics
publisher: Shinshokan
ISBN 4-403-61565-1
505 yen
p.157
(broadcast on TV)
On the 20th at 8:21 pm, there was an earthquake.
At first, no one knew.
p.158
title: Chapter 10, Ticket to Paradise
p.159
(blue skies, typical quiet afternoon)
p.160
(Ororon is hunched over, keeping watch over Chiaki who is unconscious under a futon. Silence.)
(Scene changes to an office building)
Othello: .....That's right.
p.161
Othello: When she cried no, after that, at first no one understood what had happened. The Big Elder was the first to realize it was dangerous and transport everyone out of there. If he hadn't been there, everyone would probably have croaked right there.
Oscar: Amazing. That much power, and not even using magic. Not the Big Elder, but that girl.....
p.162
Othello: Can you believe it? A city blown to bits in a moment. That takes tremendous energy. Honestly....Compared to that, the power of devils and angels is nothing.
Oscar: Those up above have started to move, Othello.
(Othello looks up from his coffee)
Oscar: This disturbance will probably put a lot of pressure on this country's leaders, right?
Othello: Yes. Tachibana used his influence directly after it happened. That's why to the humans, this whole thing has been called "an earthquake". It's been reported on TV as such. Did you see it?
p.163
Oscar: But it looks as if our intervening in this disturbance has been found out. They want an interview.
Yotsuba: The angels? A revival of international relations after a 100 years? I'm impressed.
Othello: It was inevitable. After all, it's the rebirth of the savior after how many years. ....Right?
Yotsuba: But when you say interview, that means "that", right? In other words, those up above are telling us to return the savior, aren't they? So even if we do an interview, that won't accomplish anything, will it?
Othello: Why?
Yotsuba: Because the savior escaped and isn't here. Right? Tachibana!
p.164
(Othello and Yotsuba laugh loudly while Tachibana huddles in a corner)
Oscar: Es...caped?
Tachibana: (covering his face with his hands while Yotsuba nudges him with his boot) No, after that, she was asleep the whole time, so actually, the truth is, "the king took the savior and escaped."
Oscar: Ororon did?
Tachibana: Yes........
Othello: But then again, Tachibana, it's not as if you're the only one to blame..... This kind of failure happens a lot, doesn't it? This kind of failure!
(Othello and Yotsuba collapse into fits of laughter)
p.165
(on a fairly crowded street)
Ororon: What are you laughing at?
Shiro: (chuckling) Huh? It's just funny seeing you carry those grocery bags. They don't fit you at all.
Ororon: Is that so?
(Ororon is wearing a black coat with long fur/feathers? all over it, and black pants, boots and black sunglasses)
p.166
Shiro: Yeah, it's strange, you being a king and all.
Man: (suddenly appearing behind Ororon) We've been looking for you. You are his majesty, King of the Underworld, I presume?
Ororon: No, I'm not. (starts walking away) Let's go, Shiro.
Shiro: OK.
Man: Wait!
(Miss Lucy subtlely sinks a knife into the man's stomach)
p.167
Miss Lucy: ...Oh my. How could I do such a mean thing. (withdrawing knife) But rest assured, it's probably not life threatening. Now then, excuse me.
Man: (caught up in crowd)
Wait.....
(Ororon and company arrive at their temporary lodgings--a small second floor apartment)
p.168
Rika: (in the kitchen) Ah, you're back. That was fast...... What's wrong?
Ororon: (picking up Chiaki) They've found us. We're moving.
Rika: What!? But supper's just about ready!!
Shiro: How can you say that? Let's go.
p. 169
Ororon: Hurry.
Rika: Where are we going next?
Shiro: Overseas?
Rika: In that case, I vote Paris!
Ororon: (biting his wrist) We can't. With this magic circle, and with this many people, we can't jump very far.
p. 170
(blood drips from Ororon's wrist)
Rika: Ew, that always looks so painful.
(the blood swirls and becomes a magic circle on the floor)
Ororon: (lighting a cigarette) And how long do you people intend to keep hanging around anyway?
Shiro: But we [him and Kuro] have no other place to go.
Rika: And I'm worried about Chiaki.
Ororon: That's great that you're worried about Chiaki, but....you're human, Rika. You haven't gone home in a while, aren't your parents worried about you? It's already been a week since that happened.
p. 171
Shiro: No, but before that, she'd already been here for ten days, so it's been almost half a month now that she hasn't gone home.
Rika: ....................................(tossing hair) I hate my parents.
(everyone stares in silence. Rika sighs deeply)
Ororon: (putting on his sunglasses) I see. Well, shall we go then?
Rika: Let's go.
Shiro and Kuro: Okay!
p. 172
Ororon: In a split second, the house to come home to was gone. Gone before we knew it. We lived in that house for three and a half months. Chiaki, who smelled of the sun. In that house of yours.
p. 173
Rika: So...... Moving is good, but where is this? Ugh, I always feel sick after using those magic circles.
Shiro: It's a park.
Rika: I can tell that by looking, idiot.
Shiro: What!?
Miss Lucy: (reading the park sign) S town in S city of S prefecture.......
Rika: Huh?!
Miss Lucy: Is what it said on the sign.
Rika: S prefecture??
Miss Lucy: It doesn't matter where we are. Anyway, I'll look for a place for us to spend the night. Let's go, Shiro!
Shiro: Eh? Why do I have to?
Rika: Well, then I'll go buy some food. Anything in particular you want to eat?
Ororon: Ah, I'll pass.
Rika: What are you saying? You're the one who needs to eat the most! (shaking him by the shoulders) Look at this thin body!
p. 174
Rika: I'm going to buy your share too, and you'd better eat it. Understand?
(Ororon nods silently)
Rika: Alright then. I'm going, watch over Chiaki and Kuro.
(sitting by the jungle gym, Kuro and Ororon wave goodbye. As soon as she's out of sight, Ororon's hand drops to the ground with a thud, his other hand covers his face)
p. 175
(Kuro looks at him silently for a moment)
Kuro: What's wrong? Are you tired? Or does your wound hurt?
Ororon: (moving his hand, but with his eyes still closed) Hm.....? Nothing's wrong. Don't worry about it.
Kuro: (You say nothing's wrong, but your face is white as a sheet) Can I ask you something?
Ororon: .....What?
(Ororon takes off his coat with the feathers (fur?) and places it over Chiaki who is lying unconscious next to him)
Kuro: About what happened that day........
p. 176
(Ororon is silent)
Kuro: My brother said it was too much trouble to explain. And Rika said it's not something you talk about to a kid so she won't tell me either.
(Ororon closes his eyes briefly)
Ororon: Just as you saw it, the place was thrashed. That's all, kid. You're lucky to be alive.
Kuro: Yeah..... At the time, first there was a sudden bright light outside. And then Lucy lady took me and Gomi down into the place under the floor where the vegetables and all were kept. Then, after that there was a huge noise, and then it got quiet.
p. 177
Kuro: It took Lucy lady a couple of hours with her monster strength to move all the rubble, and when we got out, Shiro, Rika, and you holding Chiaki were there.
Ororon: And then I was caught by Tachibana and then escaped after being kept under watch in that Tokyo hotel. And now it's finished and we all live happily ever after.
Kuro: Ah! Don't just close the subject like that! What I want to hear about is what happened before that.
Ororon: .....Whatever..... You're too noisy.
Kuro: Alright, just one more question.
Ororon: Only one more? It better be just one more.
Kuro: Yeah. Rika and Shiro talked about it, that Chiaki was the one who smashed the town to bits. So does that mean Chiaki is actually a god?
p. 178
(Ororon says nothing, a blank, slightly sad? contemplative? look on his face)
Kuro: Ah......I'm sorry.
Ororon: ? Why are you apologizing all of a sudden?
Kuro: ? Um? I don't know.
Ororon: What a strange kid.
Kuro: (Because............)
p. 179
Kuro: (Because all of a sudden you looked like a kid who'd just been hit.)
Angel: No!!
(Ororon and Kuro look over. Three angels are being attacked by some monsters)
Angel: Help me! Help me!
Monster (Son A): (spotting Ororon) Huh? Who are you?
Monster (Father): Idiot!
Son A: What, Dad?
Father: Can't you see he's a devil? He's nobility!
Son A: Nobility?
p.180
Son B: (an angel is biting his arm) Ow! Lousy girl!
Ororon: Your dinner? That's some good food you're eating there.
Father: (smiling amiably) Ah, young master! These angels were out hunting monsters. But instead they were caught by us just as you see. We'll suck them to the bone!
(One son rips off a piece of flesh from one of the angels)
Angel: Nooooooooo!
Ororon: (looking on dispassionately) The Pitty Pat clan....... You're the clan who lives in this area and can eat nothing but angel meat if I remember right.
Father: (nodding and rubbing his hands) Yes, yes. We're honored you remember such a small clan as us. That's quite right. We can only eat angel meat. Anything else would poison and kill us. This devil..........
p.181
Father: It seems he's suppressing it, but his aura is amazing. He's not to be trifled with. But there's not many angels in the underworld, so by coming here, we're able to get food and carry on. We'll dry out this angel's meat and take it home with us. This way our family won't starve.
Angel: No.....Help me..........Mama!
Ororon: (still watching without emotion) ........Beings with intelligence...
Angel: (crying and screaming) ........Mama..........!
Ororon: ...killing and eating other intelligent beings. For the sake of the great cause called living. (putting his hand on Chiaki's head) .......If you were awake, if you were here, what would you do?
p.182
(Ororon picks up Chiaki and holds her close)
Ororon: ..........No
(He stands up)
Kuro: Where are we going?
Ororon: Someplace else and then waiting for Rika. If she comes back to this place, she'll faint. Even without asking, I know. You would try to make the Pitty Pat clan stop eating angels. And when they say, "We can only eat angel meat, anything else will kill us."...
p.183
Ororon: ...I'm sure you would cry and despair of your powerlessness and inability to do anything. I'd probably say, "It can't be helped." But you would say, "I don't understand." You, who turned your own home, your town, and its people into rubble and corpses in one instant. The you who has killed people too......
p.184
Ororon: Is the reason you don't awake because you don't want to face that truth? Chiaki. Tell me what's the point of thinking so hard about...
p.185
Ororon: ...whether people die or don't die, and whether that's bad or not. It's not as if I kill because I like it. Saying it can't be helped is practical. It won't help anything to keep worrying and distressing about it. There's nothing to consider. Thinking hard about something that has no answer only makes you stop in your tracks. And if people like us who are being chased stop.......Do you understand? Most likely we get killed by someone and die.
p.186
Ororon: If you don't want to die...
(Ororon flashes back to something Chiaki said)
Chiaki: (kneeling on the ground, crying softly. Ororon stands before her) .....I understand what you're saying, Ororon. But.......
Ororon: (in the present) .....Stop. I don't want to hear it.
Chiaki: (in flashback) But I don't want to see people getting killed off so easily anymore.
Ororon: (in the present) I don't want to hear it. It can't change anything now. Even if it's crawling, for now, we just have to keep going.
Chiaki: (in flashback) And because I really like Ororon, I don't want you doing that.
p.187
Ororon: (in the present) Don't confuse me. I won't be able to figure out what I should do next. I'll stop thinking.
(One of the sons watches Ororon and Kuro silently as they walk towards the park entrance. He turns to his father)
Son: Hey Dad.
Father: Huh? What, stupid son?
Son: (pointing at Ororon) The angel that devil is holding, what kind of angel is that? I'd like a taste of that.
Father: (chewing on a bloody piece of meat) Give it up. Can't you tell that it's his?
Son: (hefting his ax) Then I'll kill him and steal it.
Father: (calling after him) Idiot! You're no match for him! Come back here!
Ororon: .......Without thinking
p.188
Ororon: Those who stand against me...
Son: (while chewing a piece of meat) What are you talking about, Dad? There's no way Big Brother can lose to that weak-looking guy.
Nephew: (laughing) Yeah, Uncle!
Ororon: ...I'll smile as I kill. I don't care.
(Ororon and Kuro, unaware of the son coming towards them, still head quietly towards the park exit)
Ororon: It doesn't bother me at all. Instead, I laugh at them. That's how I've always lived.
Father: (running after the son) Stupid......! STOP!!
(The son raises his ax)
Ororon: I'll laugh at those coming after me...
(Kuro senses something behind them and looks back)
p.189
Ororon: ...and at myself.
(The son is standing directly behind Ororon, towering over him, with his ax poised high over his head. There is a hungry grin on his face. A close up of Ororon's face shows no change, there is a hint of anger? determination?)
p.190
Ororon: Laugh as if I have no heart.
(A split second later, the son is blown into bits of flesh and a shower of blood. Without even turning around once, Ororon continues walking)
p.191
Father: (screaming) SON!!!!
Ororon: .......I really don't want you getting any strange hopes up for me.
(The Pitty Pat monsters stare in shock)
Ororon: It doesn't matter if you take the hand of an angel and run away. You won't find your way into Paradise, Ororon Jame.
(The father holds a shred of the dead son, sobbing)
Ororon: (with downcast eyes) Because from the very start, you never had a ticket to Paradise.
p.192
Ororon: Never.
Akuma no Ororon
(C)1999 Mizuki Hakase. All rights reserved.
Translated by Dawn Kolk
Please ask my permission before using this translation for any purpose.
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