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Every man is the architect of his own fortune.
FuYuYu 4 cover
English Every man is the architect of his own fortune.
Information
Volume 2
Chapter 4
Release Date Japanese - November 30, 2020
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Everyone lies. And it's the truth. The first step is always the hardest.

Every man is the architect of his own fortune. is the fourth chapter of Fuyou Yuuna is Not a Hero.

Translation[]

I'm standing in a rectangular court. Confirming the positions of the other people around me, I plan out the route to follow. At the end of the route stands a basket, far above my height. What the team wants me to do is not to go on an offensive by passing the ball around, but to score a goal through one good shot.

A teammate passes me the ball. I feel the hard surface of the ball on my fingertips. Dribbling the ball, I advance towards my goal. An opponent immediately appears in the way, trying to halter my advance. I feint, pass the blocker and keep going forward.

A basketball court isn't very large. An uninterrupted run from where I accepted the ball to the goal would only take a few seconds. In that short time span, both the other players on the court and the onlookers outside of it focus their attention on me and the ball without uttering a word. I don't like that time. So, I run as fast as I can in order to make it as short as possible.

Reaching the goal, I use my momentum from running and immediately transition into a layup shot, putting the ball right in the basket.

---

The summer break had ended, and the second school term had already begun.

That day I was helping the basketball club. Our opponents were the basketball club from a different school. It was just a regular friendly match, not even a tournament. But the club president saw the team as rivals and was absolutely averse to the idea of losing. And thus, enlisted me to help them.

Mere moments after I scored, a voice resounded, calling for the match to end.

"Thanks, Yuzuki-chan. We won thanks to you."

After the match ended, the club president ran up to me and gave me a few slaps on the back.

"I think you would've won even without me."

"Nuh-uh, definitely not! Yuzuki-chan, you scored nearly half of our total!"

"That's because I'm the attacker. It's just because everyone passed me the ball when I was in an advantageous position..."

While the two of us were talking, I caught the shape of a small girl on the gymnasium's catwalk from the corner of my eye. Even mixed with the crowd, her figure was immediately recognisable to me.

"Sorry, I'll be going!"

I cut off the club president, ran out of the court and headed towards the girl - towards Lily.

Running up the stairs, I entered the catwalk. With the match over, the spectators and students cheering on were starting to go down. Lily was the only one overlooking the court, her hands placed on the fence.

I hadn't met her in what must've been 3 weeks by that moment.

We hadn't met ever since she told me she'd make a raft, back in August at the Ariake beach. The "Hero Club" activities we've conducted nearly every day since the beginning of the summer break also stopped. I messaged her over and over, but no answer came.

I stood next to her, and Lily turned to face me.

"It's been a while, Yuzuki-kun!"

She greeted me just like she always did, as if nothing had happened between us.

"Yeah, haven't seen you since summer break."

The image of Lily at the time of our last meeting during the summer break flashed in my mind. Lily with her hatred laid bare, without a trace of her usual purity and cheerfulness. If that was the real Lily, then her current cheerful tone and expression must be fake and artificial.

As I lost myself in thought, Lily carried on.

"You were a veritable one-man army on the playing field, Yuzuki-kun! Now I want to see how you play volleyball and tennis, as well..."

"...Who cares about that. Why didn't you respond to my messages? What happened to the Hero Club activities?"

"Oh yeah, I haven't done any since we last met at the Ariake beach. I decided to remake my plans to cross the wall from the scratch, you see. And I haven't answered you because I had absolutely no idea what to tell you, for I could not come up with a plan. I'm up the creek without a paddle. So, I think we have no choice but to stop the club activities until I do come up with something."

"I see..."

I had some qualms about accepting her words, but I also thought that stopping the Hero Club activities for the time being was a good idea. Those activities were why everyone at school considered her a weirdo and why she had a fight with her dad over the summer break.

"So, you're going to live your life normally from now on?"

"...Yeah, I guess", said Lily with indifference.

And so, the Hero Club activities were no more. I returned to my usual lifestyle, the way it was before I met Lily. Helping out several sports clubs and living a normal life. But despite returning to my older lifestyle, I somehow felt like I had too much time on my hands.

Lily and I were in different classes, so we normally didn't have many opportunities to meet. At most, we would occasionally pass each other in the hallway, then exchange greetings. But that was it.

If you think about it, Lily and I had no common topics aside from the Hero Club. Prior to our meeting at the Ryuo shrine that day, we had absolutely nothing to do with each other. Meeting nearly every day in July and August was really what was strange.

Halfway through September, I happened to drop by Lily's class after school by pure chance. When the second term arrived, the president of the volleyball club gave her post to a second year, and we were about to have a discussion about how to treat the helpers (in other words, me), and that new president just so happened to be in Lily's class.

Granted, my talk with the new club president was little more than another attempt to get me to join their club. Not as a helper, but as a proper member. But I declined.

I was far from being the top of the prefecture, and if you looked at Shikoku as a whole, I was at best in the upper middle. Even if I continued playing basketball, volleyball or tennis, neither would become my "power".

"I see. But you'd be such an instant power-up, Yuzuki-san", said the new club president with dejection.

"Sorry."

"No, it's nothing to apologise for, Yuzuki-san. Your decision is the most important thing here."

I looked around the classroom, as I listened to her talk. Lily was nowhere to be seen.

"Is Lily... Fuyou not here?"

"Huh, are you friends with Lily-chan, Yuzuki-san?"

"Yeah... I suppose."

"She's been going straight home since the beginning of the second term. Though nobody really minds, since doesn't interact with the others in the class much."

Lily's usual eccentricity must not have gained her a lot of friends. Explains why nobody would pay her going straight home after school any attention.

"By the way, does Lily-chan do fishing or something?"

"Eh? No, I've never heard of that."

"A while ago she went around asking classmates if anyone had fishers in the family or owned a boat, so..."

A fishing boat.

A ship.

As someone who's heard from Lily about her plans to cross the wall during the summer break, I could immediately imagine how she was planning to use that. She must have not had given up on the plan to cross the wall by sea yet.

Two more weeks had passed, and September was nearing its end.

The heat had already subsided, and I was in the waiting room of a hospital. I sprained a finger during a basketball match, and the school nurse told me to get it checked for safety's sake.

I thought it excessive to make me go to the hospital for something as little as that, though. It didn't even hurt that much, but the nurse said injuries during basketball often resulted in broken or cracked bones.

My examination went well. The X-ray I took showed nothing wrong with my bones, and there wasn't any pain or swelling either. I left the examination room and went to the waiting room to pay for the treatment, and then I spotted a small blonde girl. That is to say, I spotted Lily. What was she doing in a place like that?

"Hey, Lily!"

I called out to her, and Lily turned around, frowning when she recognised me. Her face had "I screwed up" written all over it.

Pretending not to see me, she turned around and tried to leave the hospital. Bold of her to underestimate my speed.

I caught up to her right away and grabbed her arm before the automatic doors.

"M-My, talk about a chance meeting, huh, Yuzuki-kun?"

"Why did you try to run away?"

"No no no, I wasn't running away at all. I just didn't notice you, that's all."

"Our eyes literally met, "I didn't notice you" isn't gonna work here."

"W-Well..."

While Lily was stumbling over her words, the receptionist nurse called my name. It was my turn to pay for the examination.

"Wait here just a minute. I'll go pay up", I told Lily.

"Okay, I'll wait", she nodded obediently.

I headed towards the counter, then immediately turned around. Lily was trying to escape again. I rushed after her and caught her again.

"Do you really think you can escape?"

"S-S-S-Sorry! I'll wait this time, I swear!"

Quickly paying for my examination, I left the hospital with Lily. Heading towards our homes, we began to talk.

"Yuzuki-kun, you're insanely intimidating when angry. I couldn't be this intense even when acting seriously."

"You just felt intimidated because of how much taller I am."

"I see. Ahaha. Well, Yuzuki-kun, see you tomorrow!"

Lily attempted to make herself scarce again.

"I told you to wait up! What were you doing at the hospital?"

"...Just some chronic back pain."

A bald-faced lie.

Lily might've had a lot of acting skill, but her ability to ad-lib on the spot was lacking. Her excuses were embarrassing. Even staring at her only made her clam up in silence. It looked like she had no intention of answering me.

"...Guess you're not through with trying to cross the wall by sea yet. I've heard how you went around asking your classmates if they had a fishing boat or something of the sort."

Lily was visibly disturbed by my words.

"H-How did you find out!?"

"It might not measure up to yours, but I've got an information network of my own, too. Quit it with the unreasonable stuff, will you? Give up on crossing that wall."

"..."

Lily didn't answer.

"We're just kids, there's no way we can pull that off. Not even adults could. Maybe some bigwigs in the Taisha could... But you're just swinging your conspiracy theories around, trying to do the impossible. Try to find a more productive lifestyle than wasting your time like that."

"...Productive?"

"That's right. You're... You're not like me. You have a special power. The skill to be a talent or an actress and your smarts must be top-tier in all of Shikoku. You could make it in showbiz, or study hard and achieve success in some other field. So, you should just... live on the straight and narrow."

I wanted Lily to stop trying to cross the wall. It was impossible, and I was worried she'd try to do the impossible and get in trouble with others because of it. But that wasn't all. I wanted her to lead a proper life.

Lily had the "power". Not the kind of "power" I had, on the level of helping middle school clubs out. She had the real deal. The kind of "power" that would work on the whole country, on the adults even.

But Lily didn't use it, and wasted it on useless things instead.

I was jealous of Lily's "power".

At the same time, I was frustrated by the fact she didn't utilise it.

If I had Lily's "power", I would've lived in a way that made much more use of it. But I had nothing of the sort.

Lily went quiet for a while.

Before I realised it, we were already at the Saita river near our homes. As we went down the riverside road, Lily began to speak.

"...I told you about how Mom passed away, right?"

"Eh? Yeah, you did..."

I was startled by Lily's sudden change of subject for a second.

"She died from a sickness. It happened when I was in elementary. A sickness of the circulatory system, you see. After the onset, it became hard for her to move, let alone leave the house. It was hard for just Dad and me alone to take care of her, so she got hospitalised often. Dad had to work to earn money for our living and for Mom's treatment, so I was the only one who could be by her side."

I silently listened to Lily.

"I entered showbiz to help earn at least some money for Mom's treatment, but when I realised her sickness was incurable, I left it so I could spend more time with her. I went to school as little as I possibly could, too. All so I could spend as much time with her as possible, even though I knew that wouldn't do anything. In the end, she passed away last year."

"..."

"I went to the hospital for my regular check-up today. That disease is congenital, you see. And apparently, I got the genes that make me susceptible to it as well. It won't necessarily happen, of course. And it's not like I'm guaranteed to die even if it happens, like a heroine of some melodrama... But I could still die."

Lily spoke with detachment, looking at the reflections diffused on the river surface.

"She died at 39 years of age. I could die around the same time too. If an average human lifespan is 90 years, then that wouldn't even be halfway through it. So, I decided to cut loose, and do what I can while I'm still alive."

Hearing Lily's words, I became unable to answer.

"I'm making a dugout canoe right now."

"...Dugout canoe?"

I repeated her words, and Lily began speaking in her usual unreasonably self-confident tone without a trace of sarcasm.

"Yeah. I was thinking of making a raft at first, but a canoe would be both sturdier and more certain. There are theories that 30 000 years ago, Japanese came to this land by crossing the sea in canoes. And the distance they covered was over 200km. Then I could definitely cross the Seto Inland Sea!"

As she was talking, Lily looked up "dugout canoe" on her phone and showed me a picture. It was a large tree trunk with its insides carved out into a boat shape so that a person could sit inside.

"I'm still in the process of making one, but once it's finished, I'm going to set sail towards the wall."

In the end, I parted ways with Lily and went home without saying a thing. I was in my room, blanking out.

Lily was definitely an idiot. A smart one, but an idiot nonetheless.

It didn't matter whether it was a raft or a canoe, there was no way for an amateur sailor to cross the sea.

She tried to reach the wall by bridge and by swimming before, but it wouldn't be funny if she genuinely tried to take a boat to it. If she ended up adrift, her life would be in danger.

I had to stop Lily somehow. I had to do something about her crazy actions. But I had nothing to say that could stop Lily's rampage. Her actions were motivated by her mother's death and her own life. Life and death are grave matters, and stopping someone motivated by those was all but impossible.

Lily's mother died from a sickness. She longed to return to her homeland, but couldn't, finishing her life inside the wall. How she must've lamented it.

"...I wonder if Dad died before his time, too?"

Thinking about Lily, I suddenly remembered about my own father, who I rarely ever thought about.

By the time I could remember myself, he had already died. I didn't even remember his face. Just like Lily's mother, he died young.

"Why did he die?" I wondered. Was it a sickness like Lily's mother? Mom did say she'd tell me about his death when I became older.

I left my room and went to Mom's study.

"Mom, do you have a moment?"

I came into the room and saw her sitting at her PC.

"Yeah, what is it? Is it time for dinner already?"

"No, not that... I wanted to ask something."

"...What?"

She looked away from the screen and directed her gaze at me. She must've noticed that my tone was somewhat somber.

"How did Dad die?"

Mom went quiet for a while, as if thinking about something.

"Right, I hadn't told you yet. Just couldn't find the right opportunity. I guess you are already in middle school, Yuuna. It's about time... Say, Yuuna. Do you have allies?"

"...Allies?"

What did she mean by that?

"Not in some complicated sense. People who would come to your aid no matter what happens. People who would cheer you up when you're feeling down. People who would be by your side when you're in pain. People who would stop you when you're about to make a mistake... Obviously, I'll always be your ally, Yuuna. But do you have anyone except me?"

I thought about her words. And who came to my mind was Lily.

"Whether you have power or not, whatever your name might be and whoever you might be, Yuzuki-kun, I'll always be on your side."

She said that to me before.

"...I do."

Hearing my words, Mom nodded.

"Okay, then I'll tell you. You see, your father committed suicide."

Soo-ee-side?

For a moment, the meaning of her words evaded me.

But then it hit me. Suicide.

"Remember how I told you about sky fear - about uranophobia, right? You see, Yuuna, your father had that. He was a refugee from outside Shikoku. He was one of the people who were attacked by the Stardust and somehow managed to escape here, behind the walls... He was still a child back then, so the terror of the Stardust attack left especially strong scars. It turned into uranophobia... But you know, it almost completely subsided."

Mom told me everything up until Dad's death.

The Stardust attacked when he was still in elementary, and he came to Shikoku as a refugee. At the time, sky fear - uranophobia set in, and he became unable to go outside, terrified of the sky.

When the calendar changed to the Divine Era and Vertexes and Stardust stopped attacking Shikoku, Uesato Hinata-sama of the Taisha gave an order to focus efforts on treatment of people suffering from uranophobia. Most of the afflicted were cured, and Dad's symptoms had also gotten better. By the time he became an adult, he was able to go outside without it causing him any obstacles in his life. In fact, once he married Mom and they began to live together, he didn't even think of himself as someone suffering from uranophobia.

But ever so rarely, he would get flashbacks to the moment of the Vertex attack and have a panic attack. That made him unable to stay at one workplace for a long time. Employing someone who could have a panic attack at any moment was a risk for a company, and prejudice against those with uranophobia ran deep.

Even though doctors said that uranophobia was a mental illness, rumours that it was contagious still circulated around, causing hatred. Slander against the afflicted and refugees from outside the wall was common as well.

"When I was living with your father, I got my own share of badmouthing as well. Asking what I was going to do if my husband infected someone with uranophobia and whatnot. Before we moved here, we got denied from plenty of apartment complexes, you know."

Mom faintly laughed. Her anger and powerlessness from that time must've surfaced on her face in that form.

The need to change jobs one after another, disdain and attacks from surrounding people took a heavy toll on Dad's mental state.

"And then, shortly after you were born, he decided to end his life."

"Why... Haven't you told me earlier?"

"He wrote it in his suicide note, you see. He asked not to tell you about him. That he came from outside Shikoku, that he had uranophobia. He thought that'd save the two of us from getting cold stares. I think... he wanted to protect us. He thought that he could save us from discrimination and slander by disappearing... And chose such a stupid way. But if someone were to hurt you, you have someone who'd be on your side now, right? So, I thought it was fine to tell you this now."

Mom had a faint, bitter smile on her face.

It had been thirty odd years since the war against the Vertexes and the Stardust ended. I knew nothing of the world before the war, or anything about the war itself. But what happened back then had a clear effect on my life.

Thirty years.

Nearly two times longer than the time I'd lived since my birth.

For me it was an enormous amount of time. But if you looked at it from the perspective of human history, it would probably be laughably short.

I was still bound by the war from the previous era. And it wasn't just me. So was Lily.

Near the end of September, on a Saturday, I got a message from Lily saying "I finished the canoe! I'm setting sail tomorrow at night!"

I couldn't come up with a way to stop her, after all.

The next day, on a Sunday evening... Lily and I met up at the Takuma Station on the Yosan Line. It was at Mitoyo, a town neighbouring Kanonji. We took a community bus from there to the Shonai Peninsula. On the way there we changed our bus once, and reached a place called the Niro Beach. Mitoyo was right next to Kanonji so it wasn't very far away, but it was my first time coming to the Shonai Peninsula.

"Why here?"

Lily answered my question with her usual cheerfulness.

"I thought that since the Shonai Peninsula juts out into the Seto Inland Sea, it could take me a little bit closer to the wall! That, and I wanted a place with no other people to make my ship. A place close to the wall and with no human presence... I looked for a place that would fulfill these criteria!"

A triumphant answer. Did she even realise how reckless of a thing she was planning to do?

"This place is a part of the hiking course called the "Cross-cape path". If we follow it, we'll reach the Sanuki Misaki Lighthouse, the furthest point of the peninsula. Our goal is a place called Sekinoura on the way there."

"Got it. But I'm still against what you're planning to do. If you force my hand..."

"You're going to stop me by force? But then I'll just do it when you're not around."

Lily's tone was forceful.

The only reason Lily told me she was setting sail was out of obligation. If I got in her way, she would just do it without my knowledge. As long as Lily didn't change her mind, there was nothing I could do to stop her.

Lily turned her back to me and went down the road. I followed suit.

We walked that mountain path for 20, maybe 30 minutes. On our way we saw a sign saying "Sekinoura - 0.2 km". We followed the direction it indicated.

The path there must not have been a part of the hiking course. The ground was considerably rougher and uneven than the paths we'd walked before.

At the end of the road we found a small sandy beach. It wasn't quite the kind of beach that would attract someone who wanted to go for a swim, so the two of us were the only people there.

By the time we arrived at the beach, the sun had begun to set. It was the end of September already, so sunsets were beginning to come early. It wouldn't take long for it to become completely dark.

But Lily was looking forward to that darkness.

"Even if there are patrol boats out at sea, finding a tiny boat at night would be akin to finding a needle in a haystack! And that's exactly what gives this plan such a high chance of reaching the wall! Well then, let's get the all-important boat out!"

There were a bunch of branches and wood on the beach that looked like they drifted in. Hidden in their midst was one tree trunk noticeably larger than the rest. A rock and a plank were underneath it.

"Rrrrragh!"

Lily stepped on a plank with all her weight, using it as a lever to turn over the trunk. The trunk was hollowed out, like a proper canoe. A chainsaw lay in the cavity.

"Phew... How do you like it? Hide a tree in the forest, was it? If you can't see that it's hollowed out, then it looks like any regular old tree trunk, and all the driftwood around it helps it not stand out!"

"Where did you even get that tree trunk...?"

I glanced around the area and couldn't find any trees large enough.

Lily took the chainsaw from inside the boat.

"It was tough. I went around the mountain forests in this area, found the biggest tree here and cut it down with this chainsaw. Then brought it to the beach and began to carve it out little by little... I've been working here every day since the summer break, but it still took me over a month and a half."

...Didn't she do something criminal?

Still, what an enormous amount of work. She brought a chainsaw to cut down a tree and then hollowed it out. She must've really wanted to get to the wall.

"Eeeeei!"

Lily used all the strength in her tiny body, pushing the boat into the shallows.

The water picked the boat up, and Lily sat down in it, oar in hand (it looked pristine, so she must've bought it somewhere).

"I'll set sail on my own. Wanting to cross the wall is my own selfish idea. There's no need for you to tag along with my idiocy, Yuzuki-kun."

Having said that, Lily began rowing towards the sea. Should I have had stopped Lily's insane actions? What she was about to do was essentially suicide.

Slowly but certainly, Lily had begun to move further away from the coast.

I knew it was pointless to try and stop her, but if I didn't do it right then, she would inevitably end up adrift.

"...Lily! You should stop after a-"

Then Lily's boat turned over and capsized.

"Waaah! I'm drowning! Save meeee!"

Having been thrown into the sea, Lily was shouting and splashing water all over the place. There wasn't even any need for me to stop her.

"Calm down! I'll come help you now!"

I hurriedly jumped into the sea, grabbed Lily and pulled her back to the beach.

"Cough, cough... Urgh..."

Soaked to the bone, Lily was lying on the beach and having a violent coughing fit.

"I have a feeling I've seen this before..."

Oh right, it was when she nearly drowned when trying to swim at Ichinomiya.

She really was an idiot.

I looked at the sea and saw the waves carry the now-capsized boat towards the shore.

When I looked at the boat, a thought flashed through my mind.

"...Oh."

There was a way to stop Lily without verbally convincing her.

I took the chainsaw that was left there on the beach. I toggled the switch and the teeth began to spin with fierce intensity. There still was some battery remaining.

"Eh... Y-Yuzuki-kun? What are you planning to do?"

With the chainsaw still on, I approached the canoe. Then I swung the spinning teeth down at it.

An unpleasant whirring resounded through the surroundings.

Putting force into my arms, I tried to sever the boat. Eventually I succeeded, and with the boat neatly cut in half I turned the chainsaw off.

"..."

Lily stared with astonishment at the miserable state of her self-made boat. Then she fell on her knees, as if cut down.

With the boat out of commission, she couldn't recklessly set sail. And making a new one would take her another month and a half.

"Uuu... Hic, sob... Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

Lily began to loudly cry.

The fruit of her labour over a month and a half was broken in a blink of an eye. Of course she'd want to cry. But that was the best way to stop Lily's recklessness.

Lily wiped her tears with her wet sleeves.

"...You didn't have to break the boat."

"You'd try to do it again if I didn't. What would happen if you set out and capsized like that without me around?"

"..."

Lily sat down, hugging her knees, and meekly began to talk.

"...I wouldn't try it if... you weren't around, Yuzuki-kun. I was sure you'd save me, so... I can let myself be reckless because you're here to act as my insurance. If you weren't around... I'm afraid of heights, so I couldn't cross the Kurushima-Kaikyo bridge. I can't swim, so I couldn't go into the sea. And I'd be too scared to set sail alone, as well..."

"...Huh?"

"I'm a coward, you know... When Mom died and I started going to school... I made this Hero Club group, but I didn't do a single thing until you joined..."

It then hit me that when she first requested my help, she said "Hero Club's first assignment".

"And when we first met at Mt. Dake... You helped me, so... Because you were there, Yuzuki-kun, I felt safe... felt like I could even do things I was afraid of..."

Lily was speaking quietly, like a child getting scolded by an adult.

...So what was that about?

Was Lily repeatedly doing stupid things because I was there, helping her out? Was I one of the reasons behind her crazy actions?

"...I've always been like this. A coward who can't do anything by herself. What was that about me having "power"? I don't have anything like that! I don't have any power! Not even back when Mom was still alive! I can't do anything..."

"Is it about her illness? You're not a doctor, there's nothing you could've done."

"Wrong!"

Lily's sharp voice reverberated through the tiny, dusk-lit beach.

"It's not about her illness. For as long as I remember myself... No, even before I was born, Mom was always suffering. It's all because of that damn wall."

"What do you mean?"

"She was a refugee from outside the wall. Before I was born... When that wall just appeared, people from outside Shikoku weren't exactly welcomed here."

Refugees weren't welcomed - Mom said the same thing.

"At the time, they thought social resources in the world surrounded by the wall were limited, and the locals hated the thought of their own lives changing because of the refugees. To add to that, a lot of them had an unknown illness called uranophobia. Because of that... People who came from outside were hated. Some people were vocal in their hatred, but a lot of them carried it inside without outright saying it."

Lily was looking at the sea. The horizon was starting to get dyed in the dark purple of the night.

"And amidst all that, Mom became sick... And when they learned about that, some people began to say stuff like "It's the Vertex curse", "She brought in poisonous Vertex bacteria from outside the wall", and so on."

I was lost for words.

"Not everyone was like that, but a lot of people were spouting superstitious nonsense of that sort. Her illness was incurable, but it was something that was seen before, and the doctors clearly determined the cause too. It wasn't some unscientific nonsense like a curse! It wasn't caused by bacteria or a virus either! But all of them would rather believe rumours and trashtalk Mom than listen to rational, scientific explanations! It must've been because she was a refugee. They got their kicks out of abusing her. And I've been watching Mom be like that since elementary, from up close..."

Lily had no strength remaining in her voice, but still carried on.

"Mom was from outside the wall, and had no relatives here either. And then the illness on top of all that made her feel even worse about herself, so she kept moving from one place to another. We didn't stay in one place for long until her illness got so bad she pretty much couldn't leave the hospital."

I kept listening to Lily without saying a word.

"But I... couldn't do anything, even though I was right there when Mom was being pelted with insults. I couldn't even hit the adults that kept spouting their ridiculous slander.

I couldn't even talk back to them. I was scared. They were so much bigger and older than me. How could an elementary schooler put up any resistance!? Even when I began to make money in showbiz, it didn't help in curing Mom's illness. I intensely studied to learn things, but still couldn't change the adults' prejudiced views. Mom kept getting hurt, and I couldn't do a thing about it. I don't have any power!"

Lily glared at the sea.

"I hate that wall. I hate the Vertexes and the Stardust. I hate people who hurt others without thinking! I hate myself and my powerlessness... The people who hurt Mom did it without learning anything about her illness or the Vertexes, content with their irresponsible assumptions. I'll deny them even if it costs me my life. I'll deny the superstitions called Vertexes and Stardust too. I'll deny everyone who believes in superstitions!"

Lily has said before that she only believed that what she had seen herself. In our age, nobody has seen Vertexes, Stardust or Heroes in action. The war against the Vertexes was merely something the adults said "had happened".

How was that any different from a superstition?

I couldn't prove the existence of the Vertexes or the power of the Heroes through scientific means. There was no photographic or video depiction of the war either. Yet I believed it happened, just because those around me said it did.

How was I any different from a superstitious savage?

The sun had set completely and everything was covered in darkness. The sea in front of me was jet black, like a lake of tar.

Vertexes. Heroes. Wall. Uranophobia. The Divine Era. All of those events that occurred thirty years in the past continued to affect our lives. They had a remarkably lifelike presence. But neither Vertexes nor Heroes actually appeared in our lives.

They had presence, but were not actually present.

The age we lived in... was awfully half-hearted.

I continued to deny Lily's words as a conspiracy theory. But both denying and affirming the existence of Vertexes was superstitious, for I had not confirmed anything.

The important thing was to confirm.

Affirmation or denial - both required one to first think, confirm and seek out the truth.

"Yeah, Lily, I get it."

I took Lily's hands and pulled her up.

I looked in Lily's eyes, wet from all the tears, and thought to myself.

It was time to throw away our superstitions. It was time to find the truth. We had to. Lily couldn't stop anymore. And neither could I. I couldn't accept that state of events any longer.

"I'll show you the world outside the wall."

Diary Entry[]

Xth of August

Truth itself isn't that important.

Ascertaining it is.

The process of thinking and working towards confirming it.

That very idea is what denies those who hurt Mom.

Summary[]

After summer break, Yuzuki encounters Lily again after helping the basketball club win a match. When asked why she never contacted Yuzuki after the incident at the beach, she acts cheerful as usual and says that the Hero Club is put on hold until she has come up with a new plan. Some time later, Yuzuki happens to learn from Lily's classmate that she has been going around asking people for boats, and realizes that she hasn't given up on crossing the sea after all. Yuzuki hates the way Lily devotes herself to crossing the wall, envious that she has the "power" she lacks but wastes it on such pointless endeavors.

When Yuzuki gets herself checked up at a hospital after a minor sports injury, she happens to spot Lily and makes her to spill the beans about her condition: she's at risk of developing the same sickness that her mother died from, and although it wouldn't necessarily be a death sentence, there is some chance it might. Therefore Lily wants to follow her desires while she can. She also discloses her new plan: To build a dugout rather than a raft.

Back at home, Lily's talk about her mother's sickness leads Yuzuki to ask her own mother about her father's death. She reveals that he came to Shikoku as a refugee with uranophobia, but managed to overcome his sickness and live a mostly normal life again. However, he was still haunted by panic attacks and suffered greatly from discrimination due to rumors that uranophobia is contagious. Her father eventually committed suicide, perhaps to protect Yuzuki and her mother from becoming pariahs.

Later, near the end of September, Lily informs her friend that the dugout is done and the plan can be set into motion. They travel to a remote beach where she has been secretly working on the boat all this time, and Lily sets sail towards the wall - but immediately capsizes and is rescued by Yuzuki. Without hesitation, Yuzuki picks up the chainsaw from Lily's boat building tools and cuts the dugout in two, so that she would never attempt such a dangerous thing again.

Lily cries for a while about having her work destroyed, but admits that she is only so reckless because she knows Yuzuki is there to save her - before she recruited her for the Hero Club, Lily was too cowardly to do anything. Lily tells her that her mother suffered discrimination much like Yuzuki's father, with people attacking her claiming her sickness is a curse of the Vertex. As before, Lily expresses her conviction to deny these people and their superstitious beliefs, and to only believe that which she has verified with her own eyes, including the existence of the Vertex.

Yuzuki begins to wonder if her own belief in the Vertex isn't just as blind as the adults' misguided hated towards their parents. After all, she herself has never verified if anything she was taught is actually true.

In the end, she vows to get rid of all her preconceptions, to verify the truth with her own eyes, and to fulfill Lily's wish of seeing the outside world.

Lily's diary reaffirms what she said before: what matters isn't the truth, but verifying that truth through your own efforts. That is the only way to defy the people who hurt her mother.

Gallery[]

Trivia[]

  • The book Lily is reading in the cover is translated by Yuzuki's mother, Yuzuki Asa (柚木 亜紗).

4 - czXtOoo

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Yuuki Yuuna is a Hero
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Bonus Stories Silver-Colored MemoriesSonoko in Reminiscence
Nogi Wakaba is a Hero Light Novel RootsFlower BudBloomingShade LeafTwin LeafRoot of EvilNew BudPetals of LightFlowers of LightLingering SnowShiratori Utano is a HeroSeedsField DayFalling PetalsThorny PathBlighted LeavesOff-Season FlowerFuneral FlowersUproot (Part 1)Uproot (Part 2)The Passed Baton
Manga InvasionOmenFirst BattleTransitionTwo GirlsOverconfidenceRecoveryBuddingFlowers of WarExplorationPassed On FeelingsFleeting DaysSistersLossWarped MindMad ThoughtsMourningDeterminationFierce BattleThe End
Heroes' Room Chapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 4Chapter 5Chapter 6Chapter 7Chapter 8Chapter 9Chapter 10Chapter 11Chapter 12Chapter 13Chapter 14Chapter 15Chapter 16Bonus Chapter
The Rookie Heroes' Menu A Great Way to Start the Day! Miso Soup With Sardine Balls and Spring CabbageBlow the Exhaustion Away! Shio Kouji Nabe With Olive Pork and Spring CabbageRefreshingly Sour! Setouchi's Honey LemonThe Taste of Marugame! Addictive HonetsukidoriFor Friends at the Same Table! Pickles à la CarteHero Fairy TalesA Breather to Calm Down! Olive Oil Cookies and Black Tea With Mikan JamGorgeous! Premium Olive Beef CurryFull of Flavor! Melty Smooth PuddingBrimming With Personality! Original Fruit PizzaA Harbinger of Spring! Nabana and King Oyster Mushroom SukiyakiThe Traditional Taste of Kagawa! Octopus Rice
Kusunoki Mebuki is a Hero
Light Novel As If a Dead Flower Could BloomTo Cut One's Belly With a BranchA Strong Wind Knows a Sturdy WeedEven a Starving Hawk Will Not Eat GrassClouded Moon, Flowers in the WindA Lotus Blossoming Through DirtWillows are Green, Flowers are RedFallen Petals Won't Return to the Branch, a Broken Mirror Won't Shine Again
4-koma Chapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 4Chapter 5Chapter 6
Yuusha de Aru / Bouquet of Brilliance
Light Novel Tomorrow Continues Into the Future5th Anniversary Short StoryFalse Record and Brilliant Smiles
4-koma Hero Grand PrixLet's learn about the world of YuYuYuiYuusha-bu BiyoriYuusha-bu Biyori Party♪
Hero History Apocrypha
Uesato Hinata is a Miko The MikosKoori Chikage and Hanamoto YoshikaThose Left BehindReunionWishing for Your Return
Fuyou Yuuna is Not a Hero There is no time like the present.All is fish that comes to the net.Everyone lies. And it's the truth.Every man is the architect of his own fortune.The first step is always the hardest.
Karasuma Kumiko is Not a Miko O cherry blossoms Although you yet live, always Be ready for deathOne cherry blossom Why, she seems to turn her back On the coming springWere it only that Cherry blossoms would vanish From this world of ours How tranquil would the heart be When spring arrivesIt is through falling That the cherry blossom gains Its magnificence. For nothing lasts forever In this world, so transient.There are so many Things you bring back to my mind, O cherry blossoms!
Bonus All's Right With the World
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