This is the translation for the prologue of this Light Novel, which can be bought here.

Note: I don’t own this Light Novel, but the translation is my own and helped by my friend.

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When I first laid eyes upon that child, I thought, ‘What a sorrowful child’…

Cloudy eyes, downcast look, to sum it up she lacked what one would call ‘a child-like brightness’.

Soft eyebrows, silky black hair, a lovely mouth shape, everything about her seemed sorrowful. If someone were told that this child was the product of sadness being given a concrete form, they might have believed it.

Next to her was a beautiful woman with golden hair. She was holding the child’s hand, the smile on her face more brilliant than any other.

Although it was a combination of a beautiful woman and cute girl – joy and sorrow side by side – there was still an unsettling feeling about them.

Although I did not want to have anything to do with her if possible, the woman called out to me in a friendly tone.

“Hello, it’s been a while.”

“You look like you’ve had the displeasure of laying eyes upon something foul. Honest as usual, I see.”

The blonde woman chuckled as she said that. It seemed like she was in a very good mood that day… though we were not in such a close relationship for me to read her emotion clearly. Nay, no matter how close our relationship was, it would still be impossible for a human to truly understand her true intentions, her way of thinking.

Because the blonde woman in front of me was not human.

Yakumo Yukari is the name of this youkai. She was the person who appointed me as the shrine maiden of this shrine, as well as the person who ordered me to fulfill my duties.

“Because of that, I feel comfortable with leaving this child to you.”

Yukari stared into my eyes. Her mere gaze felt like she saw everything, including my innermost thoughts. It was unbearable.

“Starting from today, you will be raising this child.”

Yukari let go of the child’s hand and took a step back. When her hand was let go, the child turned behind in a panic. Yukari did not grasp her hand once more, but instead placed her hand on the child’s head.

“Are you not going to bring me to a happy place?”

The child asked in a flat voice. Yukari shook her head intensely.

“This is the happy place I told you about. But just because you’re in a happy place, does not mean that anyone will become happy simply by being here. Not if there’s no one around to give you happiness. The woman in front of you will be someone who will give you happiness. Aside from her, there are many other people in this place that will be able to give you happiness.”

“Really? Then, I will be able to experience happiness here?”

“Indeed, you will. That’s why you can rest assured, for you will be living in this village from now on.”

“What about you, onee-san?” The child looked up at Yukari with pleading eyes and asked bluntly. “Are you not going to give me happiness?”

“Of course, I can certainly give you happiness. However, I am slightly different from other people.”

As a human, I could not possibly hope to understand Yukari’s feelings. However, to me it appeared that Yukari’s eyes seemed to hold a passionate yearning for a loved one as she gazed at the child.

“Once you have grown up and experienced many things, at that time I will surely appear before you once more.”

Gently kissing the child’s forehead, Yukari held her face close to hers and smiled.

“When that time comes, let’s experience happiness together.”

The child nodded intensely, a delighted smile just like any ordinary child forming on her face.

“Well then, I’ll be entrusting this child to you.”

Yukari calmly left behind those words and vanished in the blink of an eye. The child then began to pull tightly on my sleeve.

“Um, who are you, onee-san?”

She asked that question with an uneasy expression on her face, as if she had completely forgotten about Yukari’s existence and the words she had said to her.

“I am working as a shrine maiden for this shrine. You’ll be living with me from today onwards.”

I tried my best to show a smile, and in return the child smiled awkwardly. However, I quickly realize that her attempt did not go well. As if to show that the smile she displayed towards Yukari earlier was a one-off miracle, her inability to smile made my heart ache. Because of how elegant she looked; her attitude pained my heart even more.

“Is it okay if you tell me your name?”

To ease the awkward atmosphere between us, I decided to ask a common question. However, the child simply shook her head in silence.

“Do you not have a name? Or perhaps you do not remember what your name is?”

“I can’t remember…” The child muttered softly, sniffling. “Maybe I never had one to begin with.”

Such a thing should not be possible. It would be too tragic for her to have been born without a name as a human. She likely had her memories temporarily mixed up from receiving some kind of strong physical trauma – it had to be the case. It might have even been the reason why Yukari brought her to this place.

“You really can’t remember anything, not even a single letter?”

Whenever there was a time where I forgot about something, I had managed do remember various meanings and words with the same method. I expected this to also work for the child, and she whispered “Re…” in reply. I waited patiently for the next letter to be spoken, but the child simply shook her head.

I tried to make her remember other things, but nothing came of it. The sole syllable ‘Re’ was the only information the child held now. This child who truly had nothing more.

I muttered ‘Reimu’ without thinking. Because the girl was ‘zero’, and she had ‘nothing’. The child then muttered ‘Reimu’, and pointing to herself, she repeated those words once more.

Perhaps the child’s name truly was Reimu. Or perhaps I simply wanted to give her a name because she did not have one. Either way, because the child found a name in ‘Reimu’, I decided to respect her decision.

“Well then, your name shall be Reimu from now on.”

When I said that, the child tried to show her happiness with an awkward smile. That expression looked so pitiful, yet precious that I immediately moved closer and pulled that small body into a tight embrace.

Even if my reaction played right into Yukari’s expectations, I wanted this child to become a human who could express her emotions and genuinely experience happiness.

Thus, my life with Reimu began.

Living together with Reimu has given comfort to me, a person who had always lived in solitude.

She has also loved me like one would a mother or an older sister.

Reimu had grown into a beautiful woman befitting of happiness and smiles.

But for that reason, I had to endure suffering all this time.

Because despite that Yakumo Yukari having promised her happiness, Reimu had been forced to live a life devoid of it.

As if it had turned into ‘zero’, into ‘nothing’ and vanished from this world, just like her name suggested.

When I saw Reimu’s last moments, I had made up my mind.

To that end, I dedicated my all. I had gone beyond my limits countless times.

If it was for Reimu’s sake, I would do anything.

To make Reimu happy, this time for real.

And after what seemed like an eternity, the day my wish would come true had finally arrived.

Next Chapter ->