We followed Nene the Koutetsu Ningyou deeper into Ningyou Jigoku. The scenery is just endlessly the same. This indicated that, unlike the previous section of the 'Narrow Road to Hell', this is somewhere else, not in the real world. |
Yoshino remained silent the whole time we pursued Nene. Her companions did not know what to say to her, but they all concentrated on one goal - Nene. |
Nene |
"Onee-chan... where are you, onee-chan? I'm scared, I really miss you..." |
Shimoamazu |
"There she is. Over there." |
Nene |
"You all..." |
Shimoamazu |
"No need to be scared. I'm Shimoamazu, and I'm here to help you." |
Nene |
"Help? What do you mean, help?" |
Shimoamazu |
"I'm going to get you out of this Hell. You don't have to be sad anymore. You don't have to feel pain anymore." |
Shimoamazu |
"You can take that obi-kazari and get some peaceful rest." |
Nene |
"Can I see my onee-chan, too?" |
Shimoamazu |
"...Yes, you will." |
Queensway |
"She seems different from before. She seems much calmer." |
Putra |
"The way she talks is normal now. She still looks the same though." |
Shimoamazu |
"That's the original Nene, the spirit of the Nishiki doll inside this Koutetsu Ningyou." |
Queensway |
"It means she's come to her senses." |
Putra |
"Well, then, we can talk it out now, can't we? With Shimoamazu and Yoshino's help, we can at least try to take out her soul from this mechanical body?" |
Shimoamazu |
"That's..." |
Yoshino |
"That's difficult. Probably impossible." |
Putra |
"Yoshino..." |
Yoshino |
"The soul of a doll is different from that of a person. A doll cannot cross the river unless it is with their owner." |
Yoshino |
"Without their companion, a doll cannot go to the afterlife. They can either continue to wander in this world, or be imprisoned into the interstellar world..." |
Shimoamazu |
"--or they can be completely destroyed. That's what I intend to do." |
Putra |
"Oh no..." |
Shimoamazu |
"Dolls are 'objects' made by people. Even if the owner's soul dwells inside one, it is not the same as a person. If the body breaks, or if only the soul escapes, the soul will wander around forever with pain and sorrow - it is truly Hell." |
Shimoamazu |
"That's why when the owner is gone, we'll hold a memorial service together. That's the only way to go to the afterlife together." |
Yoshino |
"If that's not possible, you have to erase the soul and revert the doll to an ordinary doll. That means erasing the memories of their former master and family." |
Putra |
"But that's only if they have their original body, right? What if there is no body?" |
Shimoamazu |
"That was my answer earlier." |
Yuuzen |
"She will be completely annihilated. Really, ya do say terrible things without hesitation, don't ya?" |
Shimoamazu |
"Yuuzen..." |
Yuuzen |
"A doll is a man-made 'object'? When the owner dies, its soul is erased? Erase the owner's memory? Find a new owner?" |
Yuuzen |
"...Don't be ridiculous. Have ya ever felt what it's like to be the creator of a doll? How do ya feel about the doll makers who put their lives on the line to bring dolls into the world, and who have cherished them more than their own lives!?" |
Shimoamazu |
"Even if you understand their feelings, you cannot say that the act of giving them incompatible bodies and locking them up in pain and suffering is in the doll's best interest." |
Yuuzen |
"What did ya say...?" |
Shimoamazu |
"I knew what you wanted to do and what you were trying to achieve when I saw that poor doll." |
Shimoamazu |
"You thought that by confining the doll in an object made of ancient mechanical parts, you could make it dependent on you while retaining its memories and emotions. That's why you tried to break barriers everywhere, make Phantom Mist appear, and collect the ancient mechanical parts that appear from within it." |
Queensway |
"Doesn't that mean that you are collecting ancient machine parts?" |
Yakutsk |
"It's suicide. It's crazy..." |
Shimoamazu |
"Yeah, it's not right. If you make a mistake, you will die instantly. You won't even have enough lives. If you die, what will happen to the dolls your ancestor made?" |
Shimoamazu |
"- The works of the legendary living doll maker Yuuzen still remain, don't they?" |
Queensway |
"The legendary living doll maker...?" |
Shimoamazu |
"She's a doll maker centuries ago, the Nishiki dolls Yuuzen made looked so much like humans that they were called 'living dolls', regardless of their size." |
Shimoamazu |
"But in the Nishiki countryside at the time, there were rumours that Yuuzen's dolls were Monsters that had emerged from the Phantom Mist. Yuuzen the First was driven out of the village and her whereabouts are unknown." |
Yuuzen |
"Ya, how did ya know..." |
Shimoamazu |
"Pure happenstance. It just so happens that I'm a Yuuzen fan." |
Shimoamazu |
"On my seventh birthday, my shishou gave me a doll made by Yuuzen the first. Named 'Kijin no Ko', the only one of its kind in the world, a masterpiece of Yuuzen the first. I still keep her in the Ooe mansion to this day for safekeeping." |
Yuuzen |
"That's a lie..." |
Yuuzen |
"No way it exists. All the works from that era has already been disposed of..." |
Shimoamazu |
"Don't you underestimate me. My shishou is the Ooenomiya, remember? She has a precious doll or two hidden somewhere in the mountains. Come to Mount Ooe if you want. I will let you see the real thing." |
Shimoamazu |
"...But your response says all. You really are a descendant of Yuuzen. No wonder you are trying to save the souls of Yumiharizuki." |
Yoshino |
"Shimoamazu, you said Yumiharizuki in the cave earlier, didn't you? Just when I found this doll." |
Shimoamazu |
"Yes, I did. Yumiharizuki is the name of the twin Nishiki dolls made by the original Yuuzen, and the one Yoshino is holding right now, is the younger sister Nene..." |
Yoshino |
"This child?" |
Yuuzen |
"There's no way..." |
Shimoamazu |
"Younger sister of the Yumiharizuki. Doll Nene without her obi-kazari." |
Yuuzen |
"Nene's body, is in a place like this... Am I dreaming?" |
Yuuzen |
"With that, I can put Nene back together. I can show the world the true splendor of the Yumiharizuki!" |
Shimoamazu |
"Impossible. It's too late, we have to put Nene to sleep forever." |
Shimoamazu |
"Because you've put Nene's soul into this monstrosity." |
Nene |
"onEechaN... oNEeChAn..." |
Shimoamazu |
"You shouldn't have messed with those ancient machine parts. That accursed machine head is a demonic weapon that creates Phantom Mist and kills people. It is not something we can handle." |
Yuuzen |
"No way, there must still be something..." |
Yuuzen |
"Nene, this time I found your real body. I will return you to your original body. Now, come here." |
Nene |
"OrIginaL, boDy...?" |
Yuuzen |
"Yes! See, that girl over there has it, right? It's the real Yumiharizuki, Nene's body. Now let's search for your sister's soul together." |
Nene |
"......" |
Nene |
"...yOSHiNocHAN, YOshInochan." |
Yoshino |
"Ah..." |
Nene |
"yOshiNOChan, yOshINOcHan, YOshINocHAN. yoSHInOChaN... yoSHiNo... Chan..." |
Nene |
"y... sHI... H? yoshi... H... nO... ChaN." |
Nene |
"...save Nene." |
Nene |
"----ch!!" |
Shimoamazu |
"Conductor-san. Are you ready for this? Everyone, don't you dare go easy on her, no matter what she says!" |
Shimoamazu |
"It's not Nene we're fighting. We're fighting an ancient machine. We are going to destroy this Koutetsu Ningyou and save Nene." |
Shimoamazu |
"Yoshino, are you okay? Can you do it?" |
Yoshino |
"......" |
Vivienne |
"Yoshino." |
Queensway |
"Miss Yoshino." |
Putra |
"Yoshino." |
Yoshino |
"Nana is my very important friend." |
Yoshino |
"We'll go to the ohagi shop together. We'll come back on time and make matching kazari together..." |
Yakutsk |
"And we should also tell her about meeting Nene, she hasn't seen Nene for a long time, right?" |
Yoshino |
"Yeah..." |
Yakutsk |
"Then we have to save Nene, save her while she is still Nene." |
Yoshino |
"Yes! Defeat the Koutetsu Ningyou and save Nene!" |