Van Gogh said she would help Charon strengthen his abilities, yet she never explained exactly how—she only asked to meet with Charon.
Of course, it was impossible not to be curious. Therefore, Matsubara Takashi and Selesia came along.
One was Charon's Creator.
The other was Charon's most trusted comrade-in-arms—and his not-quite-official girlfriend.
It wasn't exactly suspicion, but both of them felt uneasy, worried that Van Gogh's methods might be dangerous.
Thinking carefully, perhaps Shimazaki Yuna's initial refusal yesterday stemmed precisely from this? Matsubara suddenly felt regret over the words he had said last night. Why didn't he notice such obvious signs earlier?
"Are you sure we can't stay here?"
Selesia slightly furrowed her brow, glancing at Van Gogh before turning to Shimazaki Yuna.
"Because... this is Van Gogh's secret, the terrifying gospel carried by the deep and distant stars, not to be witnessed nor heard… So, if Selesia-san and Matsubara-san stayed behind, Van Gogh would have a huge headache… ehehe…"
Matsubara and Selesia exchanged a look, each seeing the nervousness rising in the other's eyes.
"Will it really be fine?"
Selesia asked anxiously.
"It... it'll be fine! Selesia-san and Matsubara-san carry confusion in your hearts, so… you're more easily twisted by the madness of the stars… but Charon-san will be safe…"
In simpler terms, someone with a strong will would be fine, but anyone harboring doubts was at risk.
Hmm… It still sounded incredibly dangerous.
Finally, Shimazaki Yuna gently led Selesia and Matsubara out of the room.
"Yuna, you're closest to Van Gogh, right? Do you know exactly what she plans to do?"
Feeling this torment of anxiety and confusion was unbearable. Since Selesia couldn't get answers from Van Gogh directly, she reached out to Shimazaki Yuna, taking her hand to ask her doubts directly.
Witnessing this, Matsubara's eyes twitched.
Right. Why hadn't he thought to ask Shimazaki Yuna himself?
As if comforting her, Shimazaki Yuna gently patted Selesia's hand, smiling faintly.
"It's alright. Van Gogh just wants to paint a picture for Charon-san."
"Paint a picture?"
Could painting a picture truly strengthen a Created's abilities? Was it really that simple?
But no—Matsubara had tried something similar before. They'd asked Marine to draw an illustration for Selesia, but without recognition, a single picture or short narrative was completely meaningless. This was already a proven fact.
"For a very long time, Van Gogh's paintings have held a special power. They can twist and drive the human mind into madness, thereby unleashing deeper hidden powers. Only Van Gogh can do something like this."
"Your hearts contain confusion. Once you sink into madness, resurfacing is extremely difficult, so you must not be present—you absolutely cannot see that painting."
Even without actually seeing the painting, just listening to Shimazaki Yuna's description was chilling.
"So, please wait outside for just a bit. Van Gogh paints very quickly; it won't take long for you to see the results."
Having said this, Shimazaki Yuna returned to the room, leaving Matsubara and Selesia alone to digest this information.
"...Wait a moment."
Selesia's brow suddenly furrowed deeply, as if something had just occurred to her, and she looked at Matsubara with puzzlement. "If someone whose will isn't firm can't stay present—if just seeing Van Gogh's painting could plunge them into madness—then isn't Yuna herself in danger?"
She was indeed worried about Charon, but if Shimazaki Yuna and Van Gogh had reassured her, it should be alright… Moreover, Selesia herself wanted to believe in Charon—trusting his unshakeable will, honed through countless battles and hardships.
But… Shimazaki Yuna was just an ordinary girl, right?
Selesia could reluctantly admit her own will wasn't as strong as Charon's, but surely she wouldn't lose to an ordinary girl, would she?
"Ah…"
Matsubara also realized this issue, racking his brain to find an appropriate explanation. "Maybe… Shimazaki-san has been around Van Gogh-sensei for so long that she's already immune? Think about it—they've always been inseparable, so she must have seen plenty of Van Gogh's paintings by now. And since Shimazaki-san seems totally fine, she's probably not affected at all."
"Hmm… Alright. You have a point."
Inside the room now remained only Shimazaki Yuna, Van Gogh, and Charon.
Shimazaki Yuna stood expressionless by the door, looking somewhat bored.
Facing Charon directly, Van Gogh took out a paintbrush… one taller than herself, shaped like a giant sunflower.
"Then… Van Gogh will begin painting now."
With a grand sweep of her brush, the splattered paint began eroding reality, seeping into the very fabric of space itself.
At this moment, the world itself became a painting, freely alterable by Van Gogh's whims.
"O priest of water, O noble of wind, you honor us with your presence."
"Through the great, flowering form of Mars, you are transformed into a droplet of madness..."
"Now, let the stars guide you to eternal slumber..."
"Wgah'nagl fhtaaagn!"
"—[De Sterrennacht!!!]"
Starry darkness and polluted rain cascaded from above.
It was as if a great pair of omnipotent hands reshaped the laws of the world itself, shaking and distorting its very foundations into instability and chaos.
The two figures in front of him… Their "skins" began peeling away, their "shells" cracking apart, gradually revealing something horrifying beneath.
This was the final scene Charon saw before his consciousness was submerged, completely sinking into madness…
Van Gogh hadn't exaggerated—strengthening Charon's abilities indeed didn't take long at all.
The result was astonishing: Selesia nearly couldn't recognize Charon at first glance, and Matsubara's face turned strangely complex.
His own character had been transformed by another mangaka into someone entirely unrecognizable. Wasn't this basically a form of NTR?
Next, naturally, came testing. Charon's aura had changed drastically, but measuring exactly how much stronger he'd become required precise data.
Thus, Meteora was brought in.
"At last, we now have fighting power capable of contending with Alicetaria."
This was Meteora's conclusion after examining the test data.
...
February quietly arrived.
Gentle winds carried the seeds of spring, the fragrance of winter jasmine wafting in the air. After the bitter cold, a vibrant spring finally drew near.
"Strange… strange… It's way too strange…"
Anazuma Tenkyuu appeared lost in deep thought, brows tightly knitted.
When Matsubara entered the room, he saw Anazuma curled up under the kotatsu, stuffing mandarins into his mouth while absent-mindedly watching TV. Reflecting on his own recent struggles and stress, Matsubara felt his irritation flare instantly.
"The world is ending, man! How can you still slack off like this? Does your conscience not hurt? Can you even face us?! According to our theories, the entity controlling those monsters came from your story, yet you still have the leisure to lounge under the kotatsu watching TV? Isn't there already air conditioning in your studio?"
"Are you even Japanese?! A Japanese person naturally hides under a kotatsu during winter. Air conditioning is heresy—just like Nintendo and Sony, pure heresy!"
"...Oh, so you're a Sega guy?"
Anazuma offered him a mandarin; Matsubara hesitated for a long moment.
"You're not planning to bribe me with a mandarin, are you?"
"Of course not. I just wanted to chat."
Silently, Matsubara eventually sat beside Anazuma, accepting the mandarin.
"Wanna join me under the kotatsu?"
"No thanks. If I join you, I'll never leave—I'm fully aware of my own lack of self-control."
"Yeah, nobody in Japan can resist a kotatsu in winter."
Not only Japanese… Matsubara thought back to seeing Van Gogh recently curled up under a kotatsu, showing a blissful expression.
A kotatsu in winter was an absolute seal. Even someone with Artoria's legendary willpower would never escape its grasp.
The TV program was utterly boring. But Matsubara soon realized Anazuma wasn't really paying attention to the TV either.
"Hey, Matsubara."
After a brief hesitation, Anazuma suddenly spoke, "Don't you think… this world has been too peaceful lately?"
Surprised, Matsubara's eyes flashed sharply. He stared solemnly at Anazuma, carefully studying his expression before speaking slowly.
"You… finally lost it? Need me to contact a mental hospital?"
"…Hey, don't joke around. I'm serious."
"Of course, me too."
Matsubara stared deeply into Anazuma's eyes, searching for hidden madness.
"Giant flying mecha, a mage using magic, delinquents summoning astral doubles, a magical girl joining the enemy, mind-corrupting monsters slaughtering innocents every other day… You call that peaceful? Or are you just thinking this chaos isn't enough and want to play Demon Lord and end the world yourself?"
Seeing Matsubara getting dangerously serious—even pulling out his phone—Anazuma panicked.
"Stop! Stop! Why are your thoughts always so dangerous? You're seriously trying to take me out, aren't you?! I bet you're jealous of my talent!"
"Right, I do want to kill you, inherit your talent, and refine your spirit into ashes."
"...Uh, you're scaring me."
"Then clarify: why did you say the world is too peaceful?"
After a long silence, Anazuma finally spoke:
"The Chikujouin Magane I created would absolutely never destroy the world."
---
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