Sen Getsusa sat on the first-floor sofa while the television flickered chaotic images.
Muted, the flashes alone lit her expressionless face.
Tojo Aoi… Sen Getsusa crossed her legs, forcing that silhouette from her mind.
It's over.
The end is the end, right?
The girl pressed her pale-pink lips; an elbow bumped something hard.
Reaching, she pulled a manga from between the cushions.
Dragon Ball.
She laughed soundlessly.
Months earlier, when she'd stepped back into this World, Sen Getsusa had drawn that other World as her master described it—and shown it to people here.
She had no lack of money.
An orphan herself, once helped by a children's home, she decided to donate most of the manga's earnings to orphanages she trusted—
Places that would actually spend the money on the children.
The remainder covered daily costs for her own orphanage.
Clothes and supplies for Aria, schoolbags and tuition for her kids.
She could still treat them to good food whenever she liked.
Thinking of those children, a swell of "Mommy loves you, my darlings" pride rose within her—
And blunted the ache of longing for Tojo Aoi.
Sen Getsusa glanced at the deep-purple curtain where "Ready" blinked incessantly.
Time… to try another New World?
...The lines of the dimensions were messy and disordered, yet at a certain moment, they became uniform, entangling and then dispersing in front of the girl.
A pulling sensation appeared out of thin air.
Inside the washroom, Sen Getsusa watched helplessly as a series of vortices swirled around her body, before she slowly disappeared into the void.
By a muddy roadside, a straight purple line sliced through space. Wearing a light-colored shirt and high-waisted jeans, the girl stepped out from the void.
Her small boots sank into the mud.
In front of her, an old-fashioned street lamp was hopping with a 'ber, ber' sound. Dust fell from the top of the lamp casing, causing the girl to instinctively take a few steps back.
She looked up.
This was a vast, open marshland.
Potholes and small puddles were everywhere; the larger ones seemed to have been haphazardly fenced off with crooked stakes to prevent danger if someone wandered in by mistake.
These fences curved and extended, forming a small path that ended at a dense, dark green forest.
The air was thick with the scent of fresh soil, something never smelled in a big city.
Sen Getsusa took a deep breath and looked up: it was the scent of a sky full of stars and the joy of the wilderness.
The wind came rushing from the woods, rustling loudly.
Under the moonlight, every puddle faithfully reflected patches of light. Looking down the quiet road, it felt as if a giant beast covered in silver scales was lurking in this swamp.
It seemed it would occasionally come up for a nap, exposing its back.
Ber, ber, ber—
Ah, I forgot about this street lamp.
"Hello?" Sen Getsusa retracted her gaze, bowed slightly, and greeted the hopping street lamp.
At least the previous World was full of humans... no, not entirely.
At least they were humanoid creatures, right?
The street lamp seemed happy to receive a response, hopping a few times on its single leg and nodding. The flame inside the lamp casing burned even brighter.
"I'm just passing through by chance... Hmm?"
The street lamp shook its head and hopped to turn its body around—if the lamp head was considered the front, it indeed pointed to the other side of the road with its head.
"Do you want me to come with you? Mr. Street Lamp?"
Ber, ber, ber—
"Alright. Then, thank you for your hospitality..."
The path was very narrow, and Sen Getsusa followed along with uneven steps.
The street lamp ahead hopped quickly. Its foot was a palm wearing a white glove. Every time it jumped, Sen Getsusa worried during the violent shaking that it would throw its head off, causing an inextinguishable fire... or toss it into a swamp puddle where, after a puff of green smoke, she would lose this newly made friend.
After walking for about five minutes, Sen Getsusa saw the destination.
At the end of that path was an old-fashioned brick-and-concrete earthen house with a thatched roof.
Mr. Street Lamp pushed open the wooden gate with a clatter, and then, to Sen Getsusa's surprise, its body shrunk, and it hung its head on the eaves of the fence gate.
The eaves—which were actually the center of a wooden tree branch.
"Mr. Street Lamp, is it really okay for you to be like this?"
A strange street lamp... Sen Getsusa thought back to that "Girl Worm" from before.
The street lamp nodded, as if saying: Walk on with your head held high, young girl! My head shall illuminate the path ahead for you.
No, that was just Sen Getsusa's wild guess.
It just swayed a few times, and the wooden door of the earthen house opened a crack.
Creak—
"Please come in, guest from afar."
An aged voice drifted through the crack in the door, accompanied by a dim, warm yellow light.
A swamp, a dark forest, a magical street lamp... Speaking of which, there wouldn't be a Witch living in here, would there?
Sen Getsusa proceeded cautiously, walking toward the earthen house on tiptoe while looking back every three steps. She reached out a finger and gently pushed the wooden door open with her fingertip.
"Excuse me." After speaking, she waited a few more seconds. No one answered, so she had to push the door and enter.
Click.
It wasn't until Sen Getsusa entered that she realized the place seemed full of the breath of life, the exact opposite of the cold swamp outside.
To the right was a long stove supported by apple-green painted cabinets. A small arch was built into the wall of the stove for burning firewood. Various sturdy cooking utensils hung on the clay-red brick wall.
To the left was a long, brown lacquered wooden table with unfinished apples on it. Steaming vapor rose from the spout of a white porcelain teapot, and a piece was missing from a cherry cake.
A gramophone in the corner played tinkling glockenspiel music. The entire room appeared warm and elegant in the dim yellow light.
It was like a fairy tale.
"Hello, guest from afar."
The words were repeated.
Sen Getsusa turned around and realized the host happened to be closing the door.
It was a broad and robust elderly woman of short stature.
When she looked up to size up Sen Getsusa, her long nose almost poked the girl's chin. Her eyelids were painted with heavy purple eyeshadow, her hair was piled high, and her sharp fingernails were painted blood-red.
With her hands behind her back, she circled Sen Getsusa once, her large head nodding occasionally as she made "mm, mm" sounds.
"I am very sorry for disturbing you so late." Sen Getsusa took two steps back and bowed again.
"Ah, it is no matter, respected Planeswalker."
The old woman's sternness gradually vanished. Having seemingly confirmed something, she revealed a friendly smile and returned the courtesy.
"Please, rest easy." She reached out to invite Sen Getsusa to sit: "Guest from afar, we can eat while we talk."
Sen Getsusa really was a bit hungry.
She hadn't eaten much at dinner.
And the grandmother before her seemed to be a friendly elder?
Sen Getsusa shook her head, tossing terrifying creatures like swamp witches and magical black sorcerers out of her little mind.
"My name is Sen Getsusa, you can call me Tsukisa." Sen Getsusa smiled and nodded.
"No problem, Sha-chan. Come, have something to eat." She held up her dark blue skirt and sat opposite Sen Getsusa. "Just call me Yubabas Sister."
At this, she seemed to remember something: "By the way, I am a Witch. A swamp Witch."
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