Warau Ishi 2

P01

The Laughing Stone
Winner in the Betsumaga “Worst Day of My Life” competition!
The story so far

vertical text: The “wishing stone”... This mysterious stone invites you into the worst world imaginable!!

Characters:

Ataru Natsumeda (16)
Our main character. A first-year in high school, leading a lackluster life. Feels inferior to his older sister, who has great academic records.

Tsukimi Natsumeda (18)
Ataru’s older sister. A third-year in the same high school Ataru goes to. Top grades, good at all sports, and a beauty.

Nirasaki
Ataru’s classmate. She gave the mysterious “wishing stone” to Ataru.


Ataru Natsumeda is a withdrawn first year in high school, unable to rise above mediocrity. His parents are on bad terms with each other, so Ataru leads a lonely, gloomy life. His sister Tsukimi is endowed with both wit and beauty, which causes Ataru to have a severe inferiority complex. One day, Ataru gets bullied again by delinquents who are after his beautiful sister. His classmate Nirasaki witnesses this, and asks Ataru, “Why didn’t you just tell them to piss off and die?” Soon after, she passes the mysterious “wishing stone” to Ataru with a kiss, as if she’s restraining him from asking any further questions. Rumors say that this “wishing stone” can make any wish come true! Having obtained this stone, Ataru wishes for the delinquents to die! And within a moment, the three delinquents die bizarre deaths!! What is this “wishing stone” ……? Who is Nirasaki……? And what will be the fate of Ataru Natsumeda, who has set foot into this horrible world…!?

Left panel:
When he gets bullied again, Ataru “wishes” for the delinquents to “die”!!

Die.
Die.
Die.
You bastards should all just die.

Right panel:
Ah.
Ah.
Aah.
And his wish was granted by the “wishing stone”......!?

The shocking second chapter starts on the next page!!


P02

Chapter 2 of this new series!!
The Laughing Stone

The one “stone” he obtained, opens the curtains to the worst world imaginable!!

Ah… Aaaaaah!!


P03

Winner in the “Worst Day of My Life” competition!

sfx: huff… huff… huff…
The Laughing Stone
Keiichirou Arita

sfx: huff… huff… huff… huff…

…A dream…?

★ This story is a work of fiction. It has no relation to existing people, groups or events.


P04

Chapter 2
The worst has happened

It’s your fault!
You’re at home all day, so you should at least discipline your children!

Don’t push all responsibilities on me...

And you barely even earn us any cash... So how about YOU come home once in a while!
What!?

For half of my week, I have to listen to my parents arguing. The other half of my week, I try to forget about it.

Who do you think is putting the food on the table here!?
If you don’t like it, why don’t you just return to your filthy pig of a mother’s house!?

Let’s forget.
I’m going to school.


P05

Huh!?

Those guys...

They’re alive...

So... That really was....
just a dream.



P06

Ataruuu!!

sfx: jolt
Oh no...
I stared at them for too long...

You. Come over here a sec.
sfx: stomp stomp stomp stomp

Show me yer face!
You’re really...
Seriously...
sfx: stomp

sfx: grab

You...

Were you alright yesterday!?
We were worried, y’know!?

Huh...?


P07

Listen...

You were on day duty yesterday, right?
Oh... Yeah...
sfx: click

So we three were waiting for you at the entrance.
‘cuz we invited you for karaoke, right?

Um...
No... You didn’t...

But then you suddenly keeled over, foaming from yer mouth...
You really gave us a scare.

And then WE were the ones to panic.
It was chaos, y’know?

What the heck... is this...?

We called an ambulance...
and we also called yer sister.
......

※ Smoking by minors is prohibited by law.

This guy... He suddenly seems like a good guy...


P08

2nd chapter of a new series - 35 pages of ghost horror!
The Laughing Stone

sfx: ding dong.

Wow...
Sorry about that...

No prob.
Friends should help each other when they’re in trouble.
sfx: toss

Let’s go have fun somewhere again some time.
Ataru.

Don’t be late for homeroom.

......

......
What’s this all about?

It’s so strange... I don’t get...
sfx: ding dong
Oh..... The bell rang.


P09

blackboard:
1600
Battle of Sekigahara
Ishida Mitsunari
Tokugawa Ieyasu

Try to remember...

From yesterday... Until today... Only one day has passed...
But what happened......?

Yesterday morning, my sister came to my class...

And she gave me my lunch......
Are you doing it on purpose!?
Ataru!!

Oota and the others saw that, and gave me some trouble...

And then......


P10

That’s right.

sfx: splat

I remember......


P11

This stone...
The wishing stone...

I got it from Nirasaki...

......
sfx: rustle

A letter?

sfx: flip...
......


P12

Did your wish come true?
Nirasaki

sfx: shudder


P13

sfx: clatter

.......
.......
What’s wrong?
Natsumeda?

I...
I’m sorry.
sfx: Ahaha Ahahaha Ahahaha

......
sfx: smile


P14

Huh? Where’s Natsumeda-kun?
Oh, he grabbed his bag and left.

sfx: dash

Oh no... Oh no, oh no...
I don’t really get it, but...
sfx: huff huff huff
That girl is......... kinda......

Where are you going?
!?

......!
Nirasaki...
Going home already?


P15

Will your parents be next...?

What does she want...?

They’re still alive, aren’t they? Isn’t that strange? I wonder why...
Even though you finally made your wish yesterday...
For those three guys to die...

Who is she...?


P16

2nd chapter of a new series - 35 pages of ghost horror!
The Laughing Stone

Tsukimi, wanna come with me to buy bread at the school store?
Oh... Sure...
Wait a sec...

...
Oh well, I can give it to him during the next break...

Hey, Tsukimiii.
Yeah, yeah. Don’t be in such a hurry.

What do you want from me...?
What are you laughing about...?
Nirasaki...


P17
Winner in the “Worst Day of My Life” competition!
The Laughing Stone

I…
I… just…

sfx: step… step…

…want you to make a wish for me, Natsumeda…
There’s something I’ve been craving for from the bottom of my heart…

sfx: slide…

I just gave it to you using this.


P18

“This”…? The stone?

Wish…?
……For what?

Kill.

sfx: ba-dump…

Kill. Kill. KILL.

sfx: ba-dump… ba-dump… ba-dump…

……
……
I don’t have anything to…
wish for…



P19
Winner in the “Worst Day of My Life” competition!
The Laughing Stone

Don’t lie to me, you idiot.

I know…
…everything about you….
Poor thing… You should just let everything out…

All those feelings, seeping from your heart…
You should just let them out, all at once…

Poor thing.
Hey… Natsumeda-kun…


P20

Poor thing?

You can say that, but...
I don’t…

It’s heavy……

If you still can’t do it after all I’ve told you…
maybe it’s impossible to have you make the wish on your own……

It hurts……

Let me try this then.
If you don’t make the wish, I’ll kill your sister.


P21

Nirasaki…
You……

Just try laying one finger on my sister…
Try saying you’ll do something to her again…

Come on. If you do…

I won’t just kill you…
I’ll kill everyone.


P22

You said it.

No…

You wished for it.


P25

Uwaaaaaah!!

A scream?

I wished…?

….
Nirasaki… What did you… ?
Huh…? Me?

I didn’t do anything, you know?
The one who did it, is…

Wasn’t that all just a dream…?

You, Natsumeda-kun. Right?

sfx: huff huff huff

sfx: huff huff huff



P26

sfx: munch… munch… munch… munch…

sfx: tremble tremble tremble
Oota...

Ataru...
Uh...
Why.... am I... eating myself?
sfx: munch… munch…
Hey?

sfx: tremble tremble tremble tremble

Dammit......
I can’t... stop...
Hey?


P27

Ataru...
sfx: thud...
Save me...

Everybody has murderous tendencies... It’s human instinct..

That’s why your wish came true.
You were able to make it come true.

Wh... Why...?

“Why”, you ask? Are you dumbstruck? I told you, the one who did it...

...is you, Natsumeda-kun.


P28

Tsukimi Natsumeda.
You killed all people in the world...
who know your sister.

I...

It’s true... I AM dumbstruck.
But I can think well enough to wonder...

Why...

...are YOU still alive... Nirasaki......?

sfx: tremble tremble

Are you wondering why I haven’t died?
That’s because...


P29

Ataru...!!

.......
sfx: huff... huff...
Ataru...

Tsukimi......


sfx: crack


P30

Ataru... What’s this...?
Did you do anything...?

sfx: ba-dump
!!

No...
Um.........

I see.... Let me... rephrase my question.

Did you kill everyone...?



P31

With the wishing stone.

sfx: tap... tap...


P32

Wh...
Why?

Why do you...?

Why
do you know......?

Say something, please...... Why are you so quiet......?

Why do you pull that face, Tsukimi?

Hey, you two are looking really scary over there.
I guess it’s okay for me to talk if you both aren’t talking?


P32
Hey, Natsumeda-kun.

“Sannei Hill”
Have you heard of it?
!!

It’s the nickname of a stone-paved hill in Kyoto. Its actual name is “Sannen-saka”, or the “three year hill”.
The story goes that people used to go there to pray for the safe birth of their children, and so they nicknamed it “Sannei Hill”, or “Safe-birth hill”...

But there are also stories saying that anybody who falls down the steps of this hill, will die within three years.

And there’s...
one more interesting story....

The hill is filled with the strong energy from the wishes of the people who came there to pray.
So it’s also called “Sainen-saka” or “Energy Hill”


P34

There are many stories like that in Japan.
The stories about “power spots” or “power stones” nowadays...
are probably of similar origin.

And as time passed...
The stone hills transformed...

and became wishing stones.

Like I told you before, most of them are mass-produced, by people who want to make money.

sfx: reach...

But sometimes, there are people who find real ones.


P35

Is she talking about me?

No, not you...

...Huh?


P36

Tsuki...mi?

The person who has a real wishing stone... is Tsukimi!?
To be continued in the February issue!!