Warau Ishi 6

fP461


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

Volume 1 now on sale! Released April 9th(Thursday)!

The story so far.

vertical text: Ataru learned about Azuki’s tragic past! Now he looks for a way to make her go to heaven!!

Characters:

Ataru Natsumeda (16)
Our main character. His right hand has turned to stone due to the effect of the wishing stone.

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

Yachie Kaburagi.
As an 808-year-old incarnation of Yao Bikuni. Used to be human. Loves alcohol.

Azuki Yuzuriha.
A dead girl’s ghost with psychometric abilities. Doesn’t have any memories of her life.

Ataru Natsumeda overcame two massacres caused by the wishing stone, and peace had returned. But the next day, a mysterious phenomenon occurred: Ataru’s right hand suddenly petrified and turned to stone.Nirasaki reveals that it is the price he has to pay for using the wishing stone, and that he will die if he doesn’t do anything. So Ataru and Nirasaki visit Yachie Kaburagi, a person who might be able to stop the petrifaction. Yachie is an 808-year old former human, who promises to help Ataru under one condition: He’ll have to make the ghost girl Azuki move on to heaven. And with the help of Azuki’s psychometric abilities, he finds out that she was killed by a doctor......!!

Yachie’s request is “To make Azuki go to heaven”!

Don’t worry. If you can save her...
I’ll help you with that stone hand for sure.

Ataru makes a promise with Azuki
Promise that you’ll let me go to heaven, okay?

She had been killed by a doctor...

What?
What’s wrong?

Ataru cries after learning about Azuki’s tragic past!!

The shocking 6th chapter starts on the next page!!


P462

Hey, Ataru...?
...Are you okay?

I made dinner...
So let’s eat together, before it gets cold.

Yeah... Thanks.
I’ll come down later, so you can start if you want.
This chapter continues where volume 1 left off!!
He’s been like this ever since he came back...
I’m sure something happened again......

sfx: Ahaha Ahaha
sfx: grind grind grind grind
Nirasaki...!!

That bitch...

......She’s the same......


P463

I’m sure that... Azuki...

Promise that you’ll let me go to heaven, okay?
has been waiting for somebody to save her this whole time.

She’s just a little girl.
It must be tough for her. Even if she doesn’t understand everything, doesn’t remember everything, and can’t cry.

Even if they’re locked away, and she’s not aware of it...
She does have “memories”

This isn’t the time to be crying in front of a little girl.......


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



P464

Volume 1 now on sale! Released April 9th(Thursday)!!
Keiichirou Arita
sign: Koyuzu
Paper: Prison
I HAVE to let Azuki go to heaven, in a way that’ll make her happy.

Paper: Prison
I’ll make sure… to help you…
Chapter 6: That turned out to be the worst result

Just wait.


P465

sign: Horigome store

Ahh… I’m bored…

How many days has it been since Natsumeda-kun came here?
Six months? No, a year ago?
sfx: yawn
No… It’s only been six days, you know?

…And you haven’t seen him since then either?
No, not at all.
Me neither.
What is he doing?


P466

He might’ve run away.
Ataru-kun wouldn’t do that!
Well, I wonder about that.

He wouldn’t run away.
I know that.

Because he promised…
to help me go to heaven.

Wow, Azuki-chan! That’s amazing, you know everything!
Let’s eat some candy together while we wait!
Yay! Will you buy some for me?
Tch… Those brats…
They’re making me look like the evil one…
sfx: hmph

sfx: slam


P467

Ataru-kun!!
sfx: huff… huff… huff… huff…
Ataru!
Tch… There he is.

Sorry for taking so long…

I found it……
Azuki……

The place where your mom is…!


P468

Good job…
…And? What are you gonna do with that information?

Are you going to let Azuki see her mom?
There’s no guarantee that she’d…

go to heaven then, right?

I know…… But…

I want to do it in a way that’ll make Azuki happy.

I still want her to laugh in the end, even if she finds out about everything.
So…

…Heh heh…
……


P469

Ha! Ha! Ha!
Wha-…
What’s so funny?!

No… I was just… thinking how naïve you are… Haha!!
What…? I’m serious…

Well, that’s fine, that’s fine!
If that’s what makes you and Azuki happy.
sfx: flick

Grr…
Are you making fun of me…?
sfx: pat
Azuki…
Do you wanna see your mommy?

Yeah.
I do…

I wanna see mommy…

……
…I see…


P470

Well…
Be careful then, Azuki……

Here…
This is your identification card. You can visit for up to 30 minutes.
Okay.

sfx: squeeze
…Azuki…?

Are you okay?
Need to take a break?

No… I’m okay…

sfx: creak


P472

……
You’re Natsumi Yuzuriha-san… Correct?

……
…Mommy…?


P473

Ah… Eh….
Haha… Eh… Gimme…
Gimme… D-… Drrrr….

sfx: ba-dump… ba-dump…

Dr-… ug… gimme…



P474

Is this…
…my mommy…?

Natsumi… Yuzuriha-san…

Do you know a girl named Azuki Yuzuriha?

H-hey…
Gimme……

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! Druuuuuugs♬
sfx: scratch scratch scratch scratch scratch
Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! Drugs! Drugs! Right noooooooow!!

sfx: grind

This is Azuki Yuzuriha!! Your daughter!!
sfx: blurt
Why don’t you recognize her?!!


P475
Sign: Horigome

...She can’t...
...go to heaven?

Yeah.
Even if they managed to meet her mom, that wouldn’t mean that she’d be able to go.
Then...
Why is Ataru-kun......?

No idea.....
But...

I’m pretty sure that Ataru is aware of that...
But he’s still doing this, with that knowledge...

P476

I’m sorry, but I have to ask you to leave......
sfx: scratch scratch scratch
Hey...!! Wait...

It’s okay, Ataru.
!
Thanks

It’s fine now......
It’s fine, so......

......
Of course it isn’t......

This isn’t okay!!!
Hey, you!!
sfx: slam
Your daughter is here to see you!! She wanted to see her mommy really badly, so she came all the way here!!!

She just wanted you to praise her, right until the moment she died......
Just because she loved her mommy... That’s all... That’s all she wanted......


P477

See?!
At least try to remember her name and face!!
Come on! You should leave...
Here...... Look at this......
sfx: rummage

Ah.

This is Azuki’s... Your daughter’s...


P478

Azuki......

A-......
...-zuki......
Azuki......

My... little girls...
Azuki... Yuzuki......

My...
treasure......


P479

Aaaah...
Ahh...... That’s right...... I’m......
Why..... am I.........
like this......?

Aaaaaaaah!


P480

sign: Happy birthday Mommy

Uh... Uh...! Uuh...
...Girls... I’m sorry...... I’m so sorry......
I’m sorry for being a bad mommy......

I love you two... more than anyone else......

Mommy......



P481

Mommy......
sfx: drip... drip... drip... drip...
Thank you......

Azuki......
When her memories returned, the first words she spoke didn’t express hatred or sorrow.
They were words of gratitude.


P482

Her words probably won’t...
reach her mother...

But I hope that her pure feelings....
of love and affection...
will reach her most beloved person.

That’s what...
I thought.
sign: Horigome Store.
Ah.
They’re back!


P483

Welcome back, Ataru-kun. How was it?
Eh... Ah... Uh... Um...
What’s with that half-assed answer.

Azuki regained her memories, didn’t she?
sfx: shock
How do you know?!
Anyone could tell just by looking at her.

Oh, wow!
So you remember everything now, Azuki-chan?!
Yeah, thanks to Ataru’s help.
...So?
What are you going to do now?

Are you really going to make Azuki go to heaven?
You found out how to do it when you saw her memories, right?

......Yeah.

I... I’ll do it.
I want to keep my promise with her.


P484

Hey!
Ataru.

Your hand is shaking, you know?
Are you okay?

Azuki is a nice girl.

I’m fine.
Why don’t you worry about yourself instead?
You’re gonna go to heaven, right?
Yeah.
But you know...

But, that’s why...

I’m not scared at all, because you’re the one who’s helping me.

So, Ataru...

......Yeah...


P485

I have to do it......

He has to remove the baku from Azuki.
That’s the method to make her go to heaven.

A baku is originally a type of tapir spirit that eats people’s dreams, but...
It must’ve taken hold of the regrets and lingering feelings that Azuki had about her life.

Azuki’s psychometric abilities are something like a side effect of her possession.

Usually, spirits possess people by invading trough the ears, mouth or nostrils, so you can just pull them out via the same route.
But Azuki’s case is a bit more complicated.

The baku is inside of her throat.

In other words...
To make Azuki go to heaven...


P487

I’ll cut off her head.

I’m crying, drenched in blood, as I cut it off.
I’m looking at the little girl in front of me, collapsing as I cut off her head. Her head. Her head. Her head.


P488

Her head.

......Azuki......
...I did it......


P489

So......
Rest assured......
sfx: hssss

......

......
Azuki......


P489

It looks like she’s passed on......
......Yeah......

That lump at your feet...
is the baku’s spirit.

You’ll have to...
“eat” it now.

After that, I’ll tell you...
how to deal with your “curse”.

More sudden developments next time! To be continued in the June issue!!