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We are lucky it is a half way decent stopping point. I think this story is the one I could read most smoothly out of all the stories in the book. Really not much vocab to look up.
Thoughts so far
So we have the 10 years later story people were hoping for last week. 亜希子 is waking to her powers. It looks to me as though she at least has telekinesis and the whole “consciousness out of body flying” power as well. Given that she is even a legend in 常野 circles, I wouldn’t be surprised if she could do even more.
It looks like her parents both were 常野. Because someone opened the question last week if the parents have to be from 常野 for the children to have powers.
I strongly dislike the aunt . She seems like such a bad person. Living a luxury lifestyle while her husband is in America, putting her nose in other people’s affairs and just being insufferable. I don’t think I could have held it together as well as 亜希子. The way she broke the adoption to 亜希子 was really not handled well.
I also dislike 真一. The way they split up, and him already having another woman he goes out with, just didn’t sit right with me.
Overall poor 亜希子 I don’t envy her life at all ^^.
It’s pretty bad that she didn’t listen to the warning of not taking the bus . Given the last few sentences, she might even start blaming herself for the accident. I at least hope the baby will make it as well. GNAH, I want to continue reading and see how it ends.
The black tower with the burning eye always reminds me of Sauron. I just imagine Lord of the Rings every time it comes up. But if I understood correctly in this story, it is more a helping structure built by 常野. Her dreams were of her going to the tower as a baby after the train accident that couldn’t be prevented because of the “area it happened in” (also really ominous).
What was also surprising is that our old friend つる先生 apparently has some kind of power to seal other powers away. I don’t remember that coming up before.
So much new information in this story. So much happening. I suspect not all the participants will wait for next week to finish this story ^^.
Several characters from previous stories reappear or are mentioned here: there’s 三宅篤 ( the narrator of 二つの茶碗) and his wife, 春田記実子, and ツル先生 – did I miss anyone?
Oh, I didn’t make the connection with the 立候補. Clever one.
I don’t think you missed anyone except for the protagonist, which I think is obvious to you. ^^
I finished this one today, and indeed, I want to read on! But I won’t have time tonight and it must wait til tomorrow. I am intrigued however.
I also found the ‘this area we don’t have power over’ fascinating. What’s that about? Also ツル先生 is seemingly still alive and going strong. I don’t recall him being mentioned as having that power before, to that question.
I’m kind of confused why they let this super powerful child be adopted by normies? Were there no people of this line who could take her? Would it be dangerous for them to do so? How did the adoption happen? So many questions!
It seems like we’re about to time travel, though, or so I hope. Very much looking forward to finishing this story out and seeing how it ends.
I did enjoy how many faces reappeared in this story. Sometimes connected short stories are only very, very loosely connected (like in 人質の朗読会) and other times they’re like this where everything is technically a separate story but it all interweaves. I think I prefer this style.
光の帝国 
week 6
. She seems like such a bad person. Living a luxury lifestyle while her husband is in America, putting her nose in other people’s affairs and just being insufferable. I don’t think I could have held it together as well as 亜希子. The way she broke the adoption to 亜希子 was really not handled well.