Heat the Pig Liver V1 Anime SS – Hope and Prayer 《Brace’s Situation》

★Anime Special Short Story “Hope and Prayer 《Brace’s Situation》”

I had long since lost all hope.  I was aware of this even before setting out on my journey towards the capital.

I worked for a family of gravekeepers in the town of Lubori.  My main job was preparing burials for the deceased by digging holes at the large cemetery just on the town outskirt.  This type of work was shunned, and the only people that actually did this were those from poor families, or Yesmas, like me.

That’s why the only people I usually come in contact with are people who have lost a family member or friend, or people who are struggling to make ends meet.

Even though these people don’t have money, they’re extremely kind-hearted.  However, they were so preoccupied with trying to survive and feed their family every day that I’m sure they didn’t have time to think about my life or death.

When I turned 16 and left the house I served, no one came with to accompany me.  In the end, I was destined to die along the way.

Nevertheless, what saved me was something I firmly believed in – the power of prayers.

The reason I started praying since I was young was because of something my master told me back then.

 

“Do you see the red star shining in the northern sky?  It’s called Salvia, the Wishing Star.”

 

A bright red star floated in the sky where her wrinkled finger pointed at.

 

“They say it has the power to grant wishes.  If you’re able to obtain the Wishing Star, your wish will come true.”

 

I was 8 years old at the time, and having just arrived and not know anything, I naively believed her.  Because I didn’t know how to reach the star, every night, I would gaze upon it and pray.

The Wishing Star appeared at a specific part of the northern sky, and it was clearly visible from the small hill inside the cemetery.  I would spend my days burying the dead, and my nights kneeling and praying to the star.

Praying is nice, because it can be about anything you choose.  You can think about it as fervently as you want without having to worry about whether it will come true or not.

 

“Big sis, what are you always up to here?”

 

The boy I used to work with asked me this.  He was a young kid with innocent eyes.

 

“I’m praying towards the Wishing Star.  Do you see it?”

 

I replied while pointing at the bright red star to the north.

 

“Oh.  Sorry big sis, but I hate that star.”

“I see.  Why is that?”

“I mean, even if I tell it what I want, it never gives me anything.”

 

I also knew that fully well.

 

“That’s exactly why I pray.”

 

He tilted his head in confusion.  I knew this was a peculiar and unusual way of thinking on my part.

To me, praying was the opposite of hoping.

 

“It’s because I think it will never happen.  It’s because there’s no hope that I pray.  No one ever prays towards a star within reach.  They pray precisely because it’s out of reach.”

“You think about some pretty complicated things, huh.”

 

He muttered as he sat down next to me and stared at the Wishing Star.

 

“Would you like to pray with me?”

 

At my invitation, the innocent boy nodded.  His hair was red, much like the color of the Wishing Star.

Imitating me, he clasped his hands before his chest.

And after some time, I asked him:

 

“What did you pray for?”

“Well, I prayed that I could earn enough to fill the stomachs of my mom and the others.”

“That’s very kind of you.”

 

As I acknowledged that this wish could never come true, I felt an indescribable sadness.

 

“I’m sure you prayed very hard about wanting to give your family plenty to eat.  When you’re not praying, the feeling of impossibleness squashes that wonderful wish, but when you’re praying, you can forget about everything and concentrate on your wish.”

“…Is that so?  That’s amazing, big sis!”

 

The boy smiled happily as I wondered if he actually understood what I said.

Ever since then, he prayed alongside me many times.  I also noticed that he would glance at my chest, but I didn’t mind.  Whatever his intentions were, I was happy to have someone praying with me.

While working, I would hear about plenty of rumors; and when I talked about them, he would always gladly listen with interest.  So whenever he came to pray with me, I would share some new stories with him.

The night before my 16^th birthday, the boy came to the hill to pray.  Naturally, there was no way he knew my age, let alone my birthday.  It was purely a coincidence that he showed up.

 

“My work ends tomorrow.  I will be leaving tomorrow night to head towards the capital.”

 

If I spread the word about it, it might reach the ears of the Yesma hunters, so the only people I told this to, other than my master, was this innocent boy.

 

“I see.  I’ll miss seeing you.”

“Yes, it’s very much a shame.”

 

I felt like I was being crushed by anxiety and despair, but in spite of that, the night sky was clear, and I could see the Wishing Star.

 

“Just one last thing.”

 

Before our prayer, I told this to the boy.

 

“When you find yourself at a loss, search for a star to guide you.”

 

He was staring at me blankly.  Although I loved to talk, I was terrible at explanations.

 

“Salvia is the Wishing Star precisely because it’s far away in the northern sky.  When you’ve lost your way, the Wishing Star will show you the direction.  Likewise, when you’ve lost sight of how to live, you should seek out your own Wishing Star.”

“Is that so?  That’s amazing, big sis!”

 

The boy beamed at me with his usual heartfelt smile, making it unclear to me whether he understood any of it.

Since Lubori was to the north of the capital, my journey was towards the south.  This meant that I was traveling with my back towards the Wishing Star.  There was no hope for me from the start.

During my hopeless journey, I was assaulted when I was alone.  I was powerless, and had no way of resisting.  Before long, I found myself imprisoned underground at an unfamiliar town.

I didn’t know why I was still alive in this dark cell.  And every once in a while, I was taken out to a forest to again be subjected to some terrible things.  It was always during the middle of the night, so I would search for the Wishing Star through the gaps in the trees and pray earnestly.

Eventually, I couldn’t even feel pain.  Perhaps the food had been laced with drugs.  When I came to, my stomach had been cut open, and something was taken out.

While in the cell, I couldn’t see the stars.  But perhaps as a small act of mercy, there was a statue of a praying young Yesma that was dressed like me.  I prayed towards her.

―Please save me, Brace, from this terrifying darkness. 

I knew help was not coming.  Not wanting to be crushed by despair, I continued praying.

That’s when Nott and the others appeared.

Mr. Nott opened the cage and hugged me.  As far as I could remember, that was the first time I was held that tightly.

But it was already too late.  I was well aware that I was going to die soon.

Even though I loved chatting, I was no longer able to do so, possibly due to the horrific experience I had endured.  The last thing I’m able to do is help Mr. Nott safely escort Ms. Jess, who is dear to him, to the capital.

I wished for this journey towards the north, where the Wishing Star shone, to be successful.

Every night, I prayed to the Wishing Star…

―That Ms. Jess would reach the capital safely.

―That Mr. Nott would stay safe.

―That I could go to a happier world.

 

“What are you praying for?”

 

One night, Mr. Nott asked me this, but I couldn’t answer him.

Nonetheless, he sat down beside me.

 

“‘You should never give up hope,’ is something someone once said.”

 

I stared at Mr. Nott, and his mouth twisted into a slight sardonic smile.

 

“But it’s not like we’re the ones giving up on hope.  It’s hope that’s given up on us.”

 

That’s exactly the case, I thought in my heart.

Realizing there would be no reply, Mr. Nott closed his eyes.

 

“I’m glad we were able to rescue you.  I’m sure you’d hate to die in a dark place like that.”

 

Seeing him up close, I knew that he was someone who never gave up hope.

I no longer had the strength to continue holding onto hope.  All I could do was pray.

But I couldn’t help but feel that, just maybe, Nott and the others could reach the star that seemed so out of reach.

When I realized that the Mister Pig accompanying Ms. Jess came from beyond the starry sky, I decided to entrust my final wish to him.