Kagerou Daze V -the deceiving-

Kagerou Daze V -the deceiving- (カゲロウデイズV -the deceiving-) is the fifth light novel volume.

Yobanashi Deceive 0 (夜咄ディセイブ0 Yobanashi Diseibu 0)

 * Shuuya Kano is talking to a mysterious girl who is suspicious of every word he says. He claims that he knows a way to return the girl to her "original body". As the girl continues to grow suspicious, Kano decides to tell her a story based on his personal experience. He swears that it will not bore her.

One Day, on a Roof (或る日の屋上にて Aruhi no Okujō Nite)

 * Ayano Tateyama and Takane Enomoto are together on a school rooftop, waiting for Haruka Kokonose and Shintaro Kisaragi to buy lunches from the canteen. Takane complains to Ayano about Haruka's incompetent behavior and asks her whether she has a guy she likes. As they continue to talk, the two boys return to the rooftop.

Yobanashi Deceive 1 (夜咄ディセイブ1 Yobanashi Diseibu 1)

 * Kano, who is still a child, is living with his mother in a small apartment. As he is covering his injuries from his mother's beating, he goes to a park. He sits down on a bench as he starts to wonder about the actions that always make his mother angry. He starts to think that he is the same as "useless things" and even starts wondering about the value of his existence.


 * Kano sees a few children who are playing in the park with the swings and the horizontal bar. When he sees a girl, young Ayano, playing on the horizontal bar laying on the ground, Kano purposely tries to help her, but trips and adds more injuries to his body. When she asks what he was doing, Kano lies that he was doing a "super skill that can defeat bad guys in one strike". The girl naively believes what Kano says, which left the latter in confusion.


 * After parting ways with the girl, Kano goes to a nearby shop to buy a cup that he broke earlier. As he goes back to his apartment, the door is unlocked. He goes deeper into the house, only to see that his mother is tied and two men are taking her jewelry. Shocked by the event, Kano tries to take the jewelry back since he knew that his mother had worked so hard to get them. However, he is overpowered by the two men. When they almost killed him, his mother took the blow instead. Kano tries to resist back, but he too, is stabbed. He remembers that his mother was trying to say something to him, but he never knew what it was, even today.


 * He comes in contact with the Kagerou Daze, where the snake starts to talk to him. It possesses him, and thus granting him the eye ability, "Deceiving Eyes".

Yobanashi Deceive 2 (夜咄ディセイブ2 Yobanashi Diseibu 2)

 * Two months have passed since Kano's mother disappeared. He is currently living with his relatives, but he sees them as strangers, and vice versa. Kano still misses his mother terribly, but he knows he can't do anything about it, as it would cause trouble. Having nothing to do, Kano thinks about growing up and getting out of the place where he lives his "meaningless" life.


 * Thinking that he might have a cold, Kano goes to the kitchen for medicine. As he goes, Kano thinks about the new environment that he lives in and how different it was compared to when he was with his mother. Arriving at the kitchen, Kano advances towards the cupboard with the medicine. While doing that, Kano notices a set of kitchen knives, one an exact replica of the knife that killed his mother. Kano starts to feel unsteady and, to calm himself down, studies the knife to tell himself that was not the case. As memories of his mother start to creep up, a piercing scream sounded from his aunt, who appears behind him. Taken aback, Kano frantically put the knife back. His aunt does not calm down and instead runs away after stuttering a few words of dread. Overflowing with regret, Kano glares at the knife that had caused him so much trouble. In doing that, Kano notices something horrid on the knife's reflection. Shaken, he frantically rushes to the bathroom and comes upon the mirror, where he stops dead in his tracks. In the place of his reflection was his dead mother.


 * Scared and confused, Kano tries in vain to figure out why his mother was in his place when he looks in the mirror. Kano thinks that at the moment, his aunt might be calling the police after what she saw. With that, Kano continues to try figuring out his situation. After thinking back for a long time, he finally figures that if he thinks of someone, he would turn into them, at least how they looked like. With that thought in mind, Kano tries it out. After 30 seconds, Kano looks in the mirror to find that girl he met at the park is in front of him. Excited that his experiment had worked, Kano decided he would surprise the girl with the 'trick' if he ever meets her again. As he playfully skips in joy around the sink, he hears a sound inside the house. Listening closely, Kano hears his aunt telling a person that someone suspicious is inside the house. Realizing that she is talking about him to the police, Kano tries to turn back to himself. Unsuccessful, Kano worries about what would happen if the police catch him in his current form.


 * Kano decides that hiding is the best option and runs for the shower room. While doing that, he hits his hip somewhere and lets out a cry. The police hear the cry and immediately come for him. Just as when Kano was concluding that his power's existence was about to be revealed and he was stupid for letting it happen, one of the policemen reached out and hoisted him to his feet. Just then, his aunt appears. Kano thinks that "everything" was over at that point, until his aunt just asks what he was doing in the shower, which makes him extremely surprised. Kano then runs to the mirror to see himself. Thinking about it, Kano concludes that "pain" was the one thing that could turn him back to himself, the only thing that could remind him of himself. As Kano painfully laughs at his discovery, he decides to accept his power.

Yobanashi Deceive 3 (夜咄ディセイブ3 Yobanashi Diseibu 3)

 * Kano is being driven to the orphanage after a misunderstanding with his aunt. After the mishap with his power, she had been paranoid and believed that he was the reason "her sister came back to kill her" and decided to cut connections with him. Although Kano isn't sad about leaving his aunt, he feels guilty of causing trouble for his aunt. When they arrived, she explains to him that the orphanage, or the "facility" as Kano calls it, would be a better place for him to live, because he could live with kids his age. However, Kano just views the orphanage as a troublesome "zoo". His aunt then tells him to stay put and leaves to talk to the management of the place.


 * Unprepared for the cold that awaited him, Kano shivers and mentions that he would die. As he thinks to himself about warm things he could have worn before coming, a scarf pops out in front of him. Just as he is about to accept it, he hesitates, before noticing a person had also appeared. After calming himself down from the surprise, Kano analyzes the person, who turns out to be a girl his age. The girl becomes upset, so he reluctantly accepts her scarf. Looking at it carefully, he sadly returns it, in which the girl gives him a rather cross look. He immediately states that the scarf is too expensive to be normally lent to anyone. Kano then shoves the scarf back into her hands, thanking her, only to have it wrapped onto him. When asked why, the girl replies that she watched him for a long time so she knows. He thanks the girl once again.


 * As he warms up, Kano asks the girl what she meant when she said "a long time". The girl groans at the statement, in which Kano forces himself to joke and call her a "ghost". In irony of his expectations, the girl cries. As he is about to apologize to the girl, she disappears, leaving him in confusion. When he turns to look for her, he finds her right next to him again. When she asks if he's thinking that she's a ghost-like he stated, he frantically denies and says that they're friends. She questions him, which in turn he replies that they're the same, but he has no idea how.
 * Looking at how the girl is unimpressed, Kano takes the idea of showing her his power as a desperate plea. Knowing that he can only turn into living things that he has had direct contact with, he decides to turn into the park girl. The girl thinks that his power was cool, much to his relief. He then turns into his mother, at the girl's request.


 * The girl, satisfied with Kano, shakes his hand to confirm their friendship. He hesitated, but went along with the idea. The girl then asks for his name. He tells her, and she tells him "Kido" before being interrupted by his aunt screaming. He remembers he forgot to "turn back", leading to the situation. He turns to Kido and asks her to punch him. He panics, so she slaps him hard, canceling his power.

Yobanashi Deceive 4 (夜咄ディセイブ4 Yobanashi Diseibu 4)

 * Kano is sitting on his bed in room 107 of the orphanage having a "meeting" with the other kids, revealed to be young Seto and Kido, on how to get rid of their nickname as "monsters". All three sit in silence, so Kano tries to spark up the conversation but fails. After more time in silence, Kano gives up in conversing and asks what on earth can they come up with. Seto mumbles sorrowfully, but is cut short by Kido. He then cries, which annoys Kano. As Kido gets distracted, Kano hastens to solve the little conflict between the two but fails once again. He gives up.


 * Kano thought about how when he first arrived in the orphanage with Kido's handmark on his face. He found out that she had come to the orphanage under similar circumstances as him. He also found out they would be in the same room. She would not talk to him, thinking he was some kind of pervert after he made her slap him. He was desperate for his friend not to leave him, so he continually followed her and called her "Kido-san" until she told him "Don't add the -san", which made him extremely happy.


 * On his first time in room 107, he met Seto, who was there waiting. He did not talk much, but one day he spoke for a long time to Kano, as if to cheer him up from Kido's coldness. He told Kano about him being there since birth, him having no friends and was often bullied by the kids at the orphanage, his dog "Hanako" dying just yesteryear, all while crying. As Kano consoled him on those things, he felt a bond between them form. Since he felt more like a friend than Kido, Seto also became a friend for Kano.


 * As time passed, Kido also became more willing to talk to Kano. Kano felt that it was still unnatural, but it is alright. He felt that their lives were alright, but the troubles come a lot, leading to "meeting" like one right at the moment. He thinks that it was sickening to all of them to be called "monsters" and "demons" and to have a sign saying "Monster Room" taped on the door. Seto repeats some of his thoughts, letting Kano know he is using his power. They talk for a moment and Seto's power stops. At the moment, they feel Kido glaring at Seto furiously, which reminds him not to use keigo, Japanese polite copula, something he uses by habit. Seto apologizes while still using keigo, upsetting Kido incredibly, and she comes up to him with a fist formed while angrily telling Seto not to use keigo. Scared, Seto cries while letting out soft screeches. Kano steps in, seeing how the situation is escalating. He tries to calm Kido down, only to receive a sharp glare from her. He thinks of her as a little monster and him as something like Ultraman, making Seto laugh. Kido suspects Kano of saying something to Seto, in which they deny, but Kido punches Kano when Seto accidentally lets out Kano's thought.


 * Kano is pained from the punch, but sits up to look at Kido's expression. She has calmed down and starts to sob, leading Seto to do the same. Kido's eyes start to turn crimson red and she starts to turn transparent. Kano knows about this, its limitation and how they keep her visible, and the trouble it caused, such as one time when she would wander outside the room, causing Seto and him to go look for her for hours. This would make both of them cry with worry. They usually would not find her even till morning, then find her sleeping in their room like nothing happened. Since then, he would look for something to stop her from doing that and calm both Seto and her down.


 * With that, he turns into a cat and both of them go "Wow!". Kano made a gesture that brought large smiles to their faces.

One Day, on the Street (或る日の路上にて Aruhi no Rojō Nite)

 * Kano, disguising as Ayano, is running on the streets, as he feels sad and depressed after Ayano's death. He claims that he had no choice but to "obey the snake" or else the snake would "kill the other two" which are Seto and Kido. He is running too rashly, until he slips and falls. Shortly after, Shintaro finds him, thinking that he is Ayano, since Kano could not control his power and thus could not return to his original form. Shintaro, who did not know about Ayano's death, tries to approach Kano. He thinks "Ayano" is tired because of the supplementary lessons.


 * Finally gathering his composure, Kano shows his disgust to Shintaro for not realizing Ayano's situation before her death.

Yobanashi Deceive 5 (夜咄ディセイブ5 Yobanashi Diseibu 5)

 * Kano thinks about the past few years, about how they could not go to school, Seto running away and coming back the next day, talking about how he found a "cute" girl, how Kido and Seto have learned how to control their power, Seto's speech change, and how everyone except him changed and got along better. Having given all his efforts to live in his new family, Kano thought had been given happiness, until one month before. His foster mother, Ayaka had died, and to him, the world was responsible for it. Frustrated, Kano continually blames the world until Kido comes up to him and ask if he's alright. Hastily, Kano puts on a smile. Kido sees through his actions and tells him to stop using his power. Kano stops and apologizes for worrying her. After that, Kido tells Kano to come eat dinner. Kano obliges and eats a happy dinner he hasn't had in a long time.


 * An unknown amount of time passes, now showing Kano waiting for his sister Ayano at a park. Earlier in the day, Ayano told him she wanted to talk about something at the park. As he thinks about the topics she might discuss, Ayano arrives in her normally cheerful manner. When Kano asks her what she wanted to talk about, she hesitates and starts to look dispirited, which tells him it's something serious. Ayano then begins talking about her mother's death, which surprises Kano. As they sit down to continue talking, Ayano pulls out a notebook with, written in neat handwriting, Investigation Notes Regarding the "Monster". After a moment's hesitation, Ayano asks Kano if he is willing to listen to her. When he answers 'yes', she begins talking about the organization they played as when they were young. She then tells him that her mother had known about the trio's powers from the beginning, when she first fostered them. Ayano cries as she tells him that her mother had tried to save them from their powers. It was then that Kano realized that one of the powers, given to them as a "curse" from the "monster", resides inside Ayano's father.


 * A few months later, Ayano discusses her findings from her investigations on her father and his investigations with Kano. She thinks that it's unbearable that her family and friends have to die so that her father could meet her mother again. She also tells him that the snake inside her father is controlling him and using his body to do unspeakable things, and had also convinced large organizations to help him in his goal. Ayano then tells Kano that she is going to try to talk to that snake and somehow negotiate with it, even though Kano tells her it's a death wish. Ayano reassures Kano that it's okay, that she won't "lose to this kind of enemy, because she's the leader of the Mekakushi Dan." Kano runs after her anyway, crying, as he tries to stop her from going into the Kagerou Daze. His pleas were desperately in vain, as she disappears right before he could get to her. Kano then hears 'that snake' talking to him. The snake tells him that even though its plan failed, it could just start over. It then tells Kano that he would have to start obeying it, starting with being Ayano's corpse, if he doesn't want what's left of his family dead. As Kano laments over the fact, the snake tells him to never forget, it holds everyone's lives on the line.

Today, on the Street (今日という日の路上にて Kyō to Iu Hi no Rojō Nite)

 * Kano is standing on a street, gazing up into the sky as he wonders about Ayano, and even though he has changed, he cannot yet change his surroundings. Seto comes to get him, since Kano went off without telling anyone. The two have an argument, in which Seto says that everyone was worried about him, but Kano lashes it out by shouting out every inch of his feelings. Seto is surprised at the sudden outburst, as Kano falls on his knees and breaks down in tears as he mutters that he wanted someone to notice him, because not even Kido or Seto managed to do so, and moreover, Ayano died alone.


 * Seeing Kano's hidden side, Seto taps his shoulder and promises that they would share the burden together because they are like brothers. After he says that, Kano reminisces the times the two had together at "Room 107" at the orphanage.


 * The two return to the hideout, where Kano is extremely embarrassed for showing his unusual side towards someone else. He plans to tell this story to the others, even though he is scared that everyone might hate him. Seto encourages him that they would never do so. On their way back they meet Takane, who is annoyed by their attitudes. The three, however, become close because of Ayano's previous friendship with the girl.


 * As the two continue to laugh and talk, Kano wishes for Ayano to wait for them, that he would continue "playing" secret organization, and that he would talk to Shintaro.

Afterword: Pulling the Wool Away from Your Eyes (~あとがき『目から鱗の落ちる話』~)

 * To be added.

Illustration
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Trivia

 * The English translations localize mentions of keigo, Japanese honorifics, to Seto making apologies or simply omitting it.