Kagerou Daze III -the children reason-

Kagerou Daze III -the children reason-
	Original; English;
Name
Kanji	カゲロウデイズIII -the children reason-
Rōmaji	Kagerō Deizu III -the children reason-
English	Kagerou Daze III -The Children Reason-
Novel Information
Volume	3
Author	Jin (Shizen no Teki-P)
Illustrations	Sidu
Release date	May 30, 2013 (Japanese); January 26, 2016 (English)
	Novel Guide
Kagerou Daze II -a headphone actor-	Kagerou Daze IV -the missing children-

Kagerou Daze III -the children reason- (カゲロウデイズIII -the children reason-) is the third light novel volume.

Spoiler Warning: Plot and/or ending details follow

Summary[]

Konoha's World Situation (Konoha no Sekai Jijou) (コノハの世界事情 Konoha no Sekai Jijō)[]

Konoha observes his surroundings, but he can't sense the world in any other way. As he "converses" with an unknown being, he watches a girl staggering across a crosswalk as the traffic signal flashes. He tries to push the girl aside, but he merely passes through her body. As he laments his powerlessness, the girl is run over, and a scream is heard. His view of the scene blurs, and then he discovers that his body stopped existing. The unknown being once again speaks to him, telling him that his existence is supported not by himself. Konoha, acknowledging this, makes a request to the unknown being before wishing to himself that he could reach out to "that girl who kicked my dumb ass all the time."

Kagerou Daze 01 (カゲロウデイズ01 Kagerō Deizu 01)[]

Hibiya muses to himself as he rides the bus from school to his home in the country. He expresses his disdain at how his parents see big-city life, and wonders if he could get away with buying himself a cell phone despite not knowing much about them himself. As he wonders who he could ask about getting a cell phone, he thinks of Hiyori.

He continues to think about Hiyori and her personality - that she is moody, but very cute and extremely popular with boys her age (Hibiya included). He notes how he himself is the 'ultimate Asahina fan', dismissing the futility of other boys who try to strike up a conversation with her. Suddenly, Hibiya is snapped out of his thoughts as the bus reaches its destination. As per his routine, he scrambles to show his bus pass to the driver, but finds that it's missing. He begins to panic, but the driver lets him off, saying that he trusted the boy.

When he returns home, Hibiya spends hours finishing his work on sewing a "Talking Hiyori Doll" that he has been working on for more than three months. Inside the doll is a small tape recorder with voice samples of Asahina that Hibiya has collected over the past few weeks. Just as he is about to sew the final stitch into the doll, his mother yells out that he has a phone call. The sudden sound makes him lose his concentration and pierce his sewing needle through the doll, suddenly causing him to imagine a horrific scenario where Hiyori, with a thick iron rod pierced through her, dies in his arms. After he recovers, he answers the phone call, and he is surprised to hear that Asahina is on the other line.

Asahina expresses that she has a "business transaction" to discuss with him. She apparently found his missing bus pass in the school hallway, but Hibiya, remembering that an embarrassing picture of Hiyori was in the bus pass, denies his ownership of the pass despite his name being plastered on it. But instead of being disgusted as he expected, Asahina says that she'll "fulfill his passionate feelings" on the condition that they go to the city together without telling their parents during summer vacation. Hibiya, thinking she had seen the image, misunderstands her, but she merely wanted to go in order to get an autograph from a famous 16 year-old idol, who is a student of her older sister's husband.

Realizing that the trip is for nothing else but the autograph, Hibiya expresses doubt that she'll fulfill his "wish". Confused, she asks if he didn't want a cell phone, noting the flyer advertisement for a cell phone in his bus pass case. Hibiya, realizing the image wasn't in the bus pass, realizes Hiyori hadn't seen image and that she had been referring to something entirely different to what he was thinking. After he works out the misunderstanding, he quickly agrees to Asahina's request.

Children Record 1 (チルドレンレコード1 Chirudoren Rekōdo 1)[]

Shintaro watches a stretcher loading into an ambulance. He tries to chase after the vehicle for the sake of Ene's desperate request, but concedes that his legs would temporarily be useless due to the fact that he only uses them when he goes to the bathroom. While envisaging to what is up with her mind, he discloses that he will never understand. When he finally reaches the hospital, Ene orders Shintaro to leave his phone with a person he did not know at all. He comprehends that her behavior is ridiculous. After reflecting on the confusion of the past two days, he resolves to return to his old life after he got his phone back.

The unknown person appears beside Shintaro, surprising him. When Shintaro questions Ene regarding the man, the cybergirl glares at him, which astounds him as he is used to her playful attitude. As Shintaro comments on her mistake and her interfering, Ene snaps at him. Apologizing for being the cause of her attitude, the white-haired youth tells Shintaro that when they were talking, Ene told him things like ‘I miss you’ and ‘I thought you were dead’, but he didn't know what she was talking about. After Shintaro returns his attention to Ene, the two fire insults at each other until noises of metal falling could be heard from the examination room. Shintaro rushes into the room, finding the boy who was on the stretcher on the ground.

On closer examination, the boy, seeming to be around 11, was struggling to lift himself. Shintaro tries to lend a hand but the effort is in vain as the boy slaps it away. While muttering about trying to get to a girl named Hiyori, the kid escapes the hospital with tears in his eyes but not before sending a deadly glare towards the white-haired man. Arguing boisterously regarding the runaway child, Ene and Shintaro waste precious seconds giving the kid time to get as far away as possible. Shintaro turns to the man, who asks for assistance in chasing the boy, revealed to be Hibiya. The man picks him up, then uses superpowered leaps to find the boy, aggravating Shintaro's stomach. When Shintaro looks up at the man, he is distracted by the man's eye color, which reminds him of the Mekakushi Dan. His attention is returned to Hibiya after Ene's urging.

As Hibiya gets away, Shintaro resorts to calling Momo to stop the young boy. After catching to the captured boy, he explains the situation to Momo, allowing the boy to slip out. The boy insults Momo, enraging her, but after being prompted by Shintaro, he explains that a girl might have died. Hibiya then turns to the white-haired man and blames him for watching the girl die but not doing anything. The man tries to explain his inability to help, but he is dazed by the accusations. Hibiya walks off, then collapses, but he is caught by an invisible Kido.

Kido explains that the boy had red eyes, which marked an ability acquisition, and that they needed to bring him to the hideout. The man, revealed to be Konoha, is told to come along as the group needed information on the situation. Ene, acting differently, asks Shintaro if they could return home, but is refused. Shintaro questions her behavior, but fails to get at the crux of the matter, and Ene quickly returns to her usual behavior.

Kagerou Daze 02 (カゲロウデイズ02 Kagerō Deizu 02)[]

During a train ride to the city, Hibiya is enthralled by the view of the city, much to the annoyance of Hiyori. After an awkward conversation, Hibiya recounts the events before he met up with Hiyori, which included staying up in the hallway to wait for calls from Hiyori and a long negotiation with his parents to allow a trip to the city. He is jolted from his thoughts with a reminder from Hiyori about getting off the train. When they finally get off, Hibiya is surprised by the city and ends up constantly embarrassing himself.

When the duo finally reach Hiyori's relative's house, they are greeted by a young, white-haired man. Hiyori immediately develops a crush on the man, and Hibiya, noticing this, angrily questions the man, to which he responds in a way that validates his being in the house. The man introduces himself as Konoha. Hibiya, desperate to turn Hiyori's attention away from Konoha, suggests that Konoha might've been trespassing, but Hiyori, infatuated, refuses to consider Hibiya's statement and proceeds to walk inside. Hibiya, jealous, glares at Konoha as he follows Hiyori into the house.

Children Record 2 (チルドレンレコード2 Chirudoren Rekōdo 2)[]

Sometime before 9 pm at the hideout, the Mekakushi Dan relax after eating dinner. After Kido finishes washing the dishes, she lugs a sleeping Momo off the coach and into another room. Konoha, sitting on couch, falls asleep, and Shintaro, watching him, notes that Hibiya and Ene had some sort of history with him. Shintaro turns to his phone and watches Ene get into a futon. The remaining three conscious members of the group (Kido, Shintaro, and Ene) talk about Konoha and Hibiya before addressing the subject of Hibiya's ability and the group's eye powers. As the mood turns more serious, Shintaro grows more uncomfortable about why he was asking more about the group, thinking that he didn't have anything to do with the Mekakushi Dan. However, he was stopped in his thoughts with the feeling that someone was asking if he was running away again. As he is visibly affected, Kido asks about his state. Shintaro reassures Kido before prompting her to begin her explanation.

Kido explains her ability, the 'Concealing Eyes', then reveals her past, her death and a vision of a huge mouth swallowing her, and her ability acquisition. She reveals that her sister, who died with her, had disappeared, and that Kano and Seto had similar situations. Shintaro, remembering Momo, tells Kido that Momo had drowned in the sea with their father, but her father could not be found despite search parties being sent out. Shintaro and Kido piece together that everyone who gained an ability might have been swallowed by a mouth and everyone had died with someone else, who mysteriously disappeared. Shintaro realizes that Hiyori might have disappeared because Hibiya had gained an ability, and remembers that Hibiya had mentioned that Konoha had been there when Hibiya's incident occurred. Kido, excited, goes to wake Konoha up, but Shintaro stops her, telling her that they should continue the topic the next day.

Kido leaves the coaches for her own room, leaving Shintaro alone. After placing a blanket on Konoha, he searches for a light switch to turn off the lights in the room. Marry walks into the room, suspicious of his actions, but they clear up the misunderstanding, and Marry returns to her room. As Shintaro lies on the sofa in a now dark room, he thinks about his encounter with the Mekakushi Dan, falling asleep.

In his dreams, he speaks to an unknown being, different from the one in the beginning of the story. The being asks Shintaro about his new friends, noting how he's been having fun in the past few days. The unknown being then asks Shintaro to say his/her name, to which Shintaro fails to respond.

Shintaro jolts up shocked, and surprises Momo with his awakening. Momo turns on the lights, and Shintaro explains that he woke up due to a dream. Momo urges Shintaro to go to sleep, and he agrees, before explaining to Kano that Momo acted differently from how he tried to portray her. Kano deactivates his ability, and Shintaro questions his motives. Kano, dodging the subject, turns away from Shintaro and tells him that he might have been forgetting something important. Shintaro angrily responds, clearly still affected by the dream before, but Kano does not cease his provoking. When Shintaro stands up and turns Kano to face him, the light flickers, and he is greeted with the sight of Ayano.

Shintaro starts to break down, and Kano, disguised as Ayano, asks Shintaro if he had forgotten her. Shintaro is overwhelmed, and Kano, as Ayano, gives a farewell. The lights flicker, and Kano is shown to have disappeared. Shintaro, affected heavily, collapses on his hands and knees and cries, thinking about how the events which had just unfolded were his punishment for never reaching out to Ayano when he had the chance. He starts to apologize, despite there being no one in his vicinity that he could apologize to.

Kagerou Daze 03 (カゲロウデイズ03 Kagerō Deizu 03)[]

Hiyori and Hibiya visit a cemetery after shopping in a supermarket. Hibiya, heavily affected by Hiyori's diminishing attention toward him, reminisces about how he failed to get a cell phone and was forced to stay with Konoha. Hibiya asks why they were visiting a cemetery, so Hiyori reveals that that day was the anniversary of her sister's death. As they approach the grave, they see a boy clad in a black hoodie standing in front of the grave. Hiyori questions the boy, who professes that Hiyori's sister was a major part of his life. After the boy leaves, Hibiya and Hiyori pay their respects. As Hibiya follows the ritualistic tradition, he thinks about how Hiyori's sister was.

After they exit the cemetery, Hibiya follows Hiyori to do more shopping. Hiyori buys a gift for Konoha and passes a small box to Hibiya. Hibiya, initially ecstatic at receiving a gift from her, creeping out Hiyori, opens the box to be greeted by a terrible smell. Hibiya questions Hiyori, which allows him to realize that he was merely being harassed. As they turn toward the road that would lead them home, Hiyori spots a black cat. The duo chase the cat, but when they finally catch up to it in a park, Hibiya notices the crimson red eyes the cat has and senses a primal danger. He warns Hiyori, who in her surprise, lets the cat go. Hiyori, frustrated by losing the cat, starts verbally abusing Hibiya, asking him why he even cared to be worried about her and wishing aloud that she had Konoha with her instead of Hibiya. Hibiya tries to respond by telling her his feelings, but Hiyori, realizing his intentions, walks away.

As Hiyori walks away, she encounters Konoha at the park gate, and surprised, she asks him when he had been around them. Konoha hesitantly reveals that he had been around them for a while as he was worried about the two due to them not alerting him where they were going. Hiyori, panicked, asks him if he had heard the earlier conversation with Hibiya, to which he affirms. Hiyori runs from Konoha, out of the park and into the street. Hibiya runs after her, and noticing the red traffic light lit, he desperately tries to warn her. He lunges after Hiyori as a truck advances, but fails to reach her in time.

Moonshine Recital (Otsukimi Recital) (オツキミリサイタル Otsukimi Risaitaru)[]

In her dreams, Momo happily springs around a meadow before falling. She hears Hibiya mocking her, telling her that she was a cow. Hibiya flashes a hand mirror toward Momo, revealing that she was indeed a cow.

Momo wakes up screaming from her dream and finds out that she was on a bed with Kido next to her. First confused by the situation, she remembers what she had fallen asleep on the couch and is embarrassed. She then remembers her dream and then starts to blame Hibiya for her nightmare. She then remembers how Hibiya collapsed and had gained his ability. She exits the room after she finishes thinking and goes into the shower. Hibiya interrupts her shower, asking for his vest, mentioning that there was something important in the vest. Momo, feeling vindictive, goes through his vest pockets before bursting through the door and begging for the small keychain.

After Momo left the shower, Hibiya tries to escape the hideout, so Momo pursues him. After a little while, Hibiya allows Momo to accompany him, telling her how he was trapped in another world after the traffic accident, forced to watch his friend die over and over again before being spat out into the real world. Hibiya speaks about how needed to save his friend, to which Momo offers her help. After Hibiya presents a hypothetical case if they couldn't save his friend, but Momo, determined, replies that she'd stick with him as long as she needed to. This causes both of them to be embarrassed, but the exchange is interrupted by the unconscious activation of Hibiya's ability.

Hibiya seeing things that regarded Momo and accurately describes them. Momo, embarrassed again, realizes that Hibiya has 'remote vision' ability. After his ability deactivates, Hibiya realizes that he might be able to use his ability to find Hiyori. As they try to figure out how to use the ability, a woman walks by, the wind flipping up her skirt. Hibiya watches, transfixed, but suddenly, his ability reactivates, allowing him to see things that related to the woman. Momo concludes that Hibiya could see places and things related to someone by looking at them. As Momo tells her hypothesis to Hibiya, her teacher, Mr. Tateyama, appears with his car, first asking Momo if the two were on a date, then telling the two if they had somewhere to go to, he could give them a ride. Hibiya requests to go to the park where the accident occurred.

As they ride in the car, Momo thinks about Hibiya's ability before turning to him. She is surprised to see Hibiya's eyes glowing red staring at a bikini-clad woman on a magazine. She takes the magazine and promptly smacks Hibiya with it, causing Mr. Tateyama to comment, thinking that Momo was jealous of the woman on the magazine. While Momo struggles to clear up the misunderstanding with the limited amount of information she could reveal, they arrive at the park. He drops the duo off, then after a few waves, drives away.

After failing to find any traces of Hiyori in the park, they try to use Hibiya's ability to find anything regarding Hiyori. After trying for several hours, Momo requests if they could try again the next day. Hibiya refuses angrily, and Momo, remembering that the case they were in was urgent, watches Hibiya silently. Frustrated by his power, he starts to cry, and then starts to leave, saying that he should be trying to search for clues alone. Momo desperately makes a proposition that he could wait for the Mekakushi Dan to help him, but he refuses, walking away. Hibiya then notices a paper bag on the ground, remembering that Hiyori had bought it before her death. He collapses, despairing at the situation, but Momo firmly tells him that he couldn't give up. She then remembers that Hibiya's ability activated when he was looking at the porn magazine, and after questioning Hibiya, who claimed that he couldn't see anything, realizes that looking at objects would cause him to see the owner. She concludes that Hibiya's ability activated on the magazine, but due to Mr. Tateyama already being there, didn't alter his vision.

Momo tells Hibiya her revelation, who opens the bag to find a hairband. He concentrates on the hair band, but to no avail. Momo then realizes that she had been suppressing her ability by herself the entire day and realizes that she now had control over her ability. She takes the hair clip from Hibiya, tells Hibiya to focus on her, then lifting the band in the air, she activates her ability on it. Suddenly, the park brightens with light, which causes Hibiya to comment on how it made her seem like an idol. Hibiya's ability activates on the band, and Momo looks up into the sky at the moon, thinking about her status as an idol, embarrassed.

Kagerou Daze IV (カゲロウデイズIV Kagerō Deizu IV)[]

Two beings converse, not revealed. The first talks about how he had taken a liking to the second, then talks to them about eyes, reassuring them that there would be others with 'eyes'. The second being asks the first how they could find them, to which the second responds that they would have bright red eyes, saying that it was the color of a hero. The first being continues, telling the second to not forget about her to which the second responds that they wouldn't. The second being asks about the red scarf the first being owned, to which the first gives an unclear answer. They part, saying they would see each other again.

Overture to Closure (Kaien Panzermast) (カイエンパンザマスト Kaien Panzamasuto)[]

As Momo carries Hibiya back to the hideout, Hibiya asks if the Mekakushi Dan would really help him. Momo affirms, stating that they were friends. As they decide how they would introduce Hibiya to the group, the decide on Hibiya's ability name, coming up with 'Focusing Eyes'. When they enter, they see Marry sewing a huge hole in Konoha's shirt and Kido reading a handwritten book. Kido, taking notice, hastily greets them before telling them that 'Operation: Conquer Kagerou Daze' is underway. Hibiya turns to a confused Momo about the help that she had promised him. The book ends with Momo commenting that the operation would mark the Mekakushi Dan's final mission, or the final time she would be with any of its members.

Fake Afterword (ニセがき)[]

To be added.

Afterword: A Sight for Sore Eyes (~あとがき『目に余る話』~)[]