Omake 57: Myth – Madness

Warning, this is important: I don’t have time today to write a full chapter since I am dealing with a water-related issue back at home. More details in the AN at the end of the Omake.

“You know, I have met a John like you, but he is a ninja.”

I could only blink at this statement as I finished clearing up another room in the manor so that our newest guest could use it as her room. Ame had gotten well accustomed to her new home, happily strolling around with Giorno following closely behind while going through a few amusing adventures that didn’t get too… troublesome.

She also came a long way into mastering her peculiar powers, to the point that, unconsciously so, she ended up ‘yanking’ part of the eldritch entity that had provided her the means to trigger this time-control power.

So, here the cause stood, looking as innocent as she could get as a young child with dark-violet hair with bulbous yellow edges. She wore a lavender short skirt with spats, matched by a dull-purple half-sleeved shirt with ribbons. Violet-blue eyes glowed with fascination as she happily walked beside me during the tedious task of providing her with a proper accommodation during her stay.

After all, poor Inanis Ninomae, or Ina for short, had no home to go back to, and this place lacked a fitting location for her to live independently from others. It also didn’t help that the entity was a child and that her connection with her ‘God’ had been curbed during the process that led her to this world.

It was a bit of a lucky occurrence as I doubted the advent of an Eldritch God would have been a pleasant event to deal with. Also, Ina was quite tame compared to a certain blonde ‘detective’. Ame was a polite child, but nonetheless a trouble-seeker due to her inherent attraction to crimes that needed to be solved. She was quite intrigued by the Jack the Ripper’s case, but was unable to find any trace of what happened to this world’s Jack due to… well, me.

Meanwhile Ina was a polite child and… nothing else. Quite introverted, a lover of drawing as a hobby and had a fascination for mystical realms- the kind of fascination which led her to appear in such an inhuman form. Right now, her comment raised a brow from me, perplexing me with that amused tone and intrigued gaze as she wondered for one thing I believe she was suspecting of me. She knew I wasn’t who I said I was.

“Oh? How’s Konoha then?”

“Growing strong, big bro John there is helping a lot, but doesn’t want to wear that pretty red hat,” Ina argued. “While now, uncle John is happy with holding power. Why?”

“Hmm,” I hummed, not entirely sure what she was talking about just yet. “Well, ‘big bro’ may have had some reason to not take that sort of power. After all, being Hokage means more than just being the strongest.”

“He would fit well with it,” The girl pressed. “Just like you are with this power.”

“Circumstances may be different, dear. Maybe he sees something which makes him unwilling to take that much power to himself. Being a leader may be a task that requires capacity, but it also requires genuine willingness to be tested through not so pleasant activities during their leadership. And that’s a burden not many would want to take.

“You took it,” Ina argued and I nodded.

“I did, but why did I do it? Power? Money? Because I was the only one for the job?” I threw so many false questions and then backed off, dropping the truth. “There are times when there’s no genuine choice. Not in the manner of having no way out of a situation, but rather having something from within that tells you ‘I have to do it because I can do it and because I know what to do’. People think this is… simple. Being a leader is just leading and being a model- but it’s more than that. It’s twice a normal job because you lead and you survive. Fail one of these two and you are a bad leader.”

…

“The room is clear, Ina. I suppose you want to-”

I paused, the child suddenly clinging at my leg and I could only sigh when I turned to see her pout a bit while hugging the limb.

“...Do you want to walk with me? I have a few businesses to attend to, but I doubt anyone would mind you being around.”

A soft nod came through and the girl allowed me to pick her up as I went through my daily life with a little Eldritch entity latching on my chest, gaining the attention and the curious looks of the many individuals that wondered what kind of peculiar creature I gained the trust of now.

Oh well, let them stare. They weren’t getting any hugs from Ina anyway.