Kizumonogatari Part 3: Reiketsu (傷物語〈Ⅲ冷血篇〉)

April 6th

April 6th

Is that...?

Yes, it's what you think it is.

Heart-Under-Blade's arms are inside.

I see.

Hmm?

Ah. I get what you want to say.

"I'm surprised that Guillotinecutter fellow actually held up his end of the bargain", right?

That's quite a grudge you got there.

Well, it's understandable.

In Guillotinecutter's defence, though,

unlike the other two, he does this out of a sense of duty.

Well, at any rate, now you've retrieved all of the limbs.

Congratulations, Araragi.

Whoa there, Araragi.

I'm congratulating you.

What's with the displeasure written all over your face?

However the means,

the completion of one's objectives should be a matter of pleasure.

But you, on the other hand, are emitting an aura one might find at a wake.

There's something I don't quite get,

Oshino.

Guillotinecutter,

not to mention

Dramaturgy and Episode,

together they

made away with Kiss-shot's arms and legs.

But going up against them was me,

a guy whose entire combat experience can be chalked up to tussling with his little sisters.

If you look at it objectively, my defeat was all but inevitable.

So how the hell

did it end up like this?

Were they just overly weak,

or was I...

just overwhelmingly powerful?

The answer's both.

From their point of view, you appeared insurmountably strong.

And from your point of view they were, of course, underwhelming pushovers.

Because after all,

the infamous, the one and only

Kiss-shot Acerola-Orion Heart-Under-Blade

has but a single kin.

But that can't be the only reason—

That is the reason.

I'm trying to say that if that is the reason, it doesn't make any sense!

If you look at it under those assumptions,

it doesn't add up.

Flashback

Flashback

If I achieved so much as her kin,

then she herself operating at full power,

Annihilation

Annihilation

even if they were working together,

Annihilation

Annihilation

should've been able to mop the floor with them.

Annihilation

But what if I were to tell you that at that time

Heart-Under-Blade wasn't operating at full power?

That changes things, does it not?

Well I was planning on giving it to you whether you probed me or not,

but I'm glad you did ask.

The conversation flows much more smoothly this way.

Araragi.

You're quite perceptive, every now and then.

This is the heart of Kiss-shot Acerola-Orion Heart-Under-Blade.

She was not in possession of that heart

when she did battle with those vampire hunters.

Given that fact, it wasn't all that improbable that she lost her limbs.

She doesn't know,

does she?

Probably not.

She only thinks she lost her extremities.

I see.

So that's how it went.

I thought he was one sly bastard,

that Guillotinecutter.

But I never would have guessed he snatched out her heart as well.

Nah, that ain't it, Araragi.

The one who stole her heart

wasn't Guillotinecutter.

Then who did?

Me.

I took great care

in stealthily extracting her heart.

You're...

capable of such a feat?

Sure am.

So that means,

even if she got all her limbs back,

Kiss-shot couldn't regain

her full strength, right?

Yeah, that's right.

So you were

meant to have to take back her heart from me after all that.

You were to fight me as your fourth opponent.

And, in doing so, an equilibrium would have been struck.

You!?

Fight you?

Meant to, yes.

But I'm not inclined to anymore.

I mean, I've already given you back the heart.

I'm really sorry

about what happened to your Class Prez.

It's quite rare that an ordinary person would get involved

in a case to such an extent.

Normally, people run away from oddities.

That girl actually has a bit of a grasp on the real situation, doesn't she?

And with that,

all the parts that Kiss-shot Acerola-Orion Heart-Under-Blade had lost

have been reclaimed.

That is to say, now you can become human again.

Let me congratulate you once again.

Feel free to rejoice.

Ah, that reminds me.

This is just out of curiosity,

but have you had any hunger pangs recently?

Uh, no.

I think I mentioned this before,

but ever since I became a vampire and acquired immortality,

I haven't had much of an appetite at all.

That may be,

but sooner or later I think you'll get hungry.

It has been two weeks, after all.

It must've been rough, eh?

Well then, Araragi.

After you're a human again,

do be careful as to avoid any rash decisions.

After a person makes contact with an oddity,

it's easier for them to encounter one again.

Be careful.

Oi, what are you on about?

You make it sound like you're leaving for good.

I am leaving.

My job's done.

I did make quite a mess of it, though.

But what's transpired has transpired, what's done is done.

Ah.

Before I forget, Araragi.

About that two million you owe me,

and the extra three million for Class Prez,

let's call it even.

Don't glare at me like that,

I'm not pulling a fast one.

This just sets my mind at ease.

If a balance has been reached, I'm not gonna rock the boat.

So on that note,

give my regards to Class Prez.

What's his deal?

Kizumonogatari

The Cold-blooded

arsfugal™

Yahoo!

Yahoo!

I'm back!

I'm back, baby!

Kiss-shot.

About Oshino,

he left in the afternoon.

And what about it?

I was just wondering.

Shouldn't you be angry about your heart?

I care not. Not at all.

I shall overlook it.

I mean, who gives a shit!

Uh, Kiss-shot.

I'm sorry to rain on your parade,

but if it's okay with you,

I'd rather become human again as soon as possible.

Ah.

'Tis understandable.

Fret not.

I shall return thy humanity.

However, dear servant,

before we get to that,

shall we have a chat?

Now then,

what shall we discuss?

You didn't have something you wanted to talk about?

I suppose the way I phrased it was not quite right.

I did not have any one thing I wanted to converse about,

but rather I merely wanted to hold a conversation; the subject matters not.

And is doing that something which is essential

in turning me back into a human?

Is it vital.

To me, at least.

Well,

you've lived for over 500 years.

I'm sure there's lots for you to talk about.

There is nothing exciting, really.

My life has been one of fighting to the death with people such as those three.

At a fundamental level, it has been quite a tedious 500 years.

Now then, what shall we discuss

Now then, what shall we discuss

Now then, what shall we discuss

Now then, what shall we discuss

Now then, what shall we discuss

Now then, what shall we discuss