Have a Safe Trip, God | Good Morning Girlfriend #206
Even in the week the world ends, morning still comes.
That was the same for the gods as well.
The sky cracks, the sea surges, the wolf chases the sun, and the serpent constricts the earth.
Poets called that day the end.
Warriors called that day the promised battlefield.
The gods knew that day as something unavoidable.
However, every end has a morning.
There is a steaming cup.
There is a slightly disheveled collar.
There are shoes yet to be worn.
One word left unsaid breathes just before the front door.
Mythology does not go that far.
This is the story of the seven mornings someone saw off before the gods headed toward their destruction.
Monday: Tsukiko and Odin
Monday morning was quiet.
Outside the window, the wind blew as it had before the world began to break.
Beyond the thin clouds, the sun was vaguely white, illuminating the walls of the room in a pale light.
Tsukiko was waiting in front of the entrance.
Her long black hair was neatly groomed, and behind her wine-red round glasses, her blue eyes were looking a little far away. She reached out toward the collar of the man standing at the entrance.
The man had one eye.
He wore a deep cloak, and the scent of travel was soaked into his shoulders.
Behind him, two ravens perched like shadows, and at his feet, the presence of a wolf settled like a future that did not yet have a name.
"Six fifty-eight."
Tsukiko said, adjusting the knot of his tie.
"The wind is from the northwest. The temperature is low. ...It's going to be rough today."
The man laughed.
"I know."
His voice was low, like a sound echoing from the bottom of a forest.
"In that case, isn't there an option not to go?"
Tsukiko said that, but she wasn't blaming him.
She just said it as if laying out the facts.
The man lowered his eyes just a little.
"Knowing something and running away from it are different things."
He knew everything.
That he would be swallowed by the wolf.
That his wisdom could not save the world completely.
That being a king would, in the end, be no shield at all.
Tsukiko stopped her hands.
"...I see."
She didn't ask anything more than that.
She adjusted his collar one last time, then pulled her hands away from his chest.
"Seven o'clock sharp."
Her blue eyes looked straight at him.
"You won't be late, will you?"
Odin headed toward the door.
Tsukiko said quietly to his back.
"Have a safe trip."
He did not look back.
However, just before stepping out of the entrance, he paused for a brief moment.
As if to commit those words to memory before the end of the world.
Tuesday: Sun and Thor
Tuesday morning was noisy.
Even though it was still morning, thunder rumbled deep within the clouds.
The cup in the room trembled slightly, and the window glass groaned low.
Hi stood in the middle of the entryway.
Her short dark brown hair bounced softly, and her orange-brown eyes were brighter than the thunder outside. She stood with her hands on her hips, looking up at the giant man before her.
The man was huge.
His arms were like rocks, and the morning light was tangled in his red beard.
A hammer in his hand.
On his shoulders, he carried the simple, straightforward weight that only those accustomed to battle possess.
"You look incredibly energetic today!"
Hi laughed.
"But your eyes look a little sleepy. Did you get enough sleep?"
Thor laughed heartily.
"This is no time for sleeping."
"That's exactly what sleep-deprived people always say!"
Hi said this, and then tightened the leather strap wrapped around his wrist.
Thor looked outside.
From the direction of the sea, there was a sense of something massive writhing.
The serpent that coils around the world was waiting with its mouth open.
It wasn't about whether he could win.
It was about whether he would fight.
Thor had no hesitation.
He simply knew.
He would strike down the serpent.
And then, he would fall to its poison.
He would win, and yet, he would not be able to return.
"Hey."
Hi lowered her voice just a little.
"If you win, you can hold your head high, okay?"
Thor looked at her.
Even if you collapse?
Yeah.
Hi nodded without hesitation.
Because you're going to win, right?
The way she said it was so straightforward that Thor was speechless for a moment.
Hi looked at the tips of her shoes and pointed at his feet.
Can you go?
I can go.
Then, alright!
She raised one hand high and smiled just like she did in the morning.
Have a safe trip, Thor!
The God of Thunder opened the door.
His back was broad, and he was looking only straight ahead. Neither the serpent's venom nor the end nine steps away could stop his feet.
Hi kept her hand raised for a little while even after the door had closed.
Then, she counted softly.
One step. Two steps. Three steps.
The morning was not over yet.
Wednesday: Shizuku and Baldr
Wednesday morning had too much light.
The white light streaming through the gap in the curtains stretched long across the floor. It was too gentle, and somehow, it was frightening.
Shizuku had her hands clasped in front of the entrance.
Her dark, bluish hair swayed loosely around her shoulders, and her amber eyes were gently looking up at the young man before her.
The young man was beautiful.
Only around him did the contours of the world soften.
Trees, stones, iron, beasts, and even sickness—everything swore not to harm him.
A light that everyone wanted to protect.
A morning that no one wanted to lose.
Baldur.
He was smiling.
However, Shizuku saw a small tremor deep within that smile.
“...Are you afraid?”
She asked reservedly.
Baldur narrowed his eyes just a little.
“Is it strange to say I’m afraid?”
“It’s not strange at all.”
Shizuku said immediately.
“I think it’s okay for someone protected by everyone to be afraid.”
Baldur remained silent.
The whole world protected him.
His mother’s wish reached everything.
However, there was one small branch it did not reach.
Mistletoe.
Something that looked too young, too thin, and too harmless.
Something no one paid any attention to.
That was enough to extinguish the light of the gods.
Shizuku touched his hand.
“Take your time.”
"Do you know where you're heading?"
"Yeah."
Shizuku nodded.
"Even if I know, and even if I'm scared, I'm here right now."
Baldr's fingertips trembled slightly.
Light is not always strong.
The more one is protected, the more one knows the darkness that remains when that protection is lost.
Every time she was protected, she felt as if the darkness that would remain after she was lost grew just a little bit more.
Shizuku let go of his hand and smiled slightly.
"Have a safe trip, Baldr."
He headed toward the door.
The morning light overlapped with his back.
It was so bright that Shizuku squinted for a moment.
Just before the door closed, Baldr looked back.
"If the light should fade..."
Shizuku shook her head.
"I believe you'll come back."
She didn't know if those words reached him.
But that morning, there was definitely light in the entryway.
Thursday: Rinka and Heimdall
Thursday morning was tense.
The air was thin.
Even though nothing had happened yet, it smelled as if everything had already occurred.
Rinka was leaning against the wall in the entryway with her arms crossed.
The tips of her black wolf-cut bob hair flicked outward, and her amber eyes looked at the person before her at an angle.
The man standing in front of her wore white armor and held a horn in his hand.
Heimdall.
The guardian standing at the edge of the world.
The one who sees further than anyone, and hears the smallest of anomalies better than anyone.
His eyes were not looking at the front door, but at a place far beyond it.
The rainbow bridge.
The approaching giants.
The cracking sky.
The horn that must be sounded.
Rinka looked at his feet.
"You still haven't put your shoes on properly."
Heimdall lowered his gaze, looking slightly surprised.
One of his shoelaces was slightly loose.
"...You noticed that?"
"And you, you can notice the end of the world, but you can't see your own shoelaces?"
Rinka said this and crouched down.
With a blunt touch, she tied the shoelace.
Not too tight, not too loose.
So that he could walk.
So that he could stand.
Heimdall looked down at her in silence.
"Do you know what I am going to do?"
"Of course I do."
Rinka stood up.
"You're going to blow the horn, right? To let everyone know the end is here."
"It is not to run away."
"I know."
Rinka looked away.
"It's to fight, isn't it?"
Heimdall's mouth moved slightly.
A lonely guardian.
The one who knows the end sooner than anyone else.
The one who never leaves the bridge until the very end, even though it would be no surprise if he were the first to tremble.
Rinka let out a small sigh.
"You've been watching all this time, haven't you?"
"That is correct."
"Then, today, why don't you be the one being watched?"
For the first time, Heimdall looked straight at her.
Rinka's cheeks flushed slightly, and she raised one hand.
It was a small, awkward farewell.
"...Have a safe trip, Heimdall."
The hand holding the horn tightened just a little bit.
The door opened.
Beyond it, the end of the world was drawing a breath.
Heimdall walked out.
Rinka did not look away until the door closed.
Friday: Runa and Freya
Friday morning was a little more vibrant than usual.
On the table, there was a flower, though no one knew who had placed it there.
Golden light streamed in through the window, and something like the lingering scent of a small festival drifted in the corner of the room.
Runa was swaying restlessly in the entryway.
Her golden ponytail bounced, and her green eyes sparkled.
The goddess standing before her was beautiful.
Freya.
The goddess of love, beauty, war, and magic.
A goddess who can say she wants what she wants.
Yet, a goddess who knows the pain of loss just as much as the abundance of what she possesses.
There were traces of tears on her cheeks.
The tears fell to the floor and turned into golden grains.
Luna saw this and her eyes went wide.
"Isn't it unfair that even after crying, you're still beautiful?"
Freya smiled just a little.
"It's hard to tell if you're comforting me or teasing me."
"Both!"
Luna answered immediately.
"Because you're not the type of person who just ends things by crying, right?"
Freya remained silent.
She had continued to lose things.
She searched for her husband, called his name, shed tears, and yet never abandoned love.
She stood on the battlefield, wielded magic, and kept reaching for what she desired.
Only those who know what it is to lose understand the weight of choosing anyway.
Luna adjusted Freya's hair ornament slightly.
"It's Friday."
"And?"
"There's something nice about the day before the weekend. It's a day where you're allowed to be a little excited, even if it's before the end."
Freya narrowed her eyes at those words.
"Even before the end of the world?"
"Yeah."
Luna smiled.
"Because it's before the end, all the more reason."
The goddess picked up one of the golden tears that had fallen to the floor.
"Do you think crying for love is a sign of weakness?"
Luna shook her head.
"If you cry, and still go anyway, isn't that a sign of strength?"
Freya was silent for a while.
Eventually, she nodded slowly.
Luna waved both her hands vigorously.
"Have a safe trip, Freya!"
Freya headed toward the door.
Her back looked so beautiful, it was hard to believe she had just been crying.
However, on the floor, a golden tear was still shining faintly.
Luna did not pick it up.
She felt it was fine for the tear to remain where it had fallen.
Saturday: Mahiru and Frey
Saturday morning was not a hurried one.
Even though the end of the world was supposed to be approaching outside, inside the room, everything was soft.
The curtains were only half-open, and the morning light fell onto the floor as if it were sleepy too.
Mahiru stood near the entrance, looking a little sleepy.
Her hair was tied loosely, with stray strands brushing against her cheeks.
The god standing before her had a gentle expression.
Frey.
The god of fertility and peace.
Sunlight, harvest, and the warm season.
Just by his presence, it felt as though conflict drifted a little further away.
However, there was no sword at his waist.
He had already let go of the future where he could have won.
For the sake of love.
For the sake of what he chose himself.
Mahiru looked blankly at the empty space at his waist.
“...Hmm, you seem a bit different today, don't you?”
Frey smiled.
“Do I look that way?”
“Yeah. You look like you left something important behind.”
Frey looked outside the entrance.
The fire giant was waiting.
If he had his sword, perhaps there could have been a different outcome.
But he didn't.
He had let it go himself.
Mahiru looked up at him with sleepy eyes.
“Do you regret it?”
Frey did not answer.
After a while, he said quietly,
“It would be a lie to say I have no regrets.”
Mahiru nodded.
“I see.”
She did not offer any further comfort.
"But you chose it, didn't you?"
"Yeah."
"Then, there's no need to rush."
Frey looks at her.
"Even though I'm heading to the battlefield?"
"Yeah."
Mahiru smiled faintly.
"Whether you rush or take it slow, the path you've chosen won't change, will it?"
Those words did not sound like laziness.
It was not a slowness born of running away. It was not a slowness born of standing still. It was time to catch one's breath in order to walk on one's own feet.
Frey took a deep breath.
Mahiru lightly pinched his sleeve and smoothed out the wrinkles.
"Have a safe trip, Frey."
Frey nodded.
Before opening the door, he looked back for just a moment.
"Do you think it's ridiculous for the God of Peace to go to war?"
Mahiru tilted her head.
"Isn't it because you love peace that you're going?"
Frey smiled.
And then, with no sword at his hip, he headed toward the end.
Sunday: Hiyori and Loki
Sunday morning was too gentle.
For the morning of the day the world ends, it was far too calm.
Faint light entered the room, and the air still held a little of the bustle from yesterday.
Hiyori was not at the entrance, but kneeling on the floor.
There was a man there.
Loki.
A liar.
A troublemaker.
One who stands on the boundary.
One who helped the gods, troubled the gods, and in the end, was believed by no one.
Above him, poison was dripping down.
A woman held the vessel to catch that poison.
Sigyn.
The one who remained even after everyone else had left.
Hiyori gently placed her hand over Sigyn's hand that held the vessel.
"Please, take a short rest."
Sigyn shook her head.
If she let go, the poison would fall.
"I know."
Hiyori's voice was quiet.
"That is why I will hold it with you for a little while."
Loki laughed.
It was a laugh twisted by pain.
"Are you seeing me off?"
Hiyori looked at him.
Her soft purple eyes held neither anger nor fear.
She simply saw the one who was there, as the one who was there.
"Did you sleep well yesterday?"
Loki looked exasperated for a moment.
"Do you think I could sleep?"
"I don't."
Hiyori smiled.
"But I wanted to ask."
Loki remained silent.
No one believed him. He himself could not leave behind words in a way that would be believed.
Either way, the end will come.
The chains will break. The ship will sail. The world will burn.
Hiyori cannot stop it.
Hiyori did not try to stop it.
She simply held the bowl together with Sigyn.
"You cannot undo what you have done."
Loki laughed.
"You say such terrible things with a kind face."
"But"
Hiyori continued.
"I also don't think you were evil itself from the very beginning."
Loki's expression changed just a little bit.
Only the sound of poison dripping into the bowl echoed through the room.
Hiyori stood up slowly.
"You're going, aren't you?"
Loki did not answer.
Sigyn gripped the bowl tightly.
Hiyori spoke to both her and Loki.
"Have a safe trip, Loki."
Loki smiled.
This smile was a little quieter than the one before.
"Aren't you going to tell me to come back?"
Hiyori shook her head.
"There are mornings when one cannot return."
Then, she said softly,
"But I was watching. Properly."
Loki said nothing.
Before long, the door opened.
The Sunday light poured in.
Loki stepped outside.
Sigyn sat there for a while, holding the empty bowl.
Hiyori sat down next to her and said nothing.
Even on the day the world ended, there was a morning.
Not to forgive someone's sins.
Not to change someone's fate.
Simply so that someone wouldn't have to leave alone.
After the end
Mythology recorded the battles.
About the king swallowed by the wolf.
About the thunder god who fell to poison.
About the light pierced by mistletoe.
About the guardian who blew the horn.
About the goddess who shed golden tears.
About the god who walked with no sword at his hip.
About the one who brought the end while still bound in chains.
But it did not write about the morning.
That is why the morning remembers.
People still call out the days of the week without knowing anything.
They say they are depressed on Monday, get excited on Friday, and fall a little silent on Sunday thinking about tomorrow.
That is fine.
Because words of farewell are always like that.
Only—
That is why even now, I wake up a little early only on Thursdays.
On a morning when the horn has not yet sounded.
Inspiration
This work was written inspired by the second installment of Minato Shio's mythology series.
What would happen if I interpreted the reason the gods did not flee as a "morning farewell" from Good Morning Girlfriend?
It is a short story born from such thoughts.
Minato-san's mythology series is here.
Mythology Series Part 2 ① | Freya
Mythology Series Part 2 ② | Loki
Mythology Series Part 2 ③ | Odin
Mythology Series Part 2 ④ | Heimdall
Mythology Series Part 2 ⑤ | Thor
Mythology Series Part 2 ⑥ | Baldur
This is an entry for the Akarium Creative Awards.
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