Alterego

PAGE 3:

1: What a nice look, Astral. (upside down)
2: Ahaha! (upside down)

PAGE 4:

1: Your expression is like a human’s.
2: Say...
3: do you remember how you were like when we first met?
4: You didn’t show pain, fear, or even any tears.
5: But what about now?
6: ...What are you trying to say?

PAGE 5:

1: Uwah!
2: ...!!
3: Does it hurt?
4: ...Ah!
5: Do you feel pain?
6: ...!
7: Haah!
8: Don’t you think it’d be better
9: without feelings like that?

PAGE 6:

1: Where did you learn those things?
2: Humans, right?
3: Pain makes you weaker...
4: cough!
5: cough // cough
6: What good is there for learning stuff like that?

PAGE 7:

1: L-
2: Let go.
3: Ah!
4: ...!
5: Mm!
6: Hah
7: ...!
8: Eek... // Uu...

PAGE 8:

1: Mm
2: ...!
3: Hah
4: Haah
5: Haah
6: Hah
7: DId guy teach you
8: stuff like this?
9: Probably not, huh?
10: He can’t even touch you.

PAGE 9:

1: Now me on the other hand, I could teach you all kinds of stuff.
2: All you have to do is become one with me...
3: No!
4: Yuma!
5: Hmm... // You’re still calling his name out even at a time like this?
6: Haah // Haah
7: Is he really that special to you?
8: Of course.
9: Who in the world would want someone like
10: you...

PAGE 10:

1: Urgh!
2: I can’t believe you’re showing disgust towards me.
3: Mm!
4: Even though I’m part of your memories.
5: Astral.
6: Urgh...!


PAGE 11:

1: How’s that, Astral?
2: No human could possibly hope to replicate something like this.

PAGE 12:

1: Urgh!
2: Whoa, now. // It’s no use biting on it.
3: It doesn’t hurt or even tickle.
4: Fuh // Uu!

PAGE 13:

1: Mm...
2: Uu
3: Mm
4: Hah // Ah...
5: cough
6: Hah

PAGE 14:

1: ...!
2: ...Are you not going to // fight back?
3: ...If this is what it takes to satisfy you,
4: then do as you like.
5: But I won’t become you.
6: Why?
7: I can take away all your painful memories,
8: all your troubles.

PAGE 15:

1: I made all of these new memories from being on this planet.
2: That’s why I won’t let you have them.

PAGE 16:

1: What are you doing?
2: Don’t forget.
3: You’re part of my memories, too.
4: Come back to me.
5: ...Damn it.

PAGE 17:

1: Ah! // 96?!
2: Stop! // ...Ah!
3: Don’t ridicule me.
4: I’m none other than myself.
5: Fwah
6: I just overtook you, the original, that’s all.
7: Hyah
8: Haah
9: Haah
10: All I want is to become the strongest Numbers.
11: You think I want to “come back” to you?

PAGE 18:

1: How naive can you be?
2: Hah
3: Hah
4: 96...?
5: Don’t
6: lump me in with you.
7: Eek...!


PAGE 19:

1: Ah...!
2: Hah!
3: Hah
4: Mm
5: Hah // It’s going...!
6: Hah...!
7: ...!
8: Eek...!
9: Haah
10: ...!
11: Hah!
12: ...I won’t eat away at you this time around. // Remember.
13: Don’t forget what happened today.
14: Ah...!

PAGE 20:

1: Mm!
2: Ah!
3: Ninety...
4: Haah
5: Astral.
6: six...!
7: AsTraL
8: Hah!
9: Haah
10: Ah... Ah...!
11: Ah

PAGE 21:

1: Haah...!!

PAGE 22:

1: What once was one
2: was now broken apart into pieces.
3: What could possibly be done about that?
4: This whole thing was strange from the very start.
5: Without you,
6: I...

PAGE 23:

1: wouldn’t be able to
2: live.

PAGE 24:

This is my first doujin.
I wondered if No. 96 wanted to actually return to Astral after turning into a piece of his memories...
I drew this thinking it’d be nice if he had that kind of desire to return to the womb from where he came from.

Since I thought he had a deep connection with Astral, considering that he had the same form as him, I titled this as “Alterego”, in other words, his “other self”. It’s a shame that 96-chan hasn’t shown up at all since his debut, though. I hope he makes another appearance some time.

Thank you so much for reading this far!
I hope we’ll see each other again.