Title: 果てなき天のファタルシス
Author: 十文字 青
Label: 星海社FICTIONS
Written by Ao Jyumonji originally released in the Doujin magazine Black Past in 2012, rerelased by Seikaisha in 2013 with illustrations by Nekomegane. This book is very reminiscent from the early 00s Otaku sphere like Last Resort, Iriya, Bokurano and company; Jyumonji wanted to write a book focused on war so it has a lot more action and military elements into the mix too.
The history starts with our protagonist Oomi Yahiro waking up in an hospital room having lost all memories of his live. When he first wakes up he meets Kasaya Shiyuri, his childhood friend who lives right near to him, she’s somewhat of mysterious girls who doesn’t talk much. Shiyuri helps him to get started, telling him who is he, where he lives, school and the basic stuff to get going. The start of the book is kinda slow while all the characters get introduced but the protagonist realizing what is going on in the world is portrayed in a cool way since at the start the protagonist doesn’t remember anything it gives the impression he lives a normal adolescent school life. However, since Shiyuri isn’t the most spoken person out there, and given the situation in general it is somewhat hard for anyone to come to him and explain it out of nowhere, nobody actually tells him that the civilization has been doomed for more than a decade at this point. So for the first third of the book or so it is kind of a slow mystery where Yahiro slowly starts putting the pieces together, why is the town deserter, the empty chairs at school, etc. The real kick off starts when the sirens in the city go off and hes taken into the battlefield where he finally sees his classmates fight some monsters called Fatalsis.
The part where the story starts to really shine is when the protagonist starts falling in love with his classmate Nonokawa Chima, the one person that actually spoils him since his situation is fucked. The person he has most contact with, Shiyuri, doesn’t really talk much, his father is a scientist who doesn’t ever go home, and his other classmates already seem to have too much with their own stuff. Nonokawa is the only one that actually approachs him so he falls for her quickly. The writing through the entire book has an ambiguous atmosphere, and the protagonist’s condition doesn’t help to make anything more certain. For him Nonokawa seems like the only real thing in this nightmare of a world he woke up to.
「こ、こわっ……こわ、くて……し、死にたく、なっ……けど、僕はっ……だめ、なんだ、だって、僕は……自分の、ことも、わからなっ……て、僕は、自分が、誰かもっ……僕は、違っ……大海、八尋じゃっ……みんなが、知っても、大海八尋じゃ……僕はっ……！」
「いいんです」
野々川は顔をくしゃくしゃにした。それから、両腕で僕を抱きよせた。僕は野々川のつめたい胸に顔をうずめた。僕は野々川にしがみついた。野々川は僕をきつく抱きしめて、背中を、首筋を、後頭部を、まるであたためようとするかのように、強く撫でてくれた。
「いいんです。わからなくてもいいですから。前みたいになれなくても、前と違う大海くんでも、大海くんは大海くんです。今の大海くんが、大海くんです。それでいいんです」
よくないよ。いいなんて思えない。思えないけど、今の僕を受け容れてくれる人がいる。ここにいる。野々川は疑うことはできなかった。こんなふうに力いっぱい抱きしめてくれる人を疑うなんて、できるはずがなかった。僕は野々川の胸で泣いた。ずっと泣きたかったのだと、そのとき気づいた。僕には記憶をなくした自分が重荷だった。記憶をなくす前の自分も重荷だった。自分一人で受け止めきれない不安を、恐怖を、僕は誰かに受け止めてもらいたっかたんだ。
Well, this may give the impression it’s a hetare protagonist but it’s not really, just a confused guy. The relationship with Nonokawa is pretty sweet, very reminiscent ボーイミーツガール from some other セカイ系 works.
The last part of the book focuses more on the war against the fatalsis with the protagonist fighting a lot of attacks, it also has some hints and scientific clues about what is going on in the setting, but it doesn’t really give any clear answer. The final parts go very nuts and the ending is very vague but I think it is in tone with the rest of the book, it is true that gives a somewhat inconclusive and empty feeling though.