I Thought It Was a Fairy Tale but the Genre Is Strange

Episode 7 – Peter Pan

I told Captain Hook and Ariel everything that had happened. How I ended up here chasing a strange black rabbit, meeting Alice, witnessing a horrific scene, and fleeing to this place. I recounted every detail, leaving nothing out, and expressed my frustration. I added that all I wanted was to go home.

Their reactions were of utter shock. Captain Hook stroked his beard three times per second, as if he couldn’t believe it.

“I can’t believe it. That legend was true. And you met that mad Alice.”

[Shock. Astonishment. The black reaper from the legend was my prince!]

Ariel covered her mouth with both hands, her eyes wide open.

“So what exactly is this black reaper? Alice kept obsessing over it too. I only came here because of the black rabbit.”

“Tsuhahahaha! If that notorious Alice said so, it must be true. There’s a legend in this fairy tale world. A chosen black reaper will come to end the never-ending stories. The one who guides the reaper is the black rabbit.”

[Right. The black rabbit is real! Shocking!]

I stared blankly at them, recalling the black rabbit mocking and teasing me, and asked.

“So the black rabbit chose me? As the reaper to end the stories?”

“Yes! You are the reaper! The mystery is solved. Tsuhahahaha!”

“Ugh, I don’t understand. What does it mean to end the stories?”

“This world is full of never-ending stories. Take Alice, for example. She was unintentionally brought to this world as a child and searched for the white rabbit to return to her original world, just like you. But no matter how many years passed, she couldn’t find any clues, nor could she deal with the Queen of Hearts hidden in the castle. Eventually, she became a madwoman who had seizures at the sight of anything white. But think about it. Siyu, according to you, the Queen of Hearts, who had been hiding in the castle, came out, and Alice killed her, didn’t she?”

I shuddered, recalling the horrific scene of Alice smiling broadly while butchering the Queen of Hearts.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Tsuhahaha! That’s it! Your very existence is ending the stories! Because you were chosen as the reaper and appeared, Alice’s story progressed! Towards its end! That’s what a reaper does. They push stagnant stories forward to see their end! They lead stories to their death! That’s why Ariel and I have also changed!”

[Kyaa! Amazing! As expected of my prince!]

Ariel jumped into my arms and rubbed her face against my uniform. I’m confused. So, the stories in this bizarre fairy tale world are stagnant and not progressing, but because I, the reaper chosen by the black rabbit, appeared, the surrounding stories are moving forward again.

What is this?

“Tsuhahahaha! You look utterly confused.”

“Hoo, I just want to go home.”

“Is there something you want to do at home?”

His words made me flinch for a moment. Then, I carefully patted Ariel’s red hair, which was as cute as a puppy’s. The damp yet soft texture felt pleasant.

“Not really, but I still need to go home.”

“Yes, home is important. I want to find my way home too. In a way, we all might just want to go home.”

[What is he saying? Captain Hook is strange]

I agreed with Ariel’s question. I couldn’t understand what he was saying. It felt like trying to decipher the speaker’s intent in a classic novel during language class, a headache-inducing task.

“Tsuhahahaha! What would kids like you know! Yes, Siyu. We did witness that black rabbit you mentioned. Though we didn’t know it was a black rabbit at the time.”

“Really!? Which direction did it go?”

Captain Hook smiled and pointed beyond the horizon. His mouth was smiling, but his eyes were different, like Alice’s, filled with a long-standing madness.

“It went straight that way. I was surprised. Running over the sea.”

[Agreed! Incredible speed! Never seen anything like it!]

It seemed endless. Did it really run that distance? As I frowned and looked beyond the horizon, Captain Hook grabbed my shoulder and spoke.

“Siyu, you want to meet the black rabbit, right? To do that, you’ll have to sail in the direction it went.”

“Ah, yes. That’s right.”

“Tsuhahahaha!”

Captain Hook laughed with his eyes gleaming with madness. His laughter seemed cheerful on the surface, but what I actually felt was an indescribable whirlwind of emotions.

“Then why not make a deal with me? I want to finish my story. I want to get my daughter back from that damned Peter Pan. So, if you help me get my daughter back, I’ll gladly lend you a ship to take you to the continent where the black rabbit might be. How about it? You can’t cross this sea alone anyway. Even if you try, you’ll just get caught by Peter Pan and be kidnapped.”

He was right. There was nothing I could do here. Cross the sea alone? I couldn’t even swim, so I would just sink and die. Besides, there wasn’t a decent boat nearby.

In other words, I had no choice but to accept Captain Hook’s proposal.

“No.”

“What?”

Captain Hook’s hand, which was gripping my shoulder, flinched. His expression was still smiling, but his eyes were different. The unquenchable flames of hellfire were glaring at me from within them.

“Why…”

“Of course, I was going to help you. How could I just let that story slide? Besides, just being able to rest on this ship has been a great help to me. Well, it’s hard to believe, but since I’m the reaper who ends stories, I can somehow finish your story, Captain. So, I won’t make a deal, but I’ll help you.”

“You… Hahahahaha!!”

Captain Hook’s eyes sparkled with life, and he suddenly threw his head back and started laughing heartily. Ariel watched him with a slight smile. His eyes sparkled in the sunlight.

[Captain Hook. Crybaby. My prince is kind as always.]

“Hahahaha! Quiet. Yes, you have a warm heart. More mature than me!”

He was still looking at the sky as he spoke. I smiled at the sight. At that moment, I saw something flying in the sky.

A green object scattering sparkling dust as it flew. And next to it, a small creature also scattering sparkling dust like a moth. It was Peter Pan and Tinker Bell.

“Captain Hook! I knew it would be like this!”

Peter Pan, who looked about 15 years old, shouted confidently. Even his voice hadn’t changed yet, sounding just like an elementary school kid.

[Warning! Peter Pan! That damn kidnapper! Trash! Shameless fly!]

“Damn it, how dare that b*stard crawl here!”

“Haha! I flew here~ I didn’t crawl, I flew~”

Wow, his way of speaking is just like a brat. I felt an urge to give that annoying brat Peter Pan a good knock on the head.

Noticing my gaze, he looked at me with a mischievous grin.

“Hey you! It looks like you haven’t grown up yet!”

“Uh, right. I’m 17 years old.”

“Phew~ If you were a little later, you would have become a terrible adult! You’re lucky! My name is Peter Pan! I’ll specially take you to my kingdom, Neverland! There, you can live as a child forever instead of becoming a foolish adult!”

“Yes, yes, it’s the happiest place in the world!”

Tinker Bell nodded with her arms crossed, and Peter Pan shot down towards us like an arrow.

“Alright, come at me. Today, I’ll kill you and get my daughter back!”

[Agreed. How dare you covet my prince? The prince is mine. I won’t give him to anyone!]

Captain Hook drew his sword, and Ariel bared her teeth and growled. They both looked ready to tear Peter Pan apart.

“Uh~ Adults who can’t even fly can’t do anything~ Fools~ The mermaid has a bad temper, so I won’t take her~”

He stuck out his tongue and taunted from a distance. I watched him and then spoke.

“Peter Pan, I want to live as a child forever too. Take me with you.”

“What!? Siyu, are you out of your mind? You’re going into that den!?”

[No way! Impossible! Absolutely not! I can’t lose you like the other princes!]

Ariel clung to my arm, and Captain Hook grabbed my shoulder, shouting for me not to go.

“Hahahaha! You’re a real child, different from those old fogies! Great! I really like you! Those old folks can step aside~”

Peter Pan burst into laughter. I quickly whispered to the two of them.

‘It’s safest if I go and rescue Wendy. You two can’t go to Neverland, so I’ll take the chance and bring her back here.’

[That’s dangerous! No one knows what might happen! No child has ever come back from there!]

The mermaid was horrified and opposed, but Captain Hook listened to me, thought for a moment, and then nodded.

‘Can I ask you this favor, Siyu? It’s shameless to ask such a thing of a child, but…’

‘What does that have to do with being an adult? If you can help, you should help, and if someone needs help, it’s natural to ask. I’ll definitely bring Wendy back.’

‘……Thank you. I will never forget this favor.’

[I disagree! No matter what, it’s too dangerous!]

Ariel expressed her fear by waving her arms wildly, afraid that this might be our final farewell. I looked at her and smiled.

‘I will definitely come back to see you again. Let’s continue your story together. But right now, Captain Hook is more urgent, so I’ll go rescue Wendy first.’

[Fool. Sadness. Regret]

The mermaid Ariel, with her head bowed, clenched her fists and trembled. Suddenly, she grabbed my hand and handed me something.

It was a radiant twilight-colored pearl ring that I had never seen before.

[But I understand. We need to find Captain Hook’s daughter. I trust you because you promised. This ring will help. Please come back.]

I put the ring on my index finger and nodded.

“I promise.”

“Nya ha ha ha~ I’m in such a good mood~ Hey, old geezers~ Stop bothering my new subjects and hand them over!”

Peter Pan stood proudly on the railing with his arms crossed. Captain Hook and the mermaid trembled and stepped back, and I approached Peter Pan and held out my hand.

“Ho ho! Good choice.”

“Yes, it is a good choice.”

When Peter Pan took my hand, the magic dust around him transferred to me, and my body began to float.

I made a vow to myself. I will definitely teach this brat a lesson.