Chapter 1: The Legend of the Savior at the Turn of the Century
Uesugi Kiyoshi walked leisurely on the empty streets of Tokyo.
Although summer had passed, the temperature today was unusually high. However, he didn't feel hot as there was shade everywhere.
Countless balloons filled the city, blocking the intense sunlight.
Different from children's toys, these balloons were about the height of a person and similar in size to some balloons used for advertising by companies, but with unique designs.
The balloons had all the features of a human head, including eyes, eyebrows, mouth, and nose. Even decorative headbands and turbans were there, just much larger.
A thin steel cable was tied around the neck of the head, with the end tied into a loop. Most of the loops were empty, occasionally with a few tied to human bodies.
The faces of these people were no different from the balloons tied to them, both filled with lifelessness.
However, the people below were motionless, while the expressions on the balloons above were changing - some grinned, some widened their eyes, and whispers could even be heard.
Uesugi Kiyoshi didn't have to search too hard and quickly found his own skull in the sky. He waved friendly and started his work for the day.
"Hello, is anyone home?"
"..."
"Hello, is anyone home?"
"Go away, don't try to deceive me, you demons!"
"Hello, can I..."
"Hehe, hahaha, ahahahaha!"
......
No one was willing to open the door, and very few responded.
Uesugi Kiyoshi couldn't understand this.
The ongoing Head Balloon event for many days made the entire city, no, maybe even the whole country, on the brink of collapsing.
As long as one dares to expose their body outside, balloons resembling themselves will swiftly swoop down from the sky, then twist flexible steel hoops to strangle their neck or waist, tightening until another floating body appears in the sky.
Fortunately, these airborne demons cannot enter closed buildings, able to easily suspend heavy objects with steel cables, yet for some reason, unable to shatter fragile glass.
So after the initial chaos, the majority of people survived by hiding at home.
However, there was no peace.
The Head Balloons were always coveting their owners' heads, their mouths could also speak, using the same voice as their owners, constantly persuading the living to give up resistance and join them.
Unable to produce, unable to consume, filled with inner fear and mental tension, if this continues, the country will be destroyed in an instant!
Japan needs a savior!
If Uesugi doesn't come out, what will the people do?!
Encouraging himself, Uesugi Kiyoshi kept walking through the streets and alleys, persistently following his path to save the world.
Fortunately, there is always a way out. After hitting obstacles several times in a row, he finally saw a glimmer of hope.
It was an elegant two-story single-family house, also known as a "detached house". The courtyard was lush with trees, and the nameplate hanging at the entrance gate had the two Chinese characters "Nakasone" written on it.
Like the other houses, all the doors and windows were tightly shut, with thick curtains behind the glass windows, making it impossible to see inside. Only the middle-aged men and women floating in the air hinted at the fate of the senior members of the family.
A balloon that looked like a high school boy was floating above the window on the second floor, carefully concealing its figure. The hanging steel cable swayed, causing the victim in the loop to repeatedly knock on the window with its head.
Along with the knocking sound, the mouth of the balloon opened and closed, giving off an anxious cry as if it were a living person, "Big sis, are you inside?"
Next to it was another girl's balloon, whose originally attractive appearance looked particularly eerie when magnified. The long ropes were gathered into a bundle, and the loop excitedly twisted non-stop.
However, no matter how much it twisted, it never deviated from above the window.
They were working together to lure and ambush the girl inside the house!
And this girl is the main character from the original story.
The scene before his eyes, especially the tattered umbrella inside the balloon's steel ring, confirmed Uesugi Kiyoshi's suspicions.
And the male high school student is her younger brother.
With a plan in mind, the younger brother ventured out with an umbrella to search for food when the disaster first struck.
When the balloon attacked, instead of giving up, he chose to fight back, using the umbrella to stab at the balloon. However, despite his efforts, he failed as the umbrella got caught in the steel ring, and he himself didn't escape unharmed.
"Hey, sis, open the window quickly, I've brought back food!"
Uesugi Kiyoshi, who was observing from the side, didn't attract the attention of the younger brother's balloon. He saw no movement inside and its expression turned more fierce, while the sounds it made grew increasingly fearful.
"If you don't hurry, that thing will come looking for me. I've been fighting desperately until now, hurry, hurry!"
That person, naturally refers to itself.
"Yoji, is that you?" a soft response finally came from inside, sounding very delicate, "Are you okay?"
The two balloons in the air looked at each other and grinned.
"Oh, sorry for coming back so late! Is mom okay?"
Faint sobbing could be heard from inside the house.
"Mom... come in first before saying anything!"
As the window was about to be opened, the hidden steel rings got closer and closer, Uesugi Kiyoshi, who had been watching the play beside, interjected.
"I think it's better not to let him in!"
He took out a handheld crossbow from his pocket and shot at the bewildered male high school student balloon.
After practicing at home for almost a week, Uesugi Kiyoshi felt that his shooting skills had improved a lot. He was confident that even at such a close distance, he wouldn't miss like a child.
The steel arrow shot through the balloon's face, accompanied by a long, mournful hissing sound. The balloon's eyes, nose, and mouth slowly caved in until they were all squeezed together, touching the back of its head before falling to the ground.
At the same time, the head of the boy who had already died underwent a similarly eerie transformation, shriveling into a wrinkled mass, hanging limply on his shoulder.
No matter what, they couldn't break the Head Balloon, or else the corresponding human would suffer the same fate - this was the warning issued by the government when people could still watch TV normally.
Uesugi Kiyoshi pointed his hand crossbow upwards, taking aim. The girl being targeted by him glared fiercely and then quickly ascended into the sky, disappearing.
Along with it, the two middle-aged men and women also disappeared.
"Dad, Mom, Yoji..."
Uesugi Kiyoshi sighed and shouted to the tearful girl upstairs, "It's safe now, Nakasone Kazuko... right? Can you let me come in and sit for a while?"
