flightworks | karaniji (kinome) 1

Kinome's new portal fantasy manga KaraNiji: The Empty-Hearted Girl and the Rainbow Fragments (Karappo no Shoujo to Niji no Kakera, 空っぽの少女と虹のかけら) has begun serialization online at MAGKAN! The series' hub page can be accessed here!

You can read the first chapter here!!!

Content warnings for this first chapter include child abuse and body horror.

Foster sister: Never welcome, always shunned, never needed by anyone...
Foster sister: That's gonna be your whole life.
Foster sister: You'll never find a place to belong even if you search the whole world over, Poyoko.

A girl who's completely lost all emotion... What will be poured into the empty vessel of her heart? Love? Or despair...?
THE EMPTY-HEARTED GIRL AND THE RAINBOW FRAGMENTS
The curtains now rise on a mysterious journey through a bizarre world.
Teacher: Gather round now, y'all!

Teacher: Everybody quiet down!
Students: "Woah, cool!" "Huuuuge!" "Heck is that?" "It looks so weird!"
Teacher: This is the symbol of the park...
Teacher: This abstract statue's name is "Egg"!

Teacher: Isn't it big? I hear it's five whole meters tall!
Teacher: This crow on the right side up in front is called the "Statue of the Sun"!
Teacher: And the bunny on the left is the "Statue of the Moon"!
Teacher: But what about the back? Well, they say... that there was once a third animal statue here in this empty spot!

Teacher: It was called the "Rainbow Statue"! But unfortunately, it's missing now.
Student: Where'd the Rainbow Statue go, Teach?
Teacher: Well, where d'you think it could've gone, Mitani-kun?
Student: Huh, me?! Ummm... How 'bout another world?
[sfx: Ahahaha!]
Teacher: They say the Rainbow Statue disappeared in the blink of an eye! There's a lot of rumors about--say, that it's been taken back to the shop for repairs--but nobody knows where it's gone.
Teacher: Either way, you can't tell it's gone from the front... And, after all, there's so few people who know there ever WAS a Rainbow Statue at all...

Teacher: Maybe everybody just didn't mind that it was gone.
Poyoko: (Nobody cared... when it disappeared...)
Poyoko: (Just like me.)

Student: Nacchan! There's room for us over here!
Student: Be right there!

Students: "I'm so hungry!" "Let's eat!"
[sfx: sit.]
Foster sister: The Angel of Death!

Foster sister: I hear that's what they're callin' you now!
Foster sister: Damn, how many fosters you been through before us? What the heck did you do to get thrown outta the last one?
Foster sister: Well, too bad for you!
Foster sister: We ain't got room for ya here either!

Foster sister: Papa and Mama only took you in 'cuz they didn't wanna offend the relatives. They don't feel sorry for you or nothin'.
Foster sister: Never welcome, always shunned, never needed by anyone... That's gonna be your whole life.
Foster sister: You'll never find a place to belong even if you search the whole world over, Poyoko.
Foster sister: If you don't wanna get kicked outta this house too, you better listen to every word I say.
Poyoko: ......Okay.

Ghost: ...here... Come here...
Poyoko: ...?
Ghost: Come here... Come over here...
Poyoko: (...A girl?)

Poyoko: (Is she... hurt?)
Ghost: Follow me...
Ghost: Come with me...

Poyoko: (Is that me?)

Poyoko: Where... am I?

[Rice ball labels: tuna mayonnaise, grilled salmon]

[sfx: HOMP]
Critter: HOM NYOM NYOM *GULP*

Critter: FOLLOW ME!

Critter: YOU TOO
Critter: YOU TOO
Critter: YOU TOO, YOU TOO

Critter: TOGETHER, FOREVER
Poyoko: Ah...

Poyoko: Oh... I'm turning into one of them...
Poyoko: Oh well.
Poyoko: No one will care if I disappear.

[sfx: KICK]

[sfx: plop]
[sfx: SLUMP/plap plap plap]
Boy: Found you.
Boy: You have one, don't you, bastard?
Boy: The "King's Fragment"........... I'll have that back.

Critter: NNNOO! NO NO NO!
Critter: I DON'T WANNA
Critter: BE ALONE ANYMORE!!

[sfx: PAP PAP PAP]
[sfx: SLAP]
Critter: WON'T GIVE IT BACK! MAKE MORE FRIENDS!
Critter: MORE! MORE! MORE!

[sfx: CHOP]
Boy: Five shoulda been enough for you.

[sfx: glop...]
Boy: LOOK OUT!!!

[sfx: GLOOP GLOOP SPLATTER]
Boy: Tch!

Boy: (It's soft... The kid's probably alive.) Hey!! You okay?!

Foster sister: WHAT?! You couldn't do it?!
Foster sister: God, all you do is leech money outta my wallet! What a parasite!
Foster sister: Man...
Foster sister: Don't blame me if you get thrown out on the street!
[sfx: STOMP STOMP]
[sfx: GRAB]

[sfx: KICK]
Foster mother: I told you not to come upstairs! How much d'you think that vase cost?!
Poyoko: I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
Foster mother: The next time you cause me trouble you're out, you hear?!
Foster mother: Make sure you pick up every piece!
Poyoko: I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
Foster mother: If my precious daughter steps on a single one and gets hurt, you're gonna get it!

Boy: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH
[sfx: gasp]
Boy: THE KING'S FRAGMENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
[sfx: zloop zloop]

Boy: PULL IT OUT!!!!
[sfx: shloop]
Boy: WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!?!?!!!
[sfx: shakeshakeshakeshake]
Boy: Just when I finally found it, too!!!!!!!!!!! Gyaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!

Poyoko: Was it important?
Boy: COURSE IT WAS, YOU IDIOT!!!
Poyoko: Oh...

Poyoko: I'm sorry.

Boy: That is NOT how a little kid should apologize! Stop bowing!
Poyoko: ...... But I have to kowtow if I'm sorry... that's what the foster lady said...
Boy: Huh?! WHAT foster lady?!
[sfx: put]
Boy: Just don't do it again!

Poyoko: ...Okay.
[sfx: sigh...]
Boy: OKAY! ENOUGH BEING DEPRESSED!!
Boy: Ahhh~~~ Man, this is a real pain in the ass.

Boy: Hm?
Boy: What're you just standing there for? I'm gonna ditch you.
Poyoko: Huh?
Boy: Don't you "Huh?" me!! Of course you're coming with me! That fragment that fell into you? I'm gonna find some way to get it back!!!
Boy: So... uhh...
Boy: Hey, what IS your name anyway?

Poyoko: Poyoko.
Boy: Huh. I'm Eba.
Eba: Let's go, Poyoko.

Sun King: An expressionless, emotionless, desireless human...
Sun King: Hahaha! She has nothing to call her own!
Sun King: Hey! Come and look! What, are you asleep again?

Sun King: ...This human is empty. As empty as a wineglass.
Sun King: It'll be a sight to see, whether this will bode for good or ill.

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