It was refreshing.
Tiara appeared and challenged me to a duel. I, Minase Konagi, prepared myself. My body’s demonic poison did not react to the battle. I no longer knew what the answer was, nor did I need to. The space between the lines felt light and leisurely. Thousands of lines were no longer written on a single page. “Jet black” was no longer smudged over with thousands upon millions of “jet black” characters, turning into a muddy black stain. In my mind, which had always been painted over in black with hundreds of millions of pages, a white gap had appeared. There was no longer a need to decipher palindromes or read backward, to go back and forth like deciphering a code. My mind was simply organized.
The density of my thoughts thinned, tapering off.
Now, Tiara was approaching me. With my newly simplified thoughts, I was able to think properly on my own for the first time in a thousand years.
She was a small girl. As if to show she hadn’t forgotten my teachings, her appearance and voice were unchanged from before. I could feel it. Even if it were just written words like:
“The garden of Fuziaze from a thousand years ago spread out.”
“Well then, I’m going…”
Her feelings conveyed within those words were a little noisy. Unlike Aikawa Uzunami, I, Aikawa Hidaki, would not forget Aikawa Hidaki. Only I would never forget Aikawa Hidaki. So, please rest assured. I am the one who…
At that moment, I could feel countless unspoken feelings from her appearance. Towards Tiara, I reached out my hand. Attempting to counter with my ingrained self-defense techniques, I grabbed Tiara’s light body, intending to throw her—but the next moment, my vision inverted. The starry sky I had been gazing at until a moment ago was now at my feet, and the grassy ground, swaying without any wind, was above my head.
“Heehee.”
“——?!”
Without even understanding what had happened, my body was upside down, enveloped in a sense of weightlessness. I was the one who had been thrown. Twisting my body to orient myself, I landed on the ground and confirmed it.
Finally… Ah, finally… My innate differences have completely disappeared… Without those thinking skills like ‘convergent thinking,’ ‘parallel thinking,’ ‘dividing thinking,’ and ‘reverse thinking,’ it’s so quiet—it’s enough to fall asleep. Thanks to that, I can think my “own thoughts.” Just now, in front of my older brother, I was able to reconfirm my own chosen will. And that “own answer” is—I absolutely cannot let my older brother, who is behind me now, escape.
What had been stopped within me all this time is now moving all at once. Like a dam breaking, a torrent of emotions is surging from the pit of my stomach, unstoppable, spilling from my mouth.
“I cannot lose… I must not change that ending…”
Because I came to this another world from my original world, many people were sacrificed. I must not give up on my ending of “Forever, two people.” To make the death of that kind girl not meaningless, I absolutely cannot stop. If I stop here, there will be no point in my having stopped all this time—
“Tiara! You, just before the end, again and again, and again! You are trying to disrupt even my ideal ending…!”
I shouted these unstoppable feelings. Tiara, with a blank expression, received them and then—responded politely.
“Yeah, I’ve interfered many times. But, do you really think that obvious ending was the best one, Hidaki-nee?”
“…It’s absolutely the best! There is no other ending! My skills always produce the perfect answer! Always, before me! That’s why there was absolutely no need to change anything!”
Tiara responded with a smile instantly, while my reply was—delayed.
“I didn’t think so! The last page we wrote together, I thought it would be even better!!”
“Th-the page we wrote together…? Such a thing—”
“No, not just the two of us! The Thief of Principles, Master, and Rasti-chan! In the end, it became a story we created together with everyone’s combined efforts, Hidaki-nee!!”
“But that’s none of your business! There was no need for that!”
“But since we met, Hidaki-nee has always! Had a face that clearly wanted the ending to change!”
“——?! I… I had that kind of face…?!”
That can’t be. Since the day I lost Konagi-nee, since the day I gave up on my brother, I had decided not to expect anything, not to wish for anything, and I had acted accordingly. Yet, Tiara says that’s wrong.
“Yeah, you were always shouting. —You’re really like Master, you know. Even when you act like you’re fine, deep down you’re always thinking, ‘Please help me,’ or ‘Change fate,’ always seeking ‘someone’ to save yourself. …So, didn’t you choose our world?”
“So, I… chose this another world…?”
I definitely chose this another world for my brother. I chose this “world of swords and magic” to find a place that suited him. —That’s what I believed.
However, rereading “The Story of the Aikawa Siblings,” I think for myself. First, what flashed in my mind was “Minase Konagi.” The “precious person” I had once obtained through my older brother’s failed magic. My “first friend,” who changed my destiny even just a little. The one who mediated between my brother and me, and who once said, “—Let’s play together, the three of us, when everything is over.”
I had always believed Konagi-nee’s words. That “—There will always be friends who surpass you somewhere someday” is something I would never forget, no matter what. And now, before me, stands “Tiara,” who is seeking to surpass me. Thanks to coming to this “another world,” I was able to meet her.
“So, I didn’t choose this “another world” for my brother…? This “another world” is “a kind world for me”…?”
—Now, I’ve finally found one “answer of my own.”
“Hidaki-nee… Is the ‘final verification of answers’ over…?”
In other words, the one who wanted to play a game where everyone could be equal wasn’t my brother, but me. It was also me who asked for a redo of mistakes in this “another world.” It was me who despaired and fled from the unmanageable real world. At that time, I was the only one who could wish for the miracle of “magic” that would make everyone happy.
Little by little, the truth is—melting away.
“B-but, Tiara… Why are you trying to help me…? Wasn’t it my brother you met first, and fell in love with first…? Yet, why not my brother—”
This is something I want to hear from Tiara’s own lips. On that day, the two of them undoubtedly had a fated encounter. Tiara Fuziaze had become Aikawa Uzunami’s “destined person.”
“Yeah, that’s right. That’s why, ‘Rustiara’ is there too.”
However, Tiara said it happily, as if she were there. She also looked a little lonely. It was the face of a mother who realized that the two children she thought were always in her hands had slipped away. From that expression, I understood that Rustiara’s full life had surpassed not only me but Tiara as well. Tiara proudly recounted that affection, which had become “more real than the real thing.”
“We love ‘Aikawa Uzunami.’ —That’s why we also like Hidaki-nee, who created ‘Aikawa Uzunami’.”
What made my brother the way he is now is a repeated cycle of brainwashing and resetting. Even knowing those villainous deeds, Tiara still says “I like you” without denial.
“You always say it, right? I like books.”
“That’s your catchphrase… You’ve always been a child who couldn’t distinguish between reality and fiction…”
“Heehee. That’s why, you know. After I finish reading a book… I used to be grateful to whoever wrote it. Because if it weren’t for the person who wrote it, I, who was inflicted with the ‘demonic poison,’ would have surely died in agony and despair, confined in the highest level of the isolation tower…”
Tiara said with a slightly pained expression, gazing distantly at a tower in the garden. The tower stood in its original state, a reminder of those memories.
“I liked the people who wrote stories as much as I liked books. So, is it strange that I say I love Hidaki-nee, the authoress of my beloved ‘Aikawa Uzunami’?”
Perhaps, for Tiara, “stories include hardship and misfortune.” That’s why she can casually say “I like you” to someone as cruel and villainous as me.
It’s not a value system that everyone can agree with. However, right now, I feel like I understand it a little. After all, my current feelings are exactly—
“In the end, is it all because ‘by nature, Tiara Fuziaze loved books’? I loved books, loved them, loved them, I just loved reading books. And it’s not just that, thanks to you, Hidaki-nee, I realized it. I— I also loved the scent of the room when I picked up a book. I loved the exhilaration in my heart before reading. I loved the lingering feelings in my heart after reading. I loved ‘verifying the answers’ of book reviews. I loved people who read books with me—”
Tiara gazed intently at me. Accompanying it were memories from a thousand years ago. In this Fuziaze garden, we had “verified answers” countless times. When I wrote “An Adventure Tale of Two Lovers,” Tiara would always overcome it and return. Sometimes Tiara would try to kill me, writing a “Romance of Beloved Siblings.” However, while Tiara was good at “reading,” she wasn’t used to “writing” yet, and her stories were clumsy. So, I would pass them with a “still not good enough” and laugh. Tiara, energized, would say, “I’ll win this time,” and without giving up, she tried to kill me with a new story. The reason Tiara challenged me again and again, even while facing almost certain death, was likely because she enjoyed it. Both Tiara and I continued it because we simply found that time—fun and enjoyable.
—That was the true “verification of answers” of those days spent verifying answers.
“I still have many things I like about books. I— I also liked writing books. I liked the people who wrote books. I liked writing books with someone. I liked understanding the feelings of the people who wrote books. I liked realizing that there was a reason for writing a book. Heehee. If I start talking, there’s no end to it. —I liked everything about books. That’s why I think I’ve come this far.”
This place is the “gap between dimensions”—no, it’s the “space between the lines.” A place not just for reading stories, but for contemplating their meaning.
“The important thing is, we’re two people. Perhaps, you’re the only one left who can share the ‘space between the lines’ with me… I won’t let go of you, Hidaki-nee, who can discuss our beloveds with me on ‘equal footing.’ —Even if you’re the enemy of the world, even if you’re up against the whole world, I will absolutely save only you.”
This is Tiara’s reason for fighting. With the “verification of answers” over, she stepped forward again, ready to challenge me to a “martial arts” battle.
“Master and I, ‘Forever, two people’— I will absolutely not let that happen. I want to be there too. Since that day, that’s all I’ve thought about and lived for—”
“——?!”
As she approached, I trembled. It wasn’t fear of Tiara’s “martial arts.” It was simply that, after learning her reason for fighting and considering Tiara’s journey to this point, my body trembled. The Tiara who was learning “martial arts” from me in this Fuziaze garden was nothing more than a “child with no power,” existing only to be sacrificed. Originally a patient treated as a pariah and confined, ignored by relatives and Apostles alike. She was not favored by the “world” like a Thief of Principles, and her only remarkable talent was “reading.” The more I thought about it, the bloodier the path appeared. That “child with no power,” to gain the strength she lacked—sacrificed the people she loved. Sacrificed her cloned daughters. Sacrificed her blood-related father and brother. Sacrificed her kingdom and homeland. Sacrificed her created history and religion. Sacrificed her enemies and allies indiscriminately. Sacrificed her cultivated bonds and affection. Sacrificed even intangible concepts like her past and future. —Ultimately, she sacrificed herself.
Accumulating sacrifice upon sacrifice, she could sacrifice even the “world” she lived in if necessary; she had become—”price” itself. Unlike the Apostles and Thief of Principles, she generated her “curse” through her own will. Furthermore, she perpetually chanted “incantations” and survived as “magic.” —Obsession. I trembled at that obsession. Surely any Thief of Principles would tremble. Knowing the pain of “price,” the “child who should have had no power” was terrifying. I understood that she was truly a “strong person.” At the same time, I understood that for a “monster,” the “monster” is always a “strong person”—
Therefore, for the first time in my life, as a biological instinct, I took a defensive stance. And approaching me was her hand. A hand extended after discarding everything. As I thought this, Tiara began to change. Her appearance began to mature. During our sparring, she aged about a year every second—growing into an adult at an astonishing speed. It was probably because I was contemplating “The Story of Tiara Fuziaze” and Tiara was harboring the same thoughts. Like flipping through the pages of an autobiography, Tiara transformed from a girl into an adult. Then, from a young woman into an old woman—when her hands finally became wrinkled, I cried out.
“Ti, Tiara!!”
“I wasn’t immortal like everyone else— I’m sorry if this is unpleasant. But, from now on, I think it will get worse…!”
There’s no way this is unpleasant. Her entire life dedicated to me—I had already read it. Therefore, that aging, the accumulation of time and feelings, felt righteous, powerful—and beautiful to me. In contrast, my hands were pure white. No matter how many years passed, they were unchanged, and moreover, they had never been wounded. Those hands themselves were the mistake, my symbol—and something I wanted to turn away from. As I thought this, I felt the life drain from Tiara’s hands and her body temperature disappear.
“—Heeheehee!”
Her flesh began to rot, and her thin, white bones were exposed to the air.
“Wh—!”
But she moved. She still moved. Even as her body decayed and disappeared, leaving only blood, Tiara had survived for a thousand years. The proof of that life spoke.
“Hidaki-nee—!!”
She finally became a “blood doll.” Even in that form, I was captivated. That’s why, even though we were fighting with “martial arts” now, I couldn’t forcefully push away her hand. My strength inevitably faltered. Ah, I understand. If I were strong enough to push away those beautiful hands, which must have become that way for my sake, I would have been able to kill Rustiara with my own hands on that “fateful day.” Because I wasn’t strong enough to push them away, I—! I—!!
“Guh…!”
Disliking “martial arts,” I had no choice but to retreat and create distance. Tiara watched me leave, her laughter growing.
“Heehee, heeheehee—”
And then, as if rewinding time, flesh began to grow back onto that blood human shape. This was also a part of her life. For a thousand years, her soul had lived as a “magic stone human” throughout the continent. She had torn that soul apart, scattered it, and prepared for the battle a thousand years later in all places and times. —For my sake.
As expected, “martial arts” is no good. When I fight leisurely in hand-to-hand combat, I can feel her life from every movement and word. Sensing those feelings, my movements become sluggish. If I must do this, it has to be in an instant. Without mercy, I must settle the match with a single, full-power strike, pouring all my current strength into it.
“Haa, haa, haa…!!”
Most importantly, if I don’t decide this in the next move, my stamina won’t hold out. I, who lack those “qualialess nerves,” have very limited magic power. Ah, I’m lacking. Right now, I have so many deficiencies. If this were a game, my HP and MP would be on the verge of depletion—in the final battle, if I make even one wrong choice, it’s instant game over—
Facing unfamiliar feelings and dilemmas, I thought something similar to my brother and let out a smile.
“Fufufu.”
Right now, I’m fighting an opponent who is not just an equal, but a superior. The opponent I had always desired since childhood is standing before me now. I lack many things, but that loneliness—is gone now.
“Even so, Tiara… I will not lose…”
If I win, I will be alone again. However, I have come this far for the sake of the ending “Forever, two people.” As the “last one standing” who has accumulated sacrifices, I cannot hold back. Full power against full power, seriousness against seriousness. On “equal footing”—!
“Yeah, I don’t like it when things are casual. Come at me seriously. —Hidaki-nee also, live to the fullest.”
“Naturally…! I too… —I too have lived to the fullest!!”
If I still had my skills, the “ending of this battle is already decided,” and “there’s no point” would be the “answer.” However, I decided from childhood to fight with my entire life for “Forever, two people.” Recalling that “Story of the Aikawa Siblings”—
—The feelings for the story overlapped again, and a chill erupted from the “space between the lines.” The other side probably expected to face the “Story of the Aikawa Siblings” I had just read.
A cold, dark wind swept through, freezing the surrounding grass. Although there was wind, the plants no longer swayed; they would never move again. This is Aikawa Hidaki’s “Ice Power” obtained from her “original world.” The stolen principle, “The Still Ice.” As long as there is “lingering desire,” the power of a “Thief of Principles” is infinite. Originally, it was a camouflage in the “another world” to hide my excessive power, but now it’s different. With this “The Still Ice.” With my entire life. I will pour everything into it and decide the match with a single strike—! I will not be careless. Even if I run out of magic power, I know well how to compensate. There is probably no one more knowledgeable than I am.
“That’s why, I too!! Just like everyone—!!”
“—Tell me, Hidaki-nee.”
“With all my heart, I will chant…! Move my heart, me—!!”
I know. Those are the “resentments of Rusters’ lives,” the settlement of their lives lived. When it comes to understanding, I lose to no one. I am confident that I can prepare a poem that surpasses even my brother, surpassing anyone. What I learned in my room with many books as a child wasn’t just academics. It started with poetry, then I delved into literary arts like plays, paintings, prints, and sculptures. I read novels and manga indiscriminately, and as an actor, I knew theatrical scripts inside and out. Next to my brother, I also followed game stories! Drawing upon that quintessential story, upon all my stories, my life—! My accumulated resentment, I too—! I too, will put my resentment into words—!!
“—’Freezing at the beginning of life, freezing in the silence of death’—”
The voice came from the back of my throat. However, it wasn’t the beautiful poem I had spun in my mind. The “incantation” spilled out, driven by impulse.
“—’I will end alone’ ‘Without touching the world’—”
I have no memory of those words. However, my own life, unadorned, was now being released—and the “magic” that had been stopped since that day was finally being named.
“—Magic: Snow Bottom Ice, Flowing Day.”
Saying so, I extended my hand forward. This is the true “magic” of a Thief of the Principles of Water. The prototype, a failed magic, has already been completed and activated.
