“Why is it that when I read about depressing developments or endings, I feel like yelling “Damn it, author, die!!” but find writing them incredibly fun?”
“Ah, so that’s why depressing endings and dark souls games never disappear from the world.”
“Ringo. Please, just come outside. Let’s talk properly.”
“R-Ringo-san! If you have something on your mind, I’ll listen!”
“If you don’t come out quickly, I’ll eat your breakfast too!”
I, Ena, and Sahzan call out in that order towards the trap room door, but it had no effect.
This room is impossible to enter or exit without a key, but there’s no doubt that sounds from outside can reach inside.
Judging by this situation, the possibility of Ringo coming out on her own from inside seems low.
“…What is it?”
While we were fussing in front of the door, going back and forth, Mitsuki also arrived.
“Ah. Actually, a little while ago…”
After hesitating for a moment, I explained the situation quickly, not hiding my promise with Sahzan.
“I see. Is that so?”
I was worried she might panic like Ringo, but Mitsuki’s reaction was surprisingly calm.
“You’re not very surprised.”
“No. I had a feeling it would be like this.”
Mitsuki said nonchalantly.
So, it was obvious all along?
“Honestly, Ringo should have realized it too. No, I think she was the most aware of it.”
“Ringo was…”
Indeed, Ringo’s attitude had changed the most recently. But then, why did she react so flustered?
To my puzzled look, Mitsuki said in a gentle tone.
“Ringo didn’t do this to trouble you. Why did she get so worked up about it… You understand, right?”
Ringo, who had always prioritized me over herself, had taken such an extreme action. It must have been for a very important reason, even I could understand that.
“Then, please be gentle with her. After all, she is—”
Mitsuki paused for a moment, then looked straight into my eyes and said with a serious expression.
“—your one and only sister.”
“Yeah, no, that’s not it?”
Besides, that misunderstanding is still ongoing?
When I explained that this world was a Game, I also talked about how Ringo and I met, so I thought the misunderstanding that we were siblings had been cleared up. However, looking back, Mitsuki had suspected from the beginning that Ringo and I were not blood relatives. No, rather, there was zero sibling element, but in Mitsuki’s mind, she had apparently concocted a story where for Ringo, who was all alone, I became her adopted sister…
Mitsuki, speaking such a terrible misunderstanding with a determined face, then folded her cat ears and emphatically declared, “Don’t look! Don’t look at me!”
Well, putting aside Mitsuki’s misunderstanding.
“…Yo.”
As I entered the room and greeted her with one hand raised, Ringo, who had been huddled in a corner, jolted and sat up. She looked flustered and tried to distance herself from me, but there was no escape in the room. In the end, she retreated to a corner of the room, became helpless, and sat down there clutching the Slate.
Her face, which I had thought was expressionless when we first met, was now filled with various emotions. Anxiety, fear, guilt, and a hint of relief. Was this thanks to Ringo’s growth? Or was it because I had finally learned to read Ringo’s emotions? I briefly reflected on the short yet intense time I had spent with Ringo, lost in thought.
“I came through the wall using Illusionary Mirage. Skills can’t be used here, so I guess I’m trapped too.”
As we had done in the library, when using Illusionary Mirage, if the destination is a skill-nullifying space, the skill is immediately canceled and you can move to that location. However, entering a skill-nullifying space from the outside is easy, but it’s naturally a one-way transfer. Transfer Stones also can’t be used in places with no or disturbed Magic Power, so in the end, to get out of this room, I would need to use the Mansion key Ringo has… Well, actually, I wasn’t too worried.
“…Is this spot okay?”
Carefully approaching Ringo, trying not to agitate her further, I sat down beside her. When I sat next to her, Ringo’s shoulders stiffened, but she didn’t lift her face from its downward gaze.
“…Honestly, Ringo, you’re surprisingly thoughtless. When you’re going to hole up in a place like this, you need to bring food properly.”
Speaking in as cheerful a tone as possible, I took out a Gem from my pocket and said “Magical Pocket,” causing a tear in space to appear. Reaching into it, I pulled out the breakfast I had just received from Layla.
“Here, a Magical Pocket Gem. It’s convenient for taking out items even in a magic-nullifying space. You should get one too, Ringo.”
Without even looking at the steaming breakfast, I forcibly put the Magical Pocket Gem into Ringo’s pocket, who remained impassive. Even so, Ringo didn’t react at all.
(This is troubling…)
Faced with breakfast for two that I had just prepared, I was at a loss. I had hoped the breakfast and this Gem would be a starting point for conversation, but it seemed that roundabout methods wouldn’t work on Ringo in her current state. It seemed like the only way to resolve this situation was to talk honestly.
“…I’m sorry.”
As I uttered the apology, Ringo, who hadn’t moved at all before, suddenly lifted her head and shook it vigorously. Ringo seemed to want to say that I wasn’t to blame. But that wasn’t true.
“I should have properly told everyone, Ringo, and told them about the method to return to our original world. So… I’m sorry.”
As I lowered my head, a slender, cool hand touched my cheek. With strong force, Ringo opened her mouth.
“N-no! Soma isn’t… bad!”
“Ringo. But…”
As I remained unconvinced, Ringo finally began to speak.
“…Honestly, I knew. That Soma was looking for a way to return together with Sahzan.”
Layla and Mitsuki’s guesses were indeed correct. It seemed my secrets were an open book to my companions. Well, I had already told everyone that I was looking for a way back. I couldn’t have kept it hidden from Ringo and the others forever.
“…Even if Soma goes far away. I will just keep searching until I find Soma. So, I thought I would support Soma so you could return.”
That was… It was around the time we first came to this Mansion. When I asked what would happen if I went back to my homeland and couldn’t be found, Ringo replied, “I’ll search until I die.” At that time, Ringo hadn’t developed her emotions this much yet, and I hadn’t taken her answer seriously. But hearing that answer again now, I was overwhelmed by the weight of those words and the depth of her feelings for me.
“…But.”
However, Ringo’s story didn’t end there. As if enduring pain, Ringo clutched her chest tightly, wrinkling her clothes.
“Thinking about Soma leaving… I just couldn’t bear it. My chest started to hurt, and I couldn’t think straight. I couldn’t think of anything other than not wanting to be separated from Soma…”
Could it be…? Ringo’s poor health, which had surfaced a little before the incident at the Magician’s Guild. Was it, by any chance, due to the mental stress of me returning to my original world? I looked at Ringo in surprise, and something flowed down her beautiful face. It dripped down to her chin and then fell to the floor in drops.
“Ringo…”
Ringo was crying. While crying, as if driven by some sense of duty, she moved her small mouth.
“I… didn’t mean to… trouble Soma. But, b-but then…”
Spilling out her messy and broken words, uncharacteristic of Ringo, and finally…
“…I’m sorry.”
Ringo bowed deeply, her beautiful blue hair swaying.
“…”
I couldn’t say anything. No, I couldn’t have said anything. Ringo had been suffering and agonizing to the point of making herself ill. Taking the Slate and running away was likely the result of her overwhelming, irrepressible feelings. Besides, even if the Slate was gone, it wouldn’t mean I had lost the means to return to my world. It might cause a little trouble, but Sahzan would probably cooperate with me even without the Slate, and frankly, it served no purpose other than buying time. In a sense, taking the Slate was Ringo’s first, tiny act of selfishness shown to me. There was no way anyone could blame her for that. Yet, Ringo, crying, was apologizing, saying she had obstructed me and caused me trouble. What words could I possibly say to her?
…
…
…
…
Taking a deep breath. And exhaling just as deeply. The time for postponing the conclusion was over. I no longer needed excuses about the final episode of the Evil God war or the uncertainty of the return method. There was only one way to repay Ringo, who had bared her heart to me so completely. And once I decided that, strangely, the answer that had been troubling me so much seemed to float effortlessly to the surface of my consciousness.
“…Ringo.”
I called out to Ringo, who was still bowing her head.
“I will take Maki back to our original world.”
At those words, Ringo’s body trembled with uncontainable shock, but she still didn’t lift her head. And then…
“But—”
I embraced Ringo, as if to accept all of her trembling.
“—I will absolutely return to this world.”
The slender body in my arms trembled slightly. Praying that the tremor wasn’t out of fear, I continued.
“I was wavering, between this world and the other. Both worlds are important to me, so I couldn’t decide, and I didn’t want to decide. …But I realized that wavering itself isn’t like me. After all, to choose both by making a choice is what makes me a Nekoneko Player.”
Gathering my courage, I looked into her blue eyes, held within my chest.
“So…ma…”
In Ringo’s tear-filled eyes, I saw my reflection. Surely, Ringo’s reflection was in my eyes as well.
“Of course, I don’t think it will be easy. It might take time, and there’s no guarantee I can return safely. Even so…”
Pouring all my feelings into it, I asked Ringo.
“—Can you believe in me and wait for me?”
New tears welled up in Ringo’s eyes. But before they could stream down her face, she wiped them away with her own hands. Her clear eyes, now free of clouds, looked straight at me.
“…I believe in Soma.”
Her answer brought me immense relief. I relaxed the fist I had been clenching tightly on Ringo’s back.
“…Thank you.”
I was aware that I was saying something selfish. I knew it might cause Ringo pain. I thought so, I really did think so…
“But, if it takes too long, I’ll come to you.”
Looking into her clear eyes, which stared straight at me without any hesitation or pretense, I could honestly believe that this was the best course of action, for both me and Ringo.
“…Soma. Here.”
Saying that, Ringo held out the Mansion key. With this, we could open the trap room door and rejoin everyone. And with that, the matter would be settled.
After hesitating for a moment, I took the key from Ringo’s hand, and then…
“Oops, I dropped it.”
With a flat delivery, I tossed the key towards the corner of the room.
“…Soma?”
Startled by my sudden strange behavior, Ringo looked at me. Averting my gaze from her sharp stare, I said,
“Ringo, you’re more stubborn than you look. It can’t be helped if it takes a little time to persuade you.”
To Ringo, who still looked bewildered, I smiled.
“So, let’s… stay here a little longer.”
At those words, Ringo’s face finally showed understanding.
“…Yeah!”
She replied in a bright voice, sounding just like a girl her age, and then threw herself at me.
My heart is about to break… There will be a surprise attack ahead.
Thus, a series of astonishing updates! The next update is tomorrow (Scheduled posting already complete)!
