Chapter: 176. The Eve of Lifelong Regret
Recently, Sayaka Hoshimiya had been feeling restless, and today that unease was most pronounced.
A kind of anxiety, the origin of which she could not discern, hung over her like a shadow, causing her to often suffer from insomnia at night.
She knew that the same thing was happening to her not-at-all-cute younger brother, Renji Hoshimiya.
Ever since that mysterious black-haired man came to their door, Renji’s behavior had become quite strange. But since it was Renji who had taken the initiative to confront the man and went out to talk with him privately, Sayaka was not clear on what their conversation entailed.
However, it was evident from Renji’s recent actions that it was certainly not anything good.
That good student from the University of Tokyo was no longer dedicating his precious summer vacation to studying as he did in the past. Nowadays, he either helped clean the house or spent time searching online for information about the “Special Environmental Management Association,” an environmental NGO.
Unlike Sayaka, who was a mediocre university graduate, Renji was a heavy-duty little sister complex who had set his sights on entering a top global company to earn money to care for his sister for life. His career goal was clearly not an altruistic organization like this “environmental agency.”
Unfortunately, every time Sayaka asked him about it, he would dodge the questions.
Since she couldn’t get any answers from Renji, Sayaka also tried to start her own investigation elsewhere, such as the local branch of the Special Environmental Management Association in Kawano City.
Though Sayaka was not a paragon of excellence like Renji and Nagi, her cheerful disposition and infectious social skills allowed her to return to Kawano City after graduating and work as a newspaper reporter. However, it was unfortunate that her attempts to investigate the local SEMA branch as a reporter yielded no useful results.
It was an ordinary environmental organization, with not much different from other similar NGO groups around the world.
Originally, Sayaka had arranged to interview the head of the Kawano City SEMA branch today, the very day of her sister’s 18th birthday, but she unexpectedly received a phone call last night, stating that they needed to reschedule.
At first, Sayaka didn’t pay much attention to it because today was a very special day—her premature sister, who all the doctors believed would not survive, had miraculously lived and grown into a child as adorable as an angel. Thus, Nagi’s birthday was the most important day of the year for the Hoshimiya family.
Even though Nagi was participating in a summer camp this year and couldn’t return to Kawano City to celebrate with the family, Sayaka still intended to decorate the house for an elaborate birthday party, both as a long-standing tradition in the Hoshimiya family and to chase away that unsettling feeling in her heart.
However, this joyful atmosphere was shattered by a violent earthquake—
It should have been an earthquake, and Sayaka had a vague feeling that the tremors seemed to be coming from the sky.
The upscale apartment in the heart of Kawano City shook violently in this sudden earthquake, turning the birthday party site that Sayaka had meticulously prepared into chaos. At the same time, the family portrait hanging on the wall fell to the ground due to the shaking, the sound of breaking glass echoing out.
As the shaking caused a picture to slide toward her, Sayaka’s unease reached its height when she saw the broken frame; the shattered glass resembled a white spiderweb, cracking open around the face of her most beloved sister, making it impossible for her to see her features clearly—
An overwhelming sense of anxiety enveloped Sayaka’s heart.
She felt that something irrevocable was about to happen.
She did not know how long had passed when the earthquake finally calmed.
At that moment.
A beam of starlight cascading from the sky caught Sayaka’s attention.
Logically speaking, it should have been daytime—the sky was clear, and the sun shone brightly—but that silvery star hung high in the heavens.
Under normal circumstances, Sayaka would have thought it was a hallucination caused by staying up late working, but this time, as her eyes reflected that silvery star, a memory from the past flashed through her mind.
It was a scene from long ago on a sleepless night.
Nagi stood on the balcony, her back to the myriad stars, with that silvery star seemingly hanging above her head. Her childish yet oddly composed voice echoed in Sayaka’s ears—
(“Every star in the sky actually represents a soul.”)
(“It is the only proof of each person’s existence in this world.”)
Sayaka felt a fleeting breeze brush across her face, like a hand gently caressing her cheek.
The next moment.
The star in the sky transformed into a brilliant shooting star, streaking across the sky—
Sayaka sensed that something very important was slipping away from her grasp in that instant.
—————–
Tick—tock—
As violet-black light engulfed her starry eyes, Nagi heard that incredibly familiar sound deep within her heart.
It was a reminder from the Box of Kaola.
Countless possibilities of the world line had collapsed at this moment due to being observed, the “save point” from the Box of Kaola was once again overwritten by her actions, Adam would no longer suffer the torment of the end, and she would no longer need to battle Kanade in that small park filled with their cherished memories.
The progression of the world had moved forward yet again.
At the same time, it represented that her final journey was drawing to a close—
The end contamination on Adam had vanished; the SEMA members in Kawano City had lost their ability to act, and Mana and Renji had been kept safe. The presence of the End Nagi and Omega had also dissipated from Kawano City, seemingly due to Garuda’s self-sacrifice temporarily repelling them.
Everything was complete.
Kanade had not only mastered two unique abilities exclusive to the protagonist but also learned how to use the Box of Kaola and even pulled out her exclusive fantasy weapon, the “Blade of Life,” slowly mastering its techniques under her guidance, compensating for her weaknesses.
At this moment.
It seemed she had accomplished everything she could.
What remained was the most crucial step in the plan.
Nagi floated above the Kawano City where she had grown up, calmly looking down at the city below. Although this initial city from the game “Starfall 2” had turned into ruins after the recent battle, in Nagi’s view, it still retained its original appearance, as if nothing had changed from the past—
She was still here as a second-year high school student, still in this city, and her soul was still tainted by the end, waiting for the last step of the so-called “lifelong regret” plan.
Actually, from the moment this plan was devised, Nagi had already thought of her method of death, but she had not shared it with Garuda or the other contracted beasts.
Simple death would not eliminate the fragments of the end, which was information she had grasped as a hardcore player of the “Starfall” series in her past life. If she wanted to save this world, the only way was to—
Have Kanade, the “enemy of the end,” personally kill her.
Only in this way could the fragments of the end be thoroughly purified.
Just then.
Nagi felt the domain of the Mirror Flower above her head being ripped apart by black flames.
The final protagonist of this stage was about to make an entrance.
What she needed to do was to play the role of a “villain BOSS” and ultimately die at the protagonist’s hands, leaving him with lifelong regret.
In the terrible work “Starfall,” strength comes from the obsession and hatred for the world.
Nagi hoped to create the most powerful savior for this world at the cost of her own life.
As Nagi tried to adopt the end’s twisted and mad demeanor to face the approaching Kanade—
What interrupted her was Kanade’s voice, calm yet tinged with a touch of pity:
“Little Nagi, enough, you don’t have to pretend anymore—”
