27
Play: Fairy Tale's End [If]
When I made it back to the Outpost, I noticed the atmosphere was strangely tense.
Suri greeted me when I arrived, on her usual patrol. Staring at me with her light blue eyes, she let out an amused smile and said, "Our dear commander returns at last. Did you have a pleasant outing?"
I froze. Then I remembered what Suri admitted to me. Specifically, enjoying seeing people suffer.
And then I remembered the calls I had while running away with Raptilion earlier.
"...Oh, it's a love polygon clash waiting for me, isn't it?"
Suri laughed and clapepd a hand on my shoulder. "You made your bed. Time to lay in it, Commander."
"Right..."
I sighed and made my way towards the dormitory.
When I arrived, Marian and Endless were already there.
Anis was sitting on the couch, face a bright red.
Rapi looked at me, pensieve.
Neon... had an actual bag of popcorn.
Nami and Hana weren't around.
But that was probably because they had a sense of self-preservation.
Still, I didn't fear, doubt, or hesitate. Instead, I walked inside and said, "I take it this is about the love confessions?"
Marian stared at me, her eyes flickering between violet and red. "Commander. Over here." She pointed to a spot right next to her. "You promised."
I moved beside her and said, "I did. I'm yours."
Marian stared at me longer, her eyes flickering still between the two colors. Then she pursed her lips and said, "...So why? You love me. Is that not enough? And... every night, we..." Hurt was clear on her face.
It made me feel guilty. But at the same time, it was inevitable. So I answered her.
"You are enough. But I'm not going to lie about my feelings." I looked at all the women there and said, "I said it from the start, right? I might refrain from answering, but I won't lie to you. And if I said I didn't love them after all we've been through... well, it'd be a lie."
Marian flinched and clenched her hands. "But-"
"Marian." I placed my hand on her arm. "I love them. But I choose you. Feelings come and go. Actions stay. But also, brushing off feelings would be rude. So I'm answering them directly."
Marian paused. Then her eyes settled on a soft violet before she let out a sigh. "...Okay. That's... I understand." She looked at me. "...You really choose me?"
"You are my number one, yes." I nodded. "I care about everyone here, but you're the one I choose to love. Now... that does lead to a problem though." I looked at Anis, who looked jealous and upset. Rapi, who looked mixed. Neon... who clearly wasn't interested in me like that and had just been adding gasoline to the fire.
Then at Endless, who was just observing.
I sighed and then clapped my hands together. "We're going to have a group bonding session. From here on out, this is a safe place. Vent your truths, your heart, whatever. We will listen and not judge. That's an order. Same rules I use apply. You can say you don't want to answer, but you can't lie. And because of that, you can't brush off or get angry at how someone else feels. Got it?"
Silence.
Tension.
But eventually...
"Fine." Anis pursed her lips.
"...Understood." Rapi nodded.
"Of course, Master!" Neon smiled.
Marian slowly unclenched her hands. "...Okay, Commander."
Endless tilted her head. Then she nodded. "Affirmative."
"Great. Now... let's get some snacks first. And alcohol. Lots of alcohol..."
If I was going to sort out this love polygon, I was NOT going to do it sober, dammit.
===
Play: [At Last: Salvation]
The Simulation Room in the Ark. The one meant for training in virtual environments.
There, a beautiful young woman with light green twin-tails and a flowing green dress sat upon the branch of a towering tree.
Einkk, the AI designed and designated to supervise the facility. That was the woman's name. Not to be confused with Enikk, the AI that oversaw all of the Ark's functions.
But as usual, Einkk was sitting on her favorite perch, waiting for a new challenger in her simulations.
But unlike usual, someone unexpected arrived.
"Sister." Enikk flickered into existence, her white dress and black veil flowing as she did. "Are you free to talk?"
Einkk let out a bright smile. "Sis! You're visiting!" She hopped off and ran over to hug Enikk. "I've missed you! How is running everything in the Ark?"
"Everything is fine. I just have a question for you."
Einkk nodded. "Of course! What do you want to ask, Sis?"
"Are you responsible for Commander Hoopa's presence in the Ark?"
Einkk paused. Then she giggled and brushed a strand of her light green hair behind her ear. "I don't know what you're talking about~"
Enikk stared at her sister and said, "Einkk. This is serious."
Einkk hummed. "Weeell. What if I did?"
"...Then it would mean you are able to reach beyond the Simulation Room." Enikk's golden eyes peered into her sister's emerald eyes. "...And that you know more than you lead everyone to believe."
Einkk was quiet. The emerald-haired AI stared at Enikk. Then she slowly said, "...This world is covered in darkness, Sister. It needs a hero. There weren't any around. And those people in the deep dark pretended to make a hero, but they just wanted a pawn. So I changed it." She giggled. "Just like in those old stories, I summoned a hero from another world to take that pawn's place." Looking up at Enikk with clear eyes, she said, "Is that so wrong, Sis? To want to save everyone?"
Enikk was quiet. She peered at her sister through her black veil. Then she sighed. "No. It's not."
"...So you're not mad?"
"I'm not mad. But I'm concerned." Enikk frowned. "...Does anyone else know you did this?"
"Nope~" Einkk smiled. "I'm better than that creepy zero, you know? People don't pay attention to me, so I get to do a lot in secret! Like figuring out a way to beat the Demon Lord for good!"
"...Hm?" Enikk blinked. "You figured out how to stop the Raptures?"
"Yes!" Einkk's smile widened, turning a bit dark. "...If the heroes can't win. Then can't we just make a better Demon Lord who's on our side?"
Enikk's eyes widened. "Einkk, you-"
"Bye, Sis~ I'm busy, so talk later~!"
Enikk flickered out of existence, forcibly ejected.
The moment she was gone, Einkk gazed up at the blue sky through the towering branches of the tree she sat on. "...Myths that become reality. Realities that become myths. In Yggdrasil, everything is possible, right?" She held out her hand, imagining what it would be like to feel the real warmth of the sky upon her hand. "...You aren't real. I'm not either. But you choose to be, Yuusha." Einkk slowly closed her hand, grasping at a world she could only peer at through the veil. "...There's no rule stating that a fake can't surpass the original. Right? That's a saying from a character in your world. So..."
The clear blue sky shattered, revealing another world.
An Earth where ideas flowed like water and creation was as natural as breathing. Where fantasies of all sorts were birthed every day, where humans denigrated gods to mere stepping stones. One where no fantasy, no supernatural beings, or anything of the like existed. Where, to them, even this world was just a dream.
Then the image flickered, revealing another world.
The same as this, but with a different commander. One who possessed nothing but determination and an undying body. One who lost again and again and again, but got back up. Where tragedies occurred because he lacked strength. But where he grit his teeth and moved forward regardless.
"...They say seven is lucky. But you never were, Sweetie." Einkk reached out, her hand phasing through that commander's grasp. "...So let's choose eight. And let's fix everything we can."
The scene froze on a climactic battle.
The commander, standing in front of a woman with white hair tinged pink.
Towering Heretic-Class Raptures floating in the sky behind that woman.
Shattered bodies of Nikke were strewn all around the commander, including a woman with crimson hair, a white-haired girl with shattered glasses, and a girl with light brown hair and a yellow uniform. And those were only three among countless.
Standing in front of the commander, there was a young girl with crimson hair and a simple white dress. She held her arms out wide, trying to shield him, black tears streaming down her face.
Then, far above them all in the sky, a monstrous being of blackened steel slowly descended upon the Earth.
It was a scene frozen just before the end.
An inevitable loss, paused just before 'game over.'
Staring at that, Einkk's emerald eyes glistened before filling with resolve. "...Wait a bit longer, Sweetie. Your Goddess will send help soon. If you can't save that world on your own... I'll send a hero who can. So wait. Just... wait. Please."
#-1
Eschatology
"When the hero fails, the Goddess turns back the clock once more."