Editing Kami-sama no Inai Nichiyoubi:Volume6 Chapter1 (section)

===Part III===
&nbsp;

<span style="font-weight: 400;">After rescuing a car stuck in a ditch, taking a lost old man home, and feeding a wild dog that had been scared off by the sudden increase in the number of humans, Ai finally believed Alice’s definition of ‘stroll’.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">She would swear that the man, who was currently getting his face licked by a dog, definitely did not have anything on his mind.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"I'm pretty sure this little fella is the pet of the Krauses, and it got left behind when its family entered the entire world. I remember they got someone to adopt it…I see, so you’re looking for your master?"</span>

<i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Payback!</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> Alice utilized his mysterious creativity to retaliate against the dog that was trying to lick his face. It was not much a payback to begin with, but both of them appeared to be enjoying themselves, so Ai did not say anything.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"What's its name?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Hmmm~~what’s its name again? I remember it’s Krau…Krau…yeah, Krauwa!"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"…Are you sure?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Krauwa (temp designation), who had been happy till a moment ago, suddenly looked unhappy. "Yep, it’s Krauwa of the Krauses. No doubt about it'' Alice assured Ai confidently.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Then they took Krauwa (temp designation) home. The family was so grateful that they welcomed the dog and the two of them, and even gave them a gift.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"…You mistook the dog’s name."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Ai said as she held the sweet bread that was given to her. They fed the dog sandwiches, but somehow they got more food.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Shut up."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Alice said unhappily, biting into a piece of raisin bread.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Close enough, wasn’t it?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Ah yes, you're a liar, a liar. That wasn’t even close."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Shut up…anyway, yeah, that’s right. Don’t you feel that not getting it right at all feels similar to getting close to the answer?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Yes, yes."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">By the way, Krauwa's real name was Bernard III.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">It was completely different.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"That’s not important.."</span>

<i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Nom nom nom</span></i>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"What about you? How does it feel to have saved the world after waiting for so long??"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Eh? W-what do you mean by that?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"I'm talking about Krauwa."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">He was talking about Bernard III.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"You see how happy the Krauses were, right? The old man was so happy he nearly broke a bone, and their daughter was crying with joy."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"…We only brought their dog to them."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"But still, their world was saved, you know?"</span>

<i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Right?</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> He smiled.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Not only that, but there’s that lost old man and the car in the ditch. You’re amazing to save three worlds while on a stroll. I guess a certain something really loves you."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">That was the moment when Ai could hazard a guess as to where he was getting at.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Thank you, Mr. Alice."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Hm? For what?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"You were trying to encourage me, weren't you?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">She had assumed Alice was not thinking of anything, but at this moment, she felt apologetic to him.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"……"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Alice's face suddenly turned into a scowl, and after a few moments of hesitation, she sighed loudly and threw away the script.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"You're a real pain in the ass, aren't you?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Is that so?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Yes, you are. Couldn’t you have not noticed this at all? Even if you did, you should have played along."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"But I can't do that."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">She could not be blinded by the immediate joy and run forth without resolving the contradictions.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">That was the case despite knowing that it would be a lot easier if she had remained oblivious.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"You know how they say that time heals all things?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Ai said as she looked down at her toes.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"When something important to the main character is destroyed, one of the supporting characters will say, 'Time heals’. But I think that's a lie."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"……"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"It's not healing. It's just forgetting. Forgetting the sins that were committed, forgetting one’s failures…"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Seriously, you…"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Alice threw his hands up in the air, as though declaring that Ai was a lost cause.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"What’s wrong about forgetting it all? That’s how you’ll get healed."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"I'm not saying it's bad. But …"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Ai looked at Alice. She stared at her sin squarely in the face.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"If I'm going to forget my sins, I want to choose to do so of my own free will."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"……"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"I don't want to leave it to 'time'. I want to at least choose that for myself."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Seriously, you…"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Alice appeared to be completely speechless.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">'You're a real pain in the ass, you know that?</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"I'm sorry, that’s how I am—but if there’s one thing I can still be proud of, this is it. I’m a mentally fragile person, I’ll fail, I’ll make mistakes, but I’m not going to double down on it. That's the one thing I don't want to do."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"…That’ll be tough."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"That's true."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Even Ai herself had no idea as to why she had become such a troublesome person.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Haa, that’s a waste of time……let's go home, alright?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Alice abandoned his script, raised his hands in seemingly surrender, and changed his path</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Yes."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Ai raised the basket filled with bread, and turned behind by the right,</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Excuse me."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">It was then when they encountered a group of people who clearly had a ‘we’re in trouble’ aura. The center of that group was a young couple, and the husband asked as if he were representing them,</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Do you know our daughter?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Alice looked at Ai. Something</span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> really adores you, huh?</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> He asked.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Ai merely replied with a sigh.</span>

&nbsp;
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">+</span></p>
&nbsp;

<span style="font-weight: 400;">It was a group of relatives, consisting of a young couple just over thirty, their parents, cousins and brothers. The father, who was in his prime, introduced themselves as the Edwards, and explained the situation to Ai.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Your daughter has not returned to the real world?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Yes."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Ai and Alice were sitting on the stairs of an open deck that had probably been a fancy café fifteen years ago, and heard him out.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Yes, she’s my beloved granddaughter. She’s really pitiful. The poor girl is probably crying somewhere right now."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"She's a sweet girl, very strong, always smiling."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Hey, you don't think the…Witch kidnapped her, do you? Oh, oh God…"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Please, Alice, you have to find my big sister!"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">There was quite a fuss going on.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Alright alright! Tell me the name of your daughter or granddaughter or big sister!"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"E-Everyone, please calm down! Please talk one at a time!"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Alice and Ai were jostled by the Edwards who complained about their predicament, and they tried to sort out the situation.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"I'll talk."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">The first person to step forward was the father who was the first to speak. Once he stood forward, Alice and Ai heaved a sigh of relief.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">His name was Shiba Edwards, and he worked as a librarian in the sealed world, and was acquainted not only with Alice but also with Ai, who frequented the library for research. His personality was gentle and he was always smiling.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">At this moment however, the smile on his face was gone.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Father-in-law, everyone, please look elsewhere. I shall explain this to Alice? "</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Then—"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Please do."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Shiba bowed to his relatives with a stern expression. Ai could not tell if it was courtesy to his family, or that he was being overly anxious that resulted in such a harsh attitude.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Ai saw that half of his relatives were looking around the town and the other half watching from a distance, and so she looked directly at Shiba and the only other person left, his wife. Alice folded his arms and started to groan.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Your daughter's gone, huh…?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Yeah, we don't know what to do anymore…"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"…Are you implying that the Witch took her?”</span>

<i><span style="font-weight: 400;">“”Witch!””</span></i>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">The relatives listening by the side were terrified, and took a few steps back.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Ai was not too sure, but it seemed the word ‘Witch’ alone was something nobody really wanted to hear. In hindsight, it was the same situation at Gora Academy, for even the mention of Dee, the "Witch of the West" caused Q class to be completely terrified. Of course, given what Dee had done, it was not hard to comprehend their reactions..</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"No, no, there’s no way that could happen."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Shiba shivered for a moment, but quickly regained his composure and continued.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"My daughter and I got separated when we came back, and then…"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"So basically, a random returnee."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Alice immediately replied.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Don't worry, we'll find her right away."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">There was a reason for his words. The scenario described by the couple was not that unusual.</span>

&nbsp;

<span style="font-weight: 400;">The people who had returned to the real world that day six days ago had generally returned to where they had been, but some found their places flooded or collapsed in reality, and ended up at completely unrelated places.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"The guards will probably take care of you guys if you go to them. I remember your daughter’s very sick, Mr Shiba, right? We better look for her immediately then…eh, what’s her name again?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Alice said, flipping through a list of things that he kept in his pocket.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"My daughter's name is…Isola Edwards. "</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Isola Isola…hmm, not on the list. I don’t remember her either. I'm sorry, Shiba, but you might want to ask at the guard station."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Understood, we'll just wait here."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Hm?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Alice momentarily stopped in his tracks. The assumption was that he would run away, but he instantly stopped.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"—Ah, right. If everyone leaves, we won’t be able to meet up with the old man and the others. Right, I’ll go ask them in a jiffy."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Alice said, and ran off. Ai waited until he was gone, and another minute, before asking,</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"So, what can I do for you?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"You are very perceptive."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Shiba too appeared to be waiting for this moment, and he spoke up,</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Is this something you don't want Mr. Alice to hear?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Yes."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"… I don't like secrets though…"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Of course, I won't force you to keep quiet. You can tell him if you feel there’s a need to."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Nevertheless, Shiba still hoped that she could keep mum about this..</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"I don't want him to be reminded of my daughter."</span>

&nbsp;
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">+</span></p>
&nbsp;

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Isola is a child who can’t 'grow up'."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Shiba began to speak softly. Only when talking about his daughter did he give that gentle smile that Ai remembered from the sunny days in the library.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Can’t grow up, you say…like Mr Julie’s?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"No, not in that mental sense."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">He denied so, slowly and firmly. Shiba was also a part-time teacher at the Ostia school, and him speaking to Ai reminded the latter of class.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"To be honest, it’s brutally simple, the body itself, Ai."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">At that moment, Shiba's wife, Lethe, who had been slumped over—began to bawl out. Shiba embraced his wife’s shoulders in his large hands to console her, saying, "It's not your fault".</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Our daughter was destined from birth to live a shorter life than others. A great doctor told us that her muscles would lose their elasticity as she grew, and eventually they would atrophy, causing her heart to stop beating."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Is, that so…"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">It was the first time Ai had heard that Shiba had a daughter. He definitely did not intend to hide this, but it was not something that could be mentioned so simply.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"But still, Miss Isola did enter the sealed city, right? She was willing to enter even if it meant her death…"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">It was a world where one can die normally.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">This was one of the rules of that sealed world.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Ai respected Isola. In a certain sense, even if one had died in the real world, that person could have survived. She however did not make that choice, and chose to go to a world where death did not exist, and Ai was very impressed with that..</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">But at that moment. Lethe finally had enough, and collapsed in tears.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Ahhh! Th-that’s not it, little Ai! She wasn't prepared for that! I-I took that time away from her!"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Calm down Lethe, it's not just your fault. It was our fault too…"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Something was amiss.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Ai was driven by this thought as she watched them break down in tears. The feeling that she had recently experienced, the feeling that the premise was wrong to begin with, rather than it being difficult, came back to her.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Finally, Ai paid attention to their ages.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">A young couple who had just turned thirty. What did that mean?</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"…Mr Shiba, when did you enter the Sealed City with the others?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Thirteen years ago…the beginning."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Miss Isola's age at that time was…"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"She only learned a few simple words when she first entered the world."</span>

<i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ahhh!</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> Lethe sobbed again.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"When did you find out about the disease …?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Yes, we found out once we entered."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Ai closed her eyes tightly as she understood everything.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"…It was after we entered the sealed city. Isola was a beautiful baby, like the world loved her, and we could not imagine that a terrible disease was lurking in her…"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">The mother's cries echoed in the ruined city, and Ai could do anything about her tears.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"After we found out our daughter was sick, we were tormented by guilt. For ourselves, we accepted Alice’s invitation, because we felt it was acceptable. We felt back then that dying naturally was something to be proud of—but that notion was discarded the moment she got sick. If she stayed in the outside world, she could have lived her life to the fullest at the very least, even if she had died. … we had permanently deprived her of that opportunity…"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"B-but, she could not return to this world after all."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">It was then that Ai noticed.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">The girl did not return.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"…That’s what I told Alice that, but we already reported to the guards and the town council. I even checked with them before coming here."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"…Why do you want to keep this a secret from Mr. Alice so badly?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Because he doesn't know about this…"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Eh?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">It was inexplicable.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"But then again, wasn't Mr. Alice the one who led you to the sealed city?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"That Alice is already dead."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">A cold sweat ran down Ai’s spine.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"You know, don't you, Ai? Alice has died several times in the last fifteen years, and he got reset each time. Just from what I remember, he died three times already. Every time he did, we had to make acquaintances with him again and tell him that we owe him a favor, that we are his good friends…"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">How tragic would it be for someone with that past?</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Ai tried to put herself in his shoes. One day, Alice would ask Ai, "Who are you?" One day, Alice asked me, "Who are you? She will have to start all over again with the fifteen-year-old, forgetting that they met at Gora Academy, climbed the World Tower together, and celebrated his sixteenth birthday.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Twice, thrice.</span>

<i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Oh, so that's why,</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> Ai thought to herself. When he was in the sealed city, Alice had been a popular person in town. Everyone called him by his name affectionately.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">But Alice had always kept his distance from them. He was alone, looking at the town beyond a windowpane.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Ai finally understood the meaning of those eyes.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">No matter how fond they were of Alice, Alice did not know. Rationally, he knew his past self he made memories with them, and they treasured each other, but his emotions were unable to comprehend.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">That was why he always kept his distance from them.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"The second time he appeared, our daughter turned seven, and started to fall sick."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Shiba said, with eyes similar to Alice's.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"His anguish at that time was unimaginable. He blamed himself even more than we did. ‘I should have put more thought into this. I should have been more careful,' so he said…"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"……"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"And he forgot about that, too."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Shiba continued with a stiff voice, as though deliberately restraining himself.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"When we met him for the third time, we decided to stop telling him the truth."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"…Is that, so?</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"My daughter suggested it back then. She was twelve."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Twelve years old.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"I still remember that moment, a little while after she turned twelve, when she heard that Alice had come back to the town after a long absence. She told me that she and Alice had promised to go pick her favorite dream chrysanthemums on her birthday. She smiled and said that she had managed to make it in time…but she cried alone that day…and came back without any flowers…and right after that, she made that suggestion…"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Ai firmly sensed the fact that Isola was a person of flesh and blood. She thought of a twelve year old girl with a dying body, deprived of the time to choose, but still caring for someone else (Alice).</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">She thought of the young girl who would tell such a gentle lie at the age when Ai was still living her dream.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"What was she thinking…?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"…I don't know."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">She frowned, as though thinking this was the toughest part to accept..</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"I, no, we all don’t know what she’s thinking…but it seems Alice has asked our daughter about it a few times before. "Did you want to be in the original world? You don’t like the sealed world?’"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Surely this was a question he would ask..</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">He would have asked her, without a second thought to the wounds he would have to bear.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"I heard our daughter say she didn't know."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"I guess so…"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"To be honest, we didn’t believe what she said…I'm sorry to say it, but that girl was really kind, and that made it hard to read her true feelings. We didn't know what she was really thinking when she suggested hiding the truth from Alice or when she asked this question. …"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Ai felt that it was to be expected. She could understand Isola's feelings better than Shiba and the others.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Isola probably did not have any hidden feelings like Shiba said. She was afraid of hurting the people around her, and became more adverse to talking.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Back then, I didn't understand her…"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Suddenly, Shiba said, looking a little different from before.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Back then?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"…When she…</span><b>didn’t save Alice</b><span style="font-weight: 400;">."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"She didn’t save…Mr. Alice?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Yes."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Then Shiba looked into Ai's eyes.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"By the looks of it, Ai, you didn't know, did you?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Kn-Know what?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"The classroom in the setting sun—the noisy desks and chairs—the school festival fifteen years ago."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"!!"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">That was!</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"You were the first one to save Alice, that's for sure. But, Ai, there are many people who were almost there."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Alice once said that Ai was the 35,696th helper, and that 35,695 people before her had failed.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">But there were some people who had gotten very far.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"They were divided into two groups. One such group that originally lived in this town."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Shiba held up his index finger.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Those from this town naturally knew that there was an incident at Ostia School. Many would be excluded if it came to those who were rather privy of what happened, but it was said there were a few such people.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Ai remembered. She remembered the strange feeling, that some were trying to obstruct her. It seemed Dee was not the only source of them.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"And there's another group of people who have discovered the truth on their own, Ai, just like you."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">He pointed a finger at Ai.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"There were about four such people, my daughter was one of them. Isola discovered the mystery of the world on her own."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Then why couldn't Isola and the others destroy that world?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Ai asked, and at the same time, she realized what was going on.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Surely it was not that they could not destroy it, but that they did not.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Because by the time they discovered the truth, the world and Alice had already become important to them.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Whether driven by regret, desire, friendship, or love, each of them had their own emotions that kept them from destroying the sealed world and kept their mouths shut.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">(I'm sorry, but I'm not counting on you.)</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Ai finally understood why Alice had been so cautious. He really saw the moment when the chance for salvation slipped away from in front of his eyes, time and time again.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"—I don't know why the others didn't destroy that world. And I don't know much about what Isola was thinking either. To be honest, I was delighted when I heard this story. I thought she could return to the real world. However, she gave up on that choice without hesitation. That's what I don't understand. …"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Then Shiba hugged his wife tightly. By comforting her, he seemed to be comforting himself.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Even now, at this moment, I don't know what's going on with her."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"…Please don't think about this too hard."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Thank you very much…but this is not good parenting from us, is it? Why did she disappear? Why didn't she come back to this world?…We don’t even know the reason why she’s doing this, and we call ourselves parents…"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"P-Please wait a minute. It's not that Miss Isola didn’t want to go back on her own, right?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Alice might pop by the next moment and say, "Hey~there was a mistake. Your daughter’s nearby."</span>

<i><span style="font-weight: 400;">"No, it's not."</span></i>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">But Shiba—and even Lethe—simply denied it.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"W-Why not?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Our daughter did not come back as per her own decision. The moment we returned, we looked her in the eyes. Her eyes showed that she was planning something."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"H-how do you know that?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">The couple looked at each other, with a puzzled look on their faces.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Because that's the kind of girl she is."</span>

<i><span style="font-weight: 400;">What kind of girl is she?</span></i>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">At this point, Ai understood that these parents who kept saying that they did not ‘understand their daughter’ were just putting on a front.</span>

&nbsp;
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">+</span></p>
&nbsp;

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Alice came back with a face like a dog that could not ‘fetch the toy it’.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Sorry. I couldn’t find the name Isola with the guards or the evacuation shelter. I just asked based on age and appearance at least, but …"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"No luck?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"I-It’s embarrassing…"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">They sent him on a fool’s errand just to buy some time, and decided not to bully him any more.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Guess we have no choice—well, shall we go?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Go where?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"While you've been running around, I thought of a certain answer."</span>

<i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Really!?</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> Shiba and the others immediately pursued the matter.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Yes, it's true."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">There was no certainty, but the scenario he had described was probably related to ‘that’. That was what Ai’s instincts were telling her.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Thank you very much! I'm glad we consulted you after all."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Shiba then whispered, </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">I'm really glad I turned to you, since you were able to help even Alice.</span></i>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">The couple bowed their heads in thanks, but Ai's heart was completely cold.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Don't worry."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Ai shook the mother's hand cautiously.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"We'll find Miss Isola, I'm sure."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"…Thank you, little Ai."</span>

<i><span style="font-weight: 400;">No,</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> Ai cordially replied as she monitored her own heart, ensuring that she was not in ecstasy over the joy of helping others, and not save the world until she had corrected her mistakes.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">She did not allow herself to move forward while ignoring her mistakes.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">She could sense Alice's annoyed gaze on her. That was fine, she was such a person after all.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Let's go, shall we?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Ai said.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"To school."</span>

&nbsp;
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">+</span></p>
&nbsp;

<span style="font-weight: 400;">The Ostia School for Boys and Girls was, surprisingly, filled with people.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"? What’s going on?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"…Hmm, you don’t know, Ai?</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Mr. Alice, do you know?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"No, I don't."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Just for once, shut up forever."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">They walked up the hill with the Edwards family. For some reason, there was a group of people hanging out there, surrounding the school from a distance.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">They all seemed to be in distress.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Ai walked on, thinking that if it was the old her, she would have run in to ask what happened. Not long after, she spotted a nostalgic but changed scenery over the hill.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">The steel main stood gates like a guillotine that ruthlessly cuts off late arrivals every morning, the statue of a great man whose head had been unrecognizable, and the brown schoolyard was bumpy as if it had been bombed.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">In the middle of it sat a strange black surface.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">The black surface was standing on the ground, a dark color that appeared as if night had been cut out and put into a frame.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">It was the residue of the miracle that the sealed city had left behind with its collapse. It was a jet black surface.</span>

<i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ohhh…</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">it was the first time Shiba and the others saw it.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Ai… What is that? It looks like the gate we went through when we entered the sealed city. …"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"I think it's probably something similar."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"…Why did you bring us here …?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"It's simple."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Ai raised up her index finger.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"I was thinking, if Miss Isola is really not in this world, then where did she go?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"No way…"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Yes, she may have gone to another world, different from the sealed world and ours."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Ai herself had yet to dismiss the possibility that Isola had gotten lost though.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"I see, I see."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Alice was more readily convinced than Shiba.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"I thought it was strange. I couldn’t figure out why that black surface was left behind, but, I see, so that makes sense. It was Miss Isola who made it, wasn’t it?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"It 'might' be."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"But I'm convinced."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"It doesn't matter if you're convinced. "</span>

<i><span style="font-weight: 400;">What do you think, Mr Shiba?</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> Ai asked the man standing beside her.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">It was Lethe who responded.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"That's…that!"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"What's wrong?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"You! Don't you feel it? That's it! That's her! Beyond there!"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"C-calm down."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">She grabbed her husband by the shoulders and shook him hard. Seeing how great her response was, Shiba could not hide his dismay.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"What little Ai and Alice said is true! You don't understand! Come on, have a look!"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Even if you say so, I…"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Shiba apologized with just his eyes. Ai gestured to him that he should not take it to heart, and at the same time, thought that they should end things for the day. Lethe clearly was at her limit."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Anyway, calm down for now. We've had enough for today. Let's just go home and start again another day."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"There’s no need for that! Enough already! Have a look! Feel it!"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Shiba’s actions were all to console Lethe. He shook his head and looked at the same object that his wife was staring at.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">He had a look.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Ai and Alice too were also staring at it. The black surface had its mouth open as usual.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"…I don't think there's anything there."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">And apparently that was true for Shiba, too.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"No, it can't be! Yes, if you look closer, you can see that there is something..."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Lethe then stumbled over, beyond the cordon rope, and into the schoolyard.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Hey!"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">With these words, a female student showed up.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Seriously! Isn’t there a sign right there!? No loitering! Queue up! No climbing over the rope! I don't want you not to make me any busier, you hear me! Dee Ensy is closed for the day! Please wait until tomorrow!"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">The female student was dressed in her school uniform, her hands on her hips, looking angry.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"This goes for you two as well, Alice and Ai!"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Yes…"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Sorry…"</span>

<i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Good.</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> And the girl smiled.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"…Now then, what are you here for …?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Dee stared at them with a wary expression.</span>

&nbsp;
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">+</span></p>
&nbsp;

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"The cause of the black surface?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">There was a signboard with the words ‘Black Surface Plane Exploration Survey Operation Management Association Headquarters’, the name definitely something Dee came up with herself. She was in this tent, adding a third spoonful of sugar into the thick coffee in the tent. This was after Ai and the others had told Dee about the situation at hand.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"So you’re saying it’s because of Miss Isola, huh?…Hmm, I see."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"What do you think?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"I don't think it's impossible. "</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">It was a reliable assertion coming from Dee. However, they were more interested in the coffee that had a fourth, fifth spoonful of sugar added. It was the sixth spoonful.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"It's certainly unnatural that the black surface remained after our world collapsed. I wouldn't be surprised if there’s a reason for it. But I'm only interested in the practical use of the black face, so I don't really care.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">In the end, Dee added eight spoonfuls of sugar and downed the coffee at once.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Fuaahhaa! That's what all-nighters are for!"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"… Are you tired?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"No, I'm not! I’m~going~ strong~! Yoo-hoo!"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">It seemed she was too tired to feel that she was tired.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Why don't you at least change your clothes?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">On a closer look, Dee was wearing the same uniform as before, and it was all torn and tattered, a stark contrast from the vacuum-preserved purity and the prim and proper attire in the sealed world.</span>

[[Image:Kamisama v06 Illustration 02.jpg|thumb]]

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Ahh, no no no. I'm wearing this uniform because it just fits, so I'm using it as a staff uniform here. Isn't that a good way to tell the difference? And it just so happens that most of the main staff are students."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Ahhh, so that's it."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">On a closer look, one could see most of the members of the tent were wearing student jackets or tops.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"So I'll just take the school uniform as that for the Black Surface Phone…Black Surface Plan Explanation…Black Surface Plane Exploration Investigyaaahhhh!!"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Ah, she bit her tongue.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">The hot coffee probably flowed into the bite mark, and Dee was rendered speechless as she made a weird dance.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">… Ai had a thought that if she would end up biting her tongue, she should not have given it just a long name. Ai remembered that there was a drink given along with the good just now, and wanted to hand it over to Dee.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">So she thought as she pulled out a bottle of soda.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">""(Miss) Dee, here.""</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Two voices overlapped.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">She turned around to find a person with such a large presence standing there, causing her to wonder how she did not notice that person before.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">A noblewoman in a blood-red dress.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">The lady was perfectly dressed except for the fact that it was inappropriate for the venue. She wore high heeled shoes, gloves that covered her elbows, an intricate hat that covered her face that was some complicated four-dimensional design, and a huge parasol as a finishing touch.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">All of them were deep red.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">The bottle of water Ai had been holding out retracted at the same speed as it was handed over.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">As a result, Dee took the lady's water bottle that was a little higher, took lots of gulps </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">"Ahh you saved me, thanks" </span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">and</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">she thanked the lady.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">The noblewoman replied, "No," and then went back to the edge of the tent.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Erm, where was I? Ahh, the black surface?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Erm, I'm curious about that too…but, who is that person over there?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Don't worry about it. Just think of her as a mannequin."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"No, that's not what I'm saying…"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">It was true that she resembled a mannequin with the way she stood there, but that alone would cause Ai to have another terrifying imagination.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"And so? What do her parents want to do? Where are they now?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Dee continued with the topic.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"…They’re outside now, looking at the black surface. Mr. Alice is with them."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"I'll meet them. Bring me over."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"—No need, we’re already here."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Alice and the couple entered the tent. Dee tensed for a moment at Alice's presence, then quickly switched her expression.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"…It’s been a while, Shiba, Lethe."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"My my, it’s been a long time, Dee. You've grown up."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Is that so? I don't know. I feel like I haven't grown in fifteen years."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"No no no, we’re not wrong. You do seem to have grown quite a lot over the past few days, Dee."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"I-Is that so?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Both Shiba and Lethe seemed to be mentally recovered, and the way they talked to Dee resembled relatives who had not seen each other in a long time.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Alice and Ai made eye contact.</span>

<i><span style="font-weight: 400;">"Did anything happen?"</span></i>

<i><span style="font-weight: 400;">"No, I don't think there was anything in particular. …"</span></i>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Oh, yes, Dee, we actually have a favor to ask you."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"A favor?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">This time, Dee asked with her eyes  </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">"What’s going on?" "I don't know."</span></i>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Dee, can you get us through the black surface?"</span>

&nbsp;
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">+</span></p>
&nbsp;

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"…There's been an increase in such instances lately. …"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">The black surface was in the center of the schoolyard, and right in front of it was a tent filled with various acoustic measuring instruments, dimmers, and various other measuring devices used in the investigation of the black surface. Dee had her hands on her waist as she said so,</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Such instances, as in??"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"People who want to get through the black surface."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Dee said grumpily, chewing on a candy cane to keep herself awake.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Nobody has returned from this road, but more and more people want to go there even after I tell them."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Dee glanced behind.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">There was a family meeting going on in the Edwards household.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Think this through, Shiba! Where's your usual calmness?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Yea, brother-in-law, calm down! You're risking your life for that thing?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">There was quite a loud squabble. Ai and Dee looked on as if they were outsiders.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"It’s a common scene recently."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Is that so?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Yeah. People wanting to enter through the black surface, and people wanting to stop others. Mostly relatives."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"I see…"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">The family meeting was increasingly heated, and just when the voltage was about to reach its peak.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Everyone."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Someone spoke with a soft, low voice, but it was one no one could ignore.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"I think your concerns are justified. But we've already made up our minds."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Shiba's voice was not filled with determination or confidence. Rather, he seemed to be trembling with anxiety.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">However, everyone knew that Shiba was a person who would not bend his thoughts when he spoke with such a tone.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"…That’s common too."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">The sight of Dee saying this lethargically resembled someone who had seen similar movies. It was inappropriate given the seriousness, but Ai knew that Dee had not slept more than twenty hours this week, and could not say anything.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"In the end, the one who spoke up won. Those who are left behind hang around here with their regrets…"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">This is ......</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Haha ...... haha ...... when you see Miss Isola. Give this to her. ......"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Dream chrysanthemum.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">It is the birth flower of October, blooming in autumn.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">I'm not sure what to make of it.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Alice, you can't possibly...</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"...... ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ......, sorry, what?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"No..."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Shiba did not ask any more questions.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">He just tucked the flower into his shirt with care. I'm not sure what to do with it.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">...... It's kind of strange, Alice.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">What's that?</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Thirteen years ago, in this very place, you invited me to enter the Sealed World. We were young then, almost as old as you are now.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Ahm, Deenibbled on the candy cane like popcorn. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted the main gate and the people glancing at the black surface from there. They were a group of people like that.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Kept you waiting Dee. We’ve decided."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Yes yes. So who's going with who?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Just me and my wife."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Got it. Write your names down here, and we'll report back to the guards."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Dee had them fill out some more paperwork, gave them some precautions to follow before going through the black surface, and then took a backpack labeled ‘for experimentation use’ that was filled with the bare essentials, along with a rope that was at least a hundred meters long, tying it at their waist.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Dee, what's this?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">It’s for communication…supposedly, but every single attempt for this has failed. You get me uncle? Just move at a constant speed, stop once when you get somewhere, stop twice if there's someone inside. If there's danger, run out as fast as you can."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"I understand. I hope we can be of some help to you."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Yes. Take care then."</span>

<i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Bye, bye.</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> Dee waved them off without showing any remorse. Both Shiba and Lethe simply responded and tried to go to the black surface, but were caught again by their relatives who said, "Hey, wait a minute."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Eh~ another argument~? Can you please spare me already…"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"…Miss Dee, can you please be a little more serious?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"That’s impossible. I’m all out of it."</span>

<i><span style="font-weight: 400;">More or less,</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> Dee muttered to herself. She showed her </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">‘man, living’s a pain’</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> expression.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Oops."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">With that, the candy cane she was holding fell off. Ai, who was not expecting it at all, could not react. Right when the candy cane was about to land on the ground and hit the dirt.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"………Dee, be careful."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">The lady grabbed the cane along with the bag and gave it back to Dee.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Sorry, sorry, thank you."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"No worries."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">The lady then slowly retreated to the back. Ai looked at them suspiciously, but the lady remained iron-faced, ‘hm?’ merely giving a cute wink and not answering anything else.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"What’s the matter, Ai?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"… No—but more importantly, shouldn’t we be stopping them…"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"I'm not going to stop them. I'm not that kind of a character."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"……"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"But I won't stop you if you do."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"……"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Hmm?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"……...so—"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"What? I can't hear you."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"….I too can’t be bothered with this…"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Is that so?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Yes, …."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">A dry breeze blew.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">It was a wilderness breeze that blew from the west.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Dee looked at the sky, letting the wind brush her hair, and said without making eye contact,</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"—What's the schedule for the next shipment?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"…Still undecided."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"I see, that's a shame. But I wish you could ship them in sooner. I prefer it."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"…Can’t guarantee that…."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"You could have lied and said you’ll do your best. Aren’t you in the service industry?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"……I’ll do my best."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Good."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Dee patted Ai on the head and ended the conversation.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"—Hm, looks like they’re done talking."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">The siege of the relatives collapsed, and the couple exited.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">In the end, it seemed their original decision had not changed.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Goodbye, both of you, Ai, I'm really glad I consulted you."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Thank you, little Ai."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Even though they were thanking her, Ai could not take it in stride. She could not decide if she did the right thing or not.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"… Are you sure you want to go?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Yes."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"…Honestly."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Ai hesitated for a moment.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"I have no idea what you guys believe in."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"I guess so."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"You're like people trying to climb the World Tower. You’re acting like fervent believers, seeking things that shouldn't be there, fanatics trying to make your delusions real."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"I guess so."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">I guess so?</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Ai did not expect such an answer. It was not an answer a fanatic would say.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"You seem surprised, Miss Ai. You're right. Unlike my wife, I haven't seen anything on the black surface."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Then why?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"That’s why."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Shiba smiled.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"That's why it's worth the trip—that world needs not only those who believe, but also blockheads like me."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"…I don't really understand."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"I guess so."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Shiba laughed.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"So, from here on out, let the results speak for themselves."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"All right."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Now then…"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">The couple all said their goodbyes once more, and finally stood in front of the black surface.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"…I wanted to say goodbye to Alice too, but…"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Finally, Shiba looked around and said so. "I’ll be out for a while" Alice said this a long while ago, and had yet to return.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"…I don't want to bother you any more than I already have. Looks like we have to go too, Lethe."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Yes, dear."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"—Wait!"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">At that moment, a human whose head had some grass attached to it emerged from behind the fence at the edge of the school yard towards the back of the hill. He stepped over the fence and ran all the way over.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Haaa…haaaa…haaa…haaa…did I make it…? "</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Alice, what's wrong?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"…This!"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">There was a purple flower in his outstretched hand.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"This is…"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Haaa…haaa…when you meet Miss Isola, hand this over to her…"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">The Dream Chrysanthemum.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">It was a flower that would bloom in autumn, October.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">It was the flower he promised to pick with her, but did not manage to fulfill his promise.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Alice. Did you—"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"…Haa…haaa…haaa…sorry, you were saying?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"—It’s nothing."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Shiba did not ask any further.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">He merely kept the flower into his shirt pocket, treasuring it well, ensuring that he would not lose it accidentally.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"…Somehow, it feels strange doesn’t it, Alice?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"What’s strange?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Thirteen years ago, you invited me to the sealed world here. We were young back then, and no different from you in age."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"…Is that so?"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Yes, that's what it was, Alice."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Ai had a vision.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">There were young Shiba and his friends there. They had none of the composure or confidence of a decade later, only a glow as they protected the little girl beside them.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Alice was watching them with a smile.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Now and forever.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">He was the only one who never changed his appearance.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Goodbye Alice…goodbye, everyone."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"Yeah, goodbye."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">The time had come to say goodbye.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"I'll see you on the other side, if possible…."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"…Yeah."</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">And with that, they were swallowed up by the black surface.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">There was no dazzling light dancing around them.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">There was no earth-shattering roar.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">The two of them merely disappeared like a lamp that was switched off..</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"You fools…"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">The old man, who had opposed the idea until the very end, dropped to his knees.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">"16.26, no signal at all. The rope was never pulled…"</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Dee mumbled as she retrieved the rope that had snapped in mid-sentence.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Ai and Alice were the only ones who stood still.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">They recalled the significance of the events that just happened, and saw the petals of the Dream Chrysanthemum flutter in the air.</span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span>

<span style="font-weight: 400;">—Since that day, the number of people who wished to cross the border increased exponentially.</span>

&nbsp;