“So, that’s what I was told~”
“I see~”
“That’s quite interesting.”
“This is a girls’ gathering… it’s fun.”
The one-room apartment, bathed in soft lighting, echoed with constant laughter. We four were seated around the central table. Even though it was almost three in the morning, the scene, like high school girls engrossed in chatter at a family restaurant, felt somewhat peculiar.
“Even so… we were able to go outside the ‘World’s Compulsion’ of LoD, right?”
Reon asked us, as if confirming it cautiously.
“Yes. If we take what’s written in this document at face value, the stage of LoD ends after three years of high school. It seems there’s no scenario from university onwards. We should no longer be swayed by the ‘World’s Compulsion’.”
“That’s good, really good…”
We wouldn’t have our wills and hearts manipulated, forced to like someone. Nor would our lives be put on the line. We were truly liberated and free. We were so relieved from the bottom of our hearts that we confirmed it over and over, sharing our joy.
And then…
“We have to thank Satoshi Iriya-kun!”
Akina clasped her hands in front of her chest. The image of the ‘Saintess’ resurfaced, and her words were filled with warmth.
“That’s right…”
“Yes…”
“Yeah… I want him to wake up soon.”
At this point, it didn’t matter who ‘Satoshi Iriya’ was. He saved our lives, which were supposed to end in the world of LoD. He gave us a future.
It’s been almost a week since the accident, and we want him to wake up soon.
We want to thank him for protecting us until now. We want to apologize for not noticing. And then…
“Sakurazuki-chan, your face is red~?”
“Eh!? No, it’s, well, Akina, your face is red too!”
“Eh, eh~, I don’t think so~”
“No, it’s very red? Like a boiled octopus.”
“Before you talk about others, why don’t you look in a mirror? Shino is the same.”
“…I’ll return those words right back to you, Reon-san?”
“How annoying…”
A strange silence fell between the four of us. Each of us tried to hide what was in our hearts, but our bright red cheeks told everything.
This was the second time I’d seen this scene. I didn’t know what kind of expression I was making, but judging from the three of them, I was probably making a similar one.
“Maybe our tastes are similar…”
“Maybe…”
We laughed awkwardly. Once, I had felt disgusted that the other three held this same feeling. But now, I felt joy in thinking of the same person. It was strange that we were still fighting the same strong enemy, even though only one of us could end up with him.
“Hey…”
Then, Reon muttered hesitantly. We all looked at Reon at once.
“I love ‘Satoshi Iriya’. I definitely want to be with him. But it’s also true that I don’t want to fight over the person I love with my friends…”
“Reon-chan…”
I hadn’t had a deep relationship with Reon, but I thought she tended to avoid direct expressions. To put it badly, she was a twisted person. That’s why I was surprised by her straightforward feelings.
Looking at everyone, I could tell they were thinking the same thing. We wanted to be happy together, as people who had experienced the same suffering. We didn’t want anyone to suffer anymore.
The four ‘Comrades’ who had been tossed around by fate, their feelings felt far heavier than those for family.
But it was cruel. Our feelings for our savior, ‘Satoshi Iriya’, were even greater. Even though there was no ‘World’s Compulsion’, we fell in love with the same person again, and we had to fight even though we didn’t want to. Ironically…
But I was even more surprised by Reon’s next words.
“So, why don’t we all become his…?”
“Eh…?”
We had been struggling in our hearts, trying to make a tragic resolution, so Reon’s absurd proposal overrode our thoughts. We exchanged glances with the other two. And then, I cautiously decided to ask Reon.
“Are you… serious?”
“Yes, I’m serious.”
We stared at Reon, our eyes filled with various emotions. Then, Reon also looked straight back at us.
The first to break the silence was Akina…
“That might be good~! I’m in favor~”
“Really…?”
When I looked at Akina, trying to gauge her true feelings, she replied with a smile.
“If we were just friends, it would be a different story~? But we’re also comrades who have experienced the same despair~? It’s not someone else’s problem anymore~. Right? Reon-chan?”
“Y-yes. That’s right. Akina.”
Akina took Reon’s hand, who was bewildered, with a fluffy smile.
“…So that’s what they say, but what about Shino?”
“Well… of course, personally, I want him to choose only me. However…”
She took a breath. And then,
“It’s also true that my sense of kinship with you has grown stronger. As much as with him…”
“Then…”
“I also agree with Reon-san’s opinion. Besides, I myself was a child of a concubine.”
Shino revealed her own circumstances and smiled awkwardly.
And then, the three of them focused their gaze on me, the only one left. I was still confused, but my answer was decided.
“I surrender. I want to be with everyone too. But, I’m the number one, okay?”
We all agreed to be together, but we wanted to be his number one. We wanted to be loved the most. That was the condition for accepting this abnormal relationship.
Then, everyone showed a defiant smile at once.
“I’m ready for it.”
“The seat of the legal wife is mine.”
“Fufu, I won’t lose~”
This kind of relationship wasn’t normal. Imagining him with someone other than me, I might feel jealous and suffer. Even if all four of us became lovers, there might be a hierarchy. I wanted him to prioritize only me. Maybe I would be the only one abandoned.
There were endless anxieties.
But even so, I found myself wishing that this relationship would work out just as much.
“Iriya-kun will be surprised, won’t he!”
“That’s right… suddenly having four girlfriends, and all of them the ‘Four Beauties’. I wonder what kind of reaction he’ll have.”
“Fufu, I’m looking forward to it.”
While we were getting excited, I briefly considered the possibility of being rejected. But judging from his diary, he was supporting all of us. At least, if he disliked us, he wouldn’t have tried to save us at the risk of his own life.
“It’s going to be fun~ Let’s all be happy together~!
…By the way, what are we going to do with that scum?”
“Eh?”
Akina’s voice dropped as if falling into the abyss. When we looked at Akina, we gasped. With her head tilted, a strand of hair was caught in Akina’s mouth. Her pupils were wide open as if she was mad, and she was filled with cold, pure murderous intent.
Only the ticking of the clock echoed in the room. The cheerful room had turned into a frigid polar night.
“S-so, that’s, Yu-t…” “Could you not say that name?” “Ah, ah, I’m sorry…”
Reon was overwhelmed by Akina and shrank back.
“What’s wrong… Akina-san?”
Akina moved only her head and looked at Shino.
“There’s nothing wrong. On the contrary, why are you all so calm~?”
“…I don’t think that answers the question…”
“Then I’ll say it clearly… I want to kill Yuto Sano.”
Then, Akina returned to her usual smile. No, it was just on the outside. The oozing malice couldn’t be hidden. Even Shino, who was a veteran, was sweating.
Overwhelmed by Akina’s atmosphere, Reon and I were like frogs staring at a snake.
“You know, I figured out what the ‘World’s Compulsion’ is~”
What Akina said was unexpected.
“…What is it?”
She smiled and looked at us. I felt like my heart was seized with terror.
“We’re characters in a world called LoD, right~? I don’t know the details of the scenario, but is it a romance story~? Well, that doesn’t matter~. What do you think is at the center of the scenario?”
“Eh, um…”
I had no idea what she was going to say. It was all lumped together, but even stories have genres. A love story and a sci-fi story are completely different.
“It’s the protagonist.”
“Ah…”
“The protagonist’s feelings, background, actions, what they felt, the events around them… various things are factors in how the story progresses. So, in the world of the story, the protagonist is the center of everything… In other words, what I’m trying to say is~ isn’t the ‘World’s Compulsion’ like a device to maintain a world that’s convenient for that guy?”
It was unexpected. I thought Akina was the type who wasn’t good at thinking about analysis or strategy. However…
“…I understand what Akina-san is trying to say. I think it’s an interesting observation. However, I don’t see how the ‘World’s Compulsion’ is connected to the murderous intent towards Yuto Sano.”
“I thought so too. No matter how you look at it…”
“That’s right. He’s such a detestable person that I don’t even want to say his name…”
I wouldn’t go as far as harboring murderous intent. Of course, I have no intention of ever getting involved with him again. Even if I see him at university, I plan to ignore him as much as possible.
“Didn’t everyone feel something was off when reading the Diary?”
“…What do you mean?”
“Well, isn’t it too easy how he accepted what Satoshi Iriya did?”
“━━━”
Accepted too easily…
As I repeated Akina’s words in my mind, I felt like I was seeing the bottom of an abyss I hadn’t tried to look at before.
“After all, no matter how you think about it, it’s strange, isn’t it? If something you don’t remember happening occurs, wouldn’t you normally make a suspicious face? But, the one in the memories doesn’t show any sign of that at all. Don’t you all think so too?”
“…That’s true.”
“Now that you mention it, it is…”
Reon and Shino must be feeling the same way I am. Before I knew it, we were all drawn in by Akina’s words.
“If we give him the benefit of the doubt, if he’s just a protagonist, he can just ignore that. In the sense that he’s a puppet of the creator of LoD, he’s the same as us.”
In LoD, Satoshi Iriya said that the victims were the four of us, but it could also be argued that he was also a victim, forced to play the protagonist character of Yuto Sano. Perhaps, the reason we were made to fall in love was the same for him.
“However…”
Akina’s face turned serious again.
“That guy, he’s acting as if he’s under the ‘World’s Compulsion’, right? Or rather, he’s aware that he’s the protagonist of this world, isn’t he?”
━━━
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