Aozaki Touko chuckled softly, then shook her head. "Still, that guy in the firmament feels pretty boring."
"...Is that so?"
The girl in the kimono smiled faintly.
Then came the sound of a can dropping. The coffee can she had thrown flew into the trash bin, and the scene abruptly came to an end.
The world returned to what it had been.
The wind and snow still swept across the park, which remained the same park.
The two of them were still sitting peacefully on the bench.
Whispers
Was that my future?
Aozaki Touko felt no concern about it, nor did she intend to agonize over it.
The reason was simple. If Root Shiki had seen through her fate completely, she would not have woken up now and come specifically to speak with her ahead of time.
As for the path that had been calculated, she had already understood the result the moment she saw the will that had been deduced.
It was an existence that sought to analyze all things through unparalleled computational power, then control everything.
Was it powerful?
Without a doubt, it was immensely powerful.
The version of her shown in the deduction could kill her current self with ease, even though she possessed an immortality greater than that of the Ancestor Dead Apostles.
And she, too, would be crushed and killed effortlessly.
So, was she supposed to learn from and imitate this clearly defined path of advancement?
After all, this was a road leading to the level of the supreme gods.
"Hmm... It seems I really will be important in the future."
Aozaki Touko chuckled softly, then shook her head. "But that guy in the firmament feels pretty boring."
That was right. The version of her that had been deduced was incredibly boring. That was her genuine and undeniable impression. Honestly analyzing this world so thoroughly would take an unimaginably long time to reach the "final realm."
Unwavering determination was important, but flexibility and adaptability were equally vital.
There was a way in this world to cross the "final realm" with ease.
Her gaze shifted to Root Shiki beside her.
"...Is that so?"
Beside her, the girl in the kimono smiled faintly.
She was very satisfied with Aozaki Touko's answer. Someone who could hold firmly to herself without the slightest confusion was precisely the sort of person she wished to see.
Although this calculated world line had merely been deduced by combining some basic information at random,
that did not mean the future of this world could not become reality.
In fact, if Aozaki Touko wished to do so, she could easily reproduce the path that had been deduced.
A glorious future was practically within reach.
However, if that was all there was to her, Root Shiki would lose interest in her existence.
She would never respond to her again in the future, because the girl would have been completely incorporated into the realm of the known.
Just like everyone else in this world, her past and future would both lie within her sight.
Still, she was very satisfied with Aozaki Touko's answer.
Then came the sound of a can dropping. The coffee can she had thrown flew into the trash bin, and the scene abruptly came to an end.
The deduced world line was cut away.
The old world returned to its proper place.
The wind and snow continued to sweep across the park. It was still the same park, as if nothing had changed.
The two of them were still sitting peacefully on the bench.
"What should I call you now?"
Aozaki Touko finished the coffee remaining in her hand, tossed the can into a nearby trash bin, then turned to the girl in the kimono and asked with a chuckle,
"Ryougi Shiki... or should I call you Shiki?"
"Hmm... That really is a difficult question~"
The girl in the kimono closed her eyes and thought for a moment, then gently placed a hand over her chest. "Use the name you're familiar with. You can call me Root Shiki, too."
"...Hmm, I'll call you Shiki."
Aozaki Touko shook her head, then said, "As for what to call me, you can call me Touko, or use my full name."
"Do you prefer that name?"
The girl in the kimono chuckled softly.
"After all, in this world, it's only natural to use this name."
That was Aozaki Touko's answer.
"...Then I'll call you Touko~"
The girl in the kimono nodded slightly, then said with a smile, "Now that we've exchanged names, does that mean we count as friends?"
"Of course. Isn't that the reason I came here?"
That was what Aozaki Touko said.
She had only one purpose in coming here: to become friends with Root Shiki. Of course, if she could become her wife and gain the freedom to enter and leave the Root whenever she pleased, that would be even better.
That was what she thought.
The girl in the kimono gave her a meaningful look, as if she had seen through Aozaki Touko's thoughts. Yet she said nothing, merely maintaining her gentle smile.
The air suddenly fell silent.
"..."
Aozaki Touko shifted her gaze and asked in a small voice, "Did you read my mind just now?"
"No. Reading your mind would make you dislike me, wouldn't it?"
The girl in the kimono shook her head and said with a smile, "But you were being a little obvious about wanting to enter..."
"Ahem~"
Before she could finish, Aozaki Touko put on a serious expression and said, "Speaking of which, you cooperated so perfectly and came out with me this time. Was there something you wanted? If it's something I can do, I'll do it."
In fact, she had known from the beginning why Root Shiki had come to find her.
She was a transmigrator, someone outside the established destiny. To an omniscient existence like Root Shiki, that was the most alluring sort of existence.
"Hmm... Do you have any wishes?"
The girl in the kimono tilted her head, her gentle voice turning serious. "Is there anything you want? I can fulfill practically any wish, you know!"
An Agreement
"Hmm... Do you have any wishes?"
The girl in the kimono tilted her head, her gentle voice turning serious:
"Is there anything you want? I can fulfill practically any wish, you know!"
Her answer this time would determine her relationship with Root Shiki.
Aozaki Touko instinctively sensed that. Although Root Shiki would most likely truly fulfill a wish made out of selfish desire, that would not earn her a perfect score in Root Shiki's eyes.
And her goal was not merely to obtain a chance to make a wish.
She wanted Root Shiki herself.
Thus,
"...Since you're asking what my wish is!"
She tilted her head and asked, "Then, is there any wish you want to fulfill? If I can, I'll fulfill your wish."
In the silent park, the atmosphere suddenly grew quiet.
Snowflakes drifted slowly downward. The snow piled on the branches could no longer bear its weight and fell. The streetlamps by the road cast a pale yellow glow, while the bright moon in the sky bathed everything in silvery moonlight.
"..."
The girl in the kimono blinked. A flash of surprise passed through her eyes, and then she quietly gazed at Aozaki Touko for a moment before revealing a gentle smile.
"Is this an exchange?"
"No. It's probably just me overestimating myself. But if you want to treat it as an exchange, then I suppose that's fine too."
"Is that so? You're quite greedy."
She smiled beautifully.
Her bearing changed slightly as well. If she had previously been like a god standing above all things, her eyes now contained a different kind of humanity.
Through that simple exchange, the relationship between her and Aozaki Touko had changed.
"...Miss?"
At that moment, a doubtful male voice came from nearby. Then a man cautiously walked over, his eyes fixed firmly on Root Shiki.
The gentle woman sitting on the bench was Ryougi Shiki. His faint intuition told him so, yet his reason denied the fact.
It violated the worldview of an ordinary human being.
"...It seems our time is up~"
The girl smiled gently. "Let's stop here for today."
As she spoke, she walked toward the doubtful man. Then, as if time were flowing backward, the years on her body began to reverse. With each step, she became younger, returning to the little girl he had first met.
"As for Ori... I can make a body to house her."
Watching her leave, Aozaki Touko said this softly.
At some point in the future, the other personality within her—the existence known as Ori—would pass away. But Aozaki Touko rather liked that person, so if she had the chance, she would be willing to lend a hand and save her.
"I know... When the time comes, I'll preserve her personality."
She stopped slightly and turned back with a smile.
"Then I'll leave it to you."
Aozaki Touko smiled, rose, and melted into the darkness.
All her goals for tonight had been achieved. Or, to put it somewhat arrogantly, they had been achieved far beyond her expectations. When she eventually reached the "final realm," she should be able to accomplish it without incident.
This was an equal cooperation reached only after both sides had obtained a satisfactory result.
She had accurately grasped what each side needed, achieving the outcome naturally, without pleading, kneeling, or praying.
"Miss... what exactly is going on?"
Beside her, the man who had witnessed everything asked in astonishment, "What was that strange woman, and what was with your body suddenly growing and shrinking? What exactly happened?"
Although he could confirm that the little girl beside him was Ryougi Shiki, that did not mean he could understand what had just happened. On the contrary, the worldview he had built in his mind had nearly been smashed to pieces.
"She is my contracted person."
The little girl smiled gently. "The changes to my body were merely to accommodate her a little. It was probably because she was simply too important."
"Miss... I don't understand a word."
The man answered honestly.
His young mistress's answer had sounded less like an explanation directed at him and more like muttering to herself. Without knowing what had happened, there was no way to understand the whole situation.
"Come on. Let's go home."
Before you continue