Chapter 465
She is forgetting more and more, becoming increasingly assimilated into this dream world, and her memories are being replaced by happy ones from this place.
Even with the Crystal in hand and the Magic Spell that aids in recalling memories, it can only help prolong the time a little longer.
Now let's think about what to write.
Then she thought, "Sure enough, I still hope next Christmas will go smoothly."
Actually, any festival is fine.
Even if it's not a holiday, just an ordinary day, I hope every day next year will go smoothly.
Right?
What should we do next?
She left home and came to a cold, foreign city—not Maple Plain, but the city where she used to live.
Even after saying goodbye to her parents, she didn't wake up from the dream. Even though she held onto her Crystal tightly, she couldn't transform and leave this place.
Fortunately, the only thing she was sure of was that Haihara was there too.
It must be there.
It's somewhere she can find it.
In the city where they met.
There's no particular reason; it's just that if they didn't do it this way, she wouldn't be able to find her, and they wouldn't be able to be together.
"It seems like the only way to find it is through brute force."
She said it to herself.
It means to search the entire city, looking everywhere.
If you call out the other person's name during this process, it might be easier for them to hear you.
She gazed at the desolate street---
"----- Haihara!"
That's really stupid.
This dream seems no different from reality.
So there's still a bit of shame about shouting it out.
But there was no other way, so I had to shout.
She called out several more times.
She kept calling out until she found the horse that had gotten lost and broken free.
Next, she ran and shouted nonstop, like a horse that had broken free, searching for her lost travel companion in the desolate city and the wasteland of life.
The world is so vast, and so quiet.
But it seems I'm forever lost to that person, and I can no longer hear their voice.
Can you find it?
When she tried to convince herself, she only felt frustrated. Kazama Kiriori probably didn't have much confidence in herself, but even so, she still wanted to find someone.
She will find it.
And she needs to find it.
She needs to find someone willing to hold an umbrella and shelter for her, someone to hold her by the rope, someone who will stop her from wandering.
--Until I woke up from the dream and met that person again.
Chapter 212 Me and You
The city is so big.
After losing her ability to transform into a Magic girl, Kazama Kiriori realized how insignificant an individual is in the face of a city.
It's very cold.
It was colder than the autumn day when she met Haihara.
There were few pedestrians on the street, which made her both relieved and worried; relieved that no one would think she was crazy because she was running and shouting, but worried that Haihara be at home and unable to hear her voice.
She went to many places where she thought Haihara might appear in her dreams, searching everywhere and calling out her name.
Kazama Kiriori's stamina is quite good.
From middle school to high school, she consistently ranked first in physical education, but even so, she still found it quite tiring.
And my voice has started to become hoarse.
Perhaps time passes faster in dreams than it does outside.
Kazama Kiriori didn't know how long she had been doing this, but it must have been a very long time.
At one point, she fell down on the road.
There were times when she coughed so badly she felt like her throat was going to bleed.
Most importantly, she didn't know if it made any sense.
The probability of it being meaningless is even greater.
Moreover, even if they do find each other, it's possible that, like before, Haihara, having lost her memory, won't choose him and will continue to treat the Flower Demon King as her mother.
Let's not think about these things for now.
Kazama Kiriori wiped the sweat from her brow, which had accumulated in the winter heat.
Let's keep searching.
Endless, hopeless, utterly exhausted.
But we still need to go look for it.
Too much time has passed.
Kazama Kiriori began to feel overwhelmed.
Her voice was hoarse, and she was so thirsty that she could probably no longer drink water.
The sky changed from snowy clouds in the afternoon until sunset, when the white clouds were illuminated by the setting sun into twilight.
At sunset, there were more people hurrying along the streets than during the day.
But the more people gathered around, the more Kazama Kiriori Kirito appeared.
Isn't this ridiculous?
Kazama Kiriori looked around, but in the vast sea of people, she still couldn't find the person she wanted to see.
Gradually, she lowered her head, her eyes dimming.
Gradually, she felt lost, and despair welled up in her heart.
She really couldn't find Haihara, like a lost dog that couldn't find its home.
There is no warmth or scent of that person here.
What to do?
I've asked myself this question many times, but I still can't find the answer.
She didn't look particularly special and would soon be lost in the crowd. Even if Haihara from this world looked over, she probably wouldn't notice her.
The girl looked gloomy and sad, and her clasped hands tightened more and more.
"..."
Perhaps, because there isn't any special connection between them.
If it weren't for some special destiny, they wouldn't have come together.
Therefore, when the world changes even slightly, they can no longer find each other.
Effort is useless.
Many people on the street seemed to be heading home, but Kazama Kiriori couldn't find her way home.
Unbeknownst to her, she had walked through one road after another, passing one person after another. Each time she saw another unfamiliar face, her expression softened a little more.
When she realized what was happening, she had already passed the open space and the riverbank, and reached the bridge over the river.
It's much quieter here now.
She slowly placed both hands on the railing and leaned forward, trying to rest for a moment.
My throat is so dry.
The light from the Kazama Kiriori's eyes.
"What to do..."
She couldn't find Haihara.
She couldn't save him; once again, she was powerless to protect him.
What makes her even more desperate is that the memories in her mind are slowly fading away with the world.
Just like this setting sun.
Her memories, the faces she remembered, and the past they spent together were becoming increasingly blurred.
I can remember less and less.
If this continues...
She gazed at the river below. It was clearly a dream, yet her reflection in the water felt so real, as if it were real.
Suddenly, a pessimistic thought arose in her mind.
---If she jumped from here now, letting this version of herself in the dream die, would she be able to wake up?
The moment the thought crossed her mind, the two conflicting ends were placed on the scales of her heart.
And so she stood there, caught in a desperate choice as time went by.
She didn't notice.
Meanwhile, in the distance, pedestrians stroll along the street, illuminated by the setting sun.
A mother and daughter were leisurely strolling by; they seemed to be taking a walk in the area.
They naturally didn't notice the girl standing by the bridge.
The woman had long, dark red hair, the color of fresh flowers, flowing smoothly over her shoulders. She was dignified and beautiful, and her gaze never left her child; she looked happy.
She was holding the hand of a little girl with dark hair.
The little girl seemed content with this, obediently following beside the woman, curiously observing everything on the street.
It's getting dark.
The woman raised her head and glanced at the night sky.
I always feel a little down at sunset.
Especially when you're alone.
She disliked neither sunsets nor loneliness, just as flowers need sunlight.
The little girl simply gazed quietly into the distance, passing the time.
"Lily, let's go home before the sun goes down," the woman said with a gentle shake of the little girl's hand and a smile.
She really wants to go home soon.
Just as the little girl was about to agree, her gaze, which had been fixed on the distance, stopped, as if she had seen something that interested her.
So she gently tugged at the woman's hand and asked:
"Mom, that girl over there looks so pitiful."
The woman looked briefly confused. She shifted her gaze, following the little girl's line of sight, and there she saw the lonely, forlorn figure of the girl by the bridge.