Triple Rewards, Divination, Root Shiki

With a ding, the long-awaited system notification finally appeared. I had waited for it like I was waiting for the stars and moon.

A new fiancée had been added to the family. The host was rewarded with 5 lottery draws. As the fiancée possessed one body and three souls, the reward was tripled. Lottery draws upgraded to 15. Host, please keep up the good work and revitalize the family.

Hearing that the reward had been tripled left me numb. Ori counted as male, and even Root Shiki had been included. The problem was that I had not even met her yet, and the reward was already mine. Tell me, who else had it this good?

"Shi Kai, are you okay? Why does your expression keep changing like that?" Shiki Ryougi asked when she saw my inexplicable expression.

I laughed and said, "I just remembered something that made me happy. You're my fiancée."

With a completely serious expression, Shiki said, "Everyone who should know already knows that. Could you really forget something like that?"

"Haha, right, I won't forget. Today's a good day."

Shiki looked at me like I was mentally ill.

With a tap of my little finger, I went for a ten-pull. The results were fairly ordinary, though one A-rank item caught my attention.

A-rank Item: Imaginary Simulation Training Dummy. Effect One: Imaginary Simulation. Using a mind map, it could simulate a real, existing unit.

Effect Two: Combat Stimulation. Fighting an imagined enemy could accelerate the development of skills, talents, and bloodlines.

Put simply, it let one imagine a real enemy and fight them, accelerating the awakening of power. I wondered whether Shiki's Mystic Eyes of Death Perception fell within its range. I would have Shiki try it when I had the time.

Most matters had been settled. Once Aozaki Touko and Araya Souren were ready, we would return to Tokyo. This time, I did not plan to take Shiki back with me. There were still some things I needed her to stay in Mifune City and confirm.

Ori was out today. Holding her phone, she said, "Look, there's supposedly a super-accurate fortune teller in this alley. Let's go take a look together."

Looking at the photo on the phone, I knew who it was—Mother of Mifune, someone with Future Sight who had appeared in The Garden of Sinners: Future Gospel.

She had once told Ori's fortune and predicted that Ori would die, but that Ori's dream would continue. Now that Ori's fate had changed, would the prophecy change with it? Was the future really in one's own hands?

Following the location in the photo, we found the alley. After turning several corners, we finally arrived at the same stall from the story.

I walked up and pretended not to know her. "You're Mother of Mifune?"

Mother of Mifune said, "Oh my, do I know you, young man? I don't remember you."

"No, this is our first meeting. I'd like you to take a look at her future." As I spoke, I pushed Ori in front of her.

"This young man?" Looking at Ori's palm, she said, "It's changed. Everything has changed."

"So the future can be changed like this. How incredible. Infinite possibilities have appeared in this future; it is no longer something I can see clearly. As long as you make the right choices as time passes, the future can continue onward."

After leaving the fortune-telling stall, I thought, I hate people who speak in riddles. She said something, but it was practically nothing.

Ori retorted, "That's what gives it a sense of mystery. If you knew everything about the future, then there would be no future."

"I can't argue with you. Let's keep shopping."

We would be leaving soon. I really wanted to meet Root Shiki. Did I need to put on a little play to lure her out? Looking at my phone, the next snowy day would be three nights from now. Then I would put on a show. If I could meet her, great. If not, so be it.

"Shiki, barring any surprises, I'll return to Tokyo in four days. I have something to deal with, so I won't take you back with me this time. Once I'm done, I'll come back for you and take you to Tokyo."

Shiki hesitated before asking, "About how long will it take?"

I teased her, "What, can't bear to part with me? Don't worry, it won't take long." With that, I pulled her into my arms.

The first step was complete. Now it depended on whether Root Shiki was prepared to meet me. I also gave the Imaginary Simulation Training Dummy to Shiki, explained how to use it, and told her to train her Mystic Eyes of Death Perception properly.

After a long wait, I finally received a message from Shiki at midnight on the third day saying that she wanted to see me. It was most likely Root Shiki.

I hurried over. It was a familiar scene, the beginning of everything: a girl in a white kimono stood by the roadside guardrail. The only difference was that I had replaced the boy who had originally held the umbrella.

After considering my lines, I walked over and said, "Shiki, what is it that you needed to see me so urgently for?"

Hearing my voice, the girl turned around and smiled at me. Those eyes drew me in, as though they could swallow me whole.

When the time was right, I said, "You're neither Shiki nor Ori."

The girl said, "You really are different. Even though you see them every day, you can still tell at a glance."

"How should I introduce myself? I am neither Shiki nor Ori. I am simply a girl named Shiki Ryougi."

"Can Shiki and Ori hear our conversation? It feels like we're having an affair."

"They can't. Shiki and Ori are like neighbors, while I can only be considered a stranger. Neither of them knows I exist."

"Then why did you call me out this time?"

"Mainly to thank you for making Shiki and Ori so happy. Before you appeared, the two of them were quiet people who feared that one day they would be unable to suppress their impulses. Fortunately, you appeared."

"My existence is similar to what you magi call the Root, an omnipotent wishing machine capable of granting any wish. Since I grant wishes to people anyway, and both Shiki and Ori like you very much, I'll entrust this wish to you."

"A wish? I probably don't have one. Does world peace count?"

"As expected. Shiki and Ori were not wrong about you."

"What I need, I'll strive for myself. Something that can be realized so easily isn't a wish. Someone once asked me a similar question, and I told them that I was still young. Perhaps when I'm seventy or eighty, I'll want to make a wish. Can that wish be saved until then?"

"Haha, how interesting. I'm not sure whether wishes can be saved. But if I'm still here by then, and the wish still remains, then I'll permit you to make it."

"It's already too late. I should go. If we have another chance to meet, then please allow me to make some excessive requests."

"We'll definitely meet again. As for your requests, if I can fulfill them, I certainly will."

As soon as she finished speaking, a frigid wind swept up flurries of snow. In the blink of an eye, she had vanished.

She had been someone I should never have been able to encounter. Even so—if we could meet, it would surely be on that snow-filled day when all sound had fallen silent.

I was truly looking forward to the next snowy day. What sort of request would she make?

She had gained a little more rabbit-like nature and lost a little of her cat-like nature. I would buy a cat and a rabbit for them to keep and pass the time.

An all-powerful wish, huh? Could it let me return to my original world and say goodbye just once?