--Cold.

　The tips of my feet and hands are so cold that they stick to my bones, and I feel as if my body is slowly turning into icy sweets (sherbet).

　So I instinctively try to get a little warmth. I rub the tips of my left and right feet together, intertwining my hands together and making my whole body shake in small increments. My upper and lower back teeth continue to hammer together and make a clicking sound.

　Already the outer skin of my body feels warm.
　I know from the feel of my skin that I'm wrapped in a blanket. But the warmth is only transmitted to the outer layer of my body, and the contents of my body will always remain cold. It's so cold that all I can think of is that instead of blood, cold water is flowing and instead of flesh, it's ice.

　Oh, it's cold. It's cold anyway.
　Needing another blanket, needing human skin, I start to move.

　I open my eyelids.
　I sucked the light of the world into my eyes, put my hands on the bed, and pulled myself up vigorously.

　The scene that comes to my eyes is a featureless wooden room. The furniture was one bed and one table. It's not a clean or dirty room, but I think it's one of the superior rooms in the other world. My life in the other world until today makes me somehow understand the price (grade) of this room.

'Ah, le ......?'

　Now I woke up from my sleep.
　But the first question was a question.

　There's no doubt that there's a big question in my heart, but I can't find the words to follow it. But I can't find the words to follow up on what I'm wondering about.　

　In that strange - and very familiar - feeling (・・・・・・・・・・), I look around calmly.
　Ironically, I didn't have enough humanity in me to be confused by this kind of thing anymore.

'I need to know the place first,'

　The gathering of information with a light dimension was instantaneous.

　I understood the entire structure of the building I was in.
　It's a modest inn. I'm currently in a room in a corner on the second floor. The price is probably a few dozen silver coins per night. A room in the lower part of the country on the mainland, and a room in the upper part of the country around the Allies.

　And among the total of sixteen people moving in the inn, I found one familiar face.

　A 'gentile' with black hair hanging down to his waist.
　She's dressed in otherworldly clothes, but she's definitely my sister.
　In the next room, there was Aikawa Yotaki.

　She was just about to leave that room. The 《Dimension》 caught it.

　Without time to think, Yotaki enters the room I'm in.
　There's not even a knock on the door. Even if it's in the family, it's an unreserved entry into the room.

　However, it was very nostalgic.
　In my former world, it's a scene I've seen many times. Yotaki opens the door to my room, peers in, and calls out to me in my bed to confirm. This is now repeated in the 'other world'.

"-- Brother. Are you awake?

　And I return it the same way I did in the original world.

'Oh, I'm up ....... Finally, it's up .......

　Maybe it was the realization that I had been asleep for a very long time that made those words leak out.
　My sense of time has been fuzzy for a while now. He was too lazy to remember the events of yesterday, and a languid feeling followed him. An ordinary person would be confused by the nausea and discomfort, but if it were me - I'm used to it.

　Yotaki's twin eyes are watching me as if they are piercing me.
　Two black eyes keep moving, watching my every move.

You still look sleepy. ...... Just now, I've prepared breakfast, would you like to eat too, brother?　Of course, we don't have any white rice.
Breakfast ......?

　I trace the meaning of those words with Dimension.
　Breakfast is prepared on the table in the next room. Furthermore, there were traces of the kitchen being used in the inn's dining room downstairs. A light 'past vision' naturally kicked in, and I understood that Yotaki had bought the foodstuffs early in the morning and cooked them there.

　--I'm not going to be able to get the same thing done.

　Instantly, a certain obsession took hold of me. I got off the bed and shouted at my sister.

'Yotaki ......!　I'll take care of that!　I'll take care of it, you just rest...
'Ha, brother ....... It's all right now.

　But it was stopped by Yotaki's dumbfounded sigh.
　She put her hand to her chest and admonished me a little censure.

'All of that stuff is over. It's over. It's ...... so you'll have to let me do it from now on, because you've been relying on your brother to do it for you. We talked about that the other day, didn't we?
'Oh, that ....... I remember that ....... It's all right now ......, as I recall, thanks to Nosfi, we're both already .......

　Yangtaki's illness was cured.
　It was an incurable disease that couldn't be cured in the original world, but in this other world where magic has developed, it was finally cured. In other words, there's nothing more for me to worry about.

　With a sigh of relief, I relax from my entire body.

''Oh, it's over ....... Everything, everything, is already .......
'Yes, it's over. It's all over now, everything is over.

　I admitted it, and Yotaki determined it too.

　Yotaki would not have lied about anything.
　Now I can understand all the falsehoods of people. It's not just the observation by the disturbance of the breath and pulse, but also the double false diagnosis including dimensional magic, and I can know it even without the intention to do so.

　Yangtaki's blood circulation is good. His body temperature is normal. His physical condition is perfect.
　In other words, it's really over.
　I understand that, and I respond with a pout.

"...... breakfast, shall we have breakfast together?
Yes. Let's eat together.

　I lightly prepare myself in the room and then walk into the next room with Yotaki. There were breads lined up, soft in the other world - but hard in my world - and there was a warm root vegetable soup on the table.

　When we arrived at the table, we clasped our hands together to say "Itadakimasu" at the same time, and we popped them into our mouths.
　We bite into the cookie-cutter bread and let the moisture in our mouths loosen it up. After swallowing the bread, we pour the soup into our mouths, bit by bit, to moisten them.

　The moment the liquid hits your tongue, you can recognize all the ingredients of the soup in detail. Its cooking procedure is also recognizable. That was not the intended analysis. It was the habit of an extreme dimensional wizard. But from that information, I smiled, feeling strangely happy when I realized that the soup Yotaki prepared was carefully prepared.

''It's delicious. It's very good, Yotaki: ....... Thank you .......''
...... haha. Good.

　Yotaki listened to my assessment, sighed out of habit, and concentrated on the meal himself.

　It was a simple, unremarkable dining scene. Shredded bread included soup, shredded bread included soup, shredded bread included soup. There was no particular conversation. Just time to take a meal with my family. Just that and nothing else is needed.
　Just a calm, safe, peaceful, warm meal and a warm body ....... Just ......?

　A slight doubt mixed in with the leisurely moments.
　It was a chill in my body that even the warmth brought by the soup that filled my stomach couldn't warm it up - a chill in my body.

''Hey, Yotaki. It's not strangely cold ......?

　Yotaki casually replied to that word.

Yes, of course it's cold. After all, it's snowing outside.
It's snowing ......?

　I stood up unceremoniously, even though I was eating, and approached the window of the room.

　I push open the wooden panel that separates me from the outside world.
　A moment later, a cold air that rubbed against his skin blew into the room. It was a breeze with a bit of powdery snow mixed in. And then I saw a fitting sight.

'Whoa ......!　Awesome ......!

　It was a silvery white world.
　Paraplegic snowflakes fell from the sky, and the simple streets I knew so well were covered in pure white snow. Whether I looked up or down, it was white. Even my own breath was white. The clothes of the people walking down the street are the only things that add color to the canvas.

　I enjoy the snowy landscape with my ears as well as my eyes.
　From the small sound of falling snow to the sound of children's footsteps running around in their thick clothing.
　And the distant melody. The light, gentle, comforting, bouncy sound of metal percussion instruments.

'Yotaki, this sham-sham-sham sound: ......'
'That's the sound of a bell. Apparently, there is a custom here to wear bells. They range from big ones to small ones. Sometimes we even see kids wielding handbells.

　I couldn't be sure because of the mixture of large and small, but these are bells.

'A series of bells, many ....... This is kind of like .......

　The unstoppable sound is strangely exciting.

　The city is ordinary now, but I feel like I'm living a special everyday life. A sense of anticipation, as if a new event is about to begin, and a sense of relief at the prospect of something familiar. The blood coming out of my heart is uplifting, as if it's thicker than usual.

'Yes. It's like the Nativity (Christmas) of our world. ...... haha. Tiara seems to have heard us talking about it and made a whole lot of sense.

　Yotaki said with a sigh what I didn't dare to say. One of them contained a name that I couldn't miss.

''This, Tiara is ......?''
'Yes, Tiara did. If it snows, he told us to ring the bell like this. It seems the founder of the Levantine faith decided a thousand years ago.

　Saint Tiara.
　I know her well.
　The girl who was my companion a thousand years ago, the great man who defined the history of this millennium, and the girl who helped me a thousand years later.

''Brother. Could it be that you have forgotten about her?

　But if you ask me that way, I'll have to say I've forgotten about it.
　I had traveled with Tiara on a yearly basis a thousand years ago. But in that time I could only remember a little bit of it.

　But even with that little bit, I know for sure that she is a benefactor. A friend, a great man, a benefactor. There shouldn't be any doubt in that, but I felt a strange tugging in the back of my throat.

'I'm in the process of remembering a few things about Tiara: ......
Little by little? Hah, I'm glad. ...... that she hasn't disappeared into oblivion.
Not that much. Absolutely not. Because I met Tiara a while ago ......--have you met her?　I met him, and that's okay. That ......
'I heard about that. You met the 're-born' tiara and said goodbye, didn't you?
'Yes. We said goodbye ....... I'll never see Tiara again ....... I can't see her. ......

　Not long ago.
　Eleventh Road in the Hoosier State in the Confederacy.
　There I met up with Saint Tiara again and thanked her for a thousand years ago.
　And with her push, I finally found out how I really feel--

"--Hey!　Well, it's cold: ......
That's what happens when you leave it open. Are you an idiot, man?

　The further back I went in my memory, the colder I felt in my core.
　I quickly tightened the wooden boards to keep the cold air from coming in through the window.

'But I'm going to miss seeing Tiara again: ......

　The coldness grows.
　I shrug and agree with the sentiment.

'Oh, I just know I'm going to miss you so much .......

　Instantly, my eyes were rapidly heating up, and I felt as if I was about to cry.
　I couldn't understand the meaning of this on my own, but I instinctively thought, 'I have to ask more about Tiara,' I thought.

　However, before I could ask a question, Yotaki stood up and began to prepare to go out deftly.

''Brother, it's time to leave. It's time.''

　They have plans to go out.
　Naturally, I was supposed to accompany him. I'm not complaining about that, but I ask back to make sure.

'Leave?　Time, where do you think you're going?
You really are sleepwalking. Speaking of going, it must be the labyrinth.

　It was an unexpected place.

　The Labyrinth.
　It is the base point of the 'world repatriation camp' from a thousand years ago, a place that reminds us of everything from a thousand years ago, and a huge corridor that is connected to the 'deepest' part of the world.

''We are labyrinth explorers living in the United Kingdom, so we have to do our job properly. Or are you going to have an unhuman delusion that just because you're already rich, you'd rather be lazy at home and be alone with your cute little sister all the time?

　It was the lightheartedness of everyday conversation.

　It was ......, but there were many aspects of it that could not be overlooked.
　First, where we are. Not the mainland, but the Allies. Based on the quality of the inn, probably around the Wart. And the confirmation process of 'I'd rather be alone with my sister all the time'.

　I felt that Yotaki's black twin eyes, which are now casually speaking, were watching my reaction.
　So I shake my head and answer lightly.

''No, it's not like that. I'll go. But are we going to enter the labyrinth alone?　There's more--
'Sure, she'll help you today. She will.

　As she spoke, Yotaki had already left the room.

　I follow her as she leads the way down the corridor of the inn.
　Past the entrance reception desk, I walked out and shivered in the cold.

　Yotaki, who was dressed in what looked like a chunky, thick coat, took a scarf from her pocket and wrapped it around my neck. The sequence of events is nostalgic as we trudge through the silvery white world. It's hard to walk because of the snow, but our physical abilities don't let that slow us down or make us tired.

　We walk along the white streets and arrive at the entrance to the labyrinth.
　Because of the early morning and the weather, there are not many people around.

　A girl is waiting there.
　When she saw us both coming, she waved her hand wide.

'Oh, Kanami!　And a red snapper!　You're late!

　From the vivacious voice and gestures, I knew it was Dia.

　But the atmosphere was different from the usual. I was still wearing winter clothes and looking like a burly squirrel. Around his neck is a large scarf wrapped around his neck, just like mine, and his golden hair, which is longer than before, is tucked away.

　In his left hand he carried a single handbell, which he constantly chimed with a restless shuffle, in the same motion as the children he passed on the road. And as you can see from his outfit, he doesn't even carry a sword at his waist anymore. He was completely dressed as a rearguard.

''Dear, sorry to keep you waiting. My brother overslept. It's not my fault, I'm not a bad person, so don't be afraid of me.''
'Oh, I knew it was Kanami!　Hitaki is so scary and tight, I thought he was a kanami!　Anyway, the longer we're late, the sooner we get going!　We're leaving now!

　Pouting and adorably angry, Dia took my hand with her extra hand. With her other hand, she shampered a handbell and tried to lure me into the labyrinth.

　The sequence of the conversation is so natural, it feels uncomfortable, as if the two of us have been interacting with each other for years that I didn't even know existed.
　I stop in my tracks.

'Hmm?　Kanami, what's going on?

　Dia turned around.
　With that movement, the ends of the golden hair in her scarf swooped out. The length of her hair, her sense of dress, and above all, her language was a little softer than before. It's clear that Dia isn't trying to be a 'male swordsman' anymore.

''Well, yeah, that ...... is a cute outfit. The scarf is a nice touch, too. It looks good on you. And the skirt is ...... too.

　His mouth was moving on its own.
　He pointed out that it was not cool, but cute.
　A little unspoken, "Isn't that funny? As if to ask.

　However, apart from my intentions, Dia's face turns bright red.
　She looks away from me, who is staring straight at her, and replies.

'Oh, I see. ......!　From Kanami's point of view, you look good!　Thank God!　These are the clothes that Fran's guy got for me!　He kept repeating to me (...) this looks good on me, that looks good on me, and he dressed me up like a doll every day. ......!　But it was worth the patience!　From Kanami's point of view, that's cute, isn't it!　Hehehe.

　Out of embarrassment, Deere made a hateful remark about her friend.

　It's typical of Dia's manner of speaking, but ...... the edges were a bit elegant.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make it work. There are fewer muddy boy gestures than in the past.

''Good for you, Dear. ...... And let your brother die with his seductive habits. What, are you hitting on me with your first voice?

　Yotaki walked up next to Dia and rejoiced in his friend's joy as if it were his own. However, he stabbed me with a stern family word.

　But now I'm in no mood for that, so I ask Dia instead of Yotaki.

"Dia. And also what I'm holding in my hand right now: ......
'Oh, this. I got it because I was handing it out at El Tralieu Institute. It sounds great: ....... I love it.

　I'm already asking, "Where's the sword? I was not in the air to ask them. I had no choice but to search for my own personal belongings on my own so as not to be noticed by the two people in front of me.

　However, I couldn't find the "Treasure Sword of the Areis Family" that originally belonged to Dia.
　There is only one sword that can be used, for some reason, the 'Sylph Luff Bringer'.
　I'm puzzled by the absence of my best friend Rowen.

　Does anyone else have it now?
　When, where and to whom did they give it in the first place?
　As I was thinking about this, Dia mentioned the goal of exploring the labyrinth.

'Alright!　Okay, Kanami, a skylark!　We're going over the 80th layer today!　I can't wait to see what's in 'The Deepest'!

　That was important to me, too.
　There are so many important things from earlier that I'm shifting my attention.

'Yes, ....... We are going to go to the 'deepest part' of the labyrinth ....... To get to the 'deepest', we're going to work with everyone else to get to ...... a little bit further. But it's ......

　--Why?

　I can't remember the reason for that goal.

　Until now, the reason was 'return to the original world' and 'cure for an incurable disease'.
　But now it's not necessary.
　My sister is already next to me, and she's getting better.

''Why? ....... Brother, now ....... Hah .......

　Yotaki looks at me coldly with a sigh.
　In contrast, Dia looks dazed and anxious, wondering if she's done something wrong.

'Ka, Kanami ....... No?　First I said, "I'm done with all of that, and I want to do some explorer-like stuff again. So we talked about going to the farthest end of the line as a goal: ......

　I'm surprised at the lightness of the reasoning - but I also understand it's valid.

　After all, I don't have a good goal in mind anymore.
　My first and most important goal, to see my sister again, is over.
　The safety of my friends is secured.
　The only thing I need is peace and quiet, and I don't need anything else.

　It's not so strange to find yourself in a half-finished maze now that everything is over.

...... No, it's not a bad idea. It's not just a matter of time before you get to the bottom of it. I'm responsible for ending it. It's not something that can be left out forever.

　At any rate, he tries to speak of what little sense of mission he has left, in order not to worry Dia.
　However, that thought is easily seen through by my sister.

This is appropriate. It's the brother who thinks it's 'cool to have a thoughtful look at yourself' to talk in such a small way. I don't mean it, Dia.
'What?　Isn't it?　I was almost convinced it was a great idea: ......!
Huh. It's really an innocent thing, isn't it? I'm afraid I'm going to be tricked by a foolish man. ...... reminds me of that man. Really.

　Yangtaki looked at Dia with distant eyes. Maybe she's looking at the face of the apostle from a thousand years ago. But he knows that Dia doesn't like that look, or maybe he knows that he doesn't like that gaze, so he stops immediately and talks to me.

'Brother. It's just because it's fun, isn't it?　This labyrinthine search. This 'otherworldly' adventure.

　Are you having fun?
　Am I happy now?

　Two of Dia's sparkling eyes are right beside me. It was a habit of the person I am to meet her expectations. I nodded as Yotaki told me to.

'Oh, maybe it's fun ....... If I don't have fun, I won't go into a dangerous place like the labyrinth.
'Ha, haha ....... Good!　For what it's worth, Kanami must be just like me!　Adventuring as an explorer is soooo much fun, like the main character of a book: ......!
It's like the main character in a book: ......?

　That Dear's words shook me.
　'Adventure', 'book hero', 'labyrinths are fun' - I don't know.

The Connection.

　Suddenly, a dimensional magic was activated.
　It was a dimensional attribute, but it was the magic used by Yotaki, not me. She created a magic doorway as magnificent as mine, and she made the final confirmation before leaving.

''Huh. Well then, let the fun and enjoyable labyrinth exploration begin. The 'Serdra Queen Fillion' was to be summoned to the eightyth layer and the 'Noi El Rebel Rule' to the ninetyth layer, but both have been summoned by Nosfi. ...... Both have been summoned by Nosfi. Only one hundred layers remain. That's where "Aikawa Kanami" is summoned, the brother who is here now. There are no more enemy-like enemies. I can say that our arrival at the hundredth level is a promise.

　Yotaki speaks in front of the labyrinth.
　From behind her, the morning sun shines in behind her, illuminating us.

　Though it was a snowy day, a very bright light shimmered through the clouds.

　The light was familiar.
　A very bright light and a very cold snow.
　I began to see a different scene faintly, overlapping with my current vision. Little by little, events of the past started to come back to me, as if my blurred memory was melting away.

　Even in the middle of it all, the Yotaki in front of you continues to speak.

'If we get there, we're clear. Now, let's go for it. Brother.''

　Now and in the past. They overlap.
　Yotaki is telling me the same thing.

　It's almost the same conversation.
　But the past one is in a different place.
　It's a very, very high place, a very, very bright place. In a place where 'highest' and 'brightest' is the right word, we siblings were having an important conversation .......

"To the Hundred Layers. To the 'deepest' part of this world--

　Now and in the past. Yotaki invites me to join him.
　He turns gracefully and extends his hand toward me as I stand still.
　He took my hand and told me to follow him.
　I said, "Let's go forever and ever, to the end of the world, just the two of us...

　What did my memory self say to that: .......
　I can't remember the words, but I can remember the look on my face at the time.

...... Oh. Let's go.

　Now I answered with a smile - the opposite of what I remembered in the past - and a smile.

　Here, finally, I felt like I understood.
　I can't remember much of anything, but I have a general idea (・・・・・・・・・・).
　It's been about an hour since I woke up. It took me quite a while to figure it out.

I said, "Let's go to the Hundred layers quickly. It's just a bit of a shame that our fun adventure is over so quickly, isn't it? Ah, I guess it's over now: ....... Hahaha.

　I was free to smile and weave words like that.
　I think it was very natural.
　Compared to when I was little, I've really gotten better at this.

　Then I think of a girl whose name I don't even know anymore, a girl whose name I can't even remember.

　Since she was able to do it, I got the 'courage' to believe that I could do it too. I don't have any memories, but I have the feeling of death etched into my soul. My heart is cold and unbearable, but I only know what I have to do.

　But at this rate, I seem to know most of what I'm going to do every time my mind resets itself, right away like this. Day after day, I defiantly get it all figured out and then generally forget about it - well, that's not really the point, is it?

'Kanami!　Don't even think about ending it before you start your adventure!　That's what's wrong with Kanami: ......, already!
'...... haha. Brother, you're still as airheaded as ever.
'Haha. Sorry, sorry: ......!

　While going through the 《Connection》 and entering the sixty layers of the labyrinth, I check the important parts along with a smile like ■■■.

　I know it well.
　"Memory" is a trivial matter.
　It's just a matter of how you feel about 'me'.
　I can live with a smile on my face without the meaning of being born.
　The important thing is not to give up (・・・・・).

　I vowed to keep moving forward, no matter how hard and painful it is, believing that one day I can reach it. That vow is engraved in my soul, not in my brain or blood, but in my soul.

　Of course, it's not just a vow I made to her.
　So many, so many of everyone's thoughts and feelings have been etched into my soul.
　I've changed since the first time I wandered into another world.

　So (...), it's okay (...).
　Even in a situation like this, I can turn a sincere smile on Yotaki with no other intentions.

　I reach the sixty layers of nothingness where the gentle light is gone.
　With the customary sadness, I approach Yotaki.
　There's no more encouragement from the light, but I smile at Yotaki. In response, Yotaki also laughs back at me with a heartfelt smile that has no other intention.

''Hahaha (...)
Hmmm...

　We may not have words, but we are communicating with each other.

　And the "discussion" in that high, bright place is still going on.
　It's a bit different from other houses, a bit off the beaten path, a bit on a larger scale, but - without a doubt - we're in the middle of a family meeting right now.

　Is this the all-out effort that Yotaki was talking about? If so, I have no choice but to respond to it as best I can.

　A little at a time is fine.
　Let's find out everything.
　Let's listen to everything, even if it's only a matter of asking.
　Our childhood, our parents, a thousand years ago, Tiara, and now.
　We're going to be like the dead ■■■ and admit the truth - and then we'll end this.

　I promised him.
　I did make a promise to that guy.
　So, I don't care if it ends for me at the same time.

　I'm not weak enough to go back on that much anymore.
　I'm strong.

　I'm really .......
　I'm really strong now, so .......