--I was refreshed.



　When Tiara appeared and challenged me to a 'duel', I - 'Aikawa Yotaki' braced myself.

　When fighting, the "demon poison" in your body does not react.

　I don't know what the "answer" is anymore.

　I don't need to know.

　I don't need to know what the answer is.

　There were no more thousands of lines written on a single line.
　There are tens of thousands of letters of "jet-black" piled on top of the word "jet-black," and they do not form a complete black stain.
　There was always a white gap in my head where billions of pages had been smeared in black.
　My mind is just orderly, no need to keep reading the palindromes and reading them backwards, no need to go back and forth like a cryptic text.

　The density of my thoughts fades and tapers off.

　-- Now, approaching in front of me is Tiara.

　With very simplified thoughts, I think decently on my own for the first time in a thousand years.

　--a little girl.

　--as if to say that she hasn't forgotten my teachings, she looks and speaks the same as she once did.

　--I can feel it.

　If you put it in writing, it just
　"The garden at Hoosier's has expanded to include the garden of a thousand years ago.
　"Okay, I'll go to .......
　Even if it's only, her thoughts in between are a bit annoying.

　Unlike 'Aikawa Uzumi', I will never forget 'Aikawa Yotaki'.
　I'm the only one who will never forget Aikawa Yotaki.
　So, please don't worry.
　This me is your--.

　So many unthinkable thoughts, I could feel them from her appearance now.

　I put out my hand towards that tiara.
　In an attempt to respond with the self-defense technique that has become ingrained in my body, I grabbed Tiara's light body and tried to throw her - but in the next moment, my vision was reversed.

　The starry sky that I was looking up to the heavens just now was at my feet, and the grass ground that was swaying even though there was no wind was above my head.

''Hihihi!''
----?

　I didn't even know what had been done to me, until my body was upside down and I felt like I was floating.
　I was the one who had been thrown off the ground.
　After twisting my body, straightening up and down, and then landing on the ground, I'm sure of it.

　Finally .......
　Oh, finally .......
　Completely, my 'innate differences (skills)' are gone .......

　The absence of the examples of thinking skills such as convergent thinking, parallel thinking, divided thinking and regressive thinking made me feel like this - sleepy and quiet.

　Thanks to that, I am able to do 'my thinking'.
　Just now, in front of my brother, I was able to firmly reaffirm my chosen will.

　And that 'my answer' is - never let my brother, who is now behind me, get away.

　What had been stopped inside me for a long time is now moving all at once. As if a dam had broken, a murky stream of emotions gushed out from the bottom of my stomach and wouldn't stop, leaking out of my mouth.

'I can't lose ....... That ending is the only thing I can't change .......

　Many people were sacrificed because I came from my 'original world' to the 'other world'.
　I must not give up my [Two people in 'forever'] ending.
　In order to not make the death of that gentle girl meaningless, I can never stop.
　If I stop here, I won't understand the meaning of stopping all this time--

Tiara!　You're so close, and you're so close, again and again and again and again!　At last, even the end of my 'ideal' is about to be destroyed: ......!

　I shouted that unstoppable thought.
　To that, Tiara received it with a stern face and then - politely replied.

''Yes, I've interrupted you many times. But that obvious ending was really the best ending, Yotaki sister thinks ......?''
...... best, of course!　There's no other ending!　My skills will always give you the perfect 'answer'!　Always ahead of me!　So there was absolutely no need to change a single thing!

　To Tiara, who answers immediately with a smile, my response is - late.

''I didn't think so, did I!　That's what I thought, that the last page that me and I thought would be better than the last page!'
'Huh, the page we both thought of ......?　It's not like that--
'No, it's not just us two!　To the "Stealers of Reason", Master and Rasu-chan!　In the end, we ended up with a story that we worked together to create 'together', sister Yotaki!
Well, that's none of your business!　There was no need for that!
''But ever since the moment we met, sister Yotaki has been!　He looked like he wanted the ending to be changed!'
'----?　I'm ...... and I'm ...... such a face!

　It couldn't be.
　From the day I lost my sister Lake Nagi, from the day I gave up on my brother, I've made up my mind not to expect or wish for anything else, and I have, and I've done so.

　And yet, that's not the case, says Tiara.

'Yes, all the time, sister Yotaki was screaming.' --really, you're just like your master. Even though she looked unconcerned, deep in her heart she kept asking for "someone" to save her, asking for "someone" to change her destiny, asking for "someone" to save her. ...... So, didn't sister Yotaki choose our 'world'?
"Is that why I chose ......, this 'other world', ......?

　The reason I chose this "other world" was definitely for my brother.
　You're not going to be able to find the right place for your brother, and you chose this world of sword and sorcery.

　--It's a good idea.

　However, after re-reading The Story of the Aikawa Siblings, I think on my own.
　The first thing that came to my mind was "Mizuse Lake Calm".
　A 'significant other' who was once in my possession through my brother's failing magic.
　'My first friend', the one who changed my fate, if only for a little while.
　The one who kept my brother and I close, and one day, after everything was over, she said, "--then we'll play together, the three of us.

　That Lake Nagi sister's words were the only thing I believed for a long time.
　No matter what happens, I'll always remember that "There will always be a friend who surpasses you somewhere," and that's the only thing I'll always, always remember.

　And now, right in front of me, there is a "tiara" who tries to surpass me.
　Because I came to this 'other world', I was able to meet her.

The reason I chose this "other world" was not for my brother ......?　This 'other world' is a 'gentle world for me' ......?

　--Now, I finally find one 'my answer'.

''Sister Yotaki ....... ''The last (...) answer to the question (・・・・・) is enough ......?''

　In other words, it wasn't my brother who wanted to play (or play) a game where everyone is equal, it was me.
　It was also me who sought a second chance at failure in that "other world".
　I also ran away from the real world in despair.
　At that time, I was the only one who was able to hope for the miracle of "magic" that would make everyone happy.

　Little by little, the truth - is melting away (・・・・・).

'Well, not yet, Tiara ....... Why are you ...... trying to help me?　The first person you met and first fell in love with was your brother, right ......?　So why not your brother--

　This much I want to hear from Tiara's own mouth.
　Without a doubt, the two of them had a fateful meeting that day.
　Tiara Fuzzya's had become the 'person of destiny' for Aikawa Uzumi.

''Yes, that's right. That's why I'm (...) - 'Ras Tiara (・・・・)' over there, too (...)'

　But Tiara seemed happy and said that she was there (...).

　It was also somewhat lonely.
　It was a mother's face, as if the two children she thought were in the palm of her hand all along had left her hand before she knew it. From the look on her face, I knew that Lastiara's life to the fullest had surpassed not only mine, but Tiara's as well.
　Tiara speaks proudly of the love that has become more 'real' than the real thing.

''We'' love 'Aikawa Uzumi'. --It's not just a matter of time before you get to the point where you can get to know each other.

　It was the repeated brainwashing and resetting that made my brother what he is today.
　Knowing the deeds of that outsider, Tiara still doesn't deny it and says that she loves him.

'I've always said. That I love books.''
'It's what you say ....... You've always been a child who doesn't see the boundaries between reality and make-believe .......
'Hee-hee. So, I am. I always thanked "someone" for writing that ...... book after reading it. Because if it weren't for the person who wrote it, I'm sure I would have died in the top floor of the quarantine tower, crushed by pain and despair, sickened by the disease of "demonic poisoning. ......'

　A little painfully, Tiara turned her faraway eyes to the one tower in the garden.
　The tower stood as it was then, the tower of its memories.

''I loved people who wrote stories for me as much as I loved books. So is it ...... strange to say that my sister Yotaki, the author of my favorite "Aikawa Uzumi", loves it?'

　Perhaps, for Tiara, it's a "story, including the hardships and misfortunes".
　That's why she can easily say "I love you" for being so cruel and outgoing.

　I don't think anyone can agree with that.
　But now I have a feeling that I can understand a little bit.
　After all, the way I feel right now is exactly how I feel.

'In the end, I wonder if it's all because 'by nature, Tiara Hoosiers loved books'?
　I loved, loved, loved ...... books, and I loved to read them anyway.
　And thanks to my sister Yotaki, I realized there's more to it than that. I was--.
　I loved the smell of the room when I picked up the book.
　I also loved the elation of my mind before I read the book.
　I liked the emotional aftermath after reading the book.
　I also liked the 'answering' of the book's feedback.
　I liked the people who read the book with me--'

　Tiara gazes at me intently.
　Accompanying her there are memories from a thousand years ago.

　In the garden of this hoozeyards, we had many 'answers' to each other.
　Whenever I wrote a story about the adventures of two people who loved each other, Tiara would come back to me with her own story.
　Sometimes Tiara would try to kill me, and I would write 'A Romance of Siblings in Love'. But even though Tiara was good at 'reading', she wasn't used to 'writing' yet, and that story was poorly written. So I graded it as 'not quite there yet' and laughed at her. And Tiara was so determined to "win this time" that she never gave up and tried to kill me with a new story. I'm sure the reason Tiara tried again and again, despite the fact that I was about to kill her, was because she was having fun. Both Tiara and I were able to keep going because that time -- just because we were having fun and loved it.

　-- that's the real 'answerability' of those 'answerability' days.

'There's still a lot to like about the book. I'm not--'
　I loved writing books.
　I liked people writing books.
　I liked writing books with someone else.
　I liked knowing how the person writing the book felt.
　I loved realizing that there was a reason I wrote the book.
　Heehee. The more I say it, the more I can't stop talking about it.
　--I loved every single thing about the book. I think that's why I got to this point.'

　This place is the space between dimensions, or rather, this space between the lines.
　It's a place where you don't just read the story, but think about the meaning of the story.

The important thing is that it's a place for two people. Probably, my sister Yotaki is the only person who can share this "gaps" with me anymore. ...... It's a very good idea to be able to have a good time with them. --I'll definitely help you, even if you are the enemy of the world, even if you make the world your enemy.

　This is the reason for Tiara's fight.
　After that 'answering session' was over, she walked forward to challenge the 'body arts' battle once more.

''I'm not going to let you and my master [two people in 'forever']. I don't want to be there, I have to be there too. From that day onwards, that's all I thought about and lived for--''
----!

　He approached me and I shuddered.

　It wasn't that I was afraid of Tiara's 'body arts'.
　However, knowing the reason for her fight and thinking about Tiara's story that led her to this point made my body tremble.

　When she was learning 'body arts' from me in this Fuzya's garden, Tiara was a 'powerless child' who existed only to be sacrificed.

　He was originally a sick man who was treated as a boilermaker and imprisoned, ignored by his relatives and by the "apostles", he was not favored by the "world" like the "stealers of reason", and the only talent worth mentioning was "reading".

　The more I think about it, the more I see the road to blood-soakedness.
　That 'child with no power' is to get the power that he lacks--.
　I sacrificed the people I love.
　I sacrificed my daughters, who were replicas of me.
　I sacrificed my own blood fathers and brothers.
　I sacrificed the country and land of my birth.
　I sacrificed my own history and religion.
　I sacrificed my enemies and allies without distinction.
　I sacrificed the bonds and love I had cultivated.
　I sacrificed even the intangible concepts of my past and future.
　--Finally, I sacrificed even myself.

　Sacrifice after sacrifice, and if necessary, she can even sacrifice the world she lived in, but she is no longer herself - she is the "price" itself.

　I'm not going to be able to say that I'm not going to be able to do anything about it. Moreover, she is constantly chanting "chanting" and becoming "magic" to live on.

　--An obsession (...).

　I shudder at the vindictiveness.
　I'm sure that anyone who steals from the "reason" will tremble. Because I know the pain of the 'price', I am afraid of the 'child who should have had no power'.

　You can see that she is the real 'strong person' in the true sense of the word.
　At the same time, I know that a monster for a monster is always a strong person

　So, at the beginning of my life, I took a defensive stance as a biological instinct.

　And then, coming closer, was her hand.
　A hand that has given up everything and extended itself.

　As I think about it, I begin to see a change in Tiara, little by little.
　Her figure was growing. In the midst of her assembly, she's growing by about a year or so every second - at a rapid rate, she's becoming an adult.

　I suppose it was because I was now thinking about The Story of Tiara Hoozeyers, and Tiara had the same feelings.
　As if flipping through a book of autobiographies, Tiara went from being a young girl to an adult. And then from a strange age to an old woman - when my hands were finally wrinkled, I shouted, "Tiara!

'Ti, Tiara!'
'I wasn't immortal like everyone else, so--' I'm sorry for being so uncomfortable. I just think it's going to get worse from now on: ......!'

　It's not creepy.
　I've already read all of that life for me (・・・・) and I've already read about it.
　So, that accumulation of time and thoughts of old age feels right and powerful - and beautiful to me.

　In contrast, my hands are blank.
　No matter how many years have passed, they are not only unchanged, they have never been damaged at all. Those hands are the mistakes themselves, my symbol - and I want to turn away.

　When I thought that, I felt the life from the relative Tiara's hands disappear and her body heat disappeared.

''--Ihihi!

　The flesh of those limbs began to rot away, and the thin, white bones began to be exposed to the outside air.

''Nah--!

　But it moves.
　It still moves.
　Even though its body has rotted away, lost, reduced to nothing but blood, Tiara has survived for a thousand years.
　The proof of that life speaks.

"Sister Youtaki--!

　Finally, he became a 'blood puppet'.
　I can't help but admire that figure as well.
　So, even though I'm fighting with 'body arts' right now, I can't get rid of her hands hard.
　Inevitably, my strength slackens.

　Yeah, I know.
　If I was strong enough to pay off the beautiful hand that would have been for me, I could have killed Rustyala-san with my own hands even on that 'fateful day'.
　I wasn't strong enough to pay, so I--!　I am--!

d*mn it ......!

　Hating the 'body arts', I had no choice but to retreat and keep my distance.
　Tiara looked away from me and swelled her laughing voice.

''Yihi, hihihi--''

　And next, as if rewinding time, the flesh is attached to that blood personification.
　This is also a part of her life.
　For a thousand years, her soul lived as a 'magical stone human' (Jewelculus) all over the continent. That soul has been ripped apart and torn apart, in all places and times, to prepare for the battle after a thousand years. --for me (・・・・).

　As I thought, 'body art' is no good.
　When she fights in a flesh-and-blood battle for so long, I can feel her life in her every movement and word.
　My movements slow down as I read those thoughts.

　If I have to do it, it's for a moment.
　Without mercy, I have no choice but to take the fight to the ground with an all-out blow that packs everything I have now.

''Hah, hah, hah ......!

　Most importantly, if I don't decide on the next one, my strength won't last.
　I don't have the "massless nerves" as you call them, so even my magic power is not enough for me.

　Oh, it's too much.
　Now I'm just missing something.
　If this were a game, my HP and MP would be on the verge of running out. In the final battle, if I made even one wrong choice, the game was instantly over--

　I let out a smile as I thought the same thing as my brother, facing my first sensations and worries.

''Hmph.''

　Now I'm not just fighting an 'equal' opponent, I'm fighting a superior opponent.
　The opponent I've wanted since I was a child is now right in front of me.
　You're going to be able to have a lot of things, but that sense of loneliness is also gone.

'But even so, Tiara ....... I will not be defeated. ......

　If I win, I will be alone again.
　However, the reason why I have come this far is for the end of [two people in 'forever'].
　As the 'last one' who has made a lot of sacrifices, I can't just cut corners.
　I'll give my all to the best of my ability, and I'm serious about it. 'Equality'--!

'Yeah, I don't want to be Hey Hey Hey Hey (・・・・). Come for real. --You, my sister, do your best and live through it.
'No wonder: ......!　Even I, ......, - I've lived it, to the best of my ability, too!

　If I still had the skills left, the 'end' of this battle would have already been 'decided' and the 'answer' would have been 'no meaning'.

　However, I decided from a young age that I would put my entire life on the line and fight for [the two of them] 'forever'. Thinking back to that "Story of the Aikawa Brothers and Sisters"--

　--I'm not going to be the only one who has been in this situation.

　The other side, Tiara, must have been expecting the story of the Aikawa brothers and sisters that they had just read about to hit them.

　A cold, dark wind blew through the area, freezing the grass all around. Despite the wind, the plants and trees no longer swayed and never moved again.

　This is the 'Ice Power' that Aikawa Yotaki had obtained from the 'Original World'.
　It is the reason why he stole [Ice of Stillness].
　As long as there is a remnant, the power of the one who steals the truth is unlimited.
　Originally, it was used as a disguise to hide my too strong power in the 'Other World', but now it's different.

　To this [Ice of Stillness].
　To this my life itself.
　I'm going to pack everything I have into it, and I'm going to decide the match with a single blow--!

　I'm not going to let my guard down.
　Even if I'm out of magic, I know how to make up for it.
　There is no one who knows more about this than me.

''So, even I do!　Just like everyone else--!
"Let's hear it, big sister Yotaki.
'With all my heart, compose ......!　Move your heart, I--!

　I know.
　It's the resentment of the 'stealers of reason' for their own lives, the reckoning of their own lives that they have lived through. As far as understanding is concerned, I am second to none. I am confident that my knowledge can prepare a poem as good as my brother's or anyone else's. When I was a child, it wasn't just academics that I learned from the many books in my room. I started with poetry and dabbled in the literary arts as well, starting with poetry, then plays, paintings, prints, and sculptures. I read novels and comics without regard to genre, and as a theater artist, I knew every script for a play. I even followed the story of the game next to my brother!　I pulled out that royal story, all my stories, and life--!　I've been building up my resentment for a long time, and I--!　I'm going to put my bitterness into words, too--!

"'Frozen at the beginning of life, frozen in the silence of death'...

　From the back of my throat, a voice came out.
　But it wasn't the beautiful poem I was spinning in my head.
　The 'chanting' spilled out as an impulse.

' -- 'I'm going to end up alone, without the world (you) touching me' --

　I don't remember that word.
　However, my life without any decorations is now being spat out - the 'magic' that has been stopped since that day is now finally being named.


The magic (...) "The ice on the snow floor, the day that drifts away (Heavenfall Nibbleheim).


　He muttered that and extended his hand in front of him.

　That's the real (...) 'magic (...)' of 'The One Who Steals the Reason of Water'.
　That template, the one that was a failed magic - it was already completed and activated.