[Part 1/4]
"Princess, you're back so early... H-Hey, Princess!?"
"Which princess are you talking about?"
The ako's maid who welcomed the ox cart that stopped in front of the orphanage was confused at the same time. The reply she got had a hint of sarcasm.
From the ox cart with ako's family crest, Onitsuki's second princess stepped out confidently. a woman who looked a bit distant followed her. The maid recognized her from a few visits to the Onitsuki mansion. Was she the medic's assistant...?
"Cousin, wait... Ukyaa!?"
"Oh, be careful!!?"
Yona hurriedly supported her master, who slipped and fell last. It was a pretty skilled move. By the way, no one knew that if she hadn't caught her, the princess would have broken her neck.
"It's in here. Let's go."
"Okay..."
While the commotion happened behind her, Onitsuki's princess walked through the gate, showing no interest. Yakuko the medic glanced back at the scene before quickly following her. She thought, 'Is it okay to treat a cousin like that?' but kept quiet, knowing it could cause trouble.
"Who is that person...?"
"She's pretty, but kind of scary..."
"I feel like I've seen her before..."
"...Is that a cow?"
The children at the orphanage watched their guest from the shadows. There had been other visitors, but this one was special. The princess, a true Onitsuki, had a strong 'spiritual energy' that scared the kids. Every time she walked, they noticed her clothes swaying, which surprised them.
"..."
"Princess?"
The second princess stopped and looked around, acting as if she was observing the whispers of the children. Yakuko felt a sudden doubt and called out, tensing up as if she might have stepped on a tiger's tail. She didn't know what might upset the princess, and this one was much quicker to act than the higher-ranked princess.
"No, it's nothing. ...Let's go."
Fortunately, the pink princess resumed walking without getting upset. Feeling quite relieved inside, Yakuko followed her. They walked along the porch facing the garden.
With the support of the Onitsuki family, the orphanage was wide, clean, and brand new... They passed through several shouji paper doors, and without needing anyone to answer, the princess stopped there.
She sensed what was happening beyond the shouji paper door.
"...Princess."
"Let's wait a bit. We shouldn't go in just yet."
Then, aoi gently touched the shouji paper door, looking ahead.
"Let's believe in him a little longer... let's trust."
To respect his choice, his judgment, and his will, to open up the future he desired. For that, the second princess whispered lovingly...
Everyone gasped at the cold words released by the hummingbird. They held their breath, confused.
"What... what's the reason for that?"
after a brief silence, I asked the question. I sought an explanation for the hummingbird's instructions.
'It's simple. Every story has an ending. So, it's fine to force it to conclude.'
Calmly, or maybe pretending to be, the hummingbird explained the situation.
We are trapped in this time-altering spell, and it obviously won't last forever. It will end when the supply of 'fuel' to keep the spell going stops, or when the spell completes its purpose.
The first option is quite simple. If we cut off the flow of energy from the Spiritual Vein, Shiro will wither away. We could even kill Shiro right here. Of course, I would never allow either of those.
'Yeah. I know that. So, I'm officially preparing the ending for this world, the answer.'
In short, the spell needs a clever 'ending' that it can recognize... that's the kind of solution the hummingbird suggests.
'There are various ways to end things, but it's best to have a clear conclusion. In other words, a tragedy. It should be brutal, following the true history.'
That means a dark ending. Shiro loses her family and becomes one of the foxes. a balance in history...
'From the situation so far, I can guess the general flow of events in the true history back then. It's not long after a great war. There's active youkai hunting, and her mother, who is a traitor to humans, gets killed, and she will meet the same fate. Then, that black fox shows up... well, that's about it, right?'
"..."
The hummingbird sounds bored. Shiro, now an adult, stays silent and looks down, clearly pained as she remembers the past. It marks the start of her wrong path but also a form of salvation.
'We need to fix things. This not only ends the ritual but also helps future generations. So first, please kill that woman. She was meant to die anyway; her fate just changed a bit.'
Matsuhige's granddaughter urged me in a very calm, very cold, and very indifferent manner. Then, as if remembering my reaction, she continued to speak.
'Ah. Don't worry. Even if she die here, the real 'she' won't actually die. Just like you, you're basically just an actor playing a role inserted from the outside. If you exit, the actor just leaves the stage. You can die without any worries, you know?'
"Well, thanks for that... but does that mean I'm going to die?"
'It would be a problem if a person who shouldn't exist is actually here, right? Please disappear into the darkness of history.'
"That's a fair point, I guess."
I felt a bit disheartened but agreed with her cold and logical opinion.
'Normally, I could have that white fox kill you, but... you wouldn't like that, would you?'
"Well, yeah."
'Then please do it. There's no time. After all, this is just a dream. You shouldn't feel too guilty about it.'
Right after the hummingbird said that, a loud explosion echoed. When I peeked out from the snow hill, the battle between the black fox and the white spider still showed no signs of ending. In fact, it seemed like the deadly fight was getting even more intense with time.
"(: `ω: ´) GIVE ME THE POWER OF INFINITY!!"
...Yeah. It was probably a life-or-death struggle.
'Servant. Hurry up. Just snapping the neck will be enough.'
"...I wish you wouldn't say it so casually."
While I complained to the rushing hummingbird, I saw 'her' groaning in the snow. Oddly, she looked like the mother, Ine, and yet, the enchanting princess Miyataka. Now that I noticed, I could see the strange mix in her appearance. It felt bizarre to recognize something so contradictory.
"...Well, no. Onitsuki's servant, right? Hehe... you're showing quite a pathetic side, aren't you? Sorry, did I bother you?"
Her playful words were completely a facade, as her speech was broken by painful breaths. Her forehead was drenched in sweat, and her pale skin looked completely worn out. She kept pressing her head, as if suffering from a terrible headache.
"Did they roughly force my memories back...? Anyway, I am... ah, yes. I am Miyataka's young lady. Miyataka's... mother of 2?"
The words, muttered like an old person on the verge of confusion, were becoming more like a monologue. Her thoughts were in chaos...
"...Are you okay?"
"My memories... might be all mixed up? This is troubling. I see you as my cute son. Just a joke? ...Do you want milk?"
As she loosened her kimono and said silly things, the pained look in Miyataka young lady's eyes reminded me of a mother's gaze at her son──filled with endless love.
"Please stop joking. I'm not a baby. Besides, we're not even related by blood, right?"
"Blood ties aren't... everything, you know? Right?"
"..."
In response to my answer, she teased me painfully and then looked meaningfully at Shiro. Shiro, the white fox, wore a complicated and awkward expression. Her brows furrowed in a way that suggested the question was painful for her in many ways.
...No, considering what was about to happen, Shiro probably couldn't say anything from her position, even if it was just a pretense.
"...What about the content of our earlier conversation?"
"I'm aware of it. ...Hehe. Where is that hummingbird? Such a reliable advisor... right?"
"It's a secret of Onitsuki."
That's Miyataka. I wonder how much they really understand with that vague way of speaking. Anyway, I'll play dumb. In this situation, I have no way of knowing who I'm talking to. Besides, we're in a dream. I could even dismiss everything as an illusion after it's over. For now, I'll put that aside. It's a problem for tomorrow me to worry about.
"I don't want to feel pain... If we're going to do this, let's make it quick, okay? Hehe. With this weak body, it should be easy to kill me. If we're going to do it, let's just get it over with, alright?"
Her lighthearted words were completely out of place for the heavy topic at hand. The princess, my mother, lifted her delicate body and exposed her thin, white neck. It was as if she was showing me how easy it would be to strangle her, and I felt myself sink again.
"This is difficult."
"Is my neck really that thin?"
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