Part 107: Privilege

BGM: At Amecha Girls' University High School


07/20 (FRI), Noon
The results of our finals served as the last chapter of my first semester as a second year student at Amecha. Mao comes over to bother me while I'm taking a peek at them.

Yo! How'd it go?

Managed to get over sixty for every subject. All that studying paid off.

O-Oh. Good for you...

I share my results with pride, but Mao looks away from me. That makes it obvious I managed to outdo her this time. I use this window of opportunity to snatch her report card from her. …Only to be shocked by what I see.



Well, I mean... I'd hate to rain on your parade after you studied so hard...

She's managed to score about ten percent higher than me on every subject. She said she didn't want to rain on my parade, but I know that's not the case. She just wanted to take me by surprise. The proof is in the pudding. The pudding being her grin, in this case.

Anyway, let's forget about exams. What do you wanna do for summer holidays? Naorin's going on vacation with her family around the end of August. Said she's gonna start going to cram school, too. Youngsters these days sure work hard.

We'd already agreed to go to Stardust Kingdom next Friday. We have nothing else planned, though. None of us are in any clubs, so there's little reason for us to come to school during summer. Naomi will probably drop by the library every now and then, but I have no intention of joining her. I tried to read that Shakespeare book that's sitting at home, but it's pretty boring. I'll probably see Mao a lot, but I'd rather all three of us be together if we're doing something special.

There's one other thing, though. Something we have to do, no matter what. Something I promised back then. With her.



We need to go see the fireworks display. Just like we promised.

With Miharu.

Huh? Did we plan on doing that? I'm kinda foggy on the details anymore.

We did. Don't worry, I'm sure Naomi remembers.

Oh, really? Okay. Guess we did, then.

Today will be the first time in a while that we've all gotten together at Lion House. I'm still not sure which parts of my memory are correct in relation to the current world. But the thing is, I don't really care. Not now that Miharu's gone. I'd rather look to the future than think about the past.

…

BGM: Rinka's Room


07/22 (SUN), Night
I keep the store open until the evening and after that, I spend some time relaxing. I think back to that night. When I spoke to Parca following the eleventh election. I'm sure my existence was on the brink of fading away. But I was able to re-establish dominance thanks to Miharu. Our knowledge of sides to us that no one else knew helped me keep control of my self. That's the only reason I can think of.

Parca may know more than I do. But it's also possible that she doesn't exist within me at all anymore. I am, and forever will be, Shishimai Rinka.

Right... Time to sleep.

It's that time of year when I start to get sick of how warm it is.

Meow.

Lethe plods in as I dive into bed. It jumps up and curls up beside me.

Tonight would've been the night of the final election. I never did find out what would happen if Miharu and I had elected one another. I couldn't bring myself to finish the diary, either. Not that I'd be able to decipher the English in it now that my card book disappeared along with the Court of Fate. Naomi lost most of her memories regarding Divine Selection too, so I doubt she'll take much pleasure in re- Actually, this is Naomi. She'd probably love to read it, even now.

I might just be the only one left who knows about Divine Selection. That's fine. No one else needs to know. My knowledge alone should be enough to support someone. Mainly myself. Am I crying...? Nah, I can't do that. I've long since exhausted my supply of tears.

…...

BGM: The Sacred Large Hall


07/22 (SUN), Midnight
I think I am dreaming for a moment, but it turns out I'm just in the dream world. Where a voice I've become ever so familiar with speaks out to me.

Wow. I gotta say, I never expected a mortal to set foot in our domain through their own power. Even if for just a moment. You aren't the first, admittedly, but the last time it happened was under extremely special circumstances. Not to discredit your effort, of course.



You erased all traces of Parca while proceeding through the end of Divine Selection. If that isn't an accomplishment, then I don't know what is.



Pardon me. 'Erased' isn't quite the correct term. I'm sure you understand the meaning behind that little clarification. Now, then. Perhaps it would be best for me to explain things to you.

I don't need him to. I don't care about the past anymore. My eyes are set solely on my future. He seems to understand what I'm feeling, which explains his sudden smile.

This will be the last time we ever meet, so I was hoping we could talk for a bit longer. That aside, allow me to pose a question. Are you aware of what remains within you?



This choice isn't important (he basically says the same thing either way), so let's just say we aren't.

Perhaps that's a bit much, even for you. Oh, I mean no offense. As I said, the fact that you're able to make it this far is an achievement in and of itself. You see, the goddess's power itself lies dormant within you.



I believe Parca referred to the energy as fragments of people's feelings, but make no mistake, it's an energy far beyond human understanding. It's fortunate that everything came to a close during that eleventh election. The miracle that is about to unfold would never have occurred had you reached your final destination.



You currently have the ability to alter fate, albeit only once.

This doesn't surprise me. It's something I had already anticipated. It's felt like something irregular has been inside me for the past week. It's the same feeling as when Parca forced herself into my body.

There's one condition, however. You know of the counterforce that exists to restore order to fate. It will activate after your alteration.



And that's where I come in. I have the power to make the world forget about this and am more than willing to do so once for your sake.

I really wish he wouldn't be so roundabout when explaining things. There's no way I'm going to understand any of this, so I wish he'd just be blunt.

You've... gotten pretty harsh, haven't you? Perharps as a result of having to overcome the long and arduous trial known as Divine Selection. You have two choices available to you.



The first is to create a world where all participants are still alive, rendering the primary juncture of causality obsolete. All memories of Divine Selection will be erased as a result, your own included. The world would attempt to revert itself back to its current state were you to remember.



The second is to do nothing. Accept that you have this power available to you but make no use of it. You may be able to attune yourself to the dreams of others for a while. Eventually, however, your body will grow accustomed to the power that sleeps within you, leading you to forget about it entirely.



I myself will have forgotten about you by that time. You may not be as smart as a monkey, but your ability to remember things far outclasses mine.

I don't bother to ask how he knows about a conversation I once had with Mao. Either way, this makes things much easier to comprehend.

I just have to make a choice.

As for me...