Part 96: Tanabata
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BGM: Lion House Cafe
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07/05 (THU), Midnight
Not long after he leaves, Naomi comes downstairs.
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She pauses before pulling her eyes away from me.
BGM: Naomi
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It's all I can think to say to her.
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Naomi grips my hand tightly in hers. Her memories take a considerable blow since she's helping me despite not being a participant. Though that makes me question why the system that rewrites people's memories is so flawed. If Parca's the one who made it, then I want to lodge a complaint. It's far too cruel. There's more to life than the beat of one's heart. It's our experiences that make us who we are. That's why changing or making people forget those experiences is just as bad as outright killing them.
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She's obviously faking it. Not like it matters to me, though. If anything, I don't want to spend the night alone.
...
BGM: Good Morning (20XX XX XX)
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07/07 (SAT), Morning
Saturday, two days later. Yesterday passed without issue. The four of us studied together after school and then I did my usual diary reading at night. I told Miharu about Alan, too. Looks like I'll be electing him, while she'll be electing Federico. On a superficial level, things have gone far smoother than they have in weeks past. There weren't any huge incidents like with Yu, nor was there any need to make deals with people like Odette. Things aren't so simple deep down, though. The significance of the upcoming eliminations is all the greater now that we've gotten to know and see their development.
There's no point in being depressed until the time comes, though. Instead, I try to brighten my mood before heading to school.
BGM: At Amecha Girls' University High School
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Upon my arrival, Mao greets me with an eerie grin.
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There must've been a Tanabata feature on TV or something. That aside, it's relieving to see Mao act like this. Well, it'd probably be a relief if she was in her post-all nighter mode as well.
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07/07 (SAT), Noon
Once we've written and hung our wishes up, we start to make our way to class. The faculty set bamboo up in the cafeteria that's shared between our and the college's campus, just like Mao said. A surprising number of people are participating, which leads to me taking a peek at some wishes. Most are relationship related.
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We make it a point to keep what we've written to ourselves. For a simple reason, too- we're shy.
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Miharu gives Naomi an exaggerated glare before transitioning into a smile. As for me... Well, I guess there's no point in reminding myself of something I wrote.
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There's a hint of gravity to her words. It's not often she sounds like that, so it leaves the rest of us speechless. Naomi ends up breaking the silence.
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Miharu and I nod in agreement.
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My reluctance to say it in the first place is why I force myself to make that claim. It's a much more personal wish than what I wrote earlier, but also a more earnest one.
...
BGM: Rinka's Room
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07/07 (SAT), Night
Once the day is over, I get ready for bed. As for the diary, I'm almost done with it in terms of pages. Tomorrow's session should be my last. I couldn't find a second volume after looking around, so tomorrow marks my last look into the daily lives of Linda and Dianna. When I think about that, I recall what we talked about earlier on in the afternoon.
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I talked to Miharu about it before. Back when we were alone at the theme park. Back when I was the only one who didn't know anything about Divine Selection. Oh, no... A flood of memories come back to me all at once. I must be tired... I feel my eyes begin to water up as my emotions involuntarily pour out.
BGM: Silence
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My thoughts turn to screams. And then I remember that it's the middle of the night, so I end up smothering my face with a pillow.
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It helps to muffle my screams. It's all so sudden. The fear of losing what I have at the moment has just hit me out of nowhere. I don't want anything up till now to be undone.
I fall asleep at some point, unable to sort out my emotions.