Chapter Index





    Ch.291Side Story: Aria Who Is Not Aria

    Aria, cradled in my arms, wore a face of utter confusion as she watched the bickering Celestial and Demon Goddesses.

    I would have felt the same in her position. Based on her divine power sensing, these were clearly the gods she had killed, yet not only had their appearances changed, but they weren’t even speaking like gods.

    And the fact that she was so naturally nestled in my arms would be another bewildering element. What’s more, I hadn’t even been the one to initiate the embrace—they had approached me first, arms outstretched as if asking to be held.

    At first, I only indulged the Celestial Goddess, who had a naturally innocent and gentle personality and didn’t seem to mind my touch. But whether out of jealousy or something else, at some point the Demon Goddess stopped refusing as well.

    Well, “stopped refusing” is putting it mildly. She was the type who would openly ask for the same treatment, drop hints, and then grumble when I pretended not to notice. Considering how she used to growl at me initially, the change was remarkable.

    Thanks to this, Leona and Latina said they felt like they were half-raising the two goddesses as daughters. Though if these goddesses were my daughters, I had no idea where my genes had gone.

    “Anyway, your fate was decided while you were unconscious. The discussion is already over.”

    Leona, who had been whispering with a serious expression, subtly moved away after hearing my words. Aria managed a weak smile.

    “Yes. I’m prepared. What is it?”

    “You can no longer exist as Aria. You’re already dead in this world. No, it would be more accurate to say your very existence has been erased.”

    The calm blue eyes disappeared behind closed eyelids. True to her word about being prepared, she seemed to be trying to accept what I was saying.

    When the world was about to collapse, she sacrificed herself to stabilize time, and the existence of the human named Aria disappeared along with it. Her past as the hero’s childhood friend, the time she spent with us, everything that happened afterward.

    All of it.

    Leona’s history had changed to her growing up alone in the village, and the couple who should have been Aria’s parents were now raising a girl of similar age whom they’d never seen before as their daughter.

    No one in the village remembered Aria, and someone else had taken her place as second-ranked student at the academy. Aria had both come into existence and ceased to exist at the same time.

    “I suppose so. When I was torn apart by time, my past was torn away too. It’s the outcome I somewhat expected.”

    “You’re no longer April. You’re not Aria either. You have no name, no place to be, nowhere to go. You’ve become completely detached from this world.”

    “…Yes.”

    Aria, who had been trying to remain calm, showed a slight disturbance at this point. Her hands trembled as they gripped the blanket.

    “So, we’ve decided to call you Aria again.”

    “…What?”

    The blue eyes reappeared. Those blue eyes directed at me widened slightly. The response was the same as before, but with the end slightly raised in question.

    “Why are you surprised? Since Aria has disappeared from this world, we’re telling you to take her place. We can’t perfectly replace the past you lived, but that should be enough, right? Or do you want something more?”

    Aria, who had been looking dazed, hastily shook her head and asked:

    “N-no, absolutely not. But I—”

    “I know. You didn’t bring me here with good intentions. And things didn’t end well after you brought me. The reason I’m not holding it against you anymore is because, in the end, things turned out well.”

    The question of which is more important—intention, process, or result—would be an endless debate. Of course, I couldn’t claim that my conclusion was the perfect answer. Others would think differently.

    But that was my view. If I hadn’t been dragged here, I would have just rotted away on Earth anyway, so didn’t it turn out well in the end?

    Laura, Priscilla, Elysier, and Rosaria were truly innocent victims, so I had no intention of interfering with how they felt about Aria. At least that’s how I felt.

    If our perspectives conflicted, I was prepared to defer to those four. What I was offering was an opportunity, not authority.

    “……”

    Aria, still looking dazed, quietly bowed her head. Leona, who had stepped back momentarily, approached the bed again. I had said what I needed to say; the rest was up to Leona.

    As this world’s hero, as Aria’s childhood friend, and as a friend to the four possessed victims of Aria.

    “Aria.”

    “…Yes. Leona.”

    I heard she planned to ask the same question again, though I wasn’t sure if she’d get the answer she wanted—that question about whether all their time as childhood friends had been based on false emotions.

    I closed the door and stepped into the hallway. The Celestial and Demon Goddesses cradled in my arms each spoke up.

    “Special human. Are you satisfied with this?”

    “Is that really enough?”

    “The conclusion has already been made. There’s no question of satisfaction. My role ends here.”

    The rest is for others to handle.

    “What about you goddesses? You were both killed by that woman.”

    And not just killed in an ordinary way—like some alien creature from a horror movie, monsters burst from their chests while they were still alive. The Celestial Goddess had even been trapped in her temple in that miserable state.

    These two were victims as well, yet strangely, neither the Celestial nor the Demon Goddess seemed concerned about Aria.

    “I don’t mind.”

    “It’s all the same to me.”

    “…Really?”

    “I’m similar to you, special human. In the end, I got to be with my sister again like this. While I do resent her for fixing what she herself broke, I’m happier now than before, so it’s fine. Besides, my sister has finally given up on putting on unnecessary airs as a Demon Goddess.”

    “Unnecessary? That’s too harsh.”

    The Demon Goddess grumbled at the Celestial Goddess’s smile.

    “Well, I also think the current situation isn’t bad… just not bad, that’s all. Don’t get any strange ideas.”

    “Let me translate for you. What she means is that she’s so happy with this relationship that she doesn’t know what to do with herself. It means she’s extremely satisfied, pleased, and happy living like this.”

    “Wh-wha-what are you saying! Equinox! That’s not true!”

    The Demon Goddess flailed, reaching out to cover her sister’s mouth. The Celestial Goddess suddenly turned serious and asked:

    “It’s not? Sister, can you swear on today’s desserts and snacks that it’s a lie? Really?”

    Eyes that closely resembled Leona’s glowed with an even brighter golden light. She was using divine power. Seeing that light scanning her up and down, the Demon Goddess began to fidget uncomfortably.

    “By the way, today’s desserts are strawberry tiramisu and macarons—your favorites. If you’re lying, I’ll eat them all myself. Right in front of you. Savoring every bite.”

    “Ugh… urrrgh…”

    After trembling for a while, the Demon Goddess eventually nodded in surrender. The Celestial Goddess looked triumphant.

    “See that, special human? My sister is a tsundere. It’s an outdated character trait that’s been out of fashion for a long time, but I guess that’s why my sister has such an old and outdated personality trait.”

    “Old?! Aren’t you just calling me ‘sister’ for convenience’s sake?!”

    The Demon Goddess bristled, but my interest was elsewhere.

    “Tsundere? Where did you learn such a term?”

    “Laura and Priscilla taught me. They promised to teach me more. There were so many interesting things!”

    “……”

    What are those two trying to teach these… well, they’re not exactly children. Not innocent either.

    Anyway, I don’t understand what they’re trying to teach goddesses who look like children. And they find it fun? This must be what they mean by “nipping it in the bud.”

    “Since I answered honestly, I’ll take one of your tiramisus, Equinox.”

    “That’s not fair, sister! Of course you should be honest!”

    “Nothing in this world is a given. You’re just too young to understand.”

    “Are you saying that because I called you old and outdated?”

    “I’ll just give you both some, so please stop fighting over nothing.”

    When will these two ever grow up?

    “Brother.”

    After taking the two goddesses to the mansion’s kitchen and asking for all the desserts they wanted, I was watching them happily munching away when I got a message from Leona. As I was heading back, Diana stopped me.

    She looked like she had something to say.

    “What?”

    “I heard you brought another woman while I wasn’t looking. Weren’t the ones you already have enough?”

    “I did bring someone, but not for the reason you’re thinking.”

    “What do you think I’m thinking?”

    “The kind of thoughts that would appear in those erotic novels you read?”

    “……”

    Diana cleared her throat. I knew she’d react like this.

    “Let me give you some advice from my years of experience. You’ll end up getting stabbed. Or having your bones dissolved. Don’t be too reckless with your body just because you trust healing magic.”

    “What experience? More like advice from erotic novels. And I told you it’s not what you’re thinking. She had nowhere to go, so I’m just letting her rest here for a while.”

    “All beginnings start with such small kindnesses. Always knock before entering, okay? If you happen to walk in while she’s wiping off sweat and you catch her naked, things could escalate to the next level immediately.”

    “As if.”

    I responded incredulously, but Diana didn’t seem interested in listening.

    “Or I could tell you some good techniques for those situations, want to hear them?”

    “If you’re suggesting I contact Yuna to get some ‘exchange,’ you’d better prepare yourself. You’ll be sucking your thumb for a while after seeing that your collection has been sealed with magic.”

    “……”

    She immediately went quiet. I wondered why she suddenly approached me, but it seems she had already gone through the massive amount of material. I know she received an enormous amount.

    Still, I told her I’d try contacting Yuna once, then knocked on the door to Aria’s room.

    “It’s me. Can I come in?”

    “Yes. Come in.”

    After confirming her permission, I opened the door. There was Aria, her eyes red and swollen as if she’d been crying while I was gone, and Leona sitting quietly beside her.

    “How did it go?”

    “We decided to pretend the past times never existed. I never had a childhood friend from the beginning. It’s true that I grew up alone in the village, and I came to school alone too.”

    “……”

    Aria lowered her head. Whether she had apologized or not, it seemed they had decided to bury the main timeline of Laura’s novel in memories only.

    But it was clear they wouldn’t end it there, so I quietly waited for the next words.

    “Still, there was something gained.”


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