Chapter 1: Rio and Miharu
The day Rio defeated the golem, that very evening, Miharu was visiting the world of her dreams. She was there to question Lina about why she kissed Rio while she had been possessing Miharu’s body.
The dreamworld was a pure white space. Lina couldn’t be physically seen, but was still able to converse without a problem. Thus, Miharu had been yelling at her.
“So in the end, which one are you in love with? Amakawa Haruto or Rio?” Lina asked, turning the tables on her instead.
“Huh...?” Miharu was so caught off guard, she looked like she had been slapped.
“What’s wrong? Can’t answer?” Lina’s voice said calmly, indifferent to Miharu’s shock.
“Wh-What do you mean by ‘which one’? Why would you say that?” Miharu stuttered, voice shrill.
She was clearly flustered by the question. That being said, she had once asked herself the same thing, back when the Galarc Kingdom had hosted that banquet—just after she had learned that Rio’s past life was Amakawa Haruto.
She had found her answer already.
“After the banquet hosted by the Galarc Kingdom, you said to Sendo Takahisa that it was both. That you loved both Amakawa Haruto and the Rio of this world.”
It’s both. I think I love both of them. Haruto from before he was reborn and Haruto now. I fell in love with the same person twice.
Miharu herself was the one who had said those words to Takahisa when he had tried to kidnap her from Galarc. With her power to see the future, it was no surprise Lina knew what she said.
“You know that as well?” Miharu asked with a grimace.
“Of course I’d know; you’re my reincarnation,” Lina said plainly. She then added callously, “So why couldn’t you answer me just now?”
“I was just surprised by your sudden question...!”
“So your feelings haven’t changed, then?”
Miharu paused briefly before nodding. “That’s right,” she said.
“Really?” Lina immediately replied, sounding doubtful.
“It’s the truth. I really think that,” Miharu said, placing a hand over her chest. She loved both Rio and Amakawa Haruto. Those feelings of hers hadn’t changed. So why did she feel so shaken by giving her answer?
“It looks like you haven’t made up your mind yet,” Lina pointed out.
“That’s not the case,” Miharu said firmly, shaking her head.
“Then let me change the question. If Amakawa Haruto were to appear in this world, who would you choose between Rio and him?”
“That hypothetical situation makes no sense. Haruto died and became the person you know now.”
“Then let’s change it again. What if you had the chance to return to Earth before Amakawa Haruto died? Would you leave Rio behind and go?”
“Th-That’s...still hypothetical...”
In the end, the question about whether she would pick Haruto or Rio was unchanged. But thanks to Miharu’s serious personality, she gave the question careful thought anyway, albeit reluctantly.
“Technically speaking, it’s not impossible.”
Miharu blinked. “Is it possible to go back to Japan?”
“If we can summon you to this world, it shouldn’t be that odd for us to send you back, no? Well, it’s about as realistic as finding a single gem in a sandy desert.”
“But to go back before Haruto dies...”
“Did you forget? You wandered into this world four years before Amakawa Haruto died. Why wouldn’t you assume you’d return before he dies? If you returned right at this moment, it’d be less than a year since you arrived here.”
“That’s true. But in that case, how could Haruto be reborn in this world before he passes away over there?”
Miharu didn’t look convinced. Four years after Ayase Miharu had been brought to this world, Amakawa Haruto had died on Earth. Yet Rio had held the memories of Amakawa Haruto for nine years before Miharu arrived here.
“We’ll be going off topic if we continue on the subject of timelines. Just answer my question for now. If you could return to Earth before Amakawa Haruto died, would you choose to do so?”
In short, would she stay in this world with Rio, or return to Earth to see Amakawa Haruto again?
Miharu was about to say something, but closed her mouth.
“See? You can’t answer after all. You cannot choose between Amakawa Haruto and Rio.”
“Th-That’s because Rio’s past life is Haruto... I can’t think of them as different people.”
“But you know deep down, don’t you?” Lina asked, voice echoing through the white space.
“Know what?”
“That Rio cannot become Amakawa Haruto. That the two are different people.”
Miharu was unable to argue against Lina’s words. She hung her head heavily.
“You fell in love with both Amakawa Haruto and Rio. There’s no contradiction there. Your feelings are genuine. But you’ve been unable to move on since the banquet. That’s why you cannot choose between the two of them.”
Stab, stab. Lina’s words were like sharp daggers digging into Miharu’s heart.
“That’s why your relationship with him hasn’t progressed,” she concluded.
Miharu’s entire body trembled.
“Do you get it? Saying you love both Rio and Amakawa Haruto is like declaring you’re two-timing him,” Lina said, her words digging into Miharu’s heart.
“N-No! That’s not—!” Miharu tried to deny that in a panic, but Lina cut her off.
“I’m not wrong. After all, you can’t choose between the two of them even now,” she said.
“But Haruto has those memories. It doesn’t change the fact he’s Haru-kun’s reincarnation.” Miharu’s voice trailed off weakly.
“No, Rio was born as Rio. Rio cannot be anyone other than Rio—even if he was influenced by his memories of Amakawa Haruto. He said that himself, remember?”
Miharu was completely speechless.
“You feel for Amakawa Haruto while feeling for Rio. As far as Rio is concerned, that’s quite a nuisance—to be constantly compared to another man, that is.”
“Ah...” A strong look of guilt fell across Miharu’s face.
“If things were reversed...if you had fallen in love with Rio regardless of Amakawa Haruto, you would have been able to choose Rio with confidence. A different future could have happened.”
“A different future?”
“A future where you were attracted to Rio without knowing anything about his past life. It was possible. In that future, Rio was in love with you as well. He even told you his feelings.”
“Huh?” Miharu was stunned, unable to comprehend Lina’s words.
“Rio chose you out of everyone. He confessed at the banquet.”
“No way...” Miharu’s breath caught in her throat. She couldn’t imagine such a future.
“It’s the truth. However, that was the same future where Takahisa forcibly took you to Centostella. But even if you were separated from Rio, you would’ve been happier than you currently are, no? Since you’d be able to hog all of Rio’s feelings for yourself,” Lina said with a mean smile in her voice.
Miharu was unable to say anything else.
“But you can’t even decide this one thing.” A hint of disdain could be heard in Lina’s echoing voice.
“Ah...” Miharu flinched.
“Unfortunately, such a half-hearted woman cannot be relied on. Not that Rio would rely on you to begin with. But are you planning on staying in that indecisive state forever? Will you keep waiting for Rio to make a move?”
“That’s...”
“Well, even if he can’t rely on you, he has plenty of other talented girls to rely on. Like Aishia, Sora, or Celia. As long as you lend me your body when you’re asleep, you can continue being excluded from things. Just don’t expect a future where you get together with Rio,” Lina said coldly. “Are we done now? I have nothing else to say to you, so I’d like to end this conversation.”
“W-Wait a minute!” Miharu yelled in a hurry.
“What?”
“I’m not done. I’m... I’m serious too. I really do love the current Haruto,” Miharu said, firmly stating her position to Lina.
“So what?” Lina’s words to Miharu were still cold and indifferent, but Miharu didn’t cower.
“I’m not being half-hearted. I don’t know what you’re trying to do, but I want Rio to rely on me as well. I want to be dependable. And I’m prepared to do whatever it takes. I don’t want to be the only one excluded.”
It was rare to hear such clear self-assertion from her.
“Hmm. All right, then. I’ll give you a chance. You have control over your physical body, and I can only possess you when you’re asleep. We can’t communicate like this when you’re awake, so it would be helpful to me too if you were more dependable.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“Nothing, I’ll just be watching. I can’t believe your word alone—prove it to me through your actions. Show me you can be depended on,” Lina said, sounding like she was gloating brightly.
“Fine.” Miharu’s reply was quiet as she masked her strong will.
“Just make sure you don’t go around in circles and cause more trouble for him.”
“I-I know that.”
Lina’s teasing warning made Miharu frown sullenly.
◇ ◇ ◇
While Miharu was talking to Lina in the dreamworld, the Miharu of the real world was in a bedroom of Rio’s mansion at the Galarc Castle. Lina was currently controlling her body and using it to speak to Rio. Rio had no way of knowing that Lina was talking to him and the sleeping Miharu in her mental world at the same time.
Lina had pulled out an earring-style magic artifact from somewhere and used it to transform into her original appearance. Using Miharu’s body, she had pushed Rio down onto the bed and straddled him as she gave him three pieces of advice.
“First, searching the labyrinth for clues about what happened a thousand years ago is pointless. If you’re going to look, you should search elsewhere. Second, you should get more disciples besides Sora. If you don’t make new disciples, you may end up regretting it. And the third: In my opinion...the first new disciple you should get is Christina Beltrum.”
The advice was completely unacceptable to Rio, which was why a long silence had fallen over them.
“Well? Will you choose Christina Beltrum as your disciple?” Lina asked, grinning seductively as she straddled Rio.
“That’s impossible,” Rio refused.
“Why?”
“She’s the first princess of the Beltrum Kingdom. She’s responsible for the Restoration and the future of her home kingdom.”
Disciples were the servants of transcendent ones. The moment they became disciples, they were removed from the logic of the world and no longer remained in people’s memories. It was why Rio flatly refused to make Christina a disciple of a transcendent one.
“Right,” Lina agreed easily.
She agreed? So why did she suggest it in the first place?
Rio looked confused. He couldn’t imagine her answering him even if he asked, but he decided to try anyway.
“Will you explain your reasoning?”
“Unfortunately, no. I don’t want to say something that could unnecessarily affect the future.”
“I see...”
“As you should know, it was merely advice. The final choice is yours. You can take what I say with a grain of salt—as long as you consider it seriously.”
“...”
“Well, just keep it in mind for now. Of course, the faster you make a decision, the better.” Lina smiled brightly at the silent scowl on Rio’s face; it was clear that he felt a strong aversion to the idea.
At least she’s giving me time to think. But even then...
There was nothing to even consider—making Christina a disciple was out of the question. He had no intention of making anyone a disciple.
“By the way, you can have a maximum of six disciples. If we exclude Sora and Christina, you can make another four disciples.”
“I thought each transcendent one could only have three disciples?” Rio asked, eyes widening as he recalled what Sora told him.
“You have the divinity of the Dragon King and the divinity I entrusted to Aishia. You currently have the divinity of two people, so you can have the disciples of two.”
“I see,” Rio replied, but he instantly felt warier.
Don’t tell me she wants to create the maximum...
He had felt so repulsed at the thought of creating a single disciple—making five others besides Sora would be entirely impossible.
“We can discuss the other four at a later time. Focus on Christina first,” Lina said, as though she knew what he was thinking.
Rio couldn’t say yes or no.
“That aside, you retrieved the golem cores, right? Can I have them?” Lina seemed to be done with the topic of disciples, as she swiftly moved on.
Rio pulled himself together with a sigh and used the Time-Space Cache. “Dissolvo.” The space by his hands distorted, and two transparent orbs that were roughly ten centimeters wide appeared in each hand.
“Thank you. I’ll look after this. Repono.” Lina uttered a spell, and space distorted once again. The two orbs in Rio’s hands vanished.
“You don’t have a Time-Space Cache, right?” Rio asked in surprise.
“Correct. I just created something similar using magic,” Lina explained simply.
“I see...”
Rio was dumbfounded. The sorcery sealed in the Time-Space Cache was extremely complex. As far as Rio was aware, that spell was yet to be converted to obtainable magic, yet she had done it so easily. It seemed she hadn’t been a Wise God in her past life for nothing.
Rio swallowed his surprise and belatedly asked the question on his mind. “But isn’t Miharu a spirit art caster?”
Spirit art casters were unable to cast spirit arts if they took any magic spell formulas into their body. Miharu had trained in using spirit arts, so she shouldn’t be able to use magic. Since they shared the same body, this should have applied to Lina too.
“That’s why I’ve made her into a sorcerer,” Lina said, overturning Rio’s assumption.
“You made a spell contract for her? Just when...”
“A few days ago. When she was asleep.”
“Does Miharu know that?”
“She probably hasn’t noticed yet. I can’t be bothered to tell her, so you can explain it to her,” Lina said nonchalantly.
“Can you communicate with Miharu?”
“Only when she’s asleep, through her mental world. I am merely the shadow of Ayase Miharu, so I can only come out like this when she’s asleep.”
“R-Right...”
“So don’t think I can come out whenever I want. In fact, I don’t plan on interacting with any of you more than necessary, so keep that in mind. I’ll be the one to reach out if needed. Just like I’m doing now,” she said with a smile.
“Why?”
“Firstly, this state is really energy inefficient. Miharu has a lot of magic essence, but if I remain in possession of her for a prolonged time, she’ll run out. The time I spend active is time Miharu’s body isn’t resting properly, and simply being in this state is a burden on her.”
“Makes sense.” Rio didn’t want to see Miharu suffer the burden of Lina’s magic casting either.
“The other reason is because I don’t want to be dragged to the forefront to solve problems. I can’t answer most of your questions, and I don’t want to change the future for the worse. Transcendent ones aren’t meant to be so actively involved with the people of this world. You’ll have to explain that to everyone else.”
“‘Aren’t meant to be actively involved with this world...’ Right. I understand.”
Lina’s words seemed to weigh heavily on Rio, as he nodded with a docile look.
“You really have a serious personality, huh? You’re just like the Dragon King was a thousand years ago, even though you’re meant to be a different person.” Lina looked down at Rio with a faraway look, smiling fondly at an old memory.
“I-Is that so?” Puzzled, Rio tilted his head curiously.
“Yes. But in your case, you should just enjoy this moment to the fullest. As long as you’re within this barrier, you’re Rio, not the Dragon King. You have the right to that. After all, even Ayase Miharu acts irrespective of me,” Lina said in a playful tone.
“All right,” Rio said, nodding with a wry smile.
“So, is there anything you wanted to ask me? You won’t have a chance like this often, and as long as it doesn’t affect the future, I don’t mind answering you.”
“Will the golem cores you retrieved be usable again?”
It was a question involving the future right off the bat, but Rio asked it anyway, as he had no idea how tolerant Lina would be to begin with. Lina smiled in satisfaction, seeing through his intentions.
“It’ll take some time, since they’re protected, but eventually,” she answered.
“Who activated the golems?”
“The future may diverge greatly if I tell you that right now, so it’ll need to be a secret.”
The question itself was about a past event, but it seemed the answer would affect the future. Lina refused to speak, hoping to stick to her desired future.
“Got it.”
Rio would have liked to know the answer, but he understood Lina’s conditions. It was information that wasn’t obtainable through other means, so he reluctantly accepted her answer.
“Is there a way to remove an upper high-rank spirit from a hero?” he asked next.
“Unfortunately, no. Spirit contracts fuse the spirit and the human at the soul level. Once the spirit contract is bound, it cannot be broken until the contractee dies.”
“I see... My next question is this—can the masks be replicated?”
It was a rare chance, so Rio asked every question he could think of. Of course, the mask he was referring to was the mask that could bear the burden of the transcendent rules. He had used up a mask in the battle with the golem, so he only had two good masks left.
“The materials are hard to process, so they can’t be replicated right away. You’ll have to make do with this for now. They’re my spares from a thousand years ago. Dissolvo.”
Lina recited her spell and took out five new masks. They fell onto the soft bed.
“Thanks.”
“No need to thank me. You’re the one helping me out.”
“This is good, then... Come to think of it, Celia mentioned the atelier underneath the Galarc Castle. When did you make that?”
“I prepared it after the Divine War ended. I knew that the Galarc Kingdom would be built on this land. And that the golems would attack.”
“I heard you were fatally wounded in the Divine War... But you survived?” Rio asked.
“I was wounded to the point where death was inevitable, but I treated my injuries and extended my life just enough to prepare for the future. Even then, there just wasn’t enough time, so I couldn’t do anything significant.”
“What are the underground facilities like?”
“There’s a space to control the barrier, a living space, a research lab, and a storehouse. I can even take you there sometime. I plan on taking Celia there again anyway, so I’ll make it so that you and your friends can come and go freely.”
“Thank you very much. Can I tell this to King Francois? I’m sure he’d want to know what’s going on beneath the castle too.”
“Yes, that’s fine. It’s so deep, it won’t have any impact on the castle foundations, so tell him not to worry about that. It also can’t be accessed without my permission, so it isn’t a security risk.”
“Got it.”
“So, any other questions? I’m giving you a first-time bonus right now, but I might limit the number of questions soon.”
“Don’t you know what I’ll ask anyway?”
Lina once had the power to see the future, so it wouldn’t be strange for her to know what would happen in this conversation already.
“The answer is yes. I knew what you would ask me in this conversation all along,” Lina said, nodding with a bold grin.
“I see...”
“Do you think it’s worthless to have a conversation I’ve already seen? Or even creepy, perhaps?”
She knew what was going to happen, yet chose to watch without changing things. It was only natural that other people would consider that creepy. In reality, there were even some transcendent ones who had found Lina creepy, but...
“Not at all.” Rio shook his head after a surprised pause, smiling gently.
“Why?”
“Information obtained by asking my own questions is completely different from information given without prompting. I can understand the former much better.”
“Wonderful answer. There’s meaning in having this conversation with you,” Lina said happily, as though she were praising a well-behaved student. “Besides, it doesn’t take much to change the future. Even the slightest detail of our conversation could change things. At worst, it could even change without my notice.”
Rio’s eyes widened. “Even when you’ve seen the future?” he asked.
“There’s a vast amount of information when it comes to the future. The number of branches is infinite, so information about low-probability futures ends up lower priority—and sometimes slips through the gaps.”
“I see...”
“If a change that shouldn’t exist ends up occurring, it results in a near impossible future. It’s actually pretty common—whenever the conversation deviates from what I know, that’s what’s happening. But while having unpredictable conversations is enjoyable, it’s a different matter for major events.” Lina sighed tiredly.
“And that’s why you don’t want to do anything that could affect the future?”
“Yes, because I don’t know how the future could end up changing either. I dislike creating change, and I’d rather watch silently even if a problem occurs. If I was to deal with something myself, I’d generally do it after the event is over. Of course, there are special exceptions.” Lina grinned cruelly without explaining what those special exceptions would be.
“I understand. I’ll make sure not to blame you for not preventing things you knew would happen.”
It was only natural to want to know about trouble beforehand, yet Rio smiled at Lina without demanding so.
“There are humans who can’t accept that even when they understand why. It’s not so simple, which is why you’re just like the Dragon King.”
What kind of relationship had Lina and the Dragon King had in the past? A memory seemed to flash through Lina’s mind, as she looked down at Rio like she had something to say. But she pursed her lips and swallowed her words.
“I also know where Sendo Takahisa is, but I can’t tell you his location. No, I won’t tell you,” she said in a somewhat bad-tempered, somewhat sullen tone.
“I was just about to ask that...”
“I know.”
Rio let out a strained chuckle. “Of course...”
“You’re too kind to a man like him. He harassed you out of jealousy too. He’s not worth your worry,” Lina said with a sigh.
“He’s still Aki and Masato’s older brother, and Miharu and Satsuki’s friend.”
“I see. Then I’ll tell you enough to avoid affecting the future. He’s doing fine. He eloped with a prostitute and is off having the time of his life with her.”
“Is that...so...”
“You’ll reunite in time. You can also let the others know that for their peace of mind.”
“Got it.” Rio nodded deeply. It helped to know Takahisa was safe.
“All right, then it’s about time I limited the questions. This is the last one I’ll answer freely. The next one will create a lot of derivative questions, so those will be included.”
“I understand. Then I’d like to ask in detail about how those who were summoned here from Earth can return home.”
“There’s a huge difference in the amount of calculations required between summoning and sending. Coordinates, timelines, et cetera, et cetera. There are too many uncertain factors to say for sure, but even if I started the calculations to send them back to Earth right this moment, they’d be lucky to return in their lifetimes.”
“Then...can you start those calculations now?”
“I knew you’d say that, so I already have,” Lina replied casually.
Rio looked pleasantly surprised.
“Thank you very much,” he tried to say, but...
“It’s too early for any gratitude. If they’re unlucky, they won’t be returning in this lifetime. Don’t give them any false hope about actually returning home,” she said in warning.
“Right... Got it.” Rio nodded, expression stiffening. “But I also have information regarding this. It’s about the future on Earth, though.”
“As you would. You lived on Earth as Amakawa Haruto for four years after Miharu and the others were summoned here, after all.”
“Shortly before I died as Amakawa Haruto, I met my mother. When I asked her about Aki, she said she was doing well...”
“Oh, really now? And then?”
Lina reacted as though she had never heard of this before and urged Rio to continue.
“Of course, it’s possible that Amakawa Haruto’s mother was lying. But I was hoping that this means your calculations will finish in the near future,” Rio said, looking at Lina for her response.
“I can’t tell you when my calculations will finish,” Lina emphasized with a smile.
“I know. I’m not trying to probe you for more information.”
He couldn’t imagine himself outwitting her. That was the strong impression he got from their conversation so far.
“Really? I’m happy to accept any challenges.”
“What I’m most curious about is the inverted timelines. Why did I regain Amakawa Haruto’s memories before they came here when he died after they disappeared over there? It’s always puzzled me...”
It was the question Rio had carried since he first met Miharu and the others here.
“If I tried to explain it properly, I’d have to write a whole thesis.”
“I mean, yes, but...”
What Rio wanted to know was if there was a reason or purpose for it that surpassed logic. He was struggling to put that part in words.
“It’s no coincidence,” Lina said with an all-knowing smile.
“Huh?”
“The fact Amakawa Haruto was the reincarnation of the Dragon King, the fact Ayase Miharu is my reincarnation, and the fact you were born here before Ayase Miharu wandered into this world—all of these things were arranged by me, based on the future I foresaw.”
“I-I see. As I thought...”
He had made a hypothesis based on what Aishia had told him after obtaining the powers of the Dragon King, but hearing it from Lina herself was affirming.
“There was a necessity for all of it. But don’t get the wrong idea—even if the Dragon King and I hadn’t reincarnated, Amakawa Haruto and Ayase Miharu would have been born anyway. And in every single future, Ayase Miharu would have arrived in this world through the hero summoning. The same goes for Amakawa Haruto dying in a traffic accident at the age of twenty. That future was fixed all along... You could even call it fate,” Lina explained. Their fates were decided regardless of the reincarnations.
“You’ve already figured it out, right? Through our reincarnations, the futures of Amakawa Haruto and Ayase Miharu have been changed. If the Dragon King hadn’t reincarnated, Amakawa Haruto’s life would have ended with the bus crash. If Aishia hadn’t been left as a guide, Rio would have died to thugs in the slums. Amakawa Haruto’s knowledge of martial arts was helpful to Rio. Ayase Miharu would have ended her life as a slave in this world without any intervention.”
“Ah...”
Lina spoke in more detail about the original fates of Amakawa Haruto, Rio, and Ayase Miharu. It was so shocking, Rio was left wide-eyed.
“I’m sure you know already, but the people from Earth have far more magic essence than those born here. That’s why Ayase Miharu was very convenient for me to reincarnate as. However, she’s still very weak in this state. Without someone to protect her, she would have been caught and enslaved, so she needed someone to protect her. That someone was you, Rio, with Amakawa Haruto’s memories. If you didn’t have those memories, the future would have been vastly different.”
It was more favorable for Rio to have Amakawa Haruto’s memories when taking Ayase Miharu into his protection.
Every single detail leading up to now was exactly as Lina pictured a thousand years ago. Rio was speechless.
“Also, the logic behind the reversed timelines is simply the difference between rebirth and teleportation. It’s easier to adjust the timeline in reincarnation, which only moves the soul. But what you want to know is why I chose to reverse the timelines, right?”
“Yes,” Rio replied in a dry voice.
“It’s simple: It was all in order to protect Ayase Miharu after she was sent here. If you were reborn after she arrived, it would have been too late to save her, no? I had no choice but to choose someone born before she arrived here. You fit those requirements perfectly, Rio.”
Rio was silent.
“Well? Did that answer what you wanted to know?”
“Yes. But there’s one last thing...”
“What?”
“Regarding Latifa and Liselotte... They reincarnated along with Amakawa Haruto. Was there a reason for that?”
Endo Suzune and Minamoto Rikka—was there any significance in why the two who had died with Amakawa Haruto in the bus crash had also reincarnated as Latifa and Liselotte?
“Who knows?” Lina smiled suggestively.
If she’s dodging this question, then it means it must involve an uncertain future, right? Rio theorized to himself. But he’d probably know in due time.
“I understand. That’s all I have to ask.” He obediently stopped questioning it.
“Good boy,” Lina said, praising him with a satisfied look.
“It’s only because you’ve answered a lot of my other questions. I’ve always wondered why I had Amakawa Haruto’s memories...”
The presence of another person’s memories existed within him. The fact she had answered his long-standing question about his identity was enough.
“You say that, but you still don’t look entirely satisfied.”
Lina didn’t miss the slight hesitation in Rio’s eyes.
“That’s...not entirely untrue. But I think the question of who I am should be something for me to answer myself. And I’ve already reached an answer anyway.”
In other words, was Rio still Rio despite having Amakawa Haruto’s memories, or was he Amakawa Haruto? At the Galarc Kingdom’s banquet, his answer was that he was still Rio. He had told Miharu that he couldn’t interact with her as Amakawa Haruto.
Memories of that time resurfaced in his mind, making him look conflicted.
“Are you feeling hesitant over an answer you’ve already reached because you think that answer was wrong?”
Rio paused for a beat, then shook his head. “No, I don’t think I’m wrong. I’m Rio, not Amakawa Haruto,” he said firmly.
After all, he had lived all this time as Rio. He had consistently lived as Rio before and after regaining Amakawa Haruto’s memories, successfully carrying out his vengeance.
He had made many decisions until now that Amakawa Haruto would never have taken. He had dirtied his hands when necessary. That’s why he had tried to distance himself from Miharu during the banquet. Rio himself refused to become Amakawa Haruto.
And so, he wasn’t wrong. After succeeding in his revenge and returning to peace, his Amakawa Haruto side had more opportunities to show itself, but...
It’s too late to change my mind now. I am me. I cannot become Amakawa Haruto. Rio admonished his swaying heart.
“Indeed. You are Rio, not Amakawa Haruto,” Lina said in a gentle tone.
“Right.” Rio looked relieved to hear her support.
“However...”
“Huh?”
“No, it’s nothing,” Lina said, retracting her words.
“How curious,” he said with a wry smile, hoping for her to continue.
“Like I said, the Goddess Lina dislikes causing change. And I’m mean,” Lina deflected with a mischievous smirk.
“That’s right,” Rio agreed, staring closely at her.
It’s true that you may not be able to become Amakawa Haruto. But there’s no doubt that Amakawa Haruto’s memories have had an influence on Rio. That’s why you’re allowed to accept Amakawa Haruto as a part of yourself. If you’re able to forgive yourself and wish for it, that is.
In other words, it all depended on whether Rio could go easy on himself or not. The look in Lina’s eyes softened kindly.
Well, if that were so easy, he wouldn’t have grown up into this stubborn person...
He was a man with self-restraint harder than steel. It wouldn’t be easy for him to change, but...
Humans can change. They have that potential within them. They can also cause other people to change. They all have that potential. But telling him that much would be too generous. I don’t want to go that far to help that unreliable girl, and he’ll have a similar realization soon enough.
She was a mean goddess that disliked causing change. Lina chuckled with glee.
“What is it?” Rio asked, confused by the few seconds of silence.
“Nothing. I’m going to let you off for today.”
“Okay...” Rio nodded with a puzzled look.
“I’m going to leave this girl behind, so good luck resting.”
Lina gave her short farewell to Rio. In doing so, Rio felt like he had heard something that couldn’t be ignored.
“Huh?” While Rio was busy being bewildered, Lina touched the earring-style magic artifact on her ear. Her face blurred like a static TV screen and changed to Miharu’s face. Then, the unconscious Miharu fell forward and onto Rio.
“Hey?!” Rio startled, hurrying to catch Miharu’s body in his arms.
Sh-She couldn’t bring her back to her room?
What a treat. The teenage girl left behind in his bedroom made Rio flustered. The nice scent of shampoo wafting from Miharu’s hair only furthered his uneasiness.
He couldn’t just leave her sleeping here. Would it be better to send her back to her room before she woke up? For now, this position of them embracing on his bed was very inappropriate, so it was probably best to move her off of him first. However...
“Mm...” Miharu was starting to wake up.
Oh no!
Rio noticed Miharu’s breathing had changed. His body stiffened—he knew he had to roll her onto the bed as soon as possible, but doing so in this situation would result in misunderstandings no matter what.
Rio gave up and lay back weakly, continuing to hold Miharu’s body.
“Haruto...?” Miharu opened her eyes and gazed into Rio’s face from close up.
“Good morning,” Rio said, voice cracking awkwardly as he avoided her sleepy gaze.
“Huh? Um. Uh...” Miharu was bewildered, as though her brain was moving too slow to comprehend the situation properly. But after a quick glance around the room, she realized the position she was in on Rio’s bed.
“Wha—?!” She turned so red, it was like her face had been painted. She tried to jump up out of surprise and nearly fell off Rio’s body.
“Watch out,” Rio said, catching her body and holding her.
“Huh? Um... Wh-Why? Why am I... Is this a dream?”
“You’re not dreaming.”
“I-I’m heavy, aren’t I?! Sorry!”
“No, you’re light... But please calm down first. I’ll explain the situation, but allow me to move you to the side first.”
“O-Okay...”
“Then if you would excuse me.”
Gently supporting Miharu’s body in his arms, Rio turned to the side. Thus, Miharu went from lying on Rio’s chest to lying on the soft bed. The dull creak of the wooden bed echoed through the silent bedroom. Miharu squeezed her eyes shut and trembled like a small animal shrinking in on herself.
“Um...Miharu? Please open your eyes,” Rio said in a troubled voice.
“Okay...”
Miharu opened her eyes nervously. She was unable to look at Rio directly and remained red from embarrassment.
“I was talking to Lina. She suddenly visited my room out of nowhere.”
Not wanting to make Miharu nervous, Rio stood up and distanced himself from the bed.
Miharu reached out with her hand as though to stop him, but timidly lowered it again with a lonely look. “Ah... I see.”
“You’re not surprised,” Rio said with his back to her.
“I was actually speaking to her in my dream.”
“Really?”
“Yes, I had something I wanted to say to her.”
“Something to say?”
“About the ki— I mean, about everything!”
Miharu was about to mention the kiss but hurriedly corrected herself. Not even half a day had passed since Lina had taken control of her body and used it to kiss Rio. That memory and embarrassment was still fresh in her mind, making her turn even redder.
“Yeah, a lot happened. She was using your body as she wished just now too.”
Rio could guess how she was feeling. His back was still turned to Miharu, and his chuckle was rather awkward.
“Y-Yes... What about you, Haruto? Wait, did she do something weird again?! She must have, right?! Why was I like that in your bed?!”
“She wasn’t doing anything that weird. Probably.”
“Probably?!”
“We were exchanging information. Although I was the one mostly on the receiving end.”
It was true that they had been talking and sharing information. Rio decided to seal the part where Lina pushed him down onto the bed and tried to seduce him in his memories.
“I-I see. But why were we on the bed?”
“I wasn’t fully recovered from the battle, so I was told to lie down and rest. But when Lina finished speaking, she suddenly returned your body to you, and you fell towards me... So when I caught you, we ended up in that position...”
Rio explained the situation in a terribly awkward tone.
“Also, Lina told me to tell you this—you’re a sorcerer now, not a spirit art caster.”
“Huh?”
“It seems like she made a spell contract of her own accord...which was why you were able to use all that magic.”
“I-I see. Jeez...”
Miharu puffed up her cheeks in a look that was rare coming from her. That being said, Rio still had his back to her, so he wasn’t able to see that. When Miharu realized that too, she felt even more frustrated about Rio not looking at her.
“Um, Haruto,” she said, gathering her courage to call out to him.
“Yes?”
“Could you please look this way?”
“Sure.”
“I really didn’t do anything weird to you, did I?”
When meeting Rio’s eyes, Miharu hesitated for a brief moment, then stared him down anyway.
“Yes, nothing like this morning...” he said, referring to when Lina possessed Miharu and kissed him.
“I-I’m sorry about this morning! Please forget what happened!”
“Yes, I’ve erased it from my memory. What were we even talking about?” Rio feigned ignorance with a strained smile.
“R-Right... That’s good, then...”
Contrary to her words, Miharu had an awfully conflicted expression.
Erased from his memory... Is he going to pretend it never happened?
Although it had been involuntary, it didn’t change the fact she had kissed the boy she loved. A dull pain ran through her chest at the thought of him pretending that it had never happened.
Is Haruto fine about it? Am I the only one bothered by it...?
Was he that indifferent to kissing her? Or did he actually hate her? Was that why he could erase her from his memory? Despite being the one to ask him to forget, Miharu couldn’t help but obsess over what Rio thought of kissing her.
I don’t want him to forget.
Even if it had been involuntary, she didn’t want him to think it didn’t matter. The complex heart of a teenage girl was tormenting Miharu.
Because that kiss was...
Her first kiss.
“What are you talking about? That wasn’t even your first kiss.”
Lina’s words in the dream flashed through Miharu’s head.
“I know your first kiss was with Amakawa Haruto, when you were seven years old and Amakawa Haruto was about to move away.”
That’s right. The first person Miharu kissed was Amakawa Haruto as a child. Not Rio from this world. Besides, Lina had pointed out that her assumption that Amakawa Haruto and Rio were the same person was mistaken to begin with.
Miharu’s heart pounded unpleasantly. She couldn’t write off her first kiss just because she was a child back then. Her face twisted with guilt.
“Miharu?” Rio approached quietly, noticing her unwell expression.
“Oh, um...” Miharu snapped back to her senses and looked at Rio like she wanted to say something.
Please don’t forget it after all.
Those words were on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn’t say them out loud.
“Um, I think I’m getting tired...” she said, dodging the question.
“It seems like it. You don’t look very well. Lina said you don’t get any rest while she’s possessing you, so go and have a good rest,” Rio said gently, worrying for her health.
“I’m sorry, Haruto... You should be tired too...” Miharu apologized regretfully. When she called him ‘Haruto,’ she felt a sense of reservation and reluctance she’d never felt before.
Rio tilted his head curiously but gave her a gentle smile. “It’s still early evening, so I’ll get some rest too.”
“I apologize for all the fuss.”
Miharu still looked like she wanted to say something, but she expressed her intention to leave the room. She walked towards the door, but stopped before stepping outside.
“Um...”
“Yes?”
“I was just wondering—should I be calling you Rio instead of Haruto?” she asked out of nowhere.
Rio blinked in surprise. “Why do you ask?”
“Oh, no particular reason...”
“Did Lina say something to you?”
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that out of the blue. It’s nothing—good night.”
“Miharu?”
This time, Rio was the one who called out to her, but Miharu hurried out of the room.
Rio, huh...
There must be a reason she suddenly wanted to change how she referred to him. And that reason probably had something to do with Lina, considering the conversation they’d had earlier. Rio considered the possibilities.
“Are you second-guessing an answer you’ve already reached because you think that answer was wrong?”
The question Lina asked him earlier came to mind.
I’m Rio. Not Amakawa Haruto.
That was Rio’s answer.
I know I’m not wrong, but...
Was it because he had kissed Miharu? Amakawa Haruto’s memories kept coming up in his mind, making him question if his answer was truly correct.
Rio was aware that Amakawa Haruto’s memories had heavily influenced him. In reality, he had swayed between Rio and Amakawa Haruto multiple times since regaining those memories at the age of seven—especially right after Miharu and the others were summoned.
But even then, he had reached the conclusion that he was unable to become Amakawa Haruto. The greatest impetus had been when he met Lucius in Amande. He didn’t want Amakawa Haruto to bear the karma and sins that Rio carried.
Besides, the various moral decisions Rio had made in the past made him reject Amakawa Haruto. It was even possible that the Amakawa Haruto side within was the one doing the rejecting. Amakawa Haruto’s values contradicted Rio’s, driving him to an identity crisis.
Of course, memories were mere memories. They were extremely vague, subjective things.
So why did an extra set of memories have to cause this much torment?
Having the memories of someone else can be a real pain...
Rio held a hand to his mouth in thought and grimaced.
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