"Yo, yo, Kiyomi-chan! How's it hanging? It seems like you've encountered what degenerates know as a "BAD END." What a shame, I had high hopes for this go around.
"What's this? Aren't you going to give me some snarky response to me? Don't tell me you're going to refrain from speaking for the remainder of the story.
"Well, if it's only going to be me speaking, how about I share a story with you? Yes, you, the one listening. Or should I say reading? Just kidding! I'm speaking to you and you alone, Kiyomi. I'd never share this story with anyone but you. You're my favorite person, Kiyomi. Never forget it.
"A long, long time ago, or should I say only a moment ago? It doesn't matter much, all the same. Some time ago, there was an emperor. And the emperor was so bored out of his mind that he had resorted to entertaining himself with a shepherd boy. Don't get any weird thoughts about that, you pervert! Don't taint this story with your dirtiness!
"Where was I? Oh, yeah! This emperor called upon a shepherd boy to entertain him. This shepherd boy was renowned for the wise answers he was able to conjure up. The emperor asked him a set of three questions, and if they could not be answered to his satisfaction, that meant death. If the emperor was satisfied with the answers, he would then treat the shepherd boy as his child and would be given plenty of privileges.
"The first question:
"How many drops of water are there in the ocean?
"The shepherd boy responded by saying:
"Lord King, if you will have all the rivers on earth dammed up so that not a single drop runs from them into the sea until I have counted it, I will tell you how many drops there are in the sea.
"The shepherd boy clearly expresses the absurdity in trying to answer such a question. It is impossible. Or maybe it's not. Maybe it's just impractical. But it would take more than a lifetime to do so.
"The second question:
"How many stars are there in the sky?
"The shepherd boy responded by saying:
"Give me a great sheet of white paper
"And then he made so many fine points on it with a pen that they could scarcely be seen, and it was all but impossible to count them; anyone who looked at them would have lost his sight.
"Once he was done, he then said:
"There are as many stars in the sky as there are points on the paper; just count them.
"No one did so. They understood his message. But was it such an impossible task? If given enough time, could all of those dots have been counted? How would one feel after the task is done? Relieved? Frustrated that they wasted all their time on something that no other would bother to confirm whether you counted them all or not?
"Finally, the third, and final question asked by the king:
"How many seconds in eternity?
"The shepherd boy answered:
"Far away, there is a mountain made of pure diamond. It takes 100 years to climb and 100 years to go around. Every 100 years, a bird flies to the very tip of the mountain to sharpen its beak. Once the mountain is completely chiseled down, then, and only then, will the first second of eternity have passed.
"And thus, the shepherd boy was invited to live within the royal palace.
"What a wonderful story, in my opinion.
"Humans tend to have all their questions directed towards things that can be answered, but by something that isn't human. A being whose life lasts longer, way longer, than humans may be able to count how many drops of water there are in the ocean. Hopefully, it doesn't do so while we're still walking on this planet. A being whose life lasts longer, way longer, than humans may be able to count how many stars there are in the sky. Hopefully, it doesn't grow lonely, realizing how small it is in the grand scheme of things. A being whose life lasts longer, way longer, than humans may be able to find out how many seconds in eternity. That must be what humans call God. You joke around with my name, calling me Kami-sama, but I'm no good; I can't find out how many seconds are in eternity.
"No, maybe that being doesn't need to be a God. They can merely be a fool who's playing God. Someone who can experience death but come back from it. Someone weak, yet can see it all.
"What is seen, touched, smelled, tasted, and heard all come from some external world that is converted into sense data once it reaches a life form. Saying human wouldn't have been the whole truth, so I refrained from saying so.
"But the world that is right in front of you, it's all you're world.
"You may not be able to count how many seconds have passed since the creation of the universe, but you can live every moment that you are alive.
"That is eternity.
"I, too, once put too high a value on time. That's why I wish to be 100 years old. In eternity, however, there is no time. Eternity is but a mere moment, just long enough for a joke.
"Just long enough for a joke. I like that! Rather than what you're ability is, that keeps bringing you back against your will, being a wish, how about we call it a joke! I hope it's not too late to retcon something so crucial at the end of the volume. Of course, it's not too late! It's never too late! Always remember that.
"Let's get back on track! What you experience, what you call life, is an eternity. It is but a mere moment. But no matter how ephemeral your eternity is, you are allowed to enjoy it. No matter how much you hate yourself, you should always shoot for that happy ending. I want to see that, too. Not for your sake, but for mine. Let's return to the world where we can find happiness!
"Some may think an eternity is a hell of a time—
"Me personally, I think that's one hell of a bird—
And like that, I woke up—