Yukito finally regained consciousness after fainting for a while— (N)
"Ouch... this place...." (Me)
I looked to the side and saw Hime, still unconscious. I quickly shook her shoulder,
"Hime! Hime!" (Me)
After a few moments of shaking her awake, Hime finally opened her eyes. (Well, if she didn't wake up, then we're screwed)
"Yukito-san... where are Yuu-chan and Anna-chan?" (Hime asked in a faint voice)
I looked around and indeed, they were nowhere to be seen. I only realized it after Hime asked.
The two of us stood up and started searching for clues or anything that could help us find them.
"Yukito-san, over here." (Hime called)
She pointed at something on the ground. When I looked, it was a trail of footprints.
Some were human footprints, but another one... was huge. It looked more like the footprint of a monster or some large creature.
"Yukito-san, the footprints lead that way." (Hime)
Hime immediately ran ahead of me. Eventually, we arrived at a hole in the wall.
"What's this hole from?" (Me)
"Judging by its size, maybe something crashed into it." (Hime)
My instincts told me something happened to them.
We both went through the hole in the wall, and once inside, we ended up at the edge of a river stream... and at the end of it was a waterfall.
I turned around to check whether Hime was still behind me or not.
Because, well, this wall opening was quite wide. And below the edge of the water flow here, there were rocks that were rather slippery.
"Hime?... Hime!" (I shouted, calling Hime)
SPLASH
"Yukito-san!!!" (Hime)
The voice came from the stream.
And sure enough, when I looked at the water... Hime had already been swept away by the current.
SPLASH
I immediately jumped into the water, swimming toward Hime, whose body was starting to sink.
Luckily, I managed to pull her back to the surface.
"Hime! Are you okay?" (I asked, worried)
If something happened to Hime, I'd never forgive myself.
Long ago, an old woman once told me, "A man must protect women." That line became one of the things I carved into myself.
"...hah, hah...."
Hime's breathing finally returned to normal.
"Yukito-san, thank you... but how do we get back to land?" (Hime)
I looked behind Hime... WAIT, WE'RE ABOUT TO FALL!!!
"Hime! Help me!!" (Me)
"M-me too... help with what!?" (Hime)
"Hime!!" (I hugged Hime)
Hime's face started to turn slightly red.
"Y-Yukito-san!? Let go of me!" (Hime)
AAAAAAHHHHH
The two of us fell from the waterfall.
If I survived and managed to get to land, and Hime was still unconscious, I would give her mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
This has been my dream since childhood. One day, I wanted to give mouth-to-mouth to a girl my age.
———
(Back at the riverbank, where Anna and Yuu were fighting)
From their position, after coming out of the hole and walking a few steps forward, there was a wide open land with a very high ceiling.
And it was there that they fought Clever.
Meanwhile, Hime had drowned when passing through the hole, right? From there, the stream bent instead of going straight. (N)
—
Yuu woke up from fainting, after exhausting her MP during the fight.
Yuu slowly walked toward Anna, and placed Anna's head on her lap.
"Anna-chan.... I'm sorry." (Yuu)
Yuu kissed Anna on the lips. (Well, there's some Yuri spice here)
After a while, Yuu released her lips from Anna's.
And Yuu saw Anna's past.
Yuu had just used a skill where, if you kissed the victim's lips while wishing to know their past, you could see it. The activation phrase for this skill is in the next sentence. (N)
Yuu saw Anna's entire past, from the moment she was born. Everyone Anna played with, and why Anna became the owner of this world.
When Yuu saw the murder of Anna's father and mother, she felt a bit nauseous.
She had just seen a little girl whose parents were beheaded right in front of her.
The girl had been deceived by the people close to her. And she was abandoned alone. (N)
And Yuu also saw the moment when Anna spoke with God (the old man).
Yep, that old man was the one who gave this world to Anna. (Seriously, that old man is the root of everything) (N)
——
After Yuu snapped back from Anna's past, she saw Anna slowly opening her eyes.
"Anna!" (Yuu shouted, her eyes brimming with tears)
"Yuu.....nee?" (Anna)
Yuu cried loudly. She still couldn't accept what had happened to Anna... or how long Anna had lived alone.
Anna sat up from Yuu's lap and faced her.
"Yuu-nee...." (Anna)
Yuu wiped away her falling tears.
"Yuu-nee, forgive me... it's my fault—" (Anna)
Yuu immediately hugged Anna tightly.
"Anna-chan, what have you truly been wishing for all this time?" (Yuu asked)
Of course. After seeing Anna's past, Yuu would definitely ask what Anna's true wish was. (N)
"I...." (Anna)
Yuu stroked Anna's head from behind.
"If you haven't found it yet, then let's search for it together, the four of us." (Yuu offered)
By "the four of us," she meant along with Yukito and Hime. Oh right, did those two survive or not? (N)
———
Yukito and Hime reached the shore, after falling from the waterfall.
Luckily, Yukito managed to carry Hime. And even luckier, Hime was still unconscious (You know what's about to happen next, right?) (N)
Right now, my dream is coming true!!
Hime and I fell from the waterfall, but fortunately we both survived. And Hime was still unconscious.
Even though my first kiss was stolen by Hime back then, this time it's my turn—
Yukito leaned his lips closer to Hime's, and finally—
SLAP
Yukito's mouth was blocked by Hime's hand. Hime stared at Yukito with sharp eyes. (N)
"Yukito-san, what are you trying to do?" (Hime)
I panicked and quickly sat up from Hime's body.
"N-no, I wasn't doing anything." (Me)
"Staring." (Hime)
"W-what?" (Me)
"Your face looks like you just did something pervy... w-wait? Did you do anything to my body?" (Hime)
"I didn't do anything!" (Me)
—
The two of us immediately started looking for a way up.
While walking, I accidentally fell into a hole.
"HAHAHAHAHA serves you right!" (Hime)
She laughed loudly, honestly... annoying.
I looked around the place I had fallen into, and there was a hole that led to a staircase at its end.
"Hime! Come down here!" (Me)
"Hah? What do you want?" (Hime)
"Just come down here already!" (Me)
After Hime came down, we began to explore the underground passage leading to that staircase.
And when we looked up, there was a light above it.
"Hime, this—" (Me)
Before I realized it, Hime had already climbed up first. Seriously... couldn't she wait a little?
"Wait up already!" (I shouted before climbing the stairs)
———
(Back to Anna and Yuu)
"You'll come with me, right? Anna-chan—" (Yuu)
"Yuu-nee, I'm sorry.... I can't accept your offer." (Anna)
Anna released Yuu's embrace. She stood, looking down at Yuu, who was still sitting.
"What do you mean, Anna-chan?" (Yuu)
Anna smiled sincerely... even though that smile was a painful one.
"Because, I'm going to disappear." (Anna said)
Yuu's expression immediately turned devastated. To her, Anna must've sounded like she was joking. (But it wasn't a joke)
"I already decided from the beginning, if my true wish was fulfilled... then I would die." (Anna)
Yuu instantly stood up, staring at Anna with teary eyes.
Meanwhile, Anna held Yuu's hands.
"My wish was... to have good people I could be friends with." (Anna said with a smile on her face)
Unlike Anna, Yuu broke down crying again.
"From the start, I had a hunch you all were good people. And I was right."
"Papa and Mama were good people, so why did they have to die? I thought." (Anna)
"But then... if they had lived, I would've never met Yuu-nee."
"Yuu-nee was so kind to me... and that...." (Anna began to cry)
"Ehh... why am I crying?" (Anna)
"It's strange... even though I've hurt so many people... why am I crying instead?"
Yuu held Anna's hands tightly, as if refusing to let her go.
"Anna-chan, you've been alone for so long, haven't you? That's why you've done your best, Anna-chan."
Those words... were the words Anna had wanted to hear all along. She needed attention, she needed love... she needed family.
And upon hearing Yuu's words, Anna cried even harder. Then she said,
"Thank you, Yuu-nee, for being kind to me...."
"Thank you, for your hugs..."
"Thank you, for giving me your smile...."
"Thank you, for accepting me... Thank you, for staying with me...."
"Thank you, for forgiving me....."
"Thank you, for everything, Yuu-nee.."
Tears continued to stream from both Anna and Yuu. They both wanted to stay together... but Anna had to go, no matter what.
"Goodbye.... Yuu-nee..."
"I love you." (Anna)
Anna's hands began to fade away from Yuu's.
Anna's entire body turned into dust that scattered with the wind. And even though Yuu tried to reach out for her... she would always fail.
Yuu collapsed to the ground, crying loudly. She didn't care about anything else, but she wanted to cry for Anna.
Her cries echoed so loudly, the entire cave felt the depth of her sorrow.