[The scorching summer.]
[Mid August.]
[Cicadas cried in the background.]
[At ten years old, you were writing your observation diary.]
[At the entrance, your mother carried a bag and was about to head out.]
Nijika looked at the simulator's text.
A bad feeling crept up inside her.
It should be fine, right?
Even though her mother had died in a rear end accident in reality.
But she could not mix the simulation with the real world.
A tiny butterfly flapping its wings in Brazil might cause a tornado in Texas a month later.
Because of the butterfly effect.
Nijika had no way of knowing what this simulation's ending would be.
[You thought it was just an ordinary goodbye.]
[But you never expected.]
[That this farewell would be…]
No way.
Do not joke like that.
Nijika grew tense.
[…for most of the day.]
So you were teasing again?
Nijika had already suffered enough of the simulator's bratty tricks.
It always gave her a shocking line first.
Then afterward told her, hey, it was all fake, are you happy?
After taking a breath to adjust, Nijika continued reading.
[A few days later.]
[Your sister, Seika, returned to Shimokitazawa.]
[After a fierce argument, she stormed out again.]
[You wailed, begging her not to leave, but she shook you off without mercy.]
[You did not understand. She had promised last time that she would watch anime with you…]
"Young Seika-neesan was really awful."
Nijika disliked that version of her sister.
Always making their mom worry.
Never thinking about other people's feelings.
[Seeing your pitiful crying, your mother made up her mind to talk to her eldest daughter.]
[Dreams were important, but she also needed to cherish the time spent with her family.]
[After all, one day she and her husband would leave this world before you two, and you sisters would need to depend on each other. A bad relationship would not work.]
[A week later.]
[Your mother took Toru with her, planning to visit Seika's place.]
[As always, you watched your mother walk out the door.]
[But…]
Again?
Hmph, trying to trick me?
I understand you now.
Nijika had developed immunity to the simulator's cheap tactics.
[She did not return that night.]
Let me guess.
Mom must have stayed over at sister's place?
[The next day.]
[The third day.]
[It was not until the fourth day that your father took you to the hospital.]
"…"
The words hospital appeared.
Nijika fell silent.
[Your mother had been in a car accident.]
[Toru, who sat in the back seat, had not escaped the danger either.]
Wait.
It was fake, right?
Dead? They died?
Nijika's mind went blank. Her thoughts scattered in chaos.
She did not dare look at the screen anymore.
Several minutes passed.
After repeating to herself over and over that it was only a simulation.
She finally found the courage to continue.
[Following your father, you entered the hospital. The sting of disinfectant frightened you, and you looked around nervously. All you could see were white coated medical staff.]
[You were not a clueless child.]
[You knew that only sick people came here.]
[Your father was silent the entire way, his mood extremely heavy.]
[His family had been in an accident. He had not slept for three days, waiting for news.]
[Outside the ICU, you saw your sister. Her usual confidence and calm were nowhere to be found.]
[When Seika saw you, she forced a smile, but it was quickly swallowed by bitterness.]
[As you got closer.]
[You noticed her eyes were bloodshot, and she looked completely exhausted.]
[Half an hour later.]
[A doctor came out of the ICU and said the older patient was temporarily out of danger.]
[But the younger one had slipped into a coma and his condition was not optimistic.]
[Whether he survived would depend on tonight.]
After reading that line.
And seeing the simulation's scene.
It felt as though an icy wind swept across Nijika's cheek.
She had never imagined.
That Toru would leave so abruptly.
In the previous simulations, he had lived to at least thirty.
But this time, he was only nine.
[Hearing this, Seika could not help choking up. She did not know why she had saved Toru in the first place.]
[She had given him hope to live, only for him to suffer this tragedy.]
[She blamed all of his pain on herself.]
[Seika lowered her head and sobbed endlessly.]
[You hugged your sister, trying to comfort her, but found that your twenty one year old sister was crying like a child. She held you tightly, as if she wanted to merge you into her body.]
[The next day.]
[There was no miracle…]
[…or anything like that.]
[Toru made it through the danger safely.]
[He woke up from the coma.]
[At the same time, your mother left the ICU and was transferred to a regular ward.]
[In the ward, your mother said the situation had been extremely dangerous. If Toru had not warned her, she might not have had time to turn the wheel and would have been killed on impact, without even a chance for rescue.]
Hah...
Thank goodness.
The worst outcome had not happened.
[On the third day, Toru was fully out of danger.]
[He was moved to a general ward as well.]
[He muttered to himself, wondering how someone with his superhuman body could get hurt so badly by a car. Debuffs were terrifying.]
Pfft…
Little Toru was so dramatic.
Seeing that ridiculous comment.
Nijika's heavy mood eased a little.
[Even so, escaping death did not mean he was completely safe.]
[Two months later.]
[At a funeral, you and your sister wore black clothes. Your hearts were numb as you stared at the portrait surrounded by wreaths.]
Huh?
Wait.
What do you mean?
Nijika truly got angry.
If you wanted to stab someone, could you not do it all at once?
Cutting her open in several parts, was that it?
As an angelic girl, Nijika rarely got angry, but this time she was even angrier than in the first simulation.
And then the simulator followed with a line that made her laugh, out of pure frustration.
[A friend of your father had passed away from cancer. This made you understand the value of life even more.]
Go on then, keep performing.
[...]
Why did you stop?
You usually love performing.
The mommy simulator let out a pitiful sound. [Master, I am sorry.]
"Forget it. It is not your fault."
Nijika knew the plot was controlled by something called the host.
But…
What did host even mean?
For now, she remained clueless.
[After the funeral.]
[Half a month later.]
[Your mother was discharged from the hospital.]
[Your brother followed shortly after.]
[During the days in the hospital, your sister took care of you in your mother's place, tying your hair and helping you change clothes.]
[After the accident, Seika realized how important her family was.]
[It was like she grew up overnight.]
[In the days that followed.]
[She no longer talked back to your mother.]
[She returned home far more often.]
[The accident left no major aftereffects.]
[Only that Toru's brain had suffered a severe concussion. The doctor said that once he grew up, his memory might be slightly affected.]
[After this false alarm.]
[Your family became even closer.]
[It seemed that everything…]
As soon as the first few words appeared.
Nijika silently pressed the skip button.
Trying to stab her again?
No chance.