Part 259 Actually, I

Perhaps around the time when the bathhouse chat with the "princesses" had come to a close.

Well then, I'm heading off now~

And, lost in thought in another bathtub, Renkai Hibiki stood up.

"Hey, Hachibana-san, wait a moment!"

Asuka shouted out.

The truth was, they had come all this way because they needed something from her.

"Senpai's condition is okay... right?"

"Of course. As I just said, her safety is directly tied to our own well-being. She's being guarded right now and resting in perfect conditions. I'd stake my life on ensuring her safety."

There was no hint of falsehood or evasion in those words.

"When will she wake up?"

"I don't know. It was just... long, maybe around a full day? I was surprised too. I never thought she'd lost her memory, and that she'd been searching for me, of all people..."

Without a hint of shame, the blonde elf with blue eyes spoke, making Shizuri instinctively make a bitter face.

...What is this... this sense of unease I'm getting from this person...

Well, given that she doesn't seem to have the mental age befitting her appearance, it's probably natural that her perceptions are a bit off.

"May I ask you one question?"

"What is it?"

"The spell you cast on her... you mentioned something like 'Spatial-Temporal Magic VIII,' but what exactly does it do?"

"Well... it's supposed to 'cure amnesia.'"

But is that really true?

There was a persistent, bone-like sensation lodged deep in the back of my throat.

I knew that Spatial-Temporal Magic possessed an extremely powerful ability.

Yet it seemed oddly limited in its effects... almost too much so.

For instance, it becomes clear when compared to Healing Magic II.

Healing Magic II has the ability to heal a wide range of "illnesses," including organ damage caused by colds, poisoning, food poisoning, influenza, and other infections.

In contrast, that very same "Rewind Life" magic, a form of Spatial-Temporal Magic, … and yet its eighth learned technique only restores lost memories… is that really reasonable?

Yet, having been firmly told, "That's just how it is," there was no point in arguing further.

There was no way to stop her from standing there, exposed as she was,

"Please… take care of me,"

was all she could manage, her voice barely above a whisper.

One thing, however, that Tenkyō Tsumuri could not help but dread above all else:

that when she next awoke, "she" might have transformed into someone entirely unfamiliar—someone unknown to Tsumuri herself.

If it's just unfounded worry, that would be fine...

Without addressing the vague unease, the "Reincarnated One" casually walked away from the scene.

▼

Eventually, the "princesses" had left, leaving only Tenmi Tsuzuri and Kimino Asuka alone together in the hot tub.

"Whew! Today was an amazing haul, huh!"

Uh-huh

"We've decided on the direction for the debut video! The collaboration project is already underway!...All that's left is waiting for Senpai's return!"

"Yeah."

"Since we're without a script, we'll have to leave the hotel right away, but hey, that's nothing new!"

"Uh-huh."

"Just so you know, this is actually quite a big deal. Normally, you have to gradually build up your audience from scratch... It's not unusual for the groundwork phase to last one or two years, you know?"

"Yeah."

"Trying something like this is actually surprisingly difficult for newcomers. Even if you go for something bold just for attention, the fallout if it backfires is huge... Hey, you listening?"

"Yeah."

"I'm only saying this now, but actually, I used to upload gaming streams... games like Hearthstone and League of Legends. But back then, gaming streams somehow had this image of being only for men. That's why my views just wouldn't go up at all..."

"Yeah, I know."

Honestly, the only ones who seemed to be doing well were like Kudryavka, right before the end? Oh, you might not know— that person from the "Daily Video Ranking," they were famous even before the world went crazy.

"Yeah."

"...Anyway, that's not important. By the way, we haven't really talked much about life here, have we? There are a few little rules and details, so I'd like to ask for some time later to go over them."

"Right."

"...Hey."

"Yeah."

"Tenshō Tsuzuri-san?"

"Yeah."

"Hey... could it be you..."

"Yeah."

"Are you even listening to what I'm saying?"

"Yeah."

"I feel like you've only got two responses, ever since a moment ago."

"Yeah."

"Come on, you're about to say 'yeah,' aren't you?"

"Yeah."

"Gosh, if you're not gonna be more responsive, I'm just gonna leave."

"Yeah."

"In a situation like this, we should be moving together, right? C'mon, stand up."

"Yeah... Wait, hold on, just a second."

"Uh?"

"I can't stand up right now. Because I'm already standing."

"Huh? What's that supposed to mean? A riddle?"

"To stand up, I first have to stop standing."

"Hmm... I don't get it. Please give me the answer."

"That's exactly what it means."

"If you don't stop messing around, I'm going to get angry."

"Yeah... uh huh. I get it. Yeah, that's right. It's fine. You can get angry now. I can't keep lying to my comrades anymore."

"I-I don't know why, but I'm starting to feel scared... Could it be that Satori-san has something... hidden?"

"Yeah... uh huh."

"W-What? W-What is it?!"

"In fact, I'm..."

▼

A strange scream echoed, "Eeek! I'm going to have a baby! Ahhh!" followed by the dull sound of something hitting a hard surface.

For about two days after that, the two needed a cooling-off period before they could reconcile.

And that happened to coincide almost exactly with the moment—she awoke.