Part 294: The Fate of Memories

In the end, it'll mostly come down to this one battle...

A "gambling expert" tweets.

And thus, the spark of the final battle was lit.

Then... let's do it.

It began with her whispering words.

Dolphin: '…………'

Pig '…………!'

The legendary sword crosses with the legendary rubber cup in a cruciform pattern.

It seems the two are currently more or less evenly matched.

"...Hmm. Surprising for someone with a rubber cup..."

"Hehehehe..."

At this point, the harassment she'd meticulously accumulated over time was finally paying off.

She knew that the more her yellow piglet acted like a leader, the higher its happiness would rise.

Conversely, the more my red piglet hindered things, the more dark delight it stored within itself.

Though their attributes differed, their energies were now perfectly balanced.

Looking at it this way, one might even feel that there is nothing unnecessary in the emotions that living beings harbor.

Anger, hatred, a sense of superiority over others, inequality—perhaps all are essential elements, necessary for elevating oneself to a higher state.

That is precisely why the piglets were able to accomplish such an extraordinary feat: the eradication of their rival species.

Yet, despite this, —something they ultimately lost along the way.

The ability to empathize with others.

A moral conscience that says, "One must not harm living beings."

This... is by no means something distant or irrelevant to us today.

Just a few weeks ago, I was a high school girl who couldn't even kill an insect.

I would go out of my way to avoid a cicada on the verge of death.

And yet, here I am now—unhesitatingly crushing insects beneath my feet, ready to move forward at any cost.

If necessary, I could kill these three people here in an instant.

But is that good or bad in this world on the brink of ending?

—Listen. Just a month and a bit ago, I couldn’t even bring myself to kill a bug. And yet, I now stab the man I once loved without a second thought.

—The toys of "God" aren't us. You are.

—There's a reason I've named this place the "Society for the Right Way of Living." I still believe there will come a day when we understand each other.

A voice I once heard long ago echoed in my mind.

Startled by the chaotic jumble in my head, I blinked involuntarily, when suddenly the "Gambler" began saying something like this.

"Here, I'm going to cut this short for a moment—just one thing, can I confirm something?"

"What is it?"

"I want to confirm something before we settle this. Have you noticed? I've kept the name of the creator of this 'Porkman's Quest' hidden all along."

"Huh?"

"Can you remember... the name of the man who made this game?"

"Wha—?"

"The name of the guy who made this game?"

"That's... um..."

――But unfortunately, I'm not good at fighting. So, let's settle this using this.

Congratulations, adventurers from beyond the realm. You are the first to achieve this memorable milestone.

…….

…………Just barely safe…….

With a completely innocent expression,

"I naturally remember, don't I? The 'King' of Akihabara. Mr. Nakamichi En, right?"

"……hmm."

The Gambler gives a slightly surprised look.

"Is that so? You remember, then?"

"Of course. How could I forget?"

"Yeah... that time of ours, our special moment—there's no way it'd just vanish so easily, right?"

"Yep."

As I answer, my heart races a little inside.

I haven't fully regained my memories yet, after all.

"Then, of course, you haven't forgotten... *that*, either, right?"

"Hm?"

"We were alone together—inside the dungeon—for a long time. Sometimes, we'd hoard gold and end up sleeping in the same room."

"Huh?"

"Um... when was it again? We accidentally touched hands, and you squeezed mine tightly back."

"…………Huh?"

"I didn't even realize it until that moment... being male or female, body type—none of that matters when it comes to loving someone. Those are just trivial barriers."

"W-wait, wait, wait—just a second?!"

At the same time, my fingers trembled uncontrollably, vibrating violently.

The red pig I was controlling dashed off in the direction of the day after tomorrow.

"What on earth are you talking about... something like that couldn't possibly... happen..."

"Are you saying I'm lying?"

At that moment, I was desperately trying to recall the face of my first love.

It was—yes. The cool-headed magician character named Cadesh from the manga 'Dragon Quest: Sky Story,' which I read as a child.

So obscure that there's not a single acquaintance I could share it with, but I still remember being completely smitten with him back then.

What I'm trying to say is... I'm fundamentally straight.

No matter how the situation may be, I could never possibly be attracted to someone of the same sex...

"You seem surprised."

"…N-no. My memories and that... it's like we're completely out of sync..."

"Of course they are. After all, I lied."

"…Huh?"

I widened my eyes and looked at the 'Gambling Master,' and—within the next instant—

The legendary sword held by Yellow Pig pierced my Red Pig.

"Shi…ma…"

The health gauge displaying my Red Pig's remaining vitality was reduced by about two-thirds.

I had been perfectly caught in the "Gambling Master's" off-the-board tactic.

"You just said, 'We'll cut this part'...!"

Then, the evil cackle of the "Gambling Master" echoed throughout the studio.

"The secret to popularity is simple—no matter what tricks you use, you always end up winning!"

Oh no.

I forgot this guy was like this.

In my mind, the image of the destroyed handgun from earlier flashes back.

Even if just for a moment—what would it feel like to die?

Probably really painful. Like, excruciatingly painful.

Man, I'm starting to get scared.

Even as my spine freezes with dread, all I can do is silently watch the legendary sword being brought down upon me.