"Oh."
Even that was completely unexpected for Shiro. He thought this would happen in the near future. What caused her change?
"If you are willing to be under my curse forever... to be beside me..." She said with a strong tone. "Until you say it yourself, I wouldn't give up."
I want to be with you.
It was Kuroneko's sole intent. Be it her previous breakup or her future self's possession, these made her determination unimaginably strong. It is the reason behind her insane actions in that future. She wouldn't stop until he comes back alive. Her will is just as strong as his wives and the others who also longs for him.
"Ruri..."
Shiro recalled her actions during the fight against Altair. He was only the person who remembered their bizarre actions due to the time lock. He already knew his answer based from that.
He wouldn't shy away.
"I know what I am going into. There are other girls beside me, but that is fine." She followed up. "I've seen the truth in many worlds."
She was no longer the previous Ruri. Her worldview have been reshaped dozens of times upon their visits to other worlds.
"I wonder where you gained your confidence."
His words broke the tense atmosphere.
"S-shut it. Who am I to fall for such a man like you?"
"Cute."
"..!"
Shiro left his seat. He held Ruri's hand. Then, he summoned the aurora curtain and allowed it to engulf the two of them.
"This is..."
"Isn't it a good sight?"
They are on the top of Tokyo Tower—a place unreachable by mortals alone.
"The opening sequence of Maschera took place here."
"I'm glad you remember."
Somehow, Ruri's blush deepened as time went by. The dreaded rejection did not come.
"If you can accept this troublesome self—"
"Why wouldn't I? Idiot."
Shiro wryly smiled. He vaguely felt he would do some very troublesome things in the future. His lovers would also be caught in it. Then again, who was he to decline their strong determination to be with him?
He felt they would still be with him even when he does those things.
Mn.
The eternal curse was sealed by a soft kiss.
*****
"Catsup tastes good, too. It enhanced—"
"S-stop it! Kh..!"
The two bantered while walking.
"I totally forgot about those!"
Romantic kisses should have tasted something like honey. Though, Kuroneko totally forgot about the omurice she was eating when she abruptly confessed her love to Shiro.
"This wouldn't reach the others."
"You said so!"
Ever since Shiro comforted her in the hidden dungeon, they became good friends. Kuroneko's peculiarity allowed her to catch up to his shenanigans. They are the chaotic duo that messed with the game's story quest, hidden quest, and chain quests. She always accompanied him during his ridiculous moments.
This conclusion had been a foregone one ever since they met.
"Kuroneko?"
Their banter paused as Kuroneko saw the 'couple' who passed by them.
"Why are you that surprised~?"
Kuroneko covered her mouth with her hand, acting like a rich young lady.
"Nothing. You're really not fooling around back then."
"Why doubt my words?"
The couple in question are none other than Kyousuke and Kirino.
"Can you blame them? You're quite troublesome yourself."
"That's why we're compatible!"
Their lover's banter ensued. Fortunately, the two are sensible enough to stop it in front of her acquaintances.
"You must be Kousaka Kirino-san. Greetings."
"H-hello."
Kuroneko asked something.
"Kyousuke. You are planning to explore this floor, right?"
"That's right."
"I see. How about coming with us? At least on this floor."
Prior to this, Shiro and Kuroneko explored the lower floors. The Kousaka siblings must have planned to explore everything downwards.
"Why not?" Kirino tugged her brother's arm. "Let's go!"
"A-ah..."
In the end, Kyousuke was forced to come along.
"When did you meet?"
"It was an offline meeting of sorts."
"An online community?"
"Yup."
Their first actual meeting when they received the chat group happened exactly like that.
"We were suddenly invited by its administrator. It turned out to be a fun one." Kuroneko continued. "They are talented, too."
"Could it be... He is the financial advisor you sought?"
"Yes."
As their living standards increased, Kuroneko decided to tell that she got a financial advisor, so as to make it less suspicious. Kirino looked at him with renewed light.
"Thanks for helping her out." Kyousuke voiced out.
"There's no need for thanks."
Kyousuke felt complex. He was aware of Kuroneko's financial situation. Never had he expected that her new boyfriend could help her solve the dilemma she had.
"I will help her no matter what."
"Shiro..."
The two made another sweet atmosphere. It was only broken a while later.
After that, the four of them continued to chat until Kyousuke and Kirino had to separate.
"You did this for me, no?"
"I saw it from your looks. You are interested in her new boyfriend, right?"
Contrary to expectations, Kyousuke did not hold an ounce of jealousy. He simply wanted to know whether Kuroneko's new boyfriend is a good guy or not. That was the least he could do for the girl he deeply hurt. Kuroneko also supported the situation between him and his sister, Kirino. She did not look at them with judgemental eyes, but rather supported them as a friend.
Hence, Kyousuke felt complicated towards the girl he once loved. Seeing her have a good guy as her lover made him happy. At the same time, he felt bitter due to their memories. He is feeling confused right now, but he knew that his choice is only to move forward with everything.
"You're really too hopeless, nii-chan."
"...Thank you."
His gaze met Kirino's. Her clear blue eyes rid him of his confusion.
"I also need to move forward..."
*****
"Isn't this an indirect kiss?!"
"Does it matter?"
"No."
Kuroneko ate the rest of the candied apples from Shiro. She dismissed something like an 'indirect kiss' easily.
"If we had done this during the summer festival..."
"Kuroneko in a yukata? That would be..." Shiro visualized her with a yukata. "...cute."
"Cute..."
Kuroneko's ears reddened as she try to hide them behind her hair. This gesture was seen as adorable by him, further increasing her charm.
"It doesn't matter anymore."
Tap-!
Shiro's footstep changed their surroundings. Instead of the convention, they were sent into an open air summer festival.
"You could do something like that?" She asked.
"Anything for you."
She noticed they are now in a summer festival. It was still half a year before this year's festival, thus she realized they must have traveled in time. This place is familiar to her.
She called forth her status window before switching her equipment. Blue effects shone before her black dress was replaced by a similarly colored yukata. The same went for Shiro. They wore a matching black and white yukata.
"Somehow, it feels quite cliche..."
In every slice-of-lice anime, manga, or light novel, the summer festival arc would always be there. It is the staple event to generate character development as well as confessions that are buried under the sound of fireworks exploding.
"My redemption..!"
They stopped at a goldfish booth. They have to capture a goldfish using a small net that could easily be broken. With her enhanced attributes, Kuroneko succeeded in a single try.
She placed the plastic bag containing water and goldfish into her eyes. Her eyes shone as she stared at it.
"I failed at this in the past, but not now!"
"Let me guess. You spent a thousand yen to have nothing?"
"H—" She was slightly surprised before she nodded. "As expected of you, Shiro."
Even the thrifty Kuroneko was once fooled by this booth. She always broke the net or the fish escaped, which led to her frustrations.
"Mn..?! It's a good one! Have a bite."
"Hm..."
Munch.
"It's good. Maybe because it was bitten by you..?"
"It's your sweet words again... How could I keep falling over and over for it?"
The two continued their journey in the natsumatsuri until the fireworks were launched. They sat on the back of a shrine on top of a hill. It is the best spot to sightsee, yet there aren't any people beside them. A creator's power was used to make the perfect date...
Shiro sets his priorities straight.
Boom-!
Boom-!
The fireworks exploded into myriad colors and cacophony of sounds. It lit up against the dark night like the stars in the sky.
"A dark and isolated place... Don't tell me you are planning something?" Kuroneko smiled at him teasingly.
"I know you're not ready yet. I would never do such a thing."
"...Sorry."
Kuroneko never expected for Shiro to be this serious when it came to that matter.
"You know, this might be one of the most memorable day of my life."
Way back in the morning, her past memories—previous relationship—faded away completely. It occurred when she was having too much fun with him. Shiro did not know his objective would be reached that easily.
Boom-!
"I love you."
She made extra efforts to let her voice be heard.
"I love you, Ruri."
This day, a confession during the summer festival succeeded.
******
"Mn..."
The slight itch in Kuroneko's nose woke her up. She found herself on a dark throne overseeing her shadow realm.
Krr-!
A shadow dragon flew around her.
"You're lively today, Ein."
Krr-!
Ein, a name derived from shadow (kanji). After turning into Kuroneko's shadows, it transformed from a goldfish into a dragon.
"Right, right. I still have work to do."
She leisurely stepped out of her realm. She found herself on a white meeting room.
"I'm sorry for the trouble, Kuroneko."
"Yawn... It's not a big deal for this queen." She replied while yawning. "What did happen while I was gone?"
"Many things."
The orange-haired man faced her.
"Seems like you grew older, Romani."
"Perhaps it is the lack of sleep that made me like this."
Despite that, his only changes was bits of white hair. His eyes looked much serious than in the past, too.
"Shiro already appeared."
"I assume it was his self from the past."
Upon taking the form of the , Shiro was able to blast the lock open and travel to the apocalyptic future.
"The Destroyer of Worlds—Decade—also showed up after several years."
"That girl, huh."
Romani's timeline, the Grand Order, had several versions. One of them is the timeline where Ritsuka Fujimaru failed on her fight against The Spider. All of the servants were lost, including Chaldea itself. She is a failed version of the Grand Order timeline final master—Ritsuka Fijumaru.
"The variables set by him are taking place now." He said.
"You know fooling time is no laughing matter."
"I am aware."
To create changes in the future, he had to induce variables that did not exist in the said time span. They should have been the ones who have died or disappeared. That way, the gap of their existence would not contradict the laws of reality. It is simply Shiro rewriting their "disappearance" or "death" with "returning after a long time". That way, everything becomes natural and logical.
This was the method which worked in a certain world inhabited by a Mad Scientist. To enter the perfect timeline, he had to fool everyone—be it allies or enemies. That was the play he wrote along with the select chat group members at that time.
"We need to gather those variables."
"And I am the one who will do that?"
"Everyone has been busy..."
The current time did not allow them to slack off. Shiro's wives were off doing several duties such as guarding the space-time from being corrupted by the swirls. There are also who actively studied the phenomena behind its appearance while the others constantly fought.
"It doesn't matter. He trusted me with it."
Her droopy eyes showed a glint of determination. It is not weaker than her feelings for him.
Boom-!
Kuroneko looked beyond the windows.
Boom-!
Crimson explosions covered the night sky.
"Kouzuki must've determined danger in this place."
"Its sneakiness never disappeared."
The Root is the source of all things itself. It has the command over all world [Wills] as it supported all of them. It could rewrite reality whenever it pleases. Its only bottom line was the rebellion. It was restricted as a result. Everyone was given a second chance to fight.
Kuroneko wore a pair of black gloves along with her black dress.
"It reminds me of that day."
The memories of the past entered her mind.
"It's your sweet words again... How could I keep falling over and over for it?"
"You know, this might be one of the most memorable day of my life."
"I love you."
For those moments to return...
She is willing to do everything.
"Oh."
Even that was completely unexpected for Shiro. He thought this would happen in the near future. What caused her change?
"If you are willing to be under my curse forever... to be beside me..." She said with a strong tone. "Until you say it yourself, I wouldn't give up."
I want to be with you.
It was Kuroneko's sole intent. Be it her previous breakup or her future self's possession, these made her determination unimaginably strong. It is the reason behind her insane actions in that future. She wouldn't stop until he comes back alive. Her will is just as strong as his wives and the others who also longs for him.
"Ruri..."
Shiro recalled her actions during the fight against Altair. He was only the person who remembered their bizarre actions due to the time lock. He already knew his answer based from that.
He wouldn't shy away.
"I know what I am going into. There are other girls beside me, but that is fine." She followed up. "I've seen the truth in many worlds."
She was no longer the previous Ruri. Her worldview have been reshaped dozens of times upon their visits to other worlds.
"I wonder where you gained your confidence."
His words broke the tense atmosphere.
"S-shut it. Who am I to fall for such a man like you?"
"Cute."
"..!"
Shiro left his seat. He held Ruri's hand. Then, he summoned the aurora curtain and allowed it to engulf the two of them.
"This is..."
"Isn't it a good sight?"
They are on the top of Tokyo Tower—a place unreachable by mortals alone.
"The opening sequence of Maschera took place here."
"I'm glad you remember."
Somehow, Ruri's blush deepened as time went by. The dreaded rejection did not come.
"If you can accept this troublesome self—"
"Why wouldn't I? Idiot."
Shiro wryly smiled. He vaguely felt he would do some very troublesome things in the future. His lovers would also be caught in it. Then again, who was he to decline their strong determination to be with him?
He felt they would still be with him even when he does those things.
Mn.
The eternal curse was sealed by a soft kiss.
*****
"Catsup tastes good, too. It enhanced—"
"S-stop it! Kh..!"
The two bantered while walking.
"I totally forgot about those!"
Romantic kisses should have tasted something like honey. Though, Kuroneko totally forgot about the omurice she was eating when she abruptly confessed her love to Shiro.
"This wouldn't reach the others."
"You said so!"
Ever since Shiro comforted her in the hidden dungeon, they became good friends. Kuroneko's peculiarity allowed her to catch up to his shenanigans. They are the chaotic duo that messed with the game's story quest, hidden quest, and chain quests. She always accompanied him during his ridiculous moments.
This conclusion had been a foregone one ever since they met.
"Kuroneko?"
Their banter paused as Kuroneko saw the 'couple' who passed by them.
"Why are you that surprised~?"
Kuroneko covered her mouth with her hand, acting like a rich young lady.
"Nothing. You're really not fooling around back then."
"Why doubt my words?"
The couple in question are none other than Kyousuke and Kirino.
"Can you blame them? You're quite troublesome yourself."
"That's why we're compatible!"
Their lover's banter ensued. Fortunately, the two are sensible enough to stop it in front of her acquaintances.
"You must be Kousaka Kirino-san. Greetings."
"H-hello."
Kuroneko asked something.
"Kyousuke. You are planning to explore this floor, right?"
"That's right."
"I see. How about coming with us? At least on this floor."
Prior to this, Shiro and Kuroneko explored the lower floors. The Kousaka siblings must have planned to explore everything downwards.
"Why not?" Kirino tugged her brother's arm. "Let's go!"
"A-ah..."
In the end, Kyousuke was forced to come along.
"When did you meet?"
"It was an offline meeting of sorts."
"An online community?"
"Yup."
Their first actual meeting when they received the chat group happened exactly like that.
"We were suddenly invited by its administrator. It turned out to be a fun one." Kuroneko continued. "They are talented, too."
"Could it be... He is the financial advisor you sought?"
"Yes."
As their living standards increased, Kuroneko decided to tell that she got a financial advisor, so as to make it less suspicious. Kirino looked at him with renewed light.
"Thanks for helping her out." Kyousuke voiced out.
"There's no need for thanks."
Kyousuke felt complex. He was aware of Kuroneko's financial situation. Never had he expected that her new boyfriend could help her solve the dilemma she had.
"I will help her no matter what."
"Shiro..."
The two made another sweet atmosphere. It was only broken a while later.
After that, the four of them continued to chat until Kyousuke and Kirino had to separate.
"You did this for me, no?"
"I saw it from your looks. You are interested in her new boyfriend, right?"
Contrary to expectations, Kyousuke did not hold an ounce of jealousy. He simply wanted to know whether Kuroneko's new boyfriend is a good guy or not. That was the least he could do for the girl he deeply hurt. Kuroneko also supported the situation between him and his sister, Kirino. She did not look at them with judgemental eyes, but rather supported them as a friend.
Hence, Kyousuke felt complicated towards the girl he once loved. Seeing her have a good guy as her lover made him happy. At the same time, he felt bitter due to their memories. He is feeling confused right now, but he knew that his choice is only to move forward with everything.
"You're really too hopeless, nii-chan."
"...Thank you."
His gaze met Kirino's. Her clear blue eyes rid him of his confusion.
"I also need to move forward..."
*****
"Isn't this an indirect kiss?!"
"Does it matter?"
"No."
Kuroneko ate the rest of the candied apples from Shiro. She dismissed something like an 'indirect kiss' easily.
"If we had done this during the summer festival..."
"Kuroneko in a yukata? That would be..." Shiro visualized her with a yukata. "...cute."
"Cute..."
Kuroneko's ears reddened as she try to hide them behind her hair. This gesture was seen as adorable by him, further increasing her charm.
"It doesn't matter anymore."
Tap-!
Shiro's footstep changed their surroundings. Instead of the convention, they were sent into an open air summer festival.
"You could do something like that?" She asked.
"Anything for you."
She noticed they are now in a summer festival. It was still half a year before this year's festival, thus she realized they must have traveled in time. This place is familiar to her.
She called forth her status window before switching her equipment. Blue effects shone before her black dress was replaced by a similarly colored yukata. The same went for Shiro. They wore a matching black and white yukata.
"Somehow, it feels quite cliche..."
In every slice-of-lice anime, manga, or light novel, the summer festival arc would always be there. It is the staple event to generate character development as well as confessions that are buried under the sound of fireworks exploding.
"My redemption..!"
They stopped at a goldfish booth. They have to capture a goldfish using a small net that could easily be broken. With her enhanced attributes, Kuroneko succeeded in a single try.
She placed the plastic bag containing water and goldfish into her eyes. Her eyes shone as she stared at it.
"I failed at this in the past, but not now!"
"Let me guess. You spent a thousand yen to have nothing?"
"H—" She was slightly surprised before she nodded. "As expected of you, Shiro."
Even the thrifty Kuroneko was once fooled by this booth. She always broke the net or the fish escaped, which led to her frustrations.
"Mn..?! It's a good one! Have a bite."
"Hm..."
Munch.
"It's good. Maybe because it was bitten by you..?"
"It's your sweet words again... How could I keep falling over and over for it?"
The two continued their journey in the natsumatsuri until the fireworks were launched. They sat on the back of a shrine on top of a hill. It is the best spot to sightsee, yet there aren't any people beside them. A creator's power was used to make the perfect date...
Shiro sets his priorities straight.
Boom-!
Boom-!
The fireworks exploded into myriad colors and cacophony of sounds. It lit up against the dark night like the stars in the sky.
"A dark and isolated place... Don't tell me you are planning something?" Kuroneko smiled at him teasingly.
"I know you're not ready yet. I would never do such a thing."
"...Sorry."
Kuroneko never expected for Shiro to be this serious when it came to that matter.
"You know, this might be one of the most memorable day of my life."
Way back in the morning, her past memories—previous relationship—faded away completely. It occurred when she was having too much fun with him. Shiro did not know his objective would be reached that easily.
Boom-!
"I love you."
She made extra efforts to let her voice be heard.
"I love you, Ruri."
This day, a confession during the summer festival succeeded.
******
"Mn..."
The slight itch in Kuroneko's nose woke her up. She found herself on a dark throne overseeing her shadow realm.
Krr-!
A shadow dragon flew around her.
"You're lively today, Ein."
Krr-!
Ein, a name derived from shadow (kanji). After turning into Kuroneko's shadows, it transformed from a goldfish into a dragon.
"Right, right. I still have work to do."
She leisurely stepped out of her realm. She found herself on a white meeting room.
"I'm sorry for the trouble, Kuroneko."
"Yawn... It's not a big deal for this queen." She replied while yawning. "What did happen while I was gone?"
"Many things."
The orange-haired man faced her.
"Seems like you grew older, Romani."
"Perhaps it is the lack of sleep that made me like this."
Despite that, his only changes was bits of white hair. His eyes looked much serious than in the past, too.
"Shiro already appeared."
"I assume it was his self from the past."
Upon taking the form of the , Shiro was able to blast the lock open and travel to the apocalyptic future.
"The Destroyer of Worlds—Decade—also showed up after several years."
"That girl, huh."
Romani's timeline, the Grand Order, had several versions. One of them is the timeline where Ritsuka Fujimaru failed on her fight against The Spider. All of the servants were lost, including Chaldea itself. She is a failed version of the Grand Order timeline final master—Ritsuka Fijumaru.
"The variables set by him are taking place now." He said.
"You know fooling time is no laughing matter."
"I am aware."
To create changes in the future, he had to induce variables that did not exist in the said time span. They should have been the ones who have died or disappeared. That way, the gap of their existence would not contradict the laws of reality. It is simply Shiro rewriting their "disappearance" or "death" with "returning after a long time". That way, everything becomes natural and logical.
This was the method which worked in a certain world inhabited by a Mad Scientist. To enter the perfect timeline, he had to fool everyone—be it allies or enemies. That was the play he wrote along with the select chat group members at that time.
"We need to gather those variables."
"And I am the one who will do that?"
"Everyone has been busy..."
The current time did not allow them to slack off. Shiro's wives were off doing several duties such as guarding the space-time from being corrupted by the swirls. There are also who actively studied the phenomena behind its appearance while the others constantly fought.
"It doesn't matter. He trusted me with it."
Her droopy eyes showed a glint of determination. It is not weaker than her feelings for him.
Boom-!
Kuroneko looked beyond the windows.
Boom-!
Crimson explosions covered the night sky.
"Kouzuki must've determined danger in this place."
"Its sneakiness never disappeared."
The Root is the source of all things itself. It has the command over all world [Wills] as it supported all of them. It could rewrite reality whenever it pleases. Its only bottom line was the rebellion. It was restricted as a result. Everyone was given a second chance to fight.
Kuroneko wore a pair of black gloves along with her black dress.
"It reminds me of that day."
The memories of the past entered her mind.
"It's your sweet words again... How could I keep falling over and over for it?"
"You know, this might be one of the most memorable day of my life."
"I love you."
For those moments to return...
She is willing to do everything.
