After finishing my task, I closed my eyes for the last time. While I have some things I still want to do, this was only a bonus overtime to my life. I should be grateful to even have this opportunity. In the end, I guess how this happened will forever remain a mystery.
âGood work, Mister.ââGood work, too, Kotone. With this, everything should be done.ââYes. Weâve completed all the necessary preparations.â
We didnât really say goodbye to anyone. Even though Kotone and I are disappearing, there will be someone else in our place. The preparations were for celebrating the birth of a new life. Itâll be our personal way of welcoming the new Kotone, butâŚ
âThis should make our youngest sister happy.ââI mean, I didnât want to bring this up after all weâve done, butâŚââWhat is it? Did we forget something?ââHavenât we gone a bit too far?â
We didnât ask anyone for help with this. We just set up our room with contraptions, but thinking about it now, Iâm starting to question if it was necessary to go that far. Rather, I think we lost sight of the original purpose.
âHave we really?ââThink about it. How would you react if you were on the receiving end of things?ââAngry.ââActually think for a bit.â
Why are you answering without a second thought? I do agree with that, though. If this were done to me immediately after I just woke up, Iâd be absolutely pissed. Our preparations were just that excessive.
âIf she has the same sensibilities as we do, sheâll definitely get angry.ââStill, Mister, wouldnât it clear away her anxiety about the future?ââI donât think overwriting it with anger is any better.â
Why am I the one retorting here? It should be Kotone retorting to my stupid remarks instead. Just because this is our last moment, arenât you being a little unhinged? But I guess I canât say Iâm any different.
âInheriting our future means being in a situation where the future is all but decided. It wouldnât be strange if she feels anxiety and discontent over it.ââIf told that it was all for her sake, you think sheâd be convinced?ââIâd think we mustâve had too much fun.ââAnd we, in fact, did.â
The initial plan was for Kotone and I to prepare one thing each. But after contemplating various ideas, we ended up deciding to do all of it instead. There was not a trace of restraint for our younger sister.
âBut, Mister, werenât you pretty enthusiastic about it yourself?ââI canât deny that.ââStill, since we didnât specify what sort of personality sheâll have, thereâs really no telling what the result will be.ââAnd we donât have any way to check it.â
When our younger sister wakes up, both Kotone and I will be gone already. We had already transferred our feelings, memories, and everything else to her by then. Itâs a shame that I wonât be able to witness her reactions, but it canât be helped.
âAn existence born with us having predetermined everything about it would be sad, after all.ââI really hope she acts true to herself.ââEven if it results in her straying from the future, we have inadvertently paved the way for her.ââThatâd be impossible.ââIt really is impossible, huh.â
Itâs not a future that can be strayed from. Itâs been firmly paved, and if she were to stray even a step from this path, there will be people dragging her back. Itâs got some really solid guardrails on it.
âThereâs no way Sherry would let her off the hook just because of a change in personality. Also, Yui will absolutely rope her in for her own futureâs sake.ââIt has been such a chaotic life. All because of Mister, that is.ââIt was unavoidable. It wasnât my fault.ââLearn to act sensibly before saying those words.â
I only called Sherry for the field trip event; she took a liking to me for some reason, and when I sang a song for a certain someoneâs proposal, it was broadcast on the radio on its own. None of that was directly my fault.
âWell, didnât you expose yourself to the upperclassmen, too?ââIt was unavoidable. It was not my fault.ââIt was a perfectly basic slip-up, you know.â
She switched with me just because Shirose called her. Since she was acting as she always does, she was exposed to the upperclassmen, but I guess that was a good experience for Kotone. She ended up realizing just how troublesome these two are.
âCome to think of it, how are the upperclassmenâs surprise going?ââThey havenât contacted me since then, so I have no idea. I havenât even given them the date; will they be able to coordinate?ââThey might just guess it by intuition.ââThey do have freakish instincts, so I canât really deny that. â
The fact that they havenât contacted us at all is giving me a bad feeling, mostly because of their habitual behavior. Are they up to some nonsense, or are they actually being serious about this? I really donât know.
âSo, our youngest sister. Sheâs actually the empty husk of the second one crammed with our memories and intuition.ââI seriously want to know what happened to the original plan.ââI had neither the time nor skill to make a base from scratch, so there was no other choice. Rather, it was actually impossible.ââThis Plan B is such haphazard work, I genuinely have no words.ââI didnât expect it to go this well either.â
The second one completely vanished after that suicide attempt. Maybe she even did that in order to sever all her lingering attachment to the world. And what remained was a husk of consciousness. And after injecting some feelings and memories, it actually gave birth to an ego.
âThis is probably that, isnât it? The side effect of your ego being too strong?ââNowadays, your ego has gotten pretty strong as well.ââIf we had combined parts of our personalities together from the start, it would have probably resulted in a good balance.â
Some people may change as a result of interacting with other people. In Kotoneâs case, she had been influenced by me. Actually, has there been anyone who has interacted with the twelve families or the rogueâs den without being changed?
âCan you imagine what kind of person our youngest sister will be?ââThereâs no way I can. A hybrid between me and Kotone? I canât imagine it.ââMoreover, itâs possible that the lingering remains of the second one might have an influence as well. Truly the perfect form.ââWhat an awful perfect form.â
I donât remember the second one having done anything good. I took over directly after her, so Iâm sure of it. Still, she was clever and quick-witted. She did everything she could to put her father in a terrible mood.
âFrom my predictions, itâll be 60% you and 30% me, while maybe also having 10% or less of the second one.ââItâs mostly me, huh.ââItâs because you have too strong of an ego, Mister.â
Is it that strong? Iâm not really the type to lead people, and itâs not like I go out of the way to initiate things either. I just honestly act on whatever I want to do. And Iâm pretty sure Kotone has a stronger tendency to do that too.
âNow then, shall we complete the finishing touches?ââI guess we canât just keep on talking, huh? We should leave soon for our youngest sisterâs future.â
We join hands and hold the faintly glowing sphere. This sphere is the essence of our younger sister. Kotone and I focus our minds in order to transfer all our feelings and memories.
âGood work, Mister.ââYou too, Kotone. Thank you for the fun extra life.â
We end this not with tears but with large smiles and praises for each other. This might be the end for us, but the new Kotone will move onward to the future. In that case, we wonât be forgotten. After all, she is just a different us.
ââFight on. Donât give in.ââ
Giving our final cheer for our youngest sister, we smiled at each other. If you start out at the lowest point, then thereâs nowhere to go but up. I know it from experience, and Kotone has witnessed it herself. Thatâs why⌠Iâm sure itâll be alright.