Chapter 333: Penacony Arc 『 Part Twenty-eight 』,The Indestructible Ledger of the Penacony
「 "How beautiful... Time is frozen at this golden hour, this golden dream shared by the Fool from the Tavern and the Memokeeper from the Garden of Recollection, the wandering Ranger and the IPC ambassador, the Astral Express Nameless... and me." 」
「 ..... 」
〜Kaguya-sama: Love Is War World〜
"Heh… hehehe…"
Inside the Shuchiin Academy Student Council room, Chika Fujiwara stared up at the imagery unfolding across the sky, letting out a continuous, knowing giggle.
The picturesque Miss Hotaru, the fragmented light refracting off the hem of her skirt in the morning glow, and that ethereal, unobtrusive female vocal BGM drifting from afar—it felt as though the dreamscape itself were performing a melody.
Chika Fujiwara knew it well; the atmosphere was primed. They were just one crucial step away!
"Based on the deductions of Love Detective Chika Fujiwara, there is a 99% probability that they will—"
"Just go for the confession already,"
Yu Ishigami sighed helplessly.
"Fujiwara-senpai, does that even require deduction? A blind man could see the pink bubbles overflowing from that scene."
...
Meanwhile, in the Headmaster's office on the other side of the campus.
The Headmaster, having just concluded a call with the Board of Directors, walked to the window and looked out with curiosity. Despite it being class time, the usual sound of reading was absent; even the voices of teachers lecturing had fallen silent.
Intrigued, he pushed open his door and walked into the hallway outside Class 3-A. Through the glass window, he saw the teacher sitting at the podium while the entire class remained as still as if they had been struck by a petrification spell. They held their breath in unison, dozens of eyes staring unblinkingly at the sky.
"Almost there, almost there!"
The girls in the back row clutched each other's sleeves tightly.
"Is this…?"
The old Headmaster finally realized what was happening. He looked up at the sky, where the atmosphere seemed perfectly poised for a confession of love.
"I see. Then I shall leave this time to all of you,"
He whispered with a smile, stroking his thin beard.
"To be young again…"
( Translator-kun: Who has time to study when there is a huge screen in the sky? )
—
「 "Everyone falls asleep here equally, regardless of the reason, though we all indeed harbor our own motives…" Hotaru took a deep breath, her chest rising and falling slightly as if she had finally made up her mind. She turned to look at Stelle. "…I'm sorry, Stelle. It's true—I really am a stowaway."
"I know," Stelle replied with a faint smile.
"I suppose I couldn't hide it from you after all." Hotaru walked to the railing, her eyes reflecting the awakening Penacony. "My homeland was destroyed a long time ago. Perhaps it was the Legion, or maybe the Swarm… I'm an interstellar refugee, just like many of the Penacony locals."
"The 『 Harmony 』 embraces everyone, including those wanderers who have come from afar. The Family accepts them, but they… ultimately do not belong here. In this magnificent metropolis, some people's dreams are named Penacony, while others find their dreams indistinguishable from reality. I am the same. In reality, I have a wish I cannot attain—it is so powerful that I have sought recourse in the dream…"
"What is that wish?"
Hotaru slowly turned her head back. "…'Entropy Loss Syndrome.' Have you heard that term?"
"It's a strange condition. Those suffering from it will experience an irreversible chronic dissociation of their physical structure. This means they will slowly fade away, and the process is barely noticeable to others—"
"You can still run, jump, and talk as usual. Everything seems normal, but then you'll start doing everything slightly slower than others... And then even slower than that, until the lines between your body and the entire world become blurry. You won't be able to tell reality from dreams because they have all been shattered."
"So, how could I possibly resist it... I mean, can you imagine? In this dream, I can actually… I don't have to stay inside a cold 'medical cabin'…" 」
「 ..... 」
〜DanMachi World〜
"Waaaaah… Miss Hotaru is so pitiful!"
Hestia sat on the sofa, clutching her knees, sobbing and sniffing through her tears.
"She really is terminally ill! Ugh, for once I'm actually starting to look forward to the Star God of 『 Abundance 』. That Aeon should be able to completely cure Miss Hotaru, right?"
"Goddess, that thought is far too dangerous…"
Bell wiped the sweat from his brow.
"A cure might be possible, but considering the Mara-struck, I'm afraid Miss Hotaru would rather die than turn into a monster like that. She brought Stelle here because she wanted to leave her fleeting but beautiful side for someone important. If she became Mara-struck, even if she survived, I'm afraid she would never dare to see Stelle again for the rest of her life."
"Then what about Miss Ruan Mei?"
Lilliluca lowered her teacup, her head bowed in thought.
"Miss Ruan Mei can even recreate the Emanator of 『 Propagation 』. Surely it wouldn't be a problem for her to reshape a healthy body for Miss Hotaru?"
Fearing Bell might not understand, Lilliluca emphasized:
"Not by patching up her current, broken body, but by creating an entirely new physical form. Even if it could be done… given Miss Ruan Mei's personality, it probably won't be easy to get her to agree, right?"
"Hmph! If you ask me, she still owes Stelle a favor! Not to mention the massive trouble Stelle helped her clean up, she also made Stelle suffer quite a bit. With her abilities, she could nurture the life of an entire planet with ease. Helping to treat an ordinary girl—that should be a piece of cake for her!"
Lilliluca's cheeks puffed out in frustration.
"If all else fails, have Stelle ask Madam Herta to step in! I refuse to believe that so many geniuses who shook the universe can't handle a case of 'Entropy Loss Syndrome'! It's not like they're being asked to help some heinous criminal; they can definitely cure Miss Hotaru!"
—
「 "I can leave the doctor's words behind, and use my own body to hear, to see, to touch, to think, and to perceive as I wish. So, although this world isn't real, this experience is priceless..."
Her gaze traced the lines of Stelle's features, a gentle smile appearing. "…Just like this moment."
"I'm sorry. For some reason, there are some things… I cannot fully reveal to you right now. But there are also things I should be honest about." Hotaru lowered her eyes. "The Watchmaker's Legacy is indeed what I seek, but we don't necessarily have to part ways or stand in opposition. At least… I don't want that to happen."
"I hope so, too," Stelle nodded softly.
"…Thank you." Hotaru turned to look at the city awakening in the distance. "'I dream of a scorched earth, and a new sapling emerging from it. It bloomed against the morning sun, and whispered to me.'"
"I still remember the question on the invitation letter— Why does life slumber?"
"You see," She pointed to the streets in the city, gradually being bathed in sunlight. "Everything is possible in this land of dreams. The nightmarish past will disperse and fade away like bubbles in water, and the future that you don't want to face will never come. Why do people choose to sleep? I think..."
"It is because they're afraid to wake up from the dream." 」
「 ..... 」