I have only lived for about twenty years, but even so, I have come to understand one thing.
It is that there is ultimately no such thing as a life without regrets.
Even if I believe I have made the best possible choice, failure is inevitable.
At the same time, however, there should be many things gained from that choice.
That is why, when faced with a dilemma, I think it is more constructive to consider what can be gained by choosing one path over the other.
And what matters most is to pour all one's effort into the path that has been chosen.
To strive continuously so that one can obtain many things and feel satisfied.
Satisfied enough that there is no need to imagine the future that was not chosen.
...Even so, if I were ever given the chance to do it all over again, I would...
I stood in an endlessly white, marble-like expanse beneath a sky faintly illuminated by dawn light, a space that felt utterly unreal.
The silver-haired woman standing beside me turned her amber eyes toward me and smiled.
"Well then, shall we go, Orun?"
The voice of the smiling silver-haired woman, Shion, carried a bright and clear tone.
"Yeah. Let us go destroy the world, Shion."
With those words as the last, my consciousness faded away.
"...It is heavy..."
The day after the events that began with Sophie's engagement uproar, the battle against the Doctor, one of the executives of the Cyclamen Cult, and the condemnation of the former Count Claudel.
That morning started with the sensation of something heavy resting on my abdomen.
"...Huh?"
I lifted my head to check what it was and looked at my abdomen. There lay Fuuka, sprawled face-down and sleeping comfortably.
(Eh!? Why is Fuuka in my room!?)
I hurriedly checked the time. It was before seven in the morning.
It was not particularly late.
The possibility that she had come to wake me because I had overslept seemed unlikely.
"Mm... mmm..."
As I sat there in confusion, Fuuka slowly sat up.
"Good morning... Orun..."
She greeted me while rubbing her sleepy eyes.
"Ah, yeah. Good morning... Wait, that is not the point! Why are you here, Fuuka?"
"...? Was that bad?"
Still unable to fully process the situation, I asked Fuuka, but she simply tilted her head with a puzzled expression.
"It is not exactly bad, but it is not good for a girl to come alone to a man's room."
"Mm, I will be careful next time. More importantly, how do you feel?"
"How do I feel? ...It feels like I slept for quite a long time, but otherwise I am perfectly normal."
I did not understand why she was suddenly asking that, but I honestly told her what I felt after checking my own condition.
"I see."
Fuuka nodded once upon hearing my reply.
Her expression remained as unchanging as ever, making it hard to tell what she was thinking.
After a brief pause, Fuuka spoke again.
"Orun, I want you to listen to what I have to say."
The expression on her face was no longer the sleepy one from moments before. It was the most serious look I had ever seen from Fuuka.
"...Understood."
Faced with her atmosphere, I naturally straightened my posture.
"Have you ever doubted your own memories, Orun?"
"...Eh?"
I had braced myself somewhat for whatever topic Fuuka might bring up.
Even so, the words she uttered were more than enough to halt my thoughts.
The lingering sleepiness vanished in an instant.
At the same time, the words left behind by Gary O'Rail, a former member of the hero party, flashed through my mind.
"You came into contact with Philly about ten years ago."
"Doubt your common sense... It is highly likely to be a distorted truth."
Gary had belonged to the Cyclamen Cult before his death.
He was also the person who had tried to assassinate Her Highness Lucila earlier this year while I was escorting her from the royal capital to Tsutrail.
"...Ugh, guh...!"
Recalling his words brought on a headache.
"That reaction tells me you already know you were subjected to recognition alteration. In that case, this will be quick. Do you want to know the real past?"
Fuuka asked with a direct gaze.
"Will you tell me?"
When I asked, Fuuka shook her head from side to side.
"I do not know the details, so I cannot tell you. However, I can arrange for you to meet the person who does."
I am aware that I have a strong thirst for knowledge.
That is why I read books whenever I have time and deepen my knowledge of magic to satisfy it.
Moreover, if what was being presented to me now was my own "real past," there was no way I would not want to know it.
"Fuuka, please let me meet that person."
I answered without hesitation.
"Yes, understood. But before that, my stomach is empty, so I want to eat."
The serious atmosphere from moments before vanished completely as Fuuka touched her own stomach and spoke.
"... Hahaha. You really never change, Fuuka. All right. It is about time everyone else wakes up too, so let us head to the dining hall first."
I was momentarily taken aback, but seeing Fuuka act as usual made me laugh without thinking.
After that, I went to the dining hall together with Fuuka and had breakfast with Selma-san, Hart-san, Sophie, and the others from Twilight Moon Rainbow.