Slap slap slap...
In the park, Diego slowly awoke from his slumber.
The moment he opened his eyes, a yellow Pringles chip appeared in his vision, and he kept feeling slaps on his face.
"…Nijika? Why are you guys here?!" Diego shook his head, shaking off the discomfort.
Damn it, Ryo, you cheapskate!
Still slapping my face even after I woke up!
After spending some time together, Diego had completely seen through Yamada Ryo's true nature. This girl only looked a bit aloof when quiet; behind the scenes, she was a total scumbag who'd eat grass just to buy a bass.
Noticing Diego's unfriendly gaze, Yamada Ryo gave an awkward laugh and hid behind Nijika, trying to play it off.
"Dio, you're finally awake!" Ijichi Nijika let out a relieved breath. The Pringles chip on her head bounced up and down, showing how unsettled she felt.
"Nijika said we should take band photos, so she brought us here to scout locations." Yamada Ryo poked her head out, pulled out her phone, and flipped through the photos she'd taken to show Diego. "Which one looks good?"
Band photos? Didn't they still haven't found a vocalist yet…
Wait, what the hell did they do while I was passed out!
Why does Yamada Ryo have photos of me lying there like a corpse on her phone!
Diego snatched Yamada Ryo's phone in one swift motion and quickly deleted the ones that damaged the great Dio's image.
"My treasures, waaah…" Yamada Ryo collapsed dramatically onto the ground, weakly reaching toward the stolen phone, getting infinitely close but never quite reaching it.
"Ryo, you were planning to blackmail ko no Dio's fortune with these photos, weren't you?!" Diego glared viciously at Yamada Ryo.
"I'd never think of something like that. Can you really call it blackmail when it's a rock musician thing? This is just collecting my future wealth in advance…" Yamada Ryo whistled to cover her embarrassment, even though she conveniently forgot the fact that she couldn't whistle.
"So yeah, long story short, Bocchi-chan suggested we check out the park she usually comes to. While scouting spots, we found you lying on the ground."
Seeing the situation turning bad, Ijichi Nijika pushed Gotoh Hitori—who had been hiding behind her—the rest of the way forward to change the subject.
Huh?! Why?! Is Nijika abandoning me?!
Gotoh Hitori gave a trembling bow to Diego and greeted him in a shaking voice: "Sumimasen! This lowly one is truly deserving of death for not greeting Dio-sama!!"
Why has my image become like this…
Diego's face was covered in dark lines. He pinched Bocchi-chan's cheeks and kneaded them repeatedly, squeezing out two crocodile tears as he said in an exaggerated tone: "Looks like I've been kicked out of Kessoku Band. They won't even include me in group photos. Fine, I'm leaving!"
"Dio, don't go! How's Kessoku Band supposed to survive without you…" Ijichi Nijika chased after him and grabbed his forearm.
"It's just scouting. The original plan was to bring you along once we found a vocalist… Besides, you're almost never around anyway." Yamada Ryo rubbed her nose and got up from the ground.
"…cough cough You guys think I, Dio, did nothing at all?"
Stare…
Facing everyone's skeptical looks, even Diego's thick skin felt a little guilty.
In the end, Diego decided it was better to let a friend die than himself.
"Actually, I already found a vocalist."
"Really?"
"Of course it's real. When has Dio ever lied?"
The vocalist is you—Kita…gawa Marin.
Sorry, Kitagawa. You said you go to karaoke often and sing a lot. I believe you'll understand.
Wait, why does that line sound so familiar? Did I just say something similar?
"By the way, what time is it now?" Diego paused, suddenly remembering something important.
"Afternoon… five-thirty." Gotoh Hitori raised her hand tremblingly.
Time really does pass differently here, huh… maybe…
"I see. Well, have fun, you guys. I've got something to do, so I'm heading out." Diego lowered his gaze, waved goodbye to everyone, and hurriedly left.
"Is Dio… in a bad mood?"
The three of them exchanged glances.
...
So pathetic…
A sentence he once said flashed through his memory.
[…ko no Dio will never hide or sneak around…]
But why can't I stop walking?
It was peak rush hour—office workers getting off and students leaving school. The dejected Diego wove through the crowds on the street, walking aimlessly forward.
"Hm? That's…" In the car, Hayasaka Ai caught a familiar figure out of the corner of her eye.
"What's wrong, Hayasaka?" Shinomiya Kaguya noticed Hayasaka Ai seemed distracted and asked instinctively. "Did you see someone you know?"
"Ah, Kaguya-sama." Hayasaka Ai snapped back, opened her mouth, found it hard to describe Diego, and shook her head. "…Just someone I met once."
For some reason, I feel a little concerned…
...
So pathetic…
Even running away in embarrassment when I saw everyone from Kessoku Band…
Why… why do I want to leave you all?
Diego staggered along as if dark clouds hung over his head, barreling straight through everything.
?
Why is it all blocked up ahead?
Oh, a new store opening with an event. So many people lining up for freebies…
Detour? No…
Aren't sidewalks supposed to be wide enough?
Ignoring the crowd completely blocking the way, Diego walked straight ahead, shoving people aside. A bunch of them were knocked over in every direction.
"Hey, you bastard… what the hell are you—"
"Hm?"
Diego turned and stared at the guy he'd bumped into. His gaze was ice-cold and filled with menace. He no longer suppressed his killing intent. The aura of the apex predator that had ruled Earth for hundreds of millions of years enveloped everyone, cutting off the rest of the sentence.
Can't breathe… if I move, I'll be killed…
"Heh heh, sir, stay healthy and may all your wishes come true. Us lowly folks blocking the middle of the road deserve to die…"
An overwhelming sense of danger enveloped the fallen pedestrian. His body screamed warnings until he finally chose to submit.
"Tch…" Losing any desire to act, Diego continued shambling forward like a walking corpse.
Not long after, Diego spotted a familiar figure at a mobile skewer stall.
"…Kitagawa?"
"Ah, Dio-kun! You came out for skewers too? These are really good!" Kitagawa Marin poked her head out and greeted Diego with genuine surprise and delight.
"No, just out for a walk." Diego scratched his hair, speaking somewhat helplessly…
What the hell, I really don't want to run into anyone I know right now…
Kitagawa Marin ran up to Diego with the freshly bought skewer, excitedly took a bite.
"It's so good—"
Diego stared blankly at Kitagawa Marin, who was clearly enjoying herself.
"You want some too? I can treat you!" She immediately held the bitten skewer right up to Diego's mouth.
This girl really doesn't care about indirect kisses, huh…
Diego didn't know whether to laugh or cry. The gloom in his heart faintly dissipated a little. He forced a smile and asked:
"No thanks, not hungry. By the way, Kitagawa—Kessoku Band needs a vocalist. You go to karaoke a lot and sing, right? Interested?"
"Eh?" Kitagawa Marin looked stunned at Diego, then shook her head without hesitation. "No way. That's the one thing I can't agree to."
"Why? Don't you love Kessoku Band.."
"Liking them and becoming one are two different things! Right now, what I want most is to become Dio's personal dressing doll!" Kitagawa Marin tilted her head and said with a teasing, giggling tone.
"But I have a friend who's practicing guitar. She sings really well. After I finish buying the rest of my cosplay accessories, I can ask her."
"Sure." Diego let out a long breath. That should be enough to fool Nijika.
Kita Ikuyo: Oh no no no, this… this isn't right. Today… who's trying to frame me today…
"This skewer is seriously delicious!!" Kitagawa Marin took another bite, her pupils dilating slightly as she exclaimed again. "Maybe the best thing I've ever eaten!! Come on, Dio-kun, just one bite!"
"Here, ahh—" Kitagawa Marin raised the skewer to Diego's mouth.
"I said I'm not hungry… chew chew Okay, you're right, you really can't deny it—this thing is good."
"Right?!" Kitagawa Marin laughed, pulled out her phone to check the time, then instantly teleported to the station entrance and waved goodbye. "Ah crap!! I'm gonna miss the train! Gotta run!"
"..." Diego tugged at the corner of his mouth, said nothing, waved back, and continued stumbling forward.
On the train, Kitagawa Marin suddenly realized the indirect kiss situation. She covered her face as it turned red, steam practically rising from the top of her head.
(PS: If you're going to get embarrassed, don't do it in the first place.)
...
So pathetic…
Diego leaned against walls as he passed through one alley after another. The crowds outside felt blindingly harsh to him.
Even with the strongest body in the world, right now he could barely walk straight.
…Scary Monsters, what a pitiful creature…
Diego took off the cross pendant around his neck, stared at it, kept stroking it. His eyes were indifferent yet carried a trace of sorrow.
…The moment I put on the pendant my mother gave me on her deathbed…
…I thought my tears would never fall for anyone ever again…
…If I erased their memories so their futures wouldn't be tormented by my existence…
…So they could be happy…
…So I could carry out my 『plan』…
…Even if it meant being forgotten, I wouldn't mind…
…But in truth, even though the tears I shed in front of Serie weren't my will… I can't lie to myself. When I completed Memory Oblivion on Frieren…
…I really did shed a tear—because I was afraid of being forgotten. Just one drop…
…This pathetic side of me… how is it any different from the trashy losers I look down on…
…Crying…
…Crying… ah…
"…What exactly am I crying for?"
Diego arrived beneath a quiet cherry blossom grove rarely visited by people. He stopped under the largest tree, slowly leaned against it.
A breeze blew, letting petals fall onto him.
"Dio-sama, if you're so sad, why erase their memories?" A pleasant female voice spoke. It was the space sprite and the memory sprite.
"Are you kidding? I, Dio, have always been using them. How could I possibly be sad!"
After gaining the god-granted ability to communicate, over these days the little sprites had all submitted to Dio's charisma, willing to offer their hearts for him.
"…No."
"What's wrong, Dio-sama?"
"Don't say that kind of thing!! Frieren and the others forgetting me… I want them to think of me their whole lives—at least for ten years after I die!" Diego suddenly broke down, slumping to the ground and saying the cringiest thing imaginable.
"Uwaa, such a lame line… and you actually said it out loud…" The sprites' incredulous voices rang out.
"Hahahahaha!" Diego clutched his stomach laughing, wiping the corner of his eye. "That's what you wanted to hear, right? But ko no Dio isn't that pathetic."
"Maybe… it's because I don't want to lose them." Diego's gaze flickered. He lowered his head, his face hidden behind long hair, expression unreadable in the shadows. "They deserve to be free. They should have their own happiness. They shouldn't waste time waiting or searching for someone like me."
So no matter what, I don't want them to ever recall memories of me, Dio.
"I don't understand what Dio-sama means." That was the space sprite.
Diego pulled the candy he'd thrown at Dekomori Sanae from his pocket, slowly peeled off the wrapper, put it in his mouth, and closed his eyes to rest. "Not understanding is fine. Humans are contradictory creatures like that—different from demons… or maybe not entirely."
"Dio-sama, you're lying. You didn't have to erase Frieren-sama's memories." That was the memory sprite.
"What's with this? Lately my lies get exposed so easily." Diego smiled. A trace of numb sorrow surged in his pupils. He could only continue explaining: "It's a hidden danger. Your memory erasure isn't stable. If they encounter the same memories again, it'll all come rushing back—boom, nosebleed. If Frieren still has her memories, that means they all effectively have them."
"After all, Frieren is terrible at lying. If she had to explain the inconsistencies in those memories, it would instantly make them remember everything. That's why Memory Oblivion on Frieren was necessary."
Diego's gaze dimmed. He rubbed his temples lightly. "Anyway, that was the last hazard. Serie has no connection to them, and she has no reason to mention me. The empire and the demons already treat me as taboo, so there's no chance of the memories leaking…"
Actually, that's not true…
If, when the meteor shower passes overhead again in half a century, one of them recalls a key point in time…
Then a hundred years from now—at the next half-century meteor shower—they'll come looking for me…
I sincerely hope that moment never comes…
When the Demon King self-destructed, I saw the 『distortion』 in space-time.
Thanks to Scary Monsters, I had the space sprite record the coordinates. As long as I can find a way to traverse space…
I'll definitely be able to…
Rustle rustle…
"Someone's coming… it's Hori." Diego got up from the ground and quietly waited for Hori's arrival.
"Hah… finally found you." Hori ran over panting. "I was about to start cooking, but you still weren't back. I got worried something happened and came looking…"
"…I'm fine." Diego stared blankly at Hori, unsure what expression to make.
Cherry blossom petals fell, briefly blocking Diego's view. When they drifted down, the Hori in front of him was simply smiling brightly.
Suddenly, two fingers appeared at the corners of Diego's mouth. They pressed gently, lifting upward along his cheeks, turning his slightly downturned face into a smile.
"But Dio, you were making a really lonely face. Smile more—you look so good when you do." Hori tilted her head to the side, smiled at Diego, blinked, and traced his smile wider. "Let's go home and eat."
Home, huh…
Diego laughed from the bottom of his heart.
"Yeah. Let's go home."
So what exactly is the price of becoming the strongest?