411 408. Real regret.txt (1/2)

”--My heart is about to break.

Before that, a 'childhood friend' appeared.

The girl named Lake Nagi had a positive, cheerful and beautiful personality anyway.

Above all, she was a strong core. Even though she was in elementary school, she had the strength to stand up for herself, even if the people around her looked at her as a stranger.

The strength and straightforwardness of heart that did not suit his age was dazzling and warm to his distorted siblings.

The elder brother Uzunami and his ”childhood friend” were in the same grade at the same school and soon became friends. And under the influence of his ”childhood friend”, Uzunami's dark life gradually began to shine through.

The black eyes, which had only seen the Aikawa family, finally began to see a different scene and value system.

They pretended to be strangers in the school due to family reasons, but it wasn't long before they became friends, calling each other to their rooms.

Smiles began to spill over onto Uzumi as she gained her first friend.

For example, that was when they were playing a game together after school.

Unlike with her sister, Uzurinami didn't play the game alone. Lake Nagi had told me that it was better to play a game that I could play with someone else, so I was forced to play competitive games and app games. His choice of games always made him look reluctant, as he liked to play single-player games, but in the end, he nodded with a not-so-full expression, saying, ”I can't help it. Sure, relax your mouth.

Undoubtedly, there was beginning to be a slight hope in Uzumi's life.

--just one more person who was important here.

For his younger sister Youtaki, Lake Nagi was a 'childhood friend' as well.

It was the same for her sister who was beginning to see hope.

Lake Nagi and Yotaki.

The two were often evaluated side by side as child actors of the same generation. Their circumstances were very similar, including their family background, and the two of them had seen each other several times at work outside of school. And each time they were approached by the older Kunagi side.

''--Yotaki-san, you're competing with me again today!

...... Hi, senior.

It was annoying at first.

To Yotaki, Lake Nagi was not even counted as one of the miscellaneous fish - not even counted as one of the miscellaneous fish.

At any rate, she wasn't in a 'match' with Lake Nagi.

Compared to the other talented children, she was far less competent as a performer.

Most importantly, she lacked desperation.

No matter how many times she lost, all she could say was, ”I'm so frustrated! Yotaki could see that he was not regretting it at all, just repeating it. No matter what happens, Lake Nagi doesn't regret or feel remorse. That's why he would repeat the same defeat over and over again. Rather than not fighting seriously, Yotaki had decided that she wasn't trying to beat me in the first place, and had stopped counting Lake Nagi as a challenger.

He didn't see the girl called Lake Nagi as 'equal'. However, he noticed that she was always close to Yotaki.

It was hard to give up, and over and over again, she would say, ”It's another day to win! He challenges me with a challenge.

Regardless of the other party's convenience, no matter how painful and heavy Yotaki's head was, no matter how full of despair, he would deliver that noumenal, loud voice to the back of his brain.

-- it was a really annoying voice, though.

My sister was the same as my brother. ''It can't be helped,'' she said reluctantly, but with a face that wasn't uneven, she nodded her head. Indeed, with a loose mouth.

'I don't mind the game, but ....... You can't win anyway, can you?

'You won't know that until you try. Today is the day I'm going to stand out more than you.

Yotaki already knew the meaning of his own smile, the meaning of his own smile.

However, it wasn't an 'answer' that he knew from his skills, but an 'answer' that he had obtained with his own strength.

This girl called Lake Nagi was going to be his first friend, and even his head, which was no longer moving as far as it could go, was able to understand that. So--

She was a hope for Yotaki's life, too.

And just as he had foreseen, they would become friends before their secondary schooling began.

Sometimes, the light of a girl named Lake Nagi would come in where even her family would not step in.

That was when they finished their usual farcical game.

Instead of spitting out the standard ”It's so frustrating,” line, Lake Nagi would utter it with a mysterious face.

' -- I'm sorry for not always being able to deal with you. ...... This won't be too much fun, will it, Yotaki-san?

It was just the two of us that day.

It just so happened that they were both working at the same place and the Aikawa family's car was not available. So the older Kunagi suggested, ”I'll send Yotaki-san home, since she's close to home,” and the two of us walked home side by side.

Inside the big city in the 'original world' that hadn't yet frozen over.

Amidst the waves of people, the two girls speak.

'...... No. Thanks to my seniors, I don't float at work and I still feel very safe. It's not like I can't be a partner and have fun--

Before Yotaki could say absolutely not, Lake Nagi shook her head.

''Because Yotaki-san is always sighing. Very boringly ......, and somewhat painfully.

............

Yotaki was so surprised by this point that he couldn't continue with his words.

The surprise was great because he knew that his performance was perfect.

It wasn't an exaggeration or anything, Yotaki was hiding his troubles with the best performance of mankind through The Demon Poison. There was no way anyone could understand, and in fact, no one had understood it all along.

And yet, this first friend of his--.

''I know that you have problems that I don't understand, Yotaki-san. And that you can't talk to anyone about it. All the time you have been acting out, not just with me, but even with your parents.

He was looking over his shoulder.

Yotaki had no choice but to honestly admit his friend's point.

'...... Maybe so,'

Since the proliferation of 'massless nerves' began to run amok, I have been doing a 'healthy and energetic Aikawa Yotaki performance' to keep that raw-skinned pain from showing on my face.

'Yotaki-san, please don't make that face,'

Squeezing tightly, Lake Nagi grabbed Yotaki's hand.

He pulled back his hand even more, leading it forward and forward.

Yotaki looked up at her big back and followed her.

''I'm sure we'll meet one day. A 'equal' friend who is 'equal' enough for you to consult ....... No, your friend who surpasses you will definitely be there somewhere one day.

'Over me ......?　I can't be--

There is no way there is, and Yotaki knows the 'answer'.

Ever since the day when his older brother's expected results were so shameful, Yotaki has been searching for a solution all by himself. Whenever he found the time, he used every possible means to learn about many different fields and to ”see” the countless possibilities of this ”world” in the future.

I have never once seen a being that is greater than me, even in the future.

I don't dislike Mr. Yotaki's personality, which immediately answers that there is no such thing ...... I don't dislike it!　But that's arrogance!　We're still kids, and when we grow up, we'll know that there's an upside!

Lake Nagi turned around and scolded her junior, giving her a dekopin on her forehead.

He could have avoided the fakepin if he wanted to, but Yotaki didn't avoid it, he accepted it and listened to his senior's advice.

''Yotaki-san, it's a big world. That's why there are so many different people. As for me, I was really surprised when I found you guys. So you shouldn't give up yet. Just don't give up!　Of course, I haven't given up yet either!　Because there's never a chance that I'll be an actor beyond you one day!

Not caring that it would be in the city, Lake Nagi declared proudly.

Youtaki, who was hit with the words riding on his thoughts, moved his head that had been 'still' for a long time and made him think for a bit.

It seems useless to say that Konagi-senpai hasn't given up.

I also don't agree that the 'world' is big at all.

Nor is it possible that there is 'someone' somewhere that exceeds me.

Senior citizen ......

Yes, I'm your senior. This senior, believe it!

But trust me, Lake Nagi said, pounding his chest.

Youtaki thought that was irresponsible.

But certainly, the possibility is not zero.

The possibility of seeing it with 'future vision' is still about a dozen orders of magnitude.

I haven't seen beyond Nayuta.

So, certainly, it's still not zero.

'Besides, you have an older brother, right?　My trusty brother.

My brother is, well, you know: ......

”Uzuraha-kun still seems to have a strong sense of dislike for his sister (you), but ...... it's changing little by little. One day, I will definitely pull that neck and neck and take you out to your front door. When that happens, the three of us will play together.

Lake Nagi was trying to lead her special friend's problems to a solution in her own way.

That friendship moved Yotaki's heart.

Since that day, the thoughts he had been stopping to think about were shaken.

It's the first time that you can believe in the figure of your senior who never gives up, no matter what the situation is, and continues to do what he or she can do.

''Yes. Thank you, senpai .......

'Yes!　If you want to thank me, you can take this opportunity to call me your sister!

'Huh, I'll refrain from doing that. It's weird.

'Ki, creepy ......!　Well, well, okay. You still have a chance.

Like sisters, the two of them held hands as they continued on their way home.

At this time, it was Lake Nagi who supported Yotaki, pulling his hand back and showing him the right path.

If Lake Nagi hadn't shown up, his brother would have completely broken his heart during his middle school years and his sister during her elementary school years. That's how much she was a hope and a light to both of them -- to the point of feeling doomed, 'childhood friend' was the 'ideal' for the brother and sister.

--In other words, she was someone who was too convenient (...) for the siblings.

With the appearance of the convenient ”childhood friend”, the life of the Aikawa siblings gradually brightened.

It was, for example, the end of their childhood.

In an empty classroom at dusk, Uzunami talked with Koonagi and got what he really wanted.

''--Yes. From now on, we'll always be together. ...... I want you to be with me.

'Yes. I won't disappear from Uzumi-kun's presence. ...... From now on, we are 'all together'. So please don't cry anymore: ......

With the persuasion of Konoagi, Uzumi's mental distortions were completely healed.

In a chain reaction, the ”family” called the Aikawa family also begins to be affected by this. With Uzumi's distortions gone, father and son, who had long since crossed paths with each other, were finally--

”Dad, we're all going to stay together!　I want us all together!　From now on, we'll be together forever and ever!

'Yeah, yeah, ....... That's good for me too. That's what I've always liked about ....... I have a family. Even though I'm such an idiot, Uzumi--if only you were here, that's all I'd need .......

We understood each other.

With the words ”we're all in this together” as a starting point, the rift between parents and children disappeared.

It wasn't just about the brother and father.

The relationship between my sister and my mother also changed.

Youtaki, who had been doubting his mother's love for him for a long time, is able to talk to her about it.

''--Yotaki, listen to me carefully. All along we have been treating you guys wrong. I and that person didn't know what a normal family was because we didn't ...... know what a normal family was, so we kept making the same mistakes.

Oh, mom, ......?

Yotaki is confused by his mother's confession, which he has been avoiding for a long time.

'We only have a 'family' called us. That's the only thing I didn't realize ....... I'm really, really sorry. My sweet Yotaki.......

With that, Yotaki was embraced by his mother.

Everything (・・・・) and too much is done (・・・・・).

As we know, all of this convenient development is just the result of fate being distorted by 'magic'.

And that 'magic' has an end.

Everything began to fall apart when the brother and sister finally began to get the human-like feeling of 'love'.

''-- Thank you, senpai. ...... I'm starting to be able to talk to my brother, more decently than before. Besides, I'm getting to know my family a little more .......

Also on the way home.

The two slightly taller men are walking side by side, just as they once did.

''That's good to hear. Hmph, so how about we thank you this time by calling me your sister?

No, thanks. It's a bit of a problem.

'Mmmm ......!　Why do you hate it so much, calling me your sister, so much?

'Seniors are a thing: ......

'Allee!　What was that thing you were talking about?

At this time, Yotaki was beginning to feel like Lake Nagi was his real sister.

Even though she said differently with her mouth, Yotaki knew it.

In just a little while more, they would be able to have a relationship where they could casually call each other 'Konagi sister (hey)'. The hope that he could see a long way away was almost within reach. This long and dark tunnel has a way out, that's what I thought - and that's when the ”magic” was broken.

The Aikawa siblings got their ”special someone”.

The process of getting her was the effect of the ”magic”.

So, up to here.

On that day, Kunagi dies in an accident (・・・・・・・・).

It's very simple, like a lie, and indifferent.

The news of her ”childhood friend's” death is delivered to the Aikawa family.

The next day, the funeral has begun.

The siblings have no choice but to attend the funeral, unable to admit the reality.

Uzumi was stunned from her position near the coffin. The devastation was so sudden that it was obvious at a glance that her mind hadn't caught up with the reality of the loss.

However, her sister was a little different.

She was standing in the back of the crowd of attendees with a grim expression on her face.

It was because she had been informed of the 'answer' that this wasn't an accidental death with her skills.

He sensed a gaze (...) from behind him and turned around.

--The 'slit' was watching intently.

Furthermore, after this day, deaths due to unnatural accidents began to occur around the siblings.

Youtaki was the only one who understood the meaning of this.

This is the 'price'.

I'm being paid for the ”magic” that brings the future of my brother's (...) ”ideal” until today.

In other words, when I trained to use ”magic” in the past, I subconsciously made a ”contract” with him. Uzumi had obtained enough power at that stage to be worthy of his wish to 'change his own destiny', and he had paid the 'price' of [the death of the one he loved the most].

Everything is an equivalent exchange.

If you want to get a 'precious person' from nothing, then the 'price' has to be the death of the 'precious person'.

-- so this is what happened.

And this is where the 'magic' of this time is the reason why it is a failure magic. ...... Even though Uzura Wave lost Lake Nagi, it still hadn't paid off [the most beloved person dies].

It's a good thing that you're able to get the most out of it, because it's incomplete, and Uzuraha's 'magic' didn't even make her a 'precious person' worthy of the 'price'.

-- so the debt remains.

That debt will try to collect the next one.

Clearly, unhappiness was beginning to continue in the Aikawa family.

A series of scandals were made public, with the father and mother's business failures leading them to commit suicide one by one.

Immediately, Yotaki worked behind the scenes to keep his brother and parents' hearts away from him so that [the one he loves most dies] would not be satisfied. Even in school life, he turned his hand to prevent any more 'significant others' from leaving.

As a result, my parents only avoided [death]. They managed to avoid the worst possible outcome in the form of an arrest. But even so, the debt still wouldn't go away.

-- Even though he lost everything he had obtained, the debt still remained.

It was then that Yangtaki understood the too unreasonable 'deal of the world'.

''This kind of ......, it's just a 'curse' .......'''

The first person to utter that name was Yotaki.

There is no such thing as an equal 'magic' in this world, like in a game.

When Yotaki realized that there is only a 'curse' - that's what Uzuraha also noticed the abnormality of the surroundings.

They immediately gathered in Uzurinami's room and decided to have a 'family meeting', although it was only the two of them already.

In the dark room where even the game lights were gone, Youtaki was questioned by Uzurinami.

''--Hi, Yotaki. Why?　How did this happen: ......?　Lake Nagi, my dad, my mom, and all of this now: ......!　It's not normal!

Yotaki couldn't answer.

The reason for this is because he felt that if he told the truth as it was, his brother's spirit wouldn't be able to sustain it.

'That day ......, that day?　I wished for 'magic' in the middle of the day and stopped, so that's what happened ......?　Nah!

But his brother, alone, was on the verge of arriving at the 'answer' that the cause was the training of 'magic' in the past.

To his sister's silent affirmation, Uzurinami continued his pursuit.

'Hey, Yotaki ....... Just answer me this one thing. Am I ......, this me, the primary cause of all this?

Even if he doesn't answer, his brother can get to the 'answer' alone if he has the time. Deciding that there is no point in continuing to be silent anymore, Yotaki opens his mouth.

''Ever since I learned of the ...... concept of 'magic', it seems that my brother has been unconsciously using an incomplete 'magic'. So even now, the 'slice' is still looking at your brother alone, all the time. As if to tell you to pay for the miracle of 'magic': ......

”Well, 'magic' debt ......?

Now, let me explain--

The reasoning of the world, such as ”magic”, ”compensation” and ”curse”, is revealed to my brother one by one.

The truth of the past few years of too much made up life, trembling in his thirsty throat, he 'answered each other'.

Uzurinami, who received it, smiled with tears in his eyes and let out a snatched voice.

''--Ko, this is ......, even you can't do anything about it, can you?

'I couldn't. ....... Sorry.

'Ha, haha ....... Hahahaha!　So everything since that day was 'magic' ...... and a lie!　The kind dad and mom, the kind dad and mom, that Lake Nagi's words, everything!　I wish it were a mirage, but it's a lie?　Yangtaki!

Uzurinami shouted mercilessly what Yotaki had been trying to avoid thinking about all along.

The replacement for the 'family' they had finally found was a 'make-believe'.

At the truth of this, Uzurinami spilled the tears that had gathered in her eyes.

'It's ...... a difficult place to be. However, surely it wasn't all a lie. It's just that there's a high probability that he was saying and doing things like that as a result of being interfered with and guided by the 'demon poison'--

While saying it, Yotaki thought it was impossible.

Certainly, there would have been a child originally named 'Mizuse Lake Nagi'. The family register from birth to death had been confirmed, and the existence itself was real.

However, there's a high possibility that that abnormal mental (or spiritual) strength was 'magic'.

Under the influence of Uzumi's 'magic', he had become such a well-formed child, and it makes more sense to think that his fate was being played with so that he was forced to come into contact with the Aikawa family.

''That means it was a lie!　You're talking about playing with her mind and her life!　That can't be allowed to happen--!

The whole time, Yotaki tried not to think about the truth of it, but Uzurinami would speak for him.

Unable to deny it, Yotaki shuts down completely.

However, his brother continues to monologue.