Bad Ending 2

"I'll explain it all from now on. You deserve to know."

Perloché began her tale as she stepped forward, her gaze fixed on Irina, who had been staring at her with a cold expression for a long while.

"Listen carefully. I'm only saying this once."

"Yeah."

"And even if you don't understand, just memorize it."

"What?"

"You're good at memorizing things. If something happens to me, pass it on to Frey exactly as I say it. He'll understand."

Irina blinked in confusion at those words, while Perloché quietly continued walking along the roadside.

"The illusory world manifested in the system's trials isn't actually illusory."

"Then what is it?"

"It's sending the trial's target back to the past. Or, to put it more precisely... to an 'old save file.'"

Irina frowned at Perloché's sudden use of strange terminology but soon closed her eyes and began quietly committing her words to memory.

"The visions Frey saw in the first trial were just one of the events recorded in countless save data files."

"The first trial?"

"The second trial sent him to a save file recording a bad ending that ended poorly."

"Wait, what's a... 'save file'?"

Irina, who had been silently memorizing, cautiously asked. Perloché, walking along the street, shot her a sharp glance.

"I said just memorize it."

"N-No... I need to understand it at least a little..."

"I'm kidding. I have to explain that much at least."

Not wanting to bicker, Perloché sighed and slowly began her explanation.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"The first hero discovered an amusement called 'games' that existed throughout the world, where progress is saved in a format called 'save data.' And players can reload that save data anytime."

"Uh... games..."

"Frey must have told you about Blacktail Fantasy, so you get the idea, right?"

Irina nodded, and Perloché sighed again, resuming her steps.

"Of course, that's for normal games. Blacktail Fantasy has a different structure."

"How's it different?"

"If you 'fail' to clear the game, you have to 'retry.' Start over from the very beginning."

Perloché spoke with exhaustion etched on her face, then stopped abruptly and looked up at the sky.

"Save files just become a means for the trial to mock the player. By showing their past mistakes and failures, it saps their will to move forward."

Perloché looked so utterly dejected that Irina found herself drawn toward her without realizing it.

"I have the ability to 'retry' by returning to the first save data."

"What?"

"Think of it as the power to regress to the starting point."

Glancing at her sidelong, Perloché whispered in a low voice.

"Hundreds, thousands... no, countless times I've regressed."

"Wh-Why..."

"To reach one single possibility. The one possibility that was destined to happen no matter what."

Perloché smiled faintly as she said that.

"Me becoming Frey's partner, leading him to face the third trial—the greatest secret—and you infiltrating that trial. An impossible probability that was at the same time fated to occur."

Tears streamed from her eyes as she spoke.

"And finally, we've reached that possibility."

"...I don't get it."

Seeing Irina still confused, Perloché smiled gently.

"The third trial is a bit special. It sends the trial's target to the very first save data among them all."

"The first save data?"

"Yes, the initial record that connects to every save data that follows."

Wiping away the tear trailing down her cheek, Perloché continued in a trembling voice.

"The world we're in right now... is the pure world before countless branch points and timelines diverged."

"Hmm... It's complicated, but I kinda get it."

"At the same time, it's the world I arrive at every time I retry."

With that, she took Irina's hand and started heading somewhere.

"Do you know who I saw every time I retried? Every time Frey, still kind back then, tried to erase his memories?"

"Wh-Who?"

"You, Miss Irina."

"M-Me?"

"I've seen you countless times standing beside young Frey, fumbling as you activate the scroll."

Wearing a worn smile, Perloché said,

"And that was the driving force that let me keep challenging endlessly. Your presence there was proof that you infiltrating the third trial was inevitable."

Perloché somehow seemed small yet immense, making Irina swallow hard without thinking.

"And finally, it happened."

"Ah..."

"One coincidence occurs, five on the verge of enlightenment, and you infiltrate the third trial simultaneously... a near-impossible probability."

"W-Wait."

As Perloché beamed, Irina asked in panic,

"D-Does that even make sense? That's a time paradox."

"Pardon?"

"My future self interfering in the past and having a decisive impact? That violates the laws of the world..."

"...'Save data' doesn't simply mean the past."

"Then?"

"It's the record of events in the world made by the gods themselves—the law and providence of the world. So you can't apply common sense to it."

Irina clawed at her hair in confusion, and Perloché sighed.

"When save data changes, it affects every save data that follows. In other words, from the moment you infiltrated the third trial... the records have already been altered across all timelines."

"So, to sum it up?"

Irina wracked her brain to its limit and concluded.

"There's an omnipotent diary, and the world's records are written in it."

"Yes."

"The diary only records forward; you can't check previous entries."

"Exactly."

"But through some method, I successfully opened the diary's first page."

"That's right."

"Since it's not just past and future but an omnipotent diary containing the world's records, all subsequent entries were influenced by my changes."

Perloché nodded, and Irina continued uncertainly,

"Meanwhile, you—the only one with the ability to return to that first page—somehow saw me editing the first page."

"Yes."

"To create the trigger for that event, you tirelessly returned to the first page. For some reason, your plan requires proceeding in a loop where I succeed at this."

"Spot on."

With Perloché's firm confirmation that she'd understood correctly, Irina raised an eyebrow.

"Wait, then how do I get back?"

"When the trial ends, you'll automatically return to your original time. Unlike me, who returns to the very beginning, you're temporarily accessing this save data via the trial's power."

Hearing that, Irina gaped.

"So you have to go through everything from the start again?"

"No, there are ways. Don't worry."

As Perloché busily manipulated her hands, Irina tilted her head.

"What... what exactly ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠were you trying to achieve, going this far?"

Perloché smiled brightly at the question.

"You're seeing it right now."

"What?"

"The temporary power that appeared when you tore the scroll."

Perloché pointed to the window that had been spewing error messages in front of Irina this whole time.

"Wh-What's this?"

"Simple. Using this 'debug mode,' we gain access rights to the save file containing all the truths."

"B-But you just said save files can't be accessed."

Perloché looked approvingly at Irina's sharp memory, then tapped the floating system window in front of her.

"Right. That's why we're hijacking the trial's save data access function."

"Hijacking?"

"We'll hack the third trial using the authority of that foolish bystander god in the scroll you tore... or rather, make a slight change."

"What change?"

"Read what's written here."

Perloché pulled a piece of paper from her bosom and handed it to Irina.

"Trial administrator access rights."

As Irina read the first phrase on the paper listing sentences in order, a massive translucent window appeared before her.

"I'll modify the information."

Staring at the translucent window, Irina declared.

"I'll change the scope."

"From the first save data to the most recent save data."

The window before her shook.

"I'll add trial targets too."

Though startled for a moment, she pressed on steadfastly.

"Add Perloché Astellade, Serena Luna Moonlight, Clana Solar Sunrise, Kania."

As Irina named them one by one, she took a deep breath and finished.

"And... add Frey Raon Starlight."

Another translucent window appeared before her.

"Yes."

The moment Irina declared it to the translucent window, the world began to shake.

"Wh-What's happening? What's going on?"

Irina cried out in terror at the anomaly, but Perloché looked relieved.

"The final gateway... to the DLC."

"What? Final gateway?"

"Now... it's really the end..."

Though Irina pressed urgently, Perloché no longer looked at her.

"I still don't understand so much!!!"

Irina shrieked amid the chaos, and Perloché chuckled softly.

"In the loop where you existed, you five girls including yourself and Frey will now undergo a new third trial under the reset conditions."

"What? To what point?"

"To the cursed loop where it all began."

"Stop with the vague crap! Explain it clearly!"

In the crumbling world, Irina grabbed and shook Perloché.

"Why I got 'retry,' why I know so much, why your memories returned, why the world is like this."

"...Urk!"

"And if the five girls and Frey gain the enlightenment they must in this new third trial, you'll return to the original world."

Then, as the world folded in half, Irina lost balance and began tumbling away.

"Is this enough?"

In the hellish chaos,

"Frey?"

Perloché turned to Frey, who had been standing far off with Serena until then, and asked.

"Will this atone for my sins to you?"

Time had frozen around Frey, of course, so there was no answer.

"Well, whatever. This time, I can finally give you a happy ending."

Undeterred, Perloché continued.

"...Now, time to do the last thing."

She began manipulating the [Debug Mode] window Irina had left behind.

As that question appeared in the debug window,

"Of course."

Perloché calmly entered a word nonexistent in the Sunrise Empire—and this dimension.

"I need to hurry back and apply the third trial."

And the world flipped.

.

.

.

.

.

"Ugh..."

Frey, dazed and disoriented, cautiously opened his eyes.

"...Huh?"

Strange sights filled his vision.

"What? What's this?"

His body was bound with ropes, surly-looking soldiers surrounded him, and right in front of him—

".........?"

All the main heroines he loved dearly stared at him with equally baffled expressions.

".........."

But only for a moment. Suddenly, their gazes turned icy cold toward Frey.

"Frey Raon Starlight, you are under..."

Stepping forward as their representative, Perloché wore a look of contempt.

"...arrest for the attempted murder of a hero."

She declared in a frigid voice.

'I'm the hero, though?'

Frey stared in disbelief, but then—

"Pfft."

A familiar mocking laugh rang out from somewhere. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠He looked up beyond the main heroines.

".....!"

And froze solid.

"What're you staring at? Don't make our hero uncomfortable."

"Filthy human scum, caught at last."

"...The Sun God will not forgive you."

Rosewin, Aishi, and the youngest holy knight of the Sun God Church—sub-heroines added in the second year, whom he hadn't met yet.

"...Disgusting."

"Q-Quickly take him away. I feel like puking."

"Serves you right, you spoiled bastard."

Isolet, whom he admired second only to one person; Lulu, whom he'd desperately tried to save; Ariane, Irina's friend.

And every student at Sunrise Academy was glaring coldly, heaping abuse on him.

"Pfft, heh."

Amid the crowd, Ruby covered her mouth, snickering as if it were the funniest thing.

'What the hell is going on...?'

In the bewildering situation, bound Frey tried to stammer a question, but—

"...Success."

Completely different words spilled from his mouth.

"Finally... finally, success..."

In a voice utterly exhausted, nearly fading.

"Finally, I can give the world... a happy ending."

And thus, the true third trial began.