CH 235

June 13, 2022

automated audiobook: https://youtu.be/nY9RzOscNcs

===*

A note:

Sorry for the delay.

It is much longer than usual. This one chapter is probably about 4 chapters long.

===*

Tl note:

It’s actually 3 chapters long, but… damn you, author…

===*

My brother Ran brought me three bottles of medicine.

I took the first one he told me to take, and soon after, I lost consciousness, and I woke up the night before the WGCS main tournament, roughly after 7 pm.

Several days of sleep… or, more accurately, coma. It was a drug that forced me to rest by turning off most of my brain functions.

It is a very strong drug, and they probably also used some kind of anesthesia to make me sleep continuously for days.

There is no way to get such deep sleep with a single dose of the drug, and if such a drug existed, it could put people into eternal sleep.

Nevertheless.

As soon as I woke up, my headache came back, but my consciousness was now very clear thanks to the fact that I had completely rested my brain, even if it was only for a few days.

The WGCS is a tournament held overseas. But the troublesome immigration and participation procedures for the tournament itself and everything else related to that matter had already been completed.

It is a good thing that Ran is so thorough in doing things. Should it have been Ron, it would not come to my surprise that she had made the mistake of forgetting them.

While checking the situation, I also filled my head with the information I had gathered over the past few days.

I don’t have any new information that would be useful for the WGCS, But I still do it out of habit.

“ara…? I found you.”

While flipping around the mass of information, I found an unexpected piece of good news.

It was information on a player I had been looking for the past year.

Her player name is [No. 666].

When I first started playing Zero Wars 3, I was matched with her only once and suffered a crushing defeat.

It was a surprising found after just one match. A mysterious genius player whose talent is probably comparable to mine and Nana’s.

She has not fully developed her talent yet, but there is no doubt that she has great potential.

Because she was active for less than a month, her name only appeared infrequently and then disappeared.

It was so regrettable because I finally found the person I’ve been the person I wanted most for my team, which will be fully launched after this tournament is over.

“I’m not sure if I’ll be able to recruit her by crushing her entire organization or by buying her with money… Well, I guess it would be quicker to ask her about that in person.”

The person in question was a little hesitant to talk. The reason is that she was the subject of a project that was being undertaken by a religious company, a company that is, to put it bluntly, is bad news.

A talented individual is valuable, but just because you want them doesn’t mean you can get them at a moment’s notice.

There are times when peoples fight over such individuals, and above all, the most important thing is the will of the person itself.

That said, if the person in question really wants it, I could always forcefully put this child under my wing.

But somehow, I had a feeling that I could get her without doing that.

I don’t have any proof. But my clear mind tells me that this was something that was bound to happen.

“Rinne-sama, your schedule for tomorrow…. oh, did something good happen?”

“Just a bit of good news.”

“That’s good then. Hmm, it’s been a long time since I saw Rinne-sama smile.”

Karin, the maid, said and brought tomorrow’s schedule and a map of the venue.

Once I see something, I don’t need it anymore, but it’s never a bad thing to have it around. Especially since there have been many cases recently where I have suddenly lost consciousness, making it a bit scary to rely only on my own memory.

By the way, it seems I was smiling just now. I wasn’t aware of that at all.

“Did I?”

“Yes, I don’t remember seeing it for the last two years. The day Rinne-sama came to see Nanaka-sama, you looked distressed by the time you came home. Was it because of the medicine that Shiran-sama brought for you?”

“I guess so. I am sure that was the first time my body is rested in a long time.”

The headache during my waking hours is exactly the same as before taking medicine. The pain is caused by an overactive brain, so it’s not like it solved the root of the problem.

However, my body, which had been heavy for a long time, felt much better because the lack of sleep was temporarily resolved.

And after the accumulated lack of sleep was resolved, my vigor also came back. I could not even move without Karin’s help before, but now I can stand up by myself and organize information.

Of course, I am still far from perfect, but at least I have recovered enough to be unconsciously excited.

“Tomorrow is the big day, isn’t it? What do you think the odds are?”

“I don’t know. The qualifying round is in a different block from Dokuro’s, so I should be able to stay in the tournaments until the final day. However, I can’t read too much about that day. I can use my mind more delicately than before I took medicine, so I can predict a little better, but it is still far from certain.”

“I see… those [things that are not as they seem].”

“And Dokuro is not the only enemy.”

Dokuro is definitely the most difficult to read.

But the WGCS is simply a tournament where only the best players in the world gather.

Everyone is a much better player than me, a pure gamer. It will be a serious battle where the slightest misreading or carelessness can be fatal.

But that’s exactly why they are so easy to read.

“Well, I’ll manage.”

“…This is rare. You sound almost like Nanaka-sama.”

“What do you mean?”

“You are so optimistic that you did not even consider making a mistake. The words you exchanged with Shiran-sama the other day, almost seem like a lie.”

“Ugh, I was reflecting on that …well, it’s true I couldn’t afford to make a mistake now either. But the more I think about it, the more I realize it wasn’t something that I had to put my concentration to.”

I let my weakness show to my brother… though I know it was inevitable.

I’m not sure how many people I turn to when I’m at my weakest. It was probably only three, Ron, Shiran, and Nana.

I am too stubborn to show my weakness in front of my brother Ren, mother, or father, and I won’t show my weakness in front of Touka at all. Other relatives were out of the question, and it was the same for my viewers.

So, when Ran’s brother came to me, the lid of my feelings was loosened. And that’s what happened. I don’t regret it, but I do feel ashamed.

Even though I feel better after taking medicine, I still don’t know how to get over this Dokuro guy.

But I know that I can’t. I can’t do anything about it.

Rather than lamenting the fact that I can’t do something, it is better to take it easy and think about something I could work with so that I can be more thoughtful when the time comes.

“For now, I’m just going to get myself in better shape.”

“That would be good. Do you want some late-night snack?”

“Yes, please.”

“Right away.”

After seeing Karin leave the room with her light steps, I went over the information about tomorrow’s opponents again.

As I did not know if this good physical condition would last until tomorrow, I needed to do more simulations right now.

There are only two days left. I don’t know if it will end with tears or laughter, but in order to grab the victory, I should start my desperate last attempts.

☆

The two remaining medicines my brother Ran gave me were painkillers.

In essence, they were just headache medicine. But since my headache is caused by a different reason than normal headaches, the approach must be very different from the usual.

That’s probably why they had to go to the trouble of developing a new drug, but the details remain unknown to me.

All that mattered was that I concluded it to be safe after testing it, and it did improve my condition, albeit slightly.

“Rinne-sama, you look great.”

“Fufufu, I’m in the best shape I’ve been in years.”

My whole body is filled with strength, and because the headache has weakened compared to last night, my thoughts are even clearer.

I am definitely in the best shape I have ever been in. I don’t even feel like I’m going to lose in the qualifying rounds.

“That is perfect. Now, from this point forward, it is a players-only area. I will be joining Toki-sama and cheering from the audience seats.”

“It will be my please, and mother… you come….”

“I’m sure Kouki-sama is here as well. I think the only one who is not here is Ron-sama, isn’t it?”

“I there any good reason to gather my family? I’m sure everyone is busy, but they have gone to a lot of trouble to come here to watch the preliminary rounds.”

“That’s how much they love you, isn’t it?”

“I know that. I’ll see you later.”

I turned my back to Karin, and she saw me off with a smile, and I proceeded to the players’ waiting room.

The players who pass by each other from this point are all famous people who would surprise you just by looking at their names. I was sure that they were all fierce competitors who could be at least at the top of their countries, and everyone looked nervous.

Even I have enough feelings to get nervous when I meet a famous person. Unfortunately, I had studied the participants of this year’s competition in such detail that I could even dream about them, so I was tired of looking at them and was in no mood for pleasantry.

Just before I arrived at my waiting room, I noticed a man standing in the middle of the aisle.

“You must be Rinne, right?”

“Yes, it’s nice to meet you, Kaiser.”

The man speaking to me in heavily accented English was a black man dressed in B-boy attire. He was about the height of a garden lamp, but he didn’t seem intimidating.

This is Dokuro, the world’s number one prize-winning professional gamer, the emperor of esports.

In fact, he is not only a professional gamer but also a b-boy, or a breakdancer, which means he must be famous in that world as well.

The encounter with the man most loved by the Goddess of victory was both sudden and unexpected.

“Wow, stop. No matter how many times I hear it, that still sounds so lame. Don’t you think so? Witch of Strategy.”

“But you don’t hate it, do you? Kaiser.”

“I love it! After all, it makes me feel like I’m the center of the world, doesn’t it?”

“You’re like a child. I guess what they say about you is true, isn’t it?”

“What kind of person spends his life playing games isn’t a kid? This is the world for people who can’t grow up yet.”

Dokuro laughed with a template laugh that could have been accompanied by a handwritten sound effect like “HAHAHA” in a comic book and seemed to be truly enjoying himself.

He was cheerful and seemed to have no worries at all.

Exactly like the information I have on him to the point that it makes me feel astonished. It is rare to find a person who is so open and honest.

“What, you’re leaving already?”

“I’m not here for pleasantry, or are you?”

“No, Not really, but whatever. I just came to check on you because I was curious since you had not done any stream recently, and I was relieved after seeing you in person. You look in the best shape you’ve ever been.”

Is he so bored that he came all the way to see me for that reason, or is he just that wary of me?

Well, I knew from the beginning that he would come here today to see me.

We met without a second’s delay, and every word he uttered did not deviate from my prediction.

“Unfortunately, I am in my best shape. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Yeah, I’m looking forward to it. I’ll be waiting for you at the top.”

The clear blue eyes peering through the sunglasses are sparkled with excitement while radiating composure like someone standing on the top. It seems that Dokuro didn’t feel any pressure at all.

“I envy you… Oh, I forgot to get your autograph.”

After voicing my jealously, I suddenly remembered.

One of my few Japanese gaming friends had asked me to get Dokuro’s autograph if I could see him. Sorry, it seems I forgot about it.

“I see, so that’s the direction I’m heading.”

I have never felt this before.

There are so many things in the world that I don’t know.

And I can’t get the knowledge unless I see it. The world is full of unknowns, and as long as humanity only has a finite amount of time, it will continue to be true.

So this is what it feels like to ‘forget’.

It is not completely gone, but it is hidden in a haze and obscured from my view. And as soon as I remember, the haze clears.

A function that has not been implemented in my brain since I was born is now beginning to operate.

I was hit by a chilling sensation as if my feet were crumbling, and I involuntarily wobbled on the spot.

“Fu… I didn’t expect this.”

Are the side effects of the drug to forget or destroy memories?

Or is the medication irrelevant, and I simply have no time left?

My brother Ran said I would go through hell; certainly, this is a horror that can’t be compared to a simple pain.

My times, I have thoughts that the ability to perfectly record everything without a chance to forget the good and the bad is a curse. But is it really this terrifying to have forgotten something?

In either case, there was no doubt that the talent on which I had relied had begun to wither.

☆

Perhaps it was because the slight headache that had persisted for some time after I took medicine had completely gone away, and I was in excellent physical condition.

I won the preliminary round so easily that I wondered what my pre-match fear was all about.

The number of Zero Wars 3 participants in the WGCS main tournament was 96. In the preliminary round, this number was divided into two blocks of 48 players each, and four matches were played to halve the number of players in each block.

The rules for the preliminary round are quite simple: the top 24 players in order of total kill points will advance to the final round.

If there are more than 25 players with zero kill points, or if there is a tie for 24th place, the top player is chosen based on average survival rank.

After four matches, it’s usually settled, and that was the case this time. I only had 6 kills, but I was still able to qualify with a comfortable margin.

(I had a perfect simulation. Everything was working just the way I wanted it to.)

After the match, I checked the record of each player, and all of them were exactly what I had predicted.

Everything from the starting point to the route they take, from the weapons they pick up to who they fight, or how they win or lose.

It’s not widely known, but Zero Wars 3 actually has fixed initial weapon placement patterns scattered throughout the field.

The total number of patterns easily exceeds 10 thousand , so it would be impossible for an ordinary person to memorize them, and if you only memorize about 100 patterns for the placement of “universally strong weapons,” you can consistently win the fight.

And that is my area of expertise.

When a match starts, I immediately check the placement of several items. From there, I can determine which pattern will be used this time.

I can determine who goes where based on the thought process of each player. That is how many traces I did using their play style and habits.

Just because they land in the same place doesn’t mean they always behave the same way. Their subsequent actions will vary greatly depending on the placement patterns of weapons and supplies.

If they meet and start fighting, their behavior will change again, and if players who hear the sound join the fray, the pattern will increase.

Thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even millions of patterns. To predict how all 48 players, including myself, would behave, it was necessary to run that many simulations for each match.

Among the countless patterns I drew up, there was not necessarily one route that would lead me to victory.

For example, this time, I only had 6 kills, but it does not mean that I could not have had 10 or 20 kills depending on the route.

People’s psychology, on the other hand, changes quickly. If [Rinne], who tends to stand out in a bad way even in normal ranked matches, gets a noticeable result now, she will be marked from the first round in tomorrow’s final.

That’s why I had to win as narrowly as possible in order to maintain a low profile.

As a result, today’s victory was ideal.

I didn’t stand out, I didn’t do anything too difficult, and I was able to go into the final round with a lot of energy in reserve.

(With this, five more games to go, and it’s ended.)

During these five games in the final round. Nothing much has changed in terms of what I have to do.

Survive. And kill. Anyway, if I managed to earn the most points in these five games, I would be crowned the WGCS champion.

My heart beats loud to think that I’ve come this far.

And the euphoria after coming this far.

Also… the fear of defeat.

“….Nana, give me courage.”

When I was about to get nervous and confused, I remembered my best friend’s smile and calmed myself down.

Tomorrow, I will show you the culmination of my work as Rinne Takajou.

I will defeat the world’s best in order to seize the glory.

☆

“Today is the last day….”

The next day. In a room in my hotel, I was lost in deep emotion as going back to my situation in the past.

Although I had taken the same medication as yesterday, an uncontrollable pain was still eating away at the marrow of my brain.

The things my brother Ran gave me were only painkillers. Since it did not cure the root of the pain, it means that the worse it gets, the worse the pain gets.

The reason I was in good shape yesterday was that I was forcibly drawing out my potential, which I had not been able to fully use due to the pain I was enduring.

And it certainly cut down my time.

The medicine that will boost your final brilliance.

That’s what Brother Ran said.

The reason he forced me to recover my health with sleep, and the reason he gave me medicines that were not doping pills, but purely painkillers, was because he knew this was what I would be going through.

What was hidden by the extreme pain was the full potential of my gift.

Apparently, my brain’s computing power still has one more level that hasn’t been shown yet.

“Rinne.”

“…………”

“RINNE!”

“Oh, Ran. What’s wrong?”

I responded to my brother Ran’s call with some unease, as he had apparently visited my room without me being aware.

“I came because I won’t be able to talk to you before the game. Did I disturb your concentration?”

“I’m fine. I wasn’t focused on anything.”

I was just feeling some melancholy and wasn’t really making any predictions for today’s match. I was just trying to keep myself busy until the final round.

“Do you think you can beat Dokuro?”

“I was not sure, but thanks to you, I saw the light. Thanks, Ran-nii.”

“I see. I’m glad I could be of some help.”

After saying this, Ran quietly closed his eyes and fell silent.

In the battle against Dokuro, it is necessary to win a direct confrontation no matter what. If I leave it to others and hope for others to beat him, I will definitely lose.

And no matter how much you try to predict in advance, in a direct confrontation, you are forced to make decisions in real-time.

That is why I had no vision of winning a week ago. I was so exhausted and in pain that I was barely able to move my hands.

But now, it’s different.

My reflexes are still hopelessly slow, but my brain and body are more than enough to make up for it. I am confident that I can manipulate the mouse on a microscopic level, and I can read Dokuro’s thoughts.

Well, Dokuro is the kind of guy who can get out of such a pinch with his mysterious good luck towards the end of the game.

But no matter. If the Goddess of victory loves him, then I should just destroy that Goddess.

“…why do you look so bitter? I thought you were here to give me encouragement.”

“I’m sorry… I can’t help but wonder if this was the right thing to do. Rinne, has this challenge been a satisfying journey for you?”

I couldn’t help but laugh when I saw my brother Ran’s regret-filled eyes.

He had arranged everything up to this point.

He even supported me so that I could give it my all.

Even though I hadn’t asked him for advice or anything, he was always watching over me.

And above all, he pushed me forward without ever stopping me.

And yet, at the end of the day, he would ask me if I had any regrets.

The weight of the love he has for his family is the same as it has always been.

“Ran. I promised Nana that I would have a victory party and eat a lot of meat when I get back home.”

“….oh.”

“I will tell her that I’m the best in the world. And I’m sure she’ll smile happily and say, [congratulations], without knowing what I’m talking about.”

“I’m sure she would.”

“My satisfaction is such a small thing. I just want to be someone I can make Nana proud of in case she comes back someday.”

I want to be there to help her when she starts walking again, even though she is probably standing still now, wandering in the dark.

I want to see the perfect form of cursed talent that has been wreaking havoc on us, and I want to see the end result.

“So watch me. I no longer need to predict what they will do. I will create the future I want with my own hands.”

I stopped at the last moment as I took the final step toward the goal I had been pursuing so long. And at that very moment, I heard the sound of the last wall blocking my path crumbling down.

☆

The final round of that year’s WGCS, Zero Wars 3, produced a terrifyingly calm outcome.

Winners and losers shifted rapidly from game to game, with the winner of the first game instantly eliminated in the second game, and then get a mediocre result in the third game.

By the end of the fourth game, there was only a 15-point difference between the top and the bottom of the standings, an unusually close race.

At the end of the four games, it was Rinne who was in the lead.

She was the one who was the best in each match, yet she was able to consistently survive and earn kills until the second half of the match.

Her presence was so inconspicuous that both the players and the spectators were left scratching their heads at the fact that she was standing at the top score.

Even though she was in the first place, the difference between her and second place was only one point. The situation in which anyone from the top to the bottom of the standings had a chance of winning the tournament created a unique and tenacious tension in the audience.

Rinne then set up a big move in the fifth and final match.

The fateful fifth game. The decisive battle between the two divine players occurred right after the start of the match.

Rinne, who had been surviving mainly by sneaking around and earning points in the second half, challenged Dokuro. It was an invitation to a duel right at the start of the match.

The crowd went wild. Both players were now the favorites to win the tournament, and everyone had been expecting a “big late-game battle,” but it happened right at the start of the match.

The fight drew so much attention that it was accompanied by deafening screams.

Dokuro described the fight as follows:

“During the fight, you don’t know who you are fighting. You know, you can’t see the names. But that one time, I understood right away. She was a crazy player who rushed in with a pistol in her hand, with almost no weapons or items as her first move. I was definitely caught off guard by this play. She didn’t give a shit about the winning theory. I’m sure it was a completely calculated move, including the fact that she came down from a precise blind spot to attack.”

Rinne went to drop his strongest opponent at the very beginning of the match. That’s when he was least prepared. It was a play far removed from Rinne’s original counter style of reading the flow of the game and accurately setting traps to lure them in.

“But that is a trivial matter. At least I won’t get killed off with a single pistol shot. I was on my toes, but I was calm, and as I was trying to regain my disadvantageous position and fight back—”

Dokuro, who Rinne had absurdly attacked right at the start of the match, was unlucky enough to have drawn a pattern in which only recovery items and magazine magazines fell, and he was unable to pick up a bulletproof vest, helmet, or, above all, a decent weapon.

Just like Rinne, Dokuro had only a pistol, which lacked firepower. Nevertheless, the conditions were completely in Rinne’s favor in terms of positioning and stance. Dokuro was too badly positioned to fight back, so he ran away to keep his distance.

“That is… was undeniably a divine move. I was supposed to be completely out of the line of fire by running into the building, but two bullets reached me. You know about the rumors, don’t you? The magic bullet – Freikugel, the sure-hit bullet from the magic bullet shooter.”

Dokuro’s HP had been cut in half by the surprise attack, but he had plenty of recovery items and was able to launch a counterattack in less than 10 seconds.

Therefore, Dokuro was stalling for time. But at the moment when he looked away for a moment, Rinne released two bullets.

It was truly a sure-hit, sure-kill shot that Rinne had fired with everything she had.

“The two bullets passed through the gap in the door and bounced off object beyond it. And it was a clean headshot! I was knocked out in the first 20 seconds after the match started.”

That’s right. The [Esports Kaiser], who was the favorite candidate for the championship winner and had the fourth-highest score, unexpectedly became the first player eliminated in the fifth and final game.

After that, Rinne followed her usual style and steadily gained points, and in the end, she won a one-on-one battle with the second-place player to take the top spot in the WGCS.

All too easily. And more dramatically than anyone else.

In that game, Rinne was godlike. And I’m not talking about how she cornered me but rather how she decided on the last shot with the [magic bullet]. It was something that couldn’t have been done by calculation alone. No matter how good the computers in this world are, it is impossible to aim and hit the ricocheting bullets. Except for the rumored [Witch of the Magic Bullet], that is.”

The Zero Wars series is unique in its ricochet system, a devilish system that has been researched all over the world and has yet to be completely controlled by any player. Even the developers have announced that complete control is virtually impossible.

“Still… at that time, Rinne was able to shoot the “magic bullet” with conviction. That is the only truth. It’s not a miracle or anything. It’s a victory that she grasped. After all, computers are made by human hands. A monster that surpasses human knowledge would be able to defeat the impossible.”

The defeated emperor left the interviewer with a hearty smile on his face.

WGCS: TPS category.

Game title: Zero Wars 3.

Winner: Rinne.

The match of the century, which saw the birth of the first female pro-gamer to hold the WGCS title, ended in an unusual manner, with the winner being hurried to the hospital after losing consciousness immediately after the match.

☆

I woke up with slight pain in my head.

It took me a few seconds to remember my name.

My mind was so muddled that I almost didn’t recognize who I was, not until I was slowly clearing my thought, which had been painted completely white.

I am Rinne.

That’s right. I’m Rinne Takajou.

“……Yes, that’s right. I was in a competition. Um, yes, I beat Dokuro, and I…. won the match… I think?”

Winning the WGCS. The words ignited my heart, hard and fast.

“Yeah, you won. Hey Rin, do you know who I am?”

A voice I knew.

This voice, yes, this comforting voice.

Oh… Ron’s voice. Yes, that’s right, it’s sister Ron’s voice.

At that moment, a rush of information poured in. No, it would be more correct to say I just remembered it.

The white ceiling and Ron’s face were reflected at the tip of my vision.

“…… yeah, I remember. I won. I did. I was finally reaching the top of the world.”

“That’s right. you got you a trophy, too.”

I looked at the spot where Ron was pointing with his thumb and saw a huge trophy that must have been over a meter high.

“It’s huge.”

“It is uselessly huge. But it’s fancy, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, I like it. How long have I been asleep……?”

“About a week. Should I tell you what’s been going on lately?”

“Please do…”

“You can tell me if you’re not feeling well. Now… where do I begin?”

This is what Ron told me.

I was unconscious right after the match was decided, and soon after, the MC shook my shoulder because I was not moving at all, and then I fell down headfirst.

My nose was bleeding from overuse of my brain, and my face had turned completely blue, so it appeared that a tragedy had occurred.

Fortunately, no one was injured, but the venue was in an uproar. An ambulance was called immediately, and I was taken to the hospital for a thorough examination and hospitalization.

The result of the match itself was not overturned, and it seems that the awards were given without the main actress.

I’ll have to apologize to the spectators, and the event sponsors later…

My period of unstable brain waves lasted about three days after that, and it took another three days for it to settle down before I finally woke up.

So, today is six days after the WGCS.

“….Oh, did Nana call? We were supposed to have dinner three days after the match, but I stood her up.”

“She did. I sent her a message while you were sleeping. [Forgive me, I’m too busy right now, so we’ll meet another time, okay?], and she replied, [Sure. Good luck with your work]. She also said you don’t need to worry about it. Now, how about thanking your thoughtful sister for all her efforts?”

“Yes, thank you… But I’ll have to reschedule….”

Relieved by what sister Ron told me, I tried to rise my body slowly.

Only now have I finally noticed the tormenting headache had completely disappeared. My body is definitely fine, but my brain has been foggy for quite a while.

Perhaps noticing my condition, Ron’s sister sighed.

“I guess you’ll never get back to normal. How much do you remember?”

“I’m sorry, I don’t even know how much I remember. I just think I remember most of my family and Nana. And some of the last few days before I lost consciousness.”

I honestly thought my memory would be more torn. I was prepared for it to be so bad that all I could remember was my name or something on that level.

Then again, I could say that I was in such a state right after I woke up.

But you know… this is awkward. I could not remember everything clearly, except for the memories of my Nana. When I recalled myself in those memories, it was strangely easy for me to accept that I was Rinne Takajou.

Then, starting with that, I was able to remember many things. I remembered bits and pieces of my family and the days when I was in pain, as well as the taste of victory that I had grasped in the fifth and final game of that tournament.

To be honest, I can hardly remember anything else. I just know my own personality, and I can’t remember others.

I do remember the time I was working in the Takajou group. Then I wondered what kind of people I was giving directions to when I was working for them.

I couldn’t remember my in-game friends, my social networking followers, my viewers, my opponents, or anything. I just couldn’t remember anything about other people.

Also, I feel like information is slipping out of me from right to left.

I used to be able to take it all at once and remember it all vividly, but now I can’t remember most of the information coming in from the outside. It almost like like water on a colander.

I wonder if normal people study in this condition.

I guess my advantage was tremendous back then when I could remember everything easily.

“I can’t remember what I can’t remember, but I know that doesn’t bother me.”

“If that’s the way you feel, that’s fine, and it is also possible that given enough time, your ability will be healed.”

“I don’t care if I don’t get better. It’s easier now.”

“I see. So, how was the competition? Did you find what you were looking for?”

I still remember that day vividly.

I remember that the surprise plan to hit the decisive battle with Dokuro at the very beginning of the tournament stung.

The unlimited and unrestrained prediction of the future, as if everything would move as I will.

At that time, I was definitely exercising my superior arithmetic ability than anything else in the world.

I forged the future with my own hands, and without the slightest deviation, I walk on the path of confirmed victory.

“I felt like I understood everything. I guess that’s what omnipotence is like, isn’t it? I could envision the future as I wanted and do everything I wanted to do. I was able to see the same world as Nana for a short time. It was a great feeling above all else!”

I didn’t have to worry at all about what would happen if my predictions were wrong.

No, that’s wrong. I was confident that everything would work the way I wanted it to.

I’m sure it wasn’t just because I was fully awakened at the time, but I’m sure it was the moment when all the hard work, confidence, and skill I had accumulated over the years came to fruition.

That was literally my culmination.

“I’m glad to hear that. I’m going home now. I’ll let him know what you just said.”

“Thank you.”

“Oh, by the way, Karin told me that Aunt Toki was really worried about you; you’ve been reckless for three and a half years, be prepared to get plenty of her wrath at best!”

“Ugh……”

Sister Ron dropped the bomb at the last minute and ran away.

My mother was certainly supportive of me, but that doesn’t mean she wasn’t worried.

“It can’t be helped. Let’s honestly accept her scolding.”

I rolled the body that had been waking up onto the bed again and covered it with the sheets.

I was a little depressed about the mother’s sermon that would come immediately afterward, but I looked at the trophy displayed in the corner of the room and was filled with an indescribable sense of delight.

A silly thought slipped as I saw the blue sky that could be seen through the window, and I thought about what kind of restaurant I would go to with Nana when I got back home.

===*

We will return to the tournament in the next chapter.

===*

Tl note:

I’m not going to lie. I enjoy Rinne’s past too much.

And I don’t need to spoil it, but I believe you all know who 666 is…  it was too obvious author!!