NOVEL WEB Chapter 56 – Mismatched Destinies
“Dear Iroha, I hope this letter finds you well.”
“That’s too formal, isn’t it? I’ve never written a letter to a friend before, so I’m not sure what I’m doing.”
“I just wanted to apologize for what happened last time. I got inside my own head and made a mistake. All I wanted to ask was if you wanted to work together more often. Kinda like a job. I know you can’t fast travel to the capital, so I was going to ask if you wanted to travel together by foot.”
“That was pretty much it. I don’t know why I made it into such a big deal. Sorry about that.”
“I was waiting for you to wrap up things with Carol so we could talk, but I ended up going back to Ebrilyon’s capital. I didn’t know how long that was gonna take, and you gave me a lot of ideas that I can’t wait to start working on. I’m still planning on visiting Rocky Ridges, so we can talk again. Please consider my request. I think we really make a good team.”
“If we somehow end up missing each other, look for me in the capital. I’ll always be happy to receive you, so please don’t hesitate. I hope to see you soon.”
“Yours truly, Ririna Windfiel.”
“How’s Carol doing, Hecate?” In the House of Imaginary Boundaries’s main building, Katja stopped Hecate as she left the infirmary room.
“It’s not good. She’s still in dreamland.” Hecate let out an exasperated sigh. “She refuses to wake up despite everything I’ve tried. There’s no logical explanation for her condition.”
“I see… Even the doctor we called didn’t know what to do, so it’s unlikely that you’d fare any better. She said that there was nothing wrong with Carol, so don’t worry too much. She could wake up at any moment.”
“Then why hasn’t she woken up? She’s been unconscious for days now. There’s not even anything wrong with her. This is not normal…”
“I know how you feel, but you can’t neglect yourself to take care of Carol. Have you slept properly since we brought Carol to the infirmary? The last thing we need is you getting sick as well.” Katja put her hand on Hecate’s shoulder, soothingly.
“It’s a curse. Carol was cursed. That’s the only explanation, Katja. She must have been possessed by some kind of evil energy. It’s not a doctor that we need—it’s an exorcist!”
“Sorry, but you need to calm down, Hecate. Do you know how ridiculous you sound? You don’t usually panic this much. You took care of me with a smile when I got a hole in my stomach. What’s gotten you so bothered this time?”
“The unknown is humanity’s greatest fear. No matter how much blood you spill, I know you’ll be fine once your condition stabilizes. But that’s not what’s happening here. We don’t know what’s going on with her, and her body is not as strong as ours.”
“I know… I’m worried too. Just don’t start screaming that it’s because of a curse.”
“Don’t you think it could be?” Hecate crossed her arms and rested her cheek on her hand with a pensive look. “Think about it, Carol and Iroha were both acting weird after Carol’s disappearance. Isn’t that strange?”
“Weird how? Isn’t it a good thing that Carol is finally getting along with Iroha?”
“That’s the only good that came from that whole thing. But what if they ran into some monster that put a curse on Carol? And why hasn’t Iroha been showing up anymore?”
“It’s unlikely they ran into any monsters without telling us. Both their weapons were in perfect condition when they arrived. The same level of polish as my usual work. As to why Iroha has not been showing up, I have no idea. Maybe she got busy with school.”
“A coincidence like that would be irony on fate’s behalf. She got busy with school just as Carol entered a coma? That’s ridiculous. She was coming and going straight into the forest every single day for the past few days without saying anything to anyone. Then, as soon as she stops coming, Carol doesn’t wake up anymore. You’re telling me that’s not strange?”
“Sorry, but you know that’s not true. We saw Iroha on the day we carried Carol to the infirmary. She was already unconscious before Iroha stopped showing up.”
“But why did she decide to vanish now when we needed her the most? I knew it. We’d be better off if we never took her under our wing. She’s not the same as us.”
“You’re going too far. The doctor couldn’t wake up Carol, you couldn’t wake up Carol. What difference would Iroha being here make? She was the one who found Carol in the first place, so don’t be too harsh on her.”
“I know it’s not her fault, but I’m still upset. I just don’t understand her. Can we really trust her? She always does something that makes me doubt her, only to follow it up by showing me I can trust her. She’s too inconsistent.”
“I get how you feel, but don’t think about that right now. Carol’s the one you should be focusing on right now, not Iroha. And yourself too. Don’t neglect yourself too much.”
“Taking care of myself isn’t going to help Carol.”
“Worst-case scenario, we might have to take her to the lab. One way or the other, she’s gonna be fine, so don’t worry too much.”
“You wanna offer her as tribute to the government? Did you forget we came to the House of Imaginary Boundaries to escape their grasp?”
“It’s not like we’ve completely escaped, is it? We’re still working for the government. They’re not gonna do anything to her, though. Other than the bad taste it leaves in our mouth, everything will be fine. As long as Carol gets better, who cares?”
“*Sigh…* I suppose you’re right…”
“*Sigh…*” I think I may be at my lowest low right now. I don’t feel like doing anything. I wanted more free time before, but now I’m just not doing anything. I’m back in my apartment, but I don’t feel like playing anything, and I can’t even bring myself to watch anime. Truly my lowest low. With the exception of the computer’s screen, my place is completely in the dark. I couldn’t make the effort to let in some light. Maybe that’s why I’m feeling so down. I’m not photosynthesizing enough to function. I mean… My life right now is no different than that of moss tucked away in some dark corner.
If only it were that simple… If getting some sunlight was the solution to all my problems, life would be so much easier. This is my punishment. This is punishment for my sins. “…” That sounds like something Hecate would say… It’s completely true, though. I messed up, and Ririna got tired of me. She was probably going to confess, but I was a coward and used Carol as an excuse to run away.
She gave me the benefit of the doubt and asked me to talk when Carol was feeling better, but I still couldn’t do it. I spent two days hiding from her in the real world instead. I can’t even blame her for anything… She left the letter saying she’d go back to meet with me, but she never showed up. Day after day, she never showed up… “*Sigh…*” Why am I such an idiot?
I should go see Carol… She’s been at the back of my mind ever since she showed me that weird spell around her ankles. I have no clue what that was, but I’m kinda worried about her. She said she felt normal, at least. I hope nothing’s changed since then… I should really go see her and talk to her… I know that… But I really don’t feel like it… She’s probably been trying her best to find more information, while I completely forgot about it. I’ve only been thinking of meeting with Ririna. I can’t tell her I haven’t made any progress… She would kill me.
Is my life just that hard? It feels like I have to work so hard to get one little thing, only for everything to be taken away the moment I stop for one second. I got a bit nervous when Ririna started acting all serious, and now we’re here. “What am I doing?”
I got up from the desk and grabbed Ririna’s letter again. This makes no sense… No matter how many times I read it, it still doesn’t make sense. Why does she apologize? It’s all my fault. What am I missing? She said she was going back to Rocky Ridges to meet me. Since she didn’t show up, that means she doesn’t want to meet me anymore, right? I don’t get it. What’s even going on? Life is so confusing…
Like the thing with Carol. She and the other girls have been near portals before, but no one has ever experienced any memory loss. What happened with Miyuki, then? Why did her memories change so much? It’s so confusing. At this point, the only possible explanation is…
*Ding dong!*
What was… that? Is there someone at my door? Wait, why? I don’t remember ordering anything… I got up from my chair again to see who it was. I looked through the door hole and…
“Huh?”
