The Protagonist’s Party is Too Diligent

[Cosplay?]

[Cosplay!]

[Looks great!]

[Mia-chan so cute! Mia-chan so cute! Mia-chan so cute!]

Well, it’s rare for someone who doesn’t watch anime to be watching our stream, and since there are people like that, it’s natural there are those who showed up at the event we attended.

So, just because we don’t reveal our photos doesn’t mean people won’t see us in costumes. Someone will post our pictures anyway.

These days, the concept of portrait rights is widely spread, so if permission is ambiguous, people tend to cover their faces when posting, but internet broadcasters exist somewhere between celebrities and regular folks.

So, we revealed the photos we took ourselves during the stream. Of course, we erased anyone wandering around. It wasn’t just a solo job; we picked a few good shots and took turns working on them while setting a time.

The one who mainly took the pictures was Claire. Among us, she had the best camera skills.

The camera we bought for the last vlog turned out to be very useful. The weather was clear, so our faces were captured very clearly.

And among all, Mia’s cosplay was the most popular.

“……”

In reality, Mia was so embarrassed she couldn’t even properly look at the chat.

Normally, she wouldn’t stutter while speaking on stream even when wearing a costume, and she didn’t hide that she loved magical girls, but it seemed seeing her name pop up in the chat made her a bit shy.

[Charlotte, you look great too!]

[You look just like you popped out of an anime!]

Hmm.

If we’re being picky, they came straight out of a game. When considering the story, it felt like a parallel world different from the game.

“……”

Charlotte also seemed unsure of how to respond when reading the chat. But she didn’t look displeased. Who would dislike being told they resembled their character while cosplaying?

[But Sylvia, it doesn’t seem to suit you…]

[Your smile is awkward…]

[You don’t really give off a fairytale vibe…]

[More like you’re here to assassinate a queen, right?]

“……”

And I was also receiving attention in some sense. Rather than compliments like Charlotte’s, it was more like I had the vibe of a ‘fan character’.

I found it annoying to receive these taunts from viewers despite finding it a hassle to be corrected by Charlotte during our work.

Especially remarks about assassination were annoyingly plausible even to me. In the game, Sylvia tried to assassinate her father, and I had my experience with that too.

If I banned those comments completely, people would say I’m being petty.

“……Well then, let’s wrap up the photos for now.”

[Are you sulking?]

[Is Sylvia pouting?]

“……”

My fingers itched to move the mouse, but I held back.

“You did well, Sylvia.”

Alice, who was looking at me from the side, praised me and patted my shoulder.

But that look on her face seemed like she was just teasing me.

“I’ll be fining everyone who just mocked me for the next 10 minutes. Reflect on yourselves.”

[Ahhhhhh!]

[Unfair fine! LOL]

[Isn’t this dictatorship?! LOL]

After fining those two below, I felt refreshed.

“Sis……”

The gaze of Claire, who was looking at me, was quite piercing, but that was bearable.

“I don’t know when we’ll have the chance again, but I had quite a bit of fun this time, so we might go again next time.”

[It’s too bad you didn’t get on stage.]

“I’ll consider it for next time.”

Even if I do, I wouldn’t be going up myself, though.

*

After warming up for a total of one hour with Just Chatting, we finally turned on the Chronicles of Aetherna after a long time.

So…

Uh…

Ah, right. It was right after Sylvia got stabbed by something and had a gaping hole in her torso.

Of course, that doesn’t mean the hole was visible; she was still stuck in the tentacles.

…….

But I don’t think I would have gone that far if it were me.

Did Sylvia in that world have no other choice?

[……May you all find peace. Everything you have figured out, you will return it with your own hands—]

The game started by showing the situation right before the last screen goes dark again.

Sylvia’s chest was pierced, and she was lifted into the air. Just looking at it, it seemed extremely painful. Sylvia’s face wasn’t visible, but that looked like a certain death to me.

[Sylvia!!]

Alice screamed.

Claire was on her knees, with a vacant expression that was never seen in her usual self.

Even Charlotte, with whom I had built a friendship, and Mia, whose relationship was just improving, had similar expressions.

Let me emphasize again; this was very much different from the happy ending I had hoped for.

[————.]

The background music was silent. Even the dubbed voices were unheard, but dialogues were being displayed on screen.

The speaker of the dialogue—

“Order?”

Seeing the name displayed, Alice frowned.

It wasn’t “Goddess of Order,” just ‘Order’.

In this game, ordinary names often reflect ‘self-claims.’ Characters who use pseudonyms have their pseudo names revealed, and those who don’t mention their names are referred to as ‘the guy with OO colored hair’ and ‘the girl with OO lips.’

So it’s likely that ‘Order’ is also a self-proclaimed name.

[In the end, you choose such a path.]

And slowly, the metallic shine of the tentacles that pierced Sylvia’s body began to rise.

What appeared at the end was a faceless woman.

No, rather than a faceless woman, it would be more correct to say a woman whose face couldn’t be seen. The glow of blue light on her face made it impossible to see how she looked.

It looked as if the halo drawn around a religious saint had shifted from behind the head to the front of the face.

And if that halo were not white but a pale blue, it would be similar.

A foreboding yet grand, probably Latin song played in the background.

[Despite having given the ability to correct time—no, the ability to rectify the world, why do you ultimately prolong the chaotic time?]

The tentacles dropped from the woman’s back and soon vanished like dust.

Sylvia’s body dropped down. Thud. In a motion that was not very good for this game, that appearance was expressed with odd delicacy, making it look quite painful.

Blood flowed beneath Sylvia’s corpse.

[Death was an option, and you could have reached a more perfect conclusion.]

[Don’t insult Sylvia!]

Alice shouted.

[I don’t know what happened, but Sylvia fought until the very end for us!]

[That is the problem.]

The goddess folded her hands reverently before her belly. Though, she didn’t look particularly reverent.

With neat attire. It was identical to what Sylvia was wearing.

I wonder if there’s a woman behind that glow who looks just like Sylvia?

[The existence created by mimicking my appearance is not perfect.]

“Wow…….”

Claire, peering at the screen, sounded impressed.

Indeed.

If I had truly seen it, I would have had a similar reaction. Of course, I would have ended up like that, flattened out there.

……So, seeing that the goddess was “not the Sylvia in the game” and had brought me here was likely to prevent scenarios similar to this game from happening.

Perhaps the reason she still doesn’t reveal her true form in front of me until now—could it be because of this game’s ending?

[You needn’t worry too much, everyone. There will be another chance. I shall take responsibility and change this world into a place filled with order once again, since I have regained my power—]

[No way!]

Leo yelled, reaching his hands forward, and the screen slowed down…

……Nothing happened.

And the somber background music that had been playing came to a complete stop.

[……could it be……!]

As the goddess turned her body,

[Protect Sylvia!]

Leo shouted.

Rather than comprehending Sylvia’s secret, he probably quickly judged the situation and made a decision.

Leo ran to block Sylvia and many children who followed him surrounded Sylvia.

And,

[Sylvia!?]

Alice knelt beside Sylvia.

Cough, Sylvia spat blood.

But she was still alive.

[Sylvia, just hold on a little longer! I’ll do something—]

[Of course. I cannot die yet.]

Sylvia’s eyes looked at Alice, then towards Leo in front of her.

[……Everything is prepared. I have connected the world and time, calling forth the goddess into this realm. At least in this space, the ‘rules of Order’ should flow.]

Sylvia said slowly while closing her eyes.

[However, regarding the power to rearrange the world as you wish, the ‘time’ that you refer to is still within my grasp.]

[……!]

[You all. Please return everything you have figured out with your own hands.]

Sylvia said so.

[Not as a mere remnant, but as the protagonist of fate, walking time on your own.]

……Ah, that’s cool.

……I want to do that too.

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