Chapter 74 - Anna's Perspective
Am I alive?
I distinctly remembered the truck barreling toward me. But if I was opening my eyes now, did that mean I had survived? So, was this a hospital? I sat up and looked around, but it didn't look like a hospital at all. The room was larger than mine, decorated with cute trinkets and pale colors—it looked like a typical girl's room. Just then, a strand of silky pink hair caught my eye. Startled, I grabbed it.
「Ow.」
I must have pulled too hard; the pain made me gasp. Wait... pink? A hair color impossible for a Japanese person snapped me wide awake. What's going on?
I found a full-length mirror and stumbled over to it. I peered into the glass with trepidation.
「No way...」
The girl in the mirror was not a black-haired girl. A girl with fluffy, shoulder-length pink hair and wide, clear eyes stared back at me, her face pale with shock. I sat there in a daze for a long time, unable to move. Eventually, a maid and a woman who claimed to be my mother appeared and forced me to change into a school uniform I had never seen before.
Why?
「Anna, what has gotten into you? It's your entrance ceremony, so pull yourself together.」
The woman with the same pink hair as me looked at me with exasperation when I asked her who she was. 『Don't play jokes on your mother so early in the morning,』 she had said. But she called me Anna. I looked at the girl in the mirror again.
I recognized this. She was the heroine of the game I had been playing just before the accident. Anna Carroll. Does that mean... I'm in the world of the game? No, that was impossible. A game world? That couldn't happen. Then, is this a dream?
I remembered a movie I'd seen once about someone having a long dream while unconscious. Maybe that was my situation? The real me was probably in a hospital, unconscious. What should I do? My mom and dad must be worried. Megu too; she's a crybaby, so she's probably hysterical. And Makoto-kun... since I was hit right in front of him, he's probably blaming himself. I have to go back quickly. I have to see him and apologize for making him worry.
How do I get back? I have to wake up. My heart was racing, and the restlessness made it impossible to sit still. I paced the room frantically. I tried hitting my head to see if the shock would wake me, but it didn't work. Instead, Anna's parents started worrying and asked if I should skip the entrance ceremony.
Wait... the entrance ceremony. That was exactly how the game started. So it really is... I really did end up in the game? It seemed impossible, but if it was a dream, maybe it wasn't that far-fetched? I didn't understand anything anymore. Anxiety brought tears to my eyes, blurring my vision. But I had to do something. If this was a dream and I was in a game, how could I get back?
The game, the game. Maybe if I reached the ending, the game would be over? But did that mean I couldn't go back until I cleared it? Calm down, stay calm. I unclenched my fists and saw deep crescent marks from my nails, with slight bruising. Which route should I take to get back? There was no reverse harem route in this game. The secret character was locked until everyone else was cleared, so that was out.
I remembered something Megu said. 『In the prince's route, the Spirit King comes to the wedding at the end! He gives the heroine a blessing as a gift. Of course, the heroine prays for the peace of the kingdom.』
That was it! The Spirit King... I remembered that in the second year, the heroine receives a protection and becomes the Saint. If her affinity is high enough, she can use light magic. I had been just one step away from the ending, so I hadn't seen the wedding scene yet. But I had seen all the events leading up to it, and Megu had spoiled the secret character's information for me. Clear it... if I clear it, I can go home, right?
Yes, I can go home. Because this is a game. Something this bizarre could only happen in a dream. I forced my trembling legs to take a step. I would play the part of Anna. And then I would go back... to Makoto-kun.
That was what I thought, but... Why? Why isn't anything working! The Crown Prince has no interest in me, and the villainess finally showed up in the second year only to neglect her role. I wondered if she was someone else who had fallen into this dream, but when I talked to her at the cafe, she seemed like a game character. Seeing her close friendships made me miss Megu. We used to go to karaoke or cafes after school. It was so much fun. We would lose track of time just talking. No, no, once I go back, I'll be a high school girl again and play with Megu.
Maybe because it's a dream, the events are slightly different from the game. And that villainess... she's not a bad girl. It would have been easier if she were mean like in the game. She seems to get along well with the Crown Prince too. At this rate, I'm the villain. Why did I have to play the part of someone tearing a happy couple apart, even if it was a dream?
No, I can't. I can't get emotionally invested in this game world! They're all characters, it's all a game! If I think like that, I'll never go home. If I don't clear it, if I don't wake up, my real body might die. No, no. Even if I become a terrible person, even if Makoto-kun hates me, I don't want that. I don't want to never see him again. I don't want to never talk to Megu again. My parents... wait, my parents?
What did my mom look like? My dad... wait? Yes, my dad took me to the park when I was little, and on the carriage ride back... Eh? A carriage ride? No, that's not a memory of my dad. That's a memory of my Father. Why? Why do I know memories that weren't in the game? My name is An. My surname is... Why? Why, why, why!
I can't remember. Since coming to this world, I've deliberately kept my distance from Anna's parents. That's why I stayed in the dorms. So why am I remembering Anna's memories one after another? This is a game, right? If it's not... if it's not, then I...
Makoto-kun, Makoto-kun. I'm scared. I want you to say 『What's wrong, An?』 like you always do. I want you to pat my head gently. I won't ask to be your girlfriend or your bride anymore. If you find someone you love... it would hurt so much I'd feel like I was being torn apart. But I would wish for your happiness more than anyone.
God. I'm sorry for thinking this was just a game. I'm sorry for hurting everyone. I don't even care about my own life anymore. I don't care if I don't go to heaven. So, please. Please, God. Don't take away my memories of Makoto-kun. Don't erase him. Just one more time, just once is enough. Even just a goodbye. So, please...
「...Makoto-kun, I want to see you.」