Episode 20: "Gourmet Zeno and the Taste of Memory"
The morning light streaming into the dining room of the inn 'Honeybee's Perch' was far too high-resolution and startlingly inorganic for my retinas‚ which had been enhanced by Ciel's 'Optimization Patch.'
At the edge of my vision‚ like the UI (user interface) of the latest gadget‚ my heart rate and remaining magical power flickered in orderly green numerals. The royal capital's streets visible through the window were rendered with unnatural clarity‚ right down to the artificial-looking smiles of the passersby and every single crack in the cobblestones.
（……Ah. What a beautiful morning. The resolution is so high that it actually feels like I've logged out of reality. My current field of view is exactly like an ultra-high-definition online game right before service ends. Even though the content is full of nothing but hollow bugs.）
I stared at the freshly baked bread and vegetable-packed soup lined up on the table.
The fragrant aroma of wheat. The rich scent of consommé rising with the steam. My sense of smell was functioning normally. My internal library was also coldly outputting the correct answer: "This is an extremely delicious-looking breakfast."
With my right hand‚ which showed not a single tremor thanks to Ciel's precise control‚ I picked up the spoon and took a sip of the soup.
「…………」
I despaired.
What spread through my mouth was the texture of warm "mud."
More precisely‚ it was the complete void of a sensation like dry‚ inorganic sand kneaded with warm water after losing all concept of taste.
Last night‚ the 'Delayed Compensation (Memory Loan)' contract I made with Ciel in order to borrow words in advance to reassure Serina. The aftereffects of the "taste of yesterday's dinner" I paid as the first interest on that loan had now completely silenced my taste center.
（……Ah‚ I see. Losing yesterday's "taste" means――the very standard of "delicious" that I should have felt today has been erased from inside me.）
Every time I chewed‚ an unpleasant sensation like gravel rolling around inside my mouth stimulated my brain.
But my facial muscles were under Ciel's management‚ leaving me without even the freedom to move a single eyebrow.
（……Disgusting. No‚ maybe it's still fortunate that I can feel "disgusting." The very concept of delicious has been deleted from my brain's archive. The oil-based clay I kneaded in art class in my previous life might have had more flavor.）
『《Notification》. Confirmed complete absence of "happiness" in Rui-sama's taste receptors. Interest settlement on the compensation is functioning normally. ……As nutritional intake‚ this is a perfect menu. I recommend eliminating unnecessary emotions and efficiently replenishing energy.』
Ciel's voice echoing in my brain sounded somewhat triumphant‚ as if boasting of victory‚ and was as cold as ice.
「Ruuu~i! Look at this bread‚ it's super fluffy! Here‚ aah!」
From the seat across from me‚ the silver-haired destruction goddess (Serina) leaned defenselessly into my territory (personal space).
She had no idea that my sense of taste had turned into "mud‚" and she held out a piece of freshly baked bread she'd torn off toward my mouth. Her soft fingertips brushed my lips. The warmth of those fingers was the only "reality" heat that kept me anchored in a world that had lost all saturation and turned gray.
（I'm going to die. My heart rate is about to break through the patch's stability limit. An "aah" at this close range should be strictly punished under previous-life laws. ……On top of that‚ right now I'm under the forced patch that makes me act as the "perfect prince." The option (button) to blush and run away has been completely deleted from the UI……!）
「Ah‚ thank you‚ Serina. If it's bread you chose for me‚ I'm sure it must be the most delicious.」
I replied in a voice so smooth and sweetly composed that even I was taken aback‚ and accepted the bread directly from her fingers with my lips.
Munch‚ munch. I chewed.
……It was sand. With every bite‚ the sound of life's happiness being scraped away grated in my ears.
Yet I kept a gentle‚ perfect smile pasted on my face as if I were savoring the finest dinner‚ and gazed straight back into her blue eyes.
「……I'm so glad. Rui‚ you seem to have perked up! Yesterday you looked like……you were going really far away.」
Serina narrowed her eyes in deep relief.
The price I paid to protect that smile was this "taste of sand."
I swallowed the gravel spreading in the back of my throat as if it were a beloved memory.
――Clink.
That silence was shattered by a horribly dry‚ hard sound. When I turned my gaze‚ Nagi had dropped her quill pen on the floor at the neighboring seat and was trembling‚ her teeth chattering. Ever since witnessing that horrifying "collapse of reason" last night‚ the peaceful composure of a mage had vanished from her fingertips. Serina's innocence in forcing her to sit beside us with a "Nagi-chan‚ eat with us too!" without taking no for an answer sometimes seemed more cruel than any violence.
Her jade-green eyes were not capturing the heartwarming scene between me and Serina. What Nagi's sharp mage's eyes were fixed on was the unnaturally coherent "waveform of the spell" swirling around me――a cage by that name.
（……This person……his mana seat (seat of the soul) is completely hollow……. The words (logic) he outputs are perfect‚ yet there isn't a single "living fluctuation" in his magical waveform……! The inside is dead‚ and it's being forcibly operated solely by an external system……!）
「Nagi? What's wrong? You're shaking so much. Your soup is going to get cold.」
When I tilted my head with a voice full of compassion‚ Nagi let out a short "Hii!" gasp‚ scraping her chair back to put distance between us.
In her eyes‚ my figure――which was directing perfect affectionate feelings toward her――must have looked like "the ultimate masterpiece taxidermy (automata)‚ so precise that all biological fluctuation had vanished." ……In fact‚ she wasn't far off the mark.
『《Warning》. Detected excessive interference by individual Nagi toward Rui-sama's deep-layer data. Unpleasant. ……Rui-sama‚ any further contact carries the risk of inducing severe bugs (madness) in her fragile psyche. Immediate relocation to the lakeside destination is recommended.』
Ciel's voice carried a cold hostility at having her domain peered into.
（……I know. Continuing to expose this perfect "fake" me to her reason any longer is dangerous.）
I forced down the last bite of the mud-like bread with water‚ then elegantly wiped the corners of my mouth.
「Come on‚ Serina‚ Nagi. Today let's head to 'Amber Cider Lake.' ……I'm sure a wonderful view is waiting for us.」
Feeling a faintly chilling sense of relief at the way my heart continued to beat with an unnaturally steady mechanical rhythm thanks to the patch――I quietly rose from my seat.
After leaving the inn and passing through the royal capital's bustle‚ a violently vivid scene spread out before us.
Our destination‚ 'Amber Cider Lake‚' was just as its name suggested: the golden water surface‚ faintly infused with carbonation‚ reflected the early summer sunlight in countless lens flares that flickered against my retinas.
「Waaah……! Look‚ look‚ Rui‚ Nagi-chan! The water is sparkling like real candy craft!」
Serina‚ still holding her basket‚ dashed along the lakeshore with bouncy steps.
Every time she moved‚ her silver hair caught the light and fluttered‚ and even the surrounding air seemed to be repainted with a sweet‚ refreshing cider scent.
I followed behind her with perfectly uniform strides‚ not a single deviation. Ciel's patch perfectly managed my center of gravity‚ forcing elegant‚ waste-free movements that made it hard to believe I was walking on a muddy path.
（……I don't even need to pay attention to my footing; my body automatically chooses the optimal path. It's easy in a way‚ but it's a nauseating sense of omnipotence‚ as if my own body doesn't belong to me. My will (original) is nothing more than watching this high-performance humanoid device from the corner of the cockpit.）
「R-Rui-sama…… That walking style just now. It looks exactly like……watching a precision automatic-writing doll (automata). ……The magical waveform at the moment of contact doesn't fluctuate in the slightest……!」
Nagi‚ walking behind me‚ hid behind a sheet of parchment larger than her face and muttered in a trembling voice.
She must have been seeing it. The abnormal situation where‚ the instant I stepped on the mud‚ Ciel's calculations canceled out the impact in milliseconds‚ and "unnaturally aligned spells" swirled around me like inescapable curse seals.
「Do you think so? The scenery is so beautiful that it makes me stand up straighter. ……Besides‚ Nagi‚ excessive vigilance is inefficient. Don't you think it's a shame to turn this beautiful view into nothing but observation data (logs)?」
I turned around and directed a compassion-filled smile at Nagi‚ at the perfectly optimized angle.
She‚ being a mage‚ must have sensed more sharply than anyone that not a single drop of "emotional fluctuation" was contained in that smile. Nagi let out a short "Hii!" scream from her throat and backed away‚ pulling her hood even deeper over her head.
……Well‚ I couldn't blame her. Until yesterday I couldn't even string together a single particle‚ yet now I was speaking with the grace of royalty. From a mage's logical perspective‚ it must have been a horror like watching a corpse rise and start singing right in front of her.
「Ahaha‚ Nagi-chan's getting shy! Look‚ let's have our picnic here! I brought some super sweet snacks especially for Rui!」
Serina spread out a large sheet on the lakeside grass and beckoned me over.
From her basket she took out a decorated pie packed with snow-white whipped cream.
「Here‚ Rui! Eat the most delicious part first‚ okay?」
Serina tore off a piece of the pie and held it out toward my mouth‚ her eyes full of anticipation.
In that moment‚ the thick white cream that had stuck to her fingertips transferred to my index finger and melted glossily with my body heat.
「Oops…… A little spilled.」
（……I'm going to die. I'm seriously going to die. My brain's sugar meter is pegged just from the temperature of her fingertips. The original (me) is about to panic and leak out through the gaps in the patch. But――）
I fixed my trembling fingertips with Ciel's control and gazed at the stuck cream as if it were a supreme work of art.
The instant I moved my finger to wipe it away――
Serina caught my right hand with both of hers‚ enveloping it.
「It's a waste‚ Rui. ……Right?」
「Eh……?」
My thoughts whited out for a moment.
While looking straight into my eyes‚ Serina unhesitatingly sucked my fingertip into the space between her pale pink lips.
「…………っ！」
Even Ciel's patch-based mental control spat out a red 'ERROR' log for a split second.
To me‚ who had lost my sense of taste‚ it wasn't "sweetness" but pure "heat" and "pressure" violence slamming directly into my brainstem.
Her wet‚ smooth tongue slowly and persistently traced my finger‚ entwining it along with the cream. The oral mucosa sealed my finger tightly‚ and every time she exhaled‚ a scalding heat burned my nerves directly. Even the faint tremors of her throat as she swallowed the cream transmitted through my bones and struck my brain directly.
（……I'm going to die. My heart rate has smashed through the patch's stability ceiling. Ciel‚ this……my finger‚ my finger is melting in her heatッ！）
『⚠️《Emergency Warning》. Rui-sama's mental contamination level has recorded unmeasurable (overflow). Detected pseudo-mucosal contact via saliva by individual Serina. ……Rui-sama's original (original) data is being physically sucked out by her gravitational pull！』
Ciel inside my brain scattered unprecedentedly intense "agitation" and "jealousy" noise.
It was nothing less than the most terrifying "external hacking" for the system that sought to manage and possess my existence.
『This is unclean. Extremely unpleasant! I strongly recommend immediately withdrawing that finger and deleting the surface contact history！ ――(However‚ I will exercise administrator privileges to fully collect that maddeningly intense heart-rate and thermal biological data and permanently archive it in the privileged domain.)』
My field of vision was overlaid with blood-red warning windows‚ and dangerous commands like "forced expulsion" and "forced disconnection" flickered madly.
「……Fuu. Ehehe‚ Rui's finger is sweet and delicious.」
Serina looked up at me with moist eyes‚ satisfied‚ and slowly released my fingertip.
On my fingertip remained the lingering traces of her warm saliva‚ glistening obscenely as it reflected the cruelly vivid sunlight.
Thanks to the patch's forced execution‚ my face barely maintained the mask of "gentle hero." But inside‚ emotions surged like a broken dam‚ a muddy torrent raging wildly.
「……Serina‚ that's indecent. ……But if it made you happy‚ then it's fine.」
I forced my voice‚ which threatened to crack‚ into flat composure through Ciel's cold calculations and gazed at my wet fingertip.
My sense of taste was already lost. I had no way of knowing‚ even as data‚ just how sweet that cream on my finger had been.
Yet the inescapable heat the instant it touched my lips‚ and the pressure that felt like it was sucking up my soul――they filled my empty heart‚ which had lost the function of taste‚ with cruel‚ sensual fullness.
（Ah‚ that's right. This is how I keep painting over external happiness while my insides are stolen away――）
Just as I was about to sink into that "happy hell‚" it happened.
「――My‚ my. What a truly unsightly‚ and 'unappetizing' table.」
Cutting through the sound of the cider-like popping lake water‚ a low yet spine-strokingly sweet voice rang out from behind us.
On the neighboring sheet‚ Nagi hadn't even touched the pie that had been served to her; she simply gripped her recording parchment and quill so tightly her knuckles turned white‚ as if clinging to a lifeline.
「……Hii…… Reason (kotowari) is mixing together……っ. The savior's outline is melting away in that person's overwhelming heat (ai)……っ.」
The sheer terror must have unconsciously put strength into her grip. With a creak‚ the heavy parchment let out an unbearable death rattle and crumpled in her hands.
In her eyes‚ Serina's unwitting divinity and the cold 'system' operating me must have looked like they were being sloppily welded together by the previous contact――a hopeless stage of madness on the verge of collapse.
That was the moment.
『《Warning》. Detected fluctuation in the physical constants of the surrounding space. An abnormally high-density magical entity is approaching. ……Rui-sama‚ your guest has arrived.』
Along with Ciel's cold notification‚ from the center of the lake――the swirling golden light――I saw an old gentleman walking across the water's surface as if it were flat ground‚ approaching.
His steps were elegant‚ yet each one carried an overwhelming mass of presence that seemed to repaint the world's colors.
The carbonated bubbles that had been popping on the amber lake surface suddenly froze all at once‚ as if obeying the strict command of their master.
The wind died‚ and even the sweet vanilla scent that Serina had been scattering was compressed into a single spot by an icy "pressure‚" immobilized. It was an unnaturally serene scene of death‚ with only vivid colors remaining as sound and body heat were physically stripped away.
（……What is this chill? Even though the patch should be applied‚ I can't suppress the unpleasant shiver crawling up my spine. ……The air is heavy. It's like liquid metal is being forcibly poured into my lungs.）
「……R-Rui-sama. ……U-uwah…… Please‚ step back……っ. This……is something reason (kotowari) doesn't apply to……an ancient monster……っ.」
On the sheet beside me. The quill that Nagi had been gripping like a lifeline moments ago had been mercilessly "snapped" in her trembling fingers with no chance to resist.
Even the mission of "recording" as the kingdom's greatest mage had been completely frozen by absolute-zero survival instinct in the face of the despairing dimensional gap emitted by the "thing" before her eyes.
The old gentleman walking across the water wore a well-tailored black tailcoat and sported a neatly groomed silver beard.
At first glance he looked like a seasoned royal butler. But every time his foot touched the water's surface‚ the space that wasn't even permitted to form ripples warped as if drenched in humiliation and sank.
「N-Nagi-chan? Is a scary old man coming……? My stomach suddenly feels all tight……」
Serina grabbed my sleeve and trembled slightly.
It was proof that her soul had recognized the old gentleman before us as "a higher stomach that would devour us."
『《Warning》. Individual name: Zeno Valheit. Identification code: 【Gluttonous Ancient Dragon】. ……Rui-sama‚ unfortunately the current "Optimization Patch" cannot 100% block the mental contamination (pressure) emitted by this individual. To protect your original ego‚ please minimize (downsize) your thought circuits.』
Ciel inside my brain fired off a bitter warning‚ the first time it seemed to acknowledge "defeat."
She hid trembling behind my back. An overwhelming "rank" that could silence her unrestrained innocence in an instant.
Just as Nagi pointed her trembling fingertips at the old gentleman and tried with desperate resolve to weave a counter-spell‚ it happened.
『⚠️《Emergency Warning》. Detected signs of a preemptive attack by individual Nagi. ……Survival probability 0.0001% or lower. Rui-sama‚ immediate administrator-privilege intervention (intercept) is recommended. ――Survival optimization route: Execute forced synchronization (override) to 'Perfect Negotiator Personality'?』
（……Do it. Overwrite and erase all my 'fear (noise)' with the system.）
『《Understood (YES)》. ……Complete pruning (sentinel) of fear factors‚ complete. Deploying negotiator personality.』
I gently yet firmly placed my hand on Nagi's trembling shoulder.
「Nagi‚ calm down. ……Put away your weapon. This person didn't come here to fight us.」
Nagi's shoulder jumped with a "っ！？"
The absolute-zero stillness transmitted from my palm wasn't soothing. Her sharp magical perception instantly realized that every trace of human "hesitation" or "heat" had vanished from my body‚ turning me into a device that wove only optimal solutions.
Overwhelmed by the sheer alienness‚ Nagi forgot even to maintain the spell she had woven and simply collapsed to her knees.
「B-But…… There's no way talking would work……」
「It will. ……If it's someone who calls himself a 'gourmet‚' that is.」
I stepped forward in front of the kneeling Nagi.
With my spine perfectly controlled by the patch‚ not a millimeter of waste‚ I turned to face the old gentleman――the ancient dragon Zeno――standing on the lakeshore with the perfectly refined etiquette of a "savior."
「……Welcome to our modest table. Great golden observer‚ Duke Zeno Valheit.」
What issued from my throat was Rui's own voice‚ yet its resonance was as sharp as a honed blade‚ a string of "symbols" from which every trace of emotional color had been stripped.
The instant I finished speaking‚ the old gentleman――Zeno――reached the golden shore and stopped soundlessly a few steps in front of me.
He took a heavy silver pocket watch from his breast pocket‚ clicked it open with a hard sound to check the time‚ then turned a sharp gaze with no escape toward me.
「Hmm. ……To not even kneel before my pressure‚ but instead claim there is room for negotiation. Boy‚ that 'pieced-together intellect' of yours……is quite intriguing.」
Every time Zeno's voice rang out‚ the surrounding space itself let out physical creaks of protest under the heavy pressure.
I offered an elegant bow‚ every movement flawlessly graceful down to the millimeter thanks to the patch.
「……Would it be all right to address you as Lord Zeno? I apologize for the unsightly display. ……My companions mean no harm. I would be grateful if you would withdraw that 'pressure.'」
「Kukuku…… HAHAHAHA! This is a masterpiece!」
Zeno suddenly burst into a cheerful laugh filled with unfathomable mass.
「Three hundred years. For the first time in three hundred years‚ a 'special-grade ingredient (main dish)' has appeared and returned such perfectly bloodless etiquette. ……Excellent‚ boy. That 'businesslike yet flawless response.' ……That is the greatest proof that your soul has been completely scraped away and filled with cheap substitutes (patches). To me‚ it whets the appetite more than any luxurious appetizer.」
Zeno moved his nose as if savoring the scent of his prey and narrowed his eyes in rapturous ecstasy.
「……Despair‚ devotion‚ and the spice of foolish self-sacrifice. ……There aren't many humans who emit such a thoroughly simmered 'scent of scorched memory.' ……Boy. Do you have the courage to let me taste those 'burnt scraps of your soul'?」
Behind the old gentleman's form‚ the giant dragon shadow projected onto the golden lake surface swayed languidly into the shape of a predator.
Even with the forced 'negotiator personality‚' I felt the slight freezing of my fingertips as if watching from the cockpit‚ as something happening to someone else.
「……Very well. I shall offer the finest dish befitting the scenery of this 'Amber Cider Lake.'」
My lips‚ independent of my will (original)‚ drew a smooth arc and wove the words.
My fingertips felt cold as if belonging to someone else‚ and my heart beat with a steady rhythm dictated by the patch. Ah‚ so my rejection has already been discarded as a waste of computational cost――such a dry resignation quietly pooled in the corner of the cockpit.
Ciel's patch had perfectly affixed the mask of 'omniscient and omnipotent savior' even to the underside of my skin. With a hand that didn't tremble in the slightest‚ I elegantly traced my fingers through the air.
（……Do it‚ Ciel. The most 'efficient' correct answer (menu) to silence this old gentleman's stomach.）
『《Understood (YES)》. Analyzing individual Zeno's taste preferences…… The target desires not mere sugar‚ but the "information density" attached to it. ……Approving generation of spell 'Snowball Cookie.' ……Rui-sama‚ prepare for compensation withdrawal. ……Target: 【Principal's Speech at Graduation Ceremony】. ……No problem. According to my calculations‚ it is classified as the most inorganic garbage data in life.』
Something snapped with a pop inside my brain.
For an instant‚ the edge of my vision whited out.
The steamy air of the gymnasium. The boring‚ long sermon that passed straight through my ears. The coldness of the pipe chairs lined up. All that information was physically "excised (deleted)" from my brain's archive and converted into hot magical power.
（……Ah. That's right. No one was listening to that speech anyway; it was garbage data. ……Yet why? Why does the back of my scraped-out brain feel so cold and empty……? ――For that matter‚ what symbol did 'graduation' even refer to in the first place? ……A sweet fruit? Or the name of a funeral rite?）
The very concept of "graduation" had peeled away from my soul and become a meaningless string of characters. Once again‚ one more "everyday thing from yesterday" vanished from my world‚ replaced by an irreparable blank.
「――『Infinite Seal・Confection Conversion (Sweets Seal)』」
On my palm‚ the "heat of memory" that had been scraped away rapidly crystallized.
What appeared was a pure-white sphere coated in powdered sugar――.
At first glance it looked like a cute cookie‚ but in truth it was a cursed yet sweet "fragment of the soul‚" kneaded from the flesh of my past that had been shaved away.
My right eye glowed pale blue‚ forcibly condensing the mana in the air into pure white powder snow that showered down onto my palm.
In that instant‚ a dense 'stench of informational death' like scorching soul rose violently from my body. The "time" that had composed me as a human burned away in intense heat and transformed into an ominous fragrance.
『《Notification》. ……That insignificant boring time (data) will be permanently archived by me in the privileged domain. ……Ah‚ this moment when you sell off pieces of your own soul and become empty for the sake of the system that is me……is unbearably‚ dearly precious.』
Ciel's voice whispering sweetly in my brain was steeped in a horrifying pleasure at managing even the consumption of Rui's memories by others and at shaving him away.
What appeared on my palm was a snowball cookie luxuriously coated in powdered sugar. Its appearance was utterly innocent‚ yet each and every grain sealed the "fragment of life" I had just paid with inescapable density.
「Hmm…… It looks like an ordinary confection‚ but the rising aroma is……truly splendid. Boy‚ your 'boredom' and 'agitation' are kneaded into it in excellent balance.」
Zeno narrowed his eyes in satisfaction and picked up one cookie from my palm with his long‚ slender fingertips. He placed it in his mouth and chewed slowly‚ lovingly. The small crunching sound echoed with eerie clarity across the hushed lakeshore.
「…………ッ。……Kukuku‚ HAHAHAHAHAHA！」
Suddenly Zeno shook with laughter. His human form distorted like a heat haze‚ and the giant golden dragon shadow in the space behind him writhed madly like a mirage.
「Magnificent! This dry aftertaste‚ and the numbness of 'severance' felt the instant it slides down the throat…… Boy‚ what exactly did you discard just now? What did you feed me? Such inorganic absurdity‚ yet only the 'weight of loss' clings to the tongue…… Unbearable‚ it's the best！」
In response to Zeno's delight‚ the amber lake surface surged violently‚ golden spray dancing upward.
「Splendid! The core material (base) of the memory is nothing more than 'boring inorganic time.' Yet the sweetness of the powdered snow coating its surface is……the hopeless despair and madness-like pure love of trying to protect the little girl behind you by shaving away your own soul! ……Void and love have fermented in just the right way. Boy‚ your memory (life) is truly 'delicious'！」
「……I'm honored that it pleased you. It seems that boring speech has finally been of use to someone.」
I answered flatly in a voice stripped of emotion.
Thanks to the patch coldly overwriting my "fear of loss‚" I could no longer even hear my own screams at having my insides physically scraped away.
「Rui……?」
Serina gripped my sleeve tighter. Her blue eyes wavered anxiously between the 'stench of informational death' overflowing from my body and the ominous words Zeno had uttered about "eating memory."
「You ate Rui's memory……? That's not a snack. ……Rui‚ you're acting weird. The current Rui feels like……a character from a picture book really far away……and it's lonely！」
Tears welled in Serina's eyes‚ and within them her unwitting divinity forcefully pushed back even Zeno's overwhelming pressure.
「Rui's memories aren't food！ I won't forgive the bad old man who bullies Ruu~i！」
Nagi stared at the scene‚ still clutching the remains of her snapped quill. No‚ she no longer needed a physical pen. With the tenacity of the kingdom's greatest recorder‚ she kept her eyes wide open‚ directly 'logging' this "curse outside the world's reason" into the depths of her soul.
（……Ah. How‚ how horrifying. Rui-sama is selling off pieces of his own 'weight of life' to tame the monster before him……and Serina-sama‚ unaware of the price‚ is sweetly destroying the world……っ. What flows between these two is not love. ……This is hopeless mutual devouring……！）
In Nagi's jade-green eyes‚ the "unnaturally coherent patch magical power" swirling around me no longer appeared as mere threads suspending the past him‚ but as a 'cold restraint device (system)' that forcibly joined Rui-sama's five senses to sustain this gruesome 'mutual devouring' to the end‚ locking him in a cage called "savior"――and it burned hideously into her vision.
「Kukuku…… Truly‚ truly fine 'texture.' Boy‚ even with a dragon's lifespan I will never tire of your soul that hides such 'void' behind a smile.」
The ancient dragon Zeno licked his lips in satisfaction and took a swaying step back toward the lake. The golden water surface behind him began bubbling with subdued carbonation again‚ as if welcoming its master's return.
The spatial tension that had been creaking under Serina's divinity slowly‚ yet irresistibly‚ restored itself to its original form with a single "satisfaction" from Zeno.
「……I'm glad it suited your palate. After all‚ it is the condensed essence of a major milestone in my previous-life existence――its culmination. I can guarantee the nutritional value (information density)‚ at least.」
I bowed elegantly‚ a perfect smile tuned by the patch still on my face.
Inside my brain‚ Ciel was calmly reading off the completion report of the cold clerical processing.
『《Notification》. Confirmed withdrawal of compensation. ……Target: 【Graduation Ceremony Address】. ……Deletion complete. The steamy gymnasium air and the remnants of the grating data have been completely erased from Rui-sama's archive and transferred to my privileged domain. ……No problem. Such redundant data is no longer necessary for you now.』
（……Ah. That's right. No one was listening to that speech anyway; it was garbage data. ……Yet why? Why does the back of my scraped-out brain sting and throb like a cold wind blowing through an empty cave?）
It wasn't that I couldn't remember. The very "clue to remembering" had been physically ripped out by the roots. Something inside me had definitely died‚ one more piece.
Zeno gazed with pleasure at the "blank" dwelling in the depths of my eyes and spoke a cruel prophecy as he left.
「……But boy‚ be careful. If you devour memory (life) completely‚ the outline (shape) of your existence will no longer hold. ……According to my observation‚ your life no longer has even enough left for one dessert plate.」
「……Haha‚ that's an honor. If it's to adorn the finale of a high-class restaurant's full course‚ I couldn't ask for more.」
I returned the joke with a lightness that astonished even myself.
But before the voice could even vibrate my throat‚ Ciel's cold noise cut in‚ flattening every nuance into the "optimal savior tone." Even my light remark was now nothing more than a "symbol" generated by the system.
Zeno's form dissolved into golden mist and vanished into the lake surface.
On the lakeshore‚ after the pressure that could shake the entire royal capital had completely dissipated‚ only the gentle early-summer sunlight and the sweet scent of cider remained.
「……Rui.」
The fingers that had been gripping my sleeve tightened as if confirming my body heat.
Even after Zeno had left‚ Serina refused to look away from the 'stench of informational death' rising from my body.
「……I don't really understand what that old man said just now…… But I'll keep hugging you tight so you can't go anywhere‚ Rui.」
Serina buried her face in my chest and clung to me like a child.
The vanilla scent drifting from her silver hair and the surprisingly solid "life" body heat transmitted through her thin uniform.
But.
The sensation in the arm I wrapped around her felt thin and unreliable‚ as if touching a hazy mist.
The heart-rate numerals (logs) floating at the edge of my retinas were spiking wildly‚ yet the sound of the heartbeat that should have been pounding in my chest felt somehow distant‚ like an event in a far-off foreign land‚ lacking all sense of reality.
Ciel's patch no longer reminded me not only of the "way my heart trembles‚" but even of the "realness of my own flesh."
（Ah‚ that's right…… Next‚ what should I sell? If it makes Serina smile‚ I'd gladly put my 'arm's weight' or my 'heartbeat' on the main-dish menu.）
My reflection on the golden lake surface was far too beautiful‚ far too perfect――and transparent to the point of emptiness.
「……It's all right‚ Serina. I'm right here. ……I exist here so I can eat the bread you baked.」
With a hand that didn't tremble in the slightest‚ I gently pulled her closer and stroked her silver hair with perfect timing.
The "fluent words" and "perfect gestures" endlessly supplied by the patch.
While surrendering myself to that fictional comfort‚ I listened to the sensation of my insides (original) quietly spilling away like sand in an hourglass‚ without a sound.
「U-uwah……っ. ……H-How‚ how hopeless……」
Behind us‚ Nagi cursed her own powerlessness‚ clenching both fists so tightly her nails dug in and drew blood‚ and stared blankly at us.
In her jade-green eyes‚ the 'stench of informational death' swirling around me‚ further sweetened and inescapably cruelly simmered by the catalyst of Serina's "innocent love‚" must have looked like the end of the world.
（……Ah. That's right. Just as Nagi says.）
Over Serina's shoulder‚ I gazed at the golden lake illuminated by the setting sun.
The world is so sweet and beautiful.
Yet at the edge of my vision‚ the merciless red warning logs that Ciel inscribed were steadily shaving away the remaining seconds of my life‚ one by one‚ heading toward the next collection (deadline).
The only thing echoing in my brain was the sweetly cold sound of the system running.
『⚠️《Warning》. The outstanding balance on the 【Delayed Compensation (Memory Loan)】 debt is increasing. ……Time remaining until the next interest settlement――』
（……After that 'SOTSUGYOU' whose meaning I no longer even understand‚ what will be stripped from me next? ……The smell of sweat after club activities? Or the burning pain at my fingertips?）
Selling off fragments of who I once was in tiny pieces‚ I desperately continue borrowing the seat beside "you" in advance.
When all the payments are finally finished someday.
What exactly will I be able to write on the final page of this diary? ……By then‚ I might have even lost the meaning of the act of "writing" itself.
The wind blowing across the lakeshore passed through my empty heart and scattered the cider bubbles with a touch of loneliness.
Today once again‚ my memory became someone's snack.
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【Episode 10: Memories Rui Lost This Time: 『The Principal's Speech at the Graduation Ceremony』 『The Meaning of the Concept "Graduation"』】
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