Section Eight: Far, Yet Close Things

Master!

Ahh, thank goodness you're all right...

But there's no time to lose. We need to get out of here right now!

Hah! You actually made it!

You're the Master of Chaldea, right? Feels like I've been waiting for you forever.

Welcome to what you might call this world's...backstage area.

My name's Rokujou.

I'm the one who assigned the five admins to their districts and imposed order on this world.

...Would you believe it?

？！

Rokujou? Enough of this nonsense!

No doubt you're just another fake Shadow Servant the Holy Grail cooked up, only you're based off of Sei Shounagon.

And if you are, then you can't possibly be the one behind all this.

Someone else must have gotten ahold of the Holy Grail first and used its power to make you!

Now tell us! Who was it!?

... ...

You.

Huh?

(Sigh) I knew it. You really had no idea.

You're the one who made this world.

You're the one who made me.

This whole place, Murasaki Shikibu...

...is YOUR dreamworld.

What are you...? Don't be ridiculous!

？！

R-right!

Yes, we Servants may see visions through our Master's eyes from time to time, but they're merely flashes of our memories from when we were alive.

I can't possibly have dreamed up this world!

Hey, don't get me wrong. You're not telling me anything I don't know.

But are you sure you can't think of something unexpected that happened recently...

...that could've led to a Servant dreaming an impossible dream?

Something...

...unexpected?

Ah.

？！

Ahhh!?

Putting aside the question of how chocolate of all things could even knock a Servant out in the first place...

Once you fell into a trance, your mind formed a connection to a different plane of existence...

...and just happened to make contact with a Holy Grail that had formed there.

That, in turn, led to this world being made in the space next to your subconscious mind's deepest recesses...

...all while your ether bodyand even your Spirit Coreremained in Chaldea.

Only your disembodied mind exists here in this world.

So when you add all that together, don't you think "dream" is the best way to describe the result?

No... No! This can't possibly be my dream!

I've never so much as touched a Holy Grail, let alone possessed one...

...and above all, I would never, ever wish for a world as cruel and twisted as this one!

A Holy Grail, you say?

You mean like this one?

？！

How... Why do you have that!?

Hah!

You see, Murasaki...

I'm exactly like the Sei Shounagon you've looong imagined me to be.

I stole the Holy Grail in this world before you woke up...

...and used it to turn this world into my own personal plaything.

What do you think?

I mean, that's just the kind of thing the Sei Shounagon you envisioned would do, isn't it?

Oh, wait, I already did it. Ahaha! Sooorryyy!

？！

Then, does this mean the malice from my own heart...

...made you....

...and twisted this world so cruelly?

Ahahaha!

Oh man, you should see your face! It's priceless!

You know, I just remembered something.

Remember when you told us your hypothesis about who was really behind all this?

YOU tried to bluff ME, even though you are this hilariously awful liar! Ahaha, it was the funniest thing I've seen in ages!

Still, you WERE on to something. I guess it's not for nothing you were known as a real clever one.

Ahaha, after all, I did turn out to be the one behind all this, just like you suspected.

I hate you for siding with Lady Shoushi and Lord Michinaga, and all I want is to make your life miserable!

Isn't that juuust what you wanted from me?

You should be happy about this!

Oh, why the long face! You should be happy about this! You got what you wanted!

... ...

Sei Shounagon...

Hm?

The real Sei Shounagon...is an even greater airhead than I had thought.

She's much too chummy for her own good, and she refuses to even try and gauge others' moods...

？！

But even with all that said...she isn't you.

I know that now, thanks to this dreamworld.

Well, what do you know.

You almost made me cry, bitch.

Huh?

Hwachaaaaaa!!!

The heeelll!?

？！

Down with ostracism!

Do you know why I'm angry!? It's not 'cause I'm sad about being left alone or anything!

Anyway, never mind that now.

I'm getting the vibe you guys were all in on seriousness, huh?

Okay then, I'mma start over to be safe. Take two! Action!

Nagiko!?

Wh...wh-where did you come from?

Oh, you know. I just followed the pings on my friendship radar.

H-how could anything I just said have possibly made you think we were friends!?

I never said anything of the sort, right, Master!?

？！

You? What are you doing here?

I thought I shut out everyone the Holy Grail summoned to make sure they couldn't interfere.

So how did you break in here?

Oh, that? Well, I don't really know much about all this Holy Grail stuff...

...but is this what they look like?

？！

That fragment...

Of course. Those two fragments must have originally made up a single Holy Grail!

If the shock of splitting apart caused one fragment to start acting up and making this twisted world...

Then what if the other, assuming it still worked as it's supposed to...

...plumbed the depths of my consciousness for someone with whom I had a connection...

...and summoned them here as a Servant to act as a miniature Counter Force against that world?

？！

Huh.

So that's how it is, huh?

Rokujou!

You guys think I'm some kind of twisted perversion...

...and that obnoxious latecomer party girl is going to set me straight?

Are you kidding me with this crap? You're all really starting to piss me off!

Well, I don't care what you guys think. I'm going to decide what's right and what's wrong for myself.

And there's nothing you or anyone else can do about it.

Whoa!

Now that I got a better look at her... Is she me!? She is way more fire than I thought!

Are you freaking kidding me!?

How could you only just realize!? Didn't you hear her explaining it like a minute ago!?

？！

Be careful, Nagiko!

That Servant is named Rokujou, and she's the copy of you behind this whole incident!

And, furthermore...

I...I'm the one who made her...

... ...

Ohhh, I get it.

So this is how you saw me, huh, Kaorucchi?

"A smug and conceited woman who considers herself the gods' gift to the world."

Man, no wonder you threw all that shade at me. I look like a total bitch.

Um... Weren't you just complementing her?

Not even close! Take a closer look!

We might look similar, but she's just an imitation of me in my court days! I can ratio that, no problem!

Back then, I had all kinds of different experiences that helped me grow and mature...

...and develop such, um...grown-up sex appeal that I couldn't hide it if I tried...

... ...

Right, Chan-mas!?

？！

What? I'm so goddamn sexy now. Hell, the sex appeal is practically coming off me in waves!

I'm sure there are many interpretations of what gives someone sex appeal, but now is not the time to discuss them!

... ...

You are just...totally clueless, aren't you?

Hm?

You, a mature adult? What a joke.

Let me guess: you've been telling yourself you've grown as a person since then.

Decided you should just let bygones be bygones and everyone can be friends now?

I'm guessing that's all the thought you put into your silly so-called friendship, and even that might be giving you too much credit.

But I know what you're really thinking, because I am you. And I know you haven't grown up at all.

You can laugh it up all you want, but deep down, you hate everything so much it makes you crazy, right?

So go on. Let it all out.

Michinaga... Shoushi... Murasaki...!

They're all responsible for taking Lady Teishi away from you, right!?

So what are you waiting for!?

YouI...have every right to curse them to hell and back!

... ...

Yeah, maybe you're right.

Nagiko!

... ...

Hey, Kaorucchi?

Y-yes? What is it?

Sei Shounagon's role was done when she finished writing "The Pillow Book".

I didn't have any other stories I wanted to tell, and I didn't feel like coming up with one, either.

I hoped Lady Teishi's soul would get to rest in peace, but whether it did or not, it was out of my hands.

So I thought, if I sacrificed "The Pillow Book" and the name Sei Shounagon...

...maybe that would be enough to help her, even just a little.

So that's what I did.

So...you gave up everything you had as Sei Shounagon...

...to soothe Empress Teishi's soul?

Once I did, that was it.

Who I am now is more like the dregs of tea at the bottom of an empty cup.

I'm no longer sad, or resentful, or anything like that.

I still love Lady Teishi, and that will never change...

...but aside from that, I'm just fake old Nagiko.

...!

No... You're wrong! You're not fake at all!

Believe me, I would have been much more at ease if you had been!

？！

Master...?

... ...

？！

？！

？！

... ...

...Tahaha.

So that was your game there, huh, Chan-mas? Well, you got me. You got me right in the feels.

So the opportunity I got from being fake was Valentine chocolate, huh?

I guess friendship chocolate, chocolate from your mom, and chocolate given out of obligation might not be the same as chocolate from your true love...

...but maybe it's also okay for them to convey feelings that are just as genuine as true love.

Maybe, even though I'm fake... my feelings can still be real.

Hmm. You know...

That was pretty sentimental of me just now, wasn't it, Chan-mas?

Are you done?

Rokujou!

Are you still

How touching.

I think I threw up a little bit, so thanks for that, but...

Did you really think that was going to change my mind?

That I'd be so convinced I was wrong I'd just hand over my Holy Grail like it was no big deal?

Well, if so, you were wrong. That's not happening.

This resentment and anger are all I've got. This grudge is who I am.

If all of it went away, I'd probably disappear with it.

So there's no way I'm going to let that happen.

If I can't at least curse you to death, Murasaki Shikibu...

...then there's no point in my even being here!

Oh no!

Rokujou's feelings are resonating with the Holy Grail fragment! This is terrible!

She's trying to destroy the entire dreamworld, and us along with it!

Well, I can understand how she feels. She is me, after all.

And believe me, I used to have plenty of anger myself.

If I'd held onto them... I could've easily ended up like her.

... ...

But, I'm not gonna do that now.

Right now, I'm more pumped up than I've ever been before.

And since you two are here to watch...I think I'm gonna show you just a bit of how badass I can really be!

Huh...?

Is this...Kyoto...?

It can't be... Is this... Did you create a Reality Marble!?

What ultimately thawed my sad, frozen heart, were my memories of more brilliant, colorful days...

Don't worry, young people! Just be happy!

What you smiled about yesterday will ease your sadness and lead you onward to days yet to come!

Paint over all of them, Pillow Book!

Emotional EngineFull Drive!!!

... ...

Right.

That's how I made it through the days.

I made a beautiful field of flowers in my mind, and I'd retreat to it whenever life became unbearable.

I really am a pitiful, hopeless fool.

But for me...the version of me consumed by resentment...

...this scenery and feelings...are pure poison.

Rokujou...

So come on, other Sei Shounagon. Let's finish this properly.

I refuse to become a complete fool like you, so I'm going to end this here and now.

I'll curse you all to death...

And when I'm satisfied that I've had my revenge...

...I'll disappear along with you.

Fine by me! Just don't expect me to pull my flying kicks!

Come on, you two, don't just stand there!

Huh!?

This is really, truly the final battle!

R-right! Understood!

？！

... ...

... ...

Does this mean I lost?

Yeah...I think it does.

I see... You know, easy as it might've been, nursing a grudge forever was a lot more boring than I thought.

Would you believe it?

The Holy Grail fragment... Ah!

？！

Does this mean that...

...the Holy Grail is back to normal now?

I thought I left it behind, but I guess it came back to me.

Oh well... Wouldn't be the first time that happened, right?

Okay, Chan-mas, here you go.

？！

Just like that!?

You both wanted this, right? So you can have it.

But, if we take this back with us, then...

？！

Aah! What's going on!? It's freaking me out!

Oh, wait, never mind. This just means I'm getting sent to the Throne...

...and that everything that happened here is gonna be inscribed in my record...

Hmm... Well, that's kind of a shame. I was having so much fun.

... ...

...Please, make sure you remember at least that much.

After all, it wouldn't be fair if we were the only ones to remember, would it?

Bahahaha! That's a hell of a tall order there, Kaorucchi!

But okay. I'll do my best to somehow make myself hold onto it.

？！

Nagiko... No, Sei Shounagon...

There's one thing I always wanted to ask you if I ever got the chance.

Did you... D-did you, um...

E-ever happen to read

"The Tale of Genji"? Yup. The whole thing.

!

As for my impressions... It shined so damn bright it almost bummed me out.

It grabbed my heart and wouldn't let go, but it always had a warm and familiar feeling to it, too...

In fact, that might've been the first time I stayed up all night to finish a book because I couldn't put it down.

I mean, I could never write anything like that no matter how hard I tried.

So getting to spend all this time with its author, well...

It made me really, really happy.

Ah...

I-I also, um...

Oh, wait, hang on.

I really hated Hikaru, though.

Would you just go already!?

Wahahahaha!

And of course, I can't forget you, Chan-mas! Thanks for everything!

？！

？！

... ...Hehe.

Don't you remember? I already promised I'd come to see you again.

All right, you two, take care!

And don't forget to say hi to all the others for me!

Bye-byyye!

... ...

Sei Shounagon... A smug and conceited woman who considers herself the gods' gift to the world...

Even now that I've met her, I'm still at a loss as to how to describe her.

She certainly was...a lot, wasn't she?

？！

Yes, I...

I enjoyed myself, too.

Oh.

Now that we've collected the Holy Grail, it looks like my mind is losing its connection to this world.

I would have liked to have said goodbye to everyone else before leaving, but I suppose I won't get the chance now...

... ...

Master...

Now that this dreamworld has lost the Holy Grail that made it...is it going to simply disappear?

？！

？！

？！

？！

Hehe... Yes, I suppose you're right.

I'd like to think so, too...

All right, we should probably be on our way.

And once we get back, it's sure to be Valentine's Day at Chaldea, too!

It should be right around... Ah.

There it is. Hehe.

I haven't read it in a very long time... but I think I can make a special exception today.

In spring, it is the dawn that is most beautiful. As the light creeps over the hills...

？！

I see. Congratulations on another job well done, Senpai.

Still, I have to say...

It feels like it's become a sort of Valentine's Day tradition for something to go wrong, hasn't it?

I'm only sorry I wasn't able to help you out with this one. Anyway, this latest world revolved entirely around chocolate, huh?

Well, knowing you, Senpai, I'm sure you'd be able to get along just fine in a world like that, right?

？！

I can see that you've already gotten lots and lots of chocolate from everyone else again.

Is it too late for me to give you some as well?

Or, maybe...

...you're so sick of chocolate by now you don't even want to look at any more?

？！

？！