Lonely Castle in the Mirror

by Mizuki Tsujimura

Lonely Castle: (1) A castle situated off by itself. (2) A castle surrounded by enemies, with no hope of relief forces arriving.

She had no idea why, but in the mornings, her stomach, and sometimes even her head, pulsed with pain.

Say a strange power did come into play and Aki fell in love with Ureshino. Would that be the original Aki who Ureshino had fallen for? If somebody manipulated your thoughts and feelings, would you still be the same person as before?

What made her happiest, and most relieved, was if they all left her alone. But she still wondered if it was going to be like this forever.

“I’ve been wondering this for a while,” Masamune said. “Why were we all summoned here from the same school—Yukishina No. 5 Junior High? I was thinking there must be some reason. I don’t know if the Wolf Queen intended it that way, but I was thinking we could all help each other.” All help each other.

What sort of reality did this girl face that made her feel it was preferable to be eaten, for it all to be over?

He sat up. “I’ve been thinking about it. In 2013, the year you live in now, I’ll be, what, forty-three . . . or forty-four? Hard to believe, but a decent age, I was thinking, though to you I’d be an old guy. An adult, in other words.” Subaru laughed. “That’s why—that’s what will be my goal from now on. To become a game designer. Then you can say, ‘A friend of mine designed this game,’ and it’ll be true.”