Chapter 88

The Heroine Debate, Erupts

(I enjoyed my break-is not what happened. My place got flooded twice. Because the water carried away my slippers, I had no choice but to go barefoot on the slippery tiles. I slipped and hit both my toe and my head.)

(author: Eight’s true identity that will be revealed in chapter 88 is…!?)

Secret Technique: “The Art of Revealing Facts You Just Learned with a Know-It-All Face.”

…Isn’t it fine? I’m an original protagonist, you know.

Indeed, now that I’ve heard the details from Daat and even watched the original anime Fairy Savers ∞ in real-time (physically), I’ve become a cheat original protagonist with perfect knowledge of the original work.

Of course, I avoided watching any spoiler-filled future developments, so I can’t use my knowledge for precognition.

But still, the sensation of wielding the overwhelming volume of knowledge only an original protagonist with a meta perspective has and having the upper hand… yeah, it feels so good! This emotional upsurge is like, “I kept you all waiting!”

Come to think of it, ever since arriving in Fairy World, most of what happened was exclusive to “∞,” so the knowledge I had of Fairy Savers, which was rampant in the human world, wasn’t all that useful. Being able to watch the genuine anime at Daat’s place was an extremely welcome turn of events in allowing me to take the lead in this story.

Fufufu… and so, I am now the enlightened polymath Eight-chan.

In other words, this means that the cheat original protagonist I was has become even more perfect. Good grief, this is why original protagonist are… Fuhaha, I yearn to know defeat.

…Sorry, actually, I don’t want to know defeat after all.

Of course, I understand the opinion that in fanfiction, it’s better for the original protagonist to take a few losses rather than build an undefeated legend, but I want to go the route of an invincible, mysterious hero character. You don’t like mysterious characters who lose, right? If it has to happen, save it for the very end.

My goal is to be the invincible, undefeated cheat original protagonist. So, hey, anime staff from that world! I’m fine with being featured in the anime, but don’t you dare treat me like some damsel in distress heroine, okay!? Treating me like I’m a delicate girl is absolutely not allowed!

Anyway. The heroine of Fairy Savers is Akari-chan and the heroine of In Fairy Savers ∞ is Mea-chan. That’s exactly how it should be in a reboot anime.

Still though… I’d hate it if unproductive heroine debates started popping up on message boards over there… Everyone’s actually close friends in reality, so I really hope fans won’t fight among themselves.

—Now then, back to the work intervention.

Having finished my break, I stopped watching the anime right as it was reaching its climax. Judging that now was the time to make my move, I headed toward Akatsuki En, the protagonist of the original work. Strangely enough, it felt like I was facing him again after a long time.

Having cleared up a bunch of doubts thanks to my meeting with Daat, I was in peak condition. Using the angel powers I inherited from Daat, I was able to stand facing En in Sefira’s domain, and even meet Charon-sama while I’m at it. Hey, hey.

Well, this place is a kind of a spiritual world connected to Sefira, not the real world.

This is information I was able to confirm in the anime, but my real-world body should be lying in a bed somewhere, and En is probably asleep in an unknown location as well.

The bodies we’re moving now are, to tell the truth, like thought bodies our intentions materialized.

They have the five senses, just like a physical body, and are so elaborate that you wouldn’t notice unless you knew about it, but because their essence is spiritual, they seem to directly reflect the state of our hearts more than reality would.

—For example, how my current appearance is that of Daat’s.

…Yeah. I really didn’t expecting this.

I mean, I can understand the logic behind it, okay? In this Sefira’s domain, where the state of your heart, that is, the way you look at things, is reflected directly, the influence of the mind completely affects how you appear.

In this situation where I just learned the truth that “I am Daat, and Daat is me,” it’s understandable that my thought body in this world would take on Daat’s appearance.

I call this form the Eight-chan Daat Form. Yeah, it’s super cool in its own way. It is cool, but…

As for my body parts, there’s not much of a difference. Daat and I share the same face and physique, and the only clearly difference is that these wings weren’t supernatural ability-generated wings, but ten genuine wings of my own.

But still… Why did even my clothes have to change too!? Especially the legs, shoulders, and back, there’s so much skin exposed, I can’t calm down. I can’t calm down at all.

I was inwardly flustered by my own irregular transformation, but I didn’t let my cool guise be torn off in front of En. In that sense, it’s a relief that one’s mental state doesn’t directly affect this world. Just because it’s a spiritual world doesn’t mean you won’t be able to keep your secrets.

By the time I finished retelling to En, who I had met again in this world, the legend of Fairy World I’d heard from Daat, I’ve mostly gotten used to my current form.

…Sorry, that was a lie. Setting aside my shoulders and chest area, I’m still a bit uncomfortable with the chill on my thighs. I mean, sure, it looks cool, but this outfit is just so lewd, Daat… After letting out such a thought to the Daat within me, I gave Charon-sama a fleeting glimpse and turned to face En.

──Now then, I only have one purpose for coming here. As an original protagonist, I’m here to guide the protagonist of the original work once more.

It all started when I was watching the anime "Fairy Savers ∞" and noticed a serious problem. Within the story, I think I was mostly able to make satisfying moves myself, but the problem wasn’t me but with them, the protagonist faction.

Yes… when I watched their situation as an anime, it felt like one of those vague stories where “I don’t really get it, but big things are happening.”

Well, you know… aside from Mea-chan, who has a deep connection with Keter—wasn’t the protagonist, Akatsuki En, being left behind in particular?

Of course, he was very active in the story. He had plenty of battle scenes and made solid, but he still ended up settling into Mea-chan’s guardian-like position, and I felt he could’ve used a little more punch.

To be specific, I was concerned about the sheer lack of information his group had about the movements of the Keter faction and the origins of the Fairy World. I mean, to be fair, I didn’t know any of that until just a while back myself, so it’s only natural that they wouldn’t know enough.

──Incidentally, over on the Earth-side storyline running in parallel, the last of the Ten Sefirot, Yesod, was sharing all sorts of information with Akihiro’s and Akari-chan’s group, so the viewers could mostly piece things together from there. In that area, I wish that Hod-san, who only says things meaningfully but doesn’t tell anything deep, would take a page from Yesod’s book. Look who’s talking? …Yes, I’m sorry.

I mean, I admit I may I have overdone it with the whole meaningful, mysterious act. Even though I’m like this now.

Of course I don’t regret it, but looking at it objectively, it probably came across like one of those prolonging moves in long-running anime that just keeps needlessly dragging out mysteries. That can be mysterious and cool in its own way, but overdo it and the viewers start thinking, “You’re not gonna tell us anything anyway, are you?” so it’s difficult to do it just right.

…So, in that sense, I decided now would be a good time to finally reveal to En’s group some important things.

Of course, I must not let them realize that I just learned all this stuff myself. Eight-chan is very knowledgeable, so she knew everything from the beginning. That’s just how it is.

Still, revealing information concerning the foundation of the world like reading a picture book out loud like this feels very satisfying. It’s like I’m spinning the world in the palm of my hand, and it’s fun… I feel really chic.

──And so, I finished telling my story, and unlike with Charon-sama, En actually seemed to understand.

With a serious expression, he broke the silence and asked his first question:

“…Our supernatural abilities originally were originally your power?”

Out of the many things I said, that was the one that got the biggest reaction.

He had quietly listened to the old tale about Daat and Charon-sama, but after he heard the story that was told like it was in an after episode*—that around a hundred years ago, “the power entrusted to Ain Sof by Daat was scattered across the human world,” he opened his eyes wide. (tl note: stories after the main story has concluded. Includes epilogues, sequel, side stories, etc.)

When I heard that, I realized.

Ahh, that was my bad.

“…That’s… basically how it is.”

Hmm... Personally, I was more interested in the story of the great war that was related to the birth of the Ten Archangels of Sefirot, but from his point of view, the origin of supernatural abilities is definitely a much more important topic.

Well, of course it is... Especially in his case, he’s been watching Akari-chan, who suffers from being “a person without a supernatural ability in a supernatural society,” so it’s only natural he would have some thoughts about that fact.

On top of that, his own father was a victim killed by PSYence, a “dark power supernatural abilities brought forth.”

He himself has faced countless supernatural crimes as a Saver, so his sense of crisis toward a supernatural society must be especially strong.

This… this story wasn’t something I should have spoken of so lightly.

Realizing my blunder, I lowered my head deeply.

“Yeah… I did something that cannot be undone. By giving power to your world, I caused you a lot of hardship too… I’m truly sorry…”

『…………』

…I hadn’t really thought deeply about it until now, but is it possible that we’re actually unbelievably sinful beings?

No, if you ask me if the human world would’ve been peaceful if supernatural abilities had never been born, that would be a separate issue.

Ugh… now it’s starting to scare me. Is this okay…? En-kun, are you going to become my anti? Are you going to condemn me as the cause of everything…? I really don’t want that…

“Raise your head, Eight. I don’t know what you’re apologizing so much for, but…”

Eh?

“You’ve been fighting all this time to protect countless lives, including us humans, haven’t you? So why would someone like you need to apologize to us?”

…

“Besides… after seeing Fairy World and learning about the Abyss, I don’t think giving supernatural abilities to the human world was a mistake. Even a god must’ve done it because he thought it was necessary, right?”

…That may be true, but you’ve seen just how many people have were made to suffer because of supernatural abilities, haven’t you? From your perspective, we’re, so to speak, the source of all supernatural crime.

Given your situation, I thought it would be natural for you to throw one or two harsh words my way…

“No, that logic isn’t right. Supernatural abilities change depending on the state of one’s heart… How we handle that power is up to the individual. The one who crafted the kitchen knife isn’t responsible for a stabbing incident, right?”

Mmm… when you put it like that, I can’t really argue. Honestly, if my position were different, I’d probably feel the same way.

Right? That’s how it is, Daat. So you don’t need to worry so much.

Still, En is amazing. After hearing something like this, he could’ve gotten a lot more emotional. Boys really do grow up fast. Onee-san is moved… wait, that was close! My thoughts were coming closer to Daat’s way too much.

That’s no good… When I lean into thinking like Daat, I get all self-punishing and motherly, or rather, all angelic. That’s not good. It’s an identity crisis!

I’m a cheat original protagonist. Eight-chan, the one who influences the world as a central figure of this story, isn’t that virtuous or compassionate. If anything, I’m a selfish and uncontrollable individual and a dark person.

Alright, affirmation done.

“I see… Fufu. I’m a self-indulgent girl, so I’ll accept your words, but… are you okay with that? Are you really fine with that, En?”

“At the very least, I don’t have any reservation you… No, there is one thing.”

“…Eh?”

Wh-what…? Don’t say such disturbing things.

I do want to refreshingly enjoy being an original protagonist, so it’d be nice if you don’t burden me with things like sin and punishment. I don’t really against carrying Daat’s past since she’s me, but be that as it may, I still want to keep myself clean.

Ah, but I can use this “†Sinful Primordial Angel†” setting! As I was thinking such things and regaining my composure, En put on a smile and said,

“Thank you. Until today, we were only able to fight because of you. You gave us the power to protect the ones we care about… so thank you.”

…Yeah.

I see… That’s the kind of person you are.

You know very well that this world isn’t just kindness and beauty. And even knowing that, you can still be kind to others. You’re a good guy.

That part of you must be what attracts so many people to you. Of course, my past life, and the one before that—and me now, too.

“Your gratitude… I’ll accept it as the Archangel of Knowledge Daat …Thank you, En-kun.”

“…Kun?”

“Fufu, it’s nothing.”

I could feel the heart of the girl within me becoming lighter, and I returned En’s gratitude as Daat. He seemed sharp enough to notice the change in me, but I stopped him from inquiring with a zip it gesture. I’m not telling, nope.

Yeah… To tell the truth, now that I know all sorts of things, I feel like I’ve merged with Daat. Not in a split-personality way but more like I have two hearts inside me. Right now, I’m still not used to it and tend to lean toward one side, but I think I’ll stabilize soon.

Because that’s how it is, I don’t mean it in a weird way, but when he affirms her, it makes me happy too.

Fufu… Ah crap, now I can’t stop my smile from showing. Not that I really need to hide it, but I’m giving such a broad smile my mysterious character mask is about to come off. This is probably Daat’s fault too. En and Charon-sama too, stop looking at me like that.

—Aren’t you glad, Daat?

—Yeah, I’m glad…

Let’s pull ourselves together and end this nervous conversation here.

Of course, the reason I told him this critical information I heard from Daat wasn’t just for me to make a confession.

To organize the situation, I spent a while holding a hyper Q&A session, gorgeously answering his questions using Daat’s knowledge while sprinkling in angelic trivia.

I didn’t touch on anything about my past lives because that would just create more confusion and ruin everything, but it wouldn’t actually cause any inconvenience even if I don’t reveal it, so he didn’t have any particular question about it.

I did purposefully steer things in that direction, but it seems that after hearing my story, he now believes that I am “Daat herself, who had nearly died in the World of the Abyss, who was operating under the name T.P. Eight Olishua in the human world.” In short, he thinks Daat = Eight.

Well, that’s a much simpler setting and easy to understand, and it’s not necessarily a lie either, so let’s just go with that for now.

Charon-sama tried to cut into with something from the side, but it would only make things more complicated, so please stay quiet for a bit. There’s no need to tell him about my past life!

『Got it.』

Obedient Charon-sama is so cute, yay!

I’m much more used to talking with humans since I was a human in my past life. It’s a case of the right person in the right place, so the fact that Charon-sama’s explanations didn’t quite get through to him doesn’t at all mean she’s bad at communications. Probably.

『…Eight, you’re amazing.』

Fufun*, I’m just that good! (tl note: smug expression)

“…I see. So you were stealing supernatural powers in order to regain the original power you lost.”

“That’s how it is. And now, here in Sefira’s domain, Daat’s consciousness was restored.”

Now then, since I’ve more or less finished disclosing information to the protagonist, it’s time for the biggest move.

This is what I predict will be the climax of our story, its peak, the hyper original protagonist point.

That is—

“Akatsuki En… I’m going to give you a trial. Fight me. If you want to leave this place and go rescue your friends.”

“—!”

Wearing a provocative smile and declaring with an attractive expression, I unfolded my ten wings with a thud like a cape and beckoned him.

“Whether or not you can become someone who can lead the future… I’ll stake everything I have to find out.”

“…You…”

…Yes, this is the once-in-a-lifetime grand stage brought to you by a cheat original protagonist—a challenge from the original protagonist to the protagonist of the original work.

Duels are nice… You can’t call them the opening wall of Eternal Flags.

Cessy… Guiche*… I’m doing it. I’ll show you I can do it. With this classic development, I will lead the protagonist of the original work to his “true awakening”!! (tl note: I don’t know. The only place I can see the two names together are in here )

(author: The heroine debate, settled.)

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