Chapter 69: Wishing Upon a Star――A Star's Wish―――〈Part Two〉

As I continued my conversation with Kizuna-kun, I found myself thinking.

Put simply, what I was about to do amounted to this: “HAVE ZERO PRIOR KNOWLEDGE, BORROW AN ABSURD AMOUNT BEYOND YOUR LIMITS, GAMBLE IT ALL, AND GO ALL-IN ON YOUR VERY FIRST MOVE.”

To begin with, this body is a [Trinity] of Human, Spirit, and Star.

It has taken in an extraordinary existence known as the will of Earth itself. And yet, at its core, it's still pathetically weak. That's because the human soul is so ridiculously weak.

It's like having an incredible amount of fuel but a piece-of-junk engine. No matter how much fuel you have, the final output is still garbage.

Once Tierra As becomes popular enough to be implemented as an SSR, this engine will be upgraded. With that, she'll be able to produce greater power and accomplish more. As a result, her popularity will rise, and her output will increase again. The plan, basically, is to repeat this cycle until she finally reaches first place in the popularity poll...

But what if I removed the engine altogether and made the FUEL EXPLODE?

That's essentially what I'm about to do.

My beloved twin swords, 『Funeral』 and 『Rebirth』, are blades capable of returning souls to the proper cycle of reincarnation. In other words, they are swords that “restore things to the way they should be.”

I'm going to drive them into my own body, remove the limiters known as “Human” and “Spirit,” and unleash the “Star's” original power.

All that time spent adjusting the timing while fighting the mechanical soldiers wandering along the way was worth it. Thanks to that, even in Chapter Two, where I'd already given up on having any chance to stand out, I've managed to arrange the “greatest” moment imaginable.

Looking back, very little in this chapter went according to plan. Far too little.

I knew from the beginning that this was a chapter full of machines, so I expected to have fewer opportunities to shine. That's why I'd initially considered taking on the role of narrator... But that plan had long since fallen apart, leaving not even a trace behind.

It all started when a lying clown threatened me and restricted my movements.

Then came a confession of love from a research-obsessed, perverted woman in a lab coat, who apparently wanted to make me part of a three-way relationship.

After that, a chuuni woman (human rights) whose appearance I'd desperately wanted to prevent stole my role.

To top it all off, I ended up losing consciousness in Alnima.

And the final nail in the coffin was the route toward becoming a Mary Sue, thanks to a whole mess of romantic flags.

...What the hell is this? It's awful. So unbelievably awful I can barely stand to look at it.

Of all those problems, the romantic-flag incident is probably the biggest.

For the past five years, my AFFINITY ADJUSTMENTS WITH THE LOCALS have been PERFECT. There wasn't a single person who was SERIOUSLY IN LOVE WITH ME. The only exception was Liz-senpai, the female mercenary, who once tried to make a sexual move on me... But that was just a temporary lapse in judgment on Liz-senpai's part, brought on by her mental distress. We both agreed to part ways amicably, with no compensation claims or anything of the sort. So there's no problem there.

And yet, in a single day, I've accumulated three pairing flags: Walt, Circus, and Winter.

This is terrible.

So, yes, this Three-Flag Incident is a serious problem... but it is NOT THE WORST PROBLEM. With my track record of perfectly managing everyone's affection levels, I should be able to handle these flags peacefully and without incident. More importantly, I don't want to completely dismiss the results of the Spirit's efforts, after she struggled all alone.

The real worst problem is what caused this flag incident in the first place. In other words, the loss-of-consciousness incident is the true disaster. Not only did I force the Spirit to fight alone and make mistakes managing the flags, but I ultimately passed out and went off to sleep like a log...

As a result, my failure in the narrator recruitment exam is now all but certain.

Who on earth would hire someone who falls asleep while on the job? That might work in a story told through flashbacks, where the narrator recounts events from the past. But in a real-time story, there's no way someone who loses consciousness at a critical moment would be hired as the narrator. Especially when there's already a nepotistic appointment for the position of “Observer” and “Chronicler.”

All right, let's sort this out. What exactly happens if things continue like this?

Q. As a narrator?――A. Disqualified.

Q. As a dual-sword warrior?――A. A useless, garbage-tier character.

Q. As a healer?――A. A low-rarity weakling who doesn't even come close to having human rights.

Q. As a woman?――A. A slut.

...It's true that I've been saved by a few outstanding plays here and there, like the powered suit T² and the Spirit's heroic solo effort. I'm more grateful than I can say. But the overall balance sheet is still in the red. A net loss.

On top of that, there's Rene's incredible moment in the spotlight. It was a role only Rene could fulfill, and there was absolutely no way I could take it from her. But as the “heroine,” I've been completely outclassed.

Given this situation, what I need right now is simple: a moment in the spotlight. An impact so overwhelming that it more than makes up for every negative point. A scene that immediately comes to mind when someone says, “Tierra in Chapter Two.” That's what I need.

And therefore, I'll make it explode.

I'll temporarily manifest the power of a distant future that I was supposed to reach someday, once my popularity had grown enough.

There is only one problem: in the midst of that enormous torrent of energy, the “Star's” personality might be erased. It might become nothing more than a silent planet.

Until now, I've been saved countless times by this Trinity arrangement. The “Star” and the “Spirit” have always been by my side. During those long nights when I pretended to sleep, on harsh journeys across deserts where not a soul could be found, and whenever I encountered terrifying enemies. No matter when or where, I was never alone. That's how I've managed to survive in this strange world.

If the “Star's” personality were to disappear, it would hurt as much as losing a member of my family.

And yet――

――Now, make your wish. I am your personal star, and yours alone. Tell me whatever you wish for.

I want to save my little sister.

――And what will you need to accomplish that?

To take first place in the popularity poll.

――Then, what do you ask of 『　』?

............To shine.

――Oh?

Brighter than the stars in the heavens. Brighter than any character.

For our blue planet. Our water planet. Our one and only home.

I wish for it to shine brighter than all the rest.

――Heh. Then let us show them! Let us show this so-called other world the brilliance of Earth!

Come on. Let's go.

I have no more doubts.

Because “Tierra As” is...

The cutest in the world.

The strongest in the world.

The brightest in the world.

That's what I wish for. That's what I think. That's what I believe.

Because she's the greatest girl in the world, created by “Me”...!

◇◇◇

The moment I drove the twin swords into my chest,

my consciousness was forcibly cut off.

◇◇◇

From “Me” to 『　Me』.

From “Human” to 『Star』.

――That which emerges is no longer the Spirit of the [Trinity].

――Neither “Spirit” nor “Human.”

――What appears from this moment onward is the pure [Star Spirit].

................

............I see. So this is what it feels like to be all alone.

I'd almost forgotten. For billions of years, this had been the ordinary state of things.

But these past five years had been so――

"It seems I've grown a little too accustomed to the unexpected miracle of having someone by my side."

I pulled the sword embedded in my chest out with ONE HAND.

The two swords, one blue and one vermilion, had melted together and fused into a single GREAT SWORD.

Hmm. It's a rather easy sword to wield. I feel it suits me better than the twin swords.

I'm not particularly familiar with human tastes, but its appearance isn't bad, either.

...Heh. I'm sure that fellow would say something like this.

“Behold, users! And cast your votes in the popularity poll!” ...Or something along those lines.