Thanks for the invitation. I'm in Type-Moon, inheriting the legacy of Zi-O.

Nianzhuo had seen them, Nianzhuo knew them, Nianzhuo remembered them.

"Host, there's nothing here—" The system tried to say something, but was immediately stopped by Nian Zhuo's voice.

"Stop talking, system." Nian Zhuo walked through the door, and after he entered, the wooden door suddenly disappeared from the grassland.

Looking at the complete and undamaged control room scene that was exactly the same as in his memory... no, it should be said that it was a replica of his memory, Nian Zhuo gasped as he looked at the people who turned to look at him.

"I've come to see you." These are the people he couldn't help. Nian Zhuo remembers each of their faces, and they are also the first debt he owes. "...I'm sorry to see you so late."

They were the Chaldea employees who had died because Nianzhuo failed to save them... no, because of Nianzhuo's inaction. At this moment, as they looked at Nianzhuo's bowing posture, a trace of anger rose on their faces.

"...You've stepped into a death trap, Nianzhuo." The sound of heels clicking on the ground was just like when Nianzhuo first met them. The female employee walked up to him, looking down at him. "Did your life end so soon?"

“…Yes.” Nian Zhuo remained bowed, but his tone became somewhat ashamed. “I’m sorry that I couldn’t let you see the day when humanity was restored, so I came to accompany you.”

"Don't joke around! You bastard!" Then, her collar was suddenly grabbed, and the young female employee's face contorted with rage, leaving Nian Zhuo momentarily stunned. "What right do you have to die? Have you fulfilled our demands? Do you even remember... who said they would bear the weight of our lives?! Answer me! You inactive one!"

“...It’s me.” Shifting his gaze to the side, Nian Zhuo found himself trembling, trembling with fear. What even that 'beast' couldn’t do, he had accomplished in front of this woman today.

"I'm sorry, I really can't..." Nian Zhuo's words were broken and he didn't dare to look the woman in front of him in the eye.

"Look me in the eye, Nianzhuo." The female employee's tone became commanding, twisting Nianzhuo's collar to force him to look at her. "Are you willing to die like this? Are you really, really willing?"

"I... am not reconciled." Clenching her fist, Nian Zhuo stared into the eyes of the woman in front of her and replied, "How could I be reconciled? Such a mundane sacrifice is not the ending that suits me."

"So, you shouldn't have been here." The female employee's tone suddenly softened. She looked into Nian Zhuo's dejected eyes, where a faint flame of resentment burned fiercely.

“It’s not time for you to die yet, just like you promised us.” Behind him, the employees stood up one by one and walked up to Nian Zhuo.

The female employee released her grip on Nian Zhuo's collar, walked into the crowd, and looked at Nian Zhuo.

“Remember what you promised us, Nianzhuo: you absolutely cannot die before humanity’s future is returned to human hands.” The female employee waved her hand, a smile on her face. “...Otherwise, we will never forgive you.”

A light appeared on their fingers, and then everyone extended their index fingers, each of which had the same light flashing on it.

Then, the ball of light detached from everyone's fingers and rushed towards Nianzhuo.

“…!” Nian Zhuo looked at the incoming ball of light and couldn’t help but close his eyes.

A "ding" sound rang out from behind Nianzhuo.

Turning back blankly, Nianzhuo realized that the light particles between everyone's fingers had recondensed into the wooden door that Nianzhuo had come from.

"So, get out of here, Nianzhuo!" they said in unison, giving Nianzhuo a thumbs-up. "By the way, you did a great job this time!"

"...I will keep my promise to you." Grasping the doorknob, Nian Zhuo turned it without hesitation. Looking at the grassland outside the door, which was the same as when he came, he turned to look at the staff.

Everyone was saying goodbye to him. Nianzhuo silently nodded, walked out, and closed the door behind him.

After Nianzhuo left, the traces of the wooden door completely disappeared.

"Then, we who have died should leave sooner rather than later, don't you all think so?" Then, the female employee closed her eyes, with a satisfied smile.

"Yeah, after all, they're just a bunch of dead people clinging to their obsessions. But seeing that young man burn his life really moved me. Hahaha." The middle-aged man scratched his head and smiled contentedly.

Everyone was the same, closing their eyes contentedly.

"Our names won't be on the monument that humanity restores, but so what?"

"They who are fighting for justice will remember us."

"Though he has died, he will rise again and remember us."

"When the murderer who killed us dies, he will remember us."

"Those of you who are still watching here will remember us."

"You don't need to remember our names, just remember our contributions."

"Ah, I really want to see my child grow up—" the middle-aged man said with a hint of anticipation in his voice, his eyes sparkling. "She'll definitely be a very cute and wonderful child, and her mother and I will be so happy..."

The words were interrupted by flames, and from behind them, Chaldea turned a dangerous red.

Subsequently, the explosion from Nianzhuo's memory was also replicated.

These employees, once again, resolutely walked towards their deaths.

The Second Door: Saying Goodbye to Your Reflection in the Mirror

Nianzhuo, who stepped out of the door, was completely unaware of what was happening inside.

“…Ah.” As soon as he stepped out the door, Nian Zhuo immediately dropped to all fours and buried his face in the grass. He spoke in a rough voice, like a starfish that had been squeezed dry and picked up by someone, “Why…why did I do such a shameful thing…” However, the scene in his memory kept replaying in his mind. Trying to get rid of it only made it clearer to him.

"How could I be content with this! A mundane sacrifice!" The wide eyes he had once stared at, the emotions he had conveyed back then, now felt like a raging fire... no... a kitten scratching at his heart, making him unbearably itchy.

"Ah...! Ahhh...!" Completely losing face, she rolled around on the lawn, her legs sticking up like a carp leaping out of its shell. "I want to die... I really want to die! Ah no, I'm already dead..." Then, Nianzhuo's splashing water suddenly stopped, and then began to roll around at an even higher frequency.

"Ahhh! I'll never dare to see them again...!" She kicked her legs back and forth on the grass, her face as red as if she had poured a lot of red ink on it. "Am I stupid!? Am I an idiot...! Idiot... idiot...!" She rolled around on the grass.

But that's true... Don't you all feel embarrassed when you think back to your cringeworthy childhood memories? At least I do (facepalm). Now, when I think back to when I was a kid and I turned into a fairy, I'm so embarrassed I want to die!

Finally, even his hair was covered in grass clippings. Nianzhuo suddenly stopped in his tracks and hugged his head tightly with both arms.

"I want to die so badly..." As if he had lost all hope, Nianzhuo lay quietly on the ground, motionless.

"Um... host, did you perhaps sense something...?" The system was about to say something when it was interrupted by Nian Zhuo's lifeless voice.

“Never mind me… Ah, your host is somewhat lost right now—” Lying helplessly on the ground, Nian Zhuo even felt that it would be better to just let it go.

"I said... host," the system's voice was emotionless, but Nian Zhuo could clearly feel that it was as if an old man was lighting a cigarette in front of him and speaking in the same tone he used to have, "Isn't being a chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) part of people's youth?" Nian Zhuo could even imagine the gleam of that old man's teeth as he said those words!

"What is that? It's disgusting." Nian Zhuo replied with dead fish eyes and a completely flat tone, "Besides, who would be so proud of their youth when they're middle-aged? Give me a second chance at life studies." He even waved his hand as if he was beyond saving and should just go to the grave and wait for reincarnation.

"..." For once, the system fell silent, as if it were hurt. "I was just trying to figure out what you would say, host."

"Ah, never mind then, you can't learn that." Waving his hand, Nian Zhuo sat up from the ground again. "After all, you and I are completely different beings." Patting his cheeks, Nian Zhuo put away his previous so-called shame.

"Alright, that means I've passed the first door—wait, why did I have to open the door?" Then, Nianzhuo belatedly realized, "Even if I did everything, it wouldn't bring me back to life..."

"Yes, host, so now the system—" The system's voice rose again, and then... nothing more.

"Alright, alright, that's enough." Nian Zhuo interrupted the system for the third time, patted his knees, and stood up again. "There's always a way out, so let's keep going!"

"..." Then, for some reason, the system fell silent again, watching Nian Zhuo continue to walk aimlessly.

Then, a second door came into Nianzhuo's view.

Like the first one, it was still an ordinary wooden door, with the same scenery on both sides, and the wooden door just stood there all alone.

"This must be the second door..." Nian Zhuo tried to remain calm as he gripped the doorknob, but seeing his hand trembling slightly, he finally sighed. "Okay... I already have a pretty good idea who this second door leads to..."

To Nian Zhuo's surprise, the system suddenly fell silent after he interrupted it, and then disappeared without a trace after leaving only a faint "Good luck".

“Well then, it’s time to open it.” Taking a deep breath, Nian Zhuo gently turned the doorknob.

The creaking wooden door was pulled open, and Nianzhuo walked in, his back to the scene inside, and slowly closed the door.

"Ah, Nianzhuo, welcome back." The familiar voice brought back Nianzhuo's memories. It was still the woman smiling gently and... the man who suddenly pounced on her for some reason.

"Click..." It wasn't just the sound of the door closing, but also the sound of Nian Zhuo being grabbed by the neck and slammed to the ground by a middle-aged man who suddenly pounced on him from behind.

"Aaaaaah—!" Instantly, the pain of his joints being twisted surged through his torso, and Nianzhuo's eyes widened as he cried out in agony, "Hey, hey, hey, Dad, you can't do this to me!"

"Haha! A long-awaited reunion! Shouldn't the father check on his child's health?" The middle-aged man hugged Nianzhuo's arm and laughed heartily, but the bulging muscles on his body and Nianzhuo's increasingly loud cries of pain told of this man's unusual nature.

“This is the time to…!” “Eh…?” Then, Nian Zhuo’s own voice came from his body, causing Nian Zhuo, who was enduring the pain, to look at himself in confusion.

Then, the pain in his body was instantly taken away, along with Nian Zhuo's control over his body.

Then, Nianzhuo watched as his body moved in an incredible way, pinning the man who was restraining him beneath him.

"What...!" Then, the middle-aged man let out a miserable cry. "You actually used Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu against your own father. What a good child you are! Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!" Although his arms were pinned down and he lost control of his body, Nian Zhuo could still see the red marks on his arm.

“I’ll have to deal with him myself, after all…” Another voice, tinged with turbidity, came from within my body, “…In any case, for now, hand over control of this body to me!”

“…Okay, sure.” In fact, Nian Zhuo himself realized that he was not the child referred to as the 'father' in front of him, but Nian Zhuo from another place. The person in the mirror was their real child.

"As expected, no matter how hard a fake tries or how excellent it is, it can never compare to the value of the real thing..." Nian Zhuo let out a long sigh and smiled helplessly. "Alright, I'll just have to get along well with Mom and Dad."

"...Don't worry." The reflection in the mirror paused for a moment, then softly agreed.

However, during this moment of distraction, his father once again turned the tables, prying Nianzhuo's legs off and pinning him down, while continuously bending his legs backward, with terrifying cracking sounds coming from the joints.

"Ahhhhhh—" Sure enough, the familiar cry of pain came from his own body. He could even imagine himself in the mirror slapping the floor to stop the man's actions. "I lost, I lost! I admit defeat—" Then, feeling the middle-aged man's strength weaken, 'Nian Zhuo' instantly countered and pressed him down again.

"Hahaha! Yeah, right, you idiot dad!" Nianzhuo laughed triumphantly as he saw that the trick had been successfully pulled, and he increased the pressure on his hand. "You actually fell for something just because of a child's simple words? You're so easy to fool!"

"Damn it... how could they take advantage of a father's indulgence of his child...!" The middle-aged man beneath him raged, and the two began a struggle of strength again.

"Um~" Then, behind Nianzhuo and the middle-aged man, a woman with a gentle smile tapped the wall with a soup spoon. "You two~ it's time for us to eat, otherwise~ I don't know what I'll make... right?" Although the woman was smiling gently, the black aura rising behind her seemed awkward and menacing.

"Ah..." The next moment, both the middle-aged man and Nian Zhuo prostrated themselves and bowed their heads to the woman in front of them. "I'm sorry... I'm really sorry, let's go eat now."

"Mmm." Most of the black aura behind the woman disappeared, and her smile gradually became more genuine. "What a good child."

Simple home-cooked meals become a joyful occasion because of the family reunion.

Nianzhuo chatted with her parents about what she had seen and heard at the singularity, and her parents responded with either smiles or surprise.

Anyone would surely marvel at what a well-matched and harmonious family they are, yet Nianzhuo has no place in it.

Although I am currently sharing the physical senses with my reflection in the mirror, no matter how much 'Nian Zhuo' calls out, my real self remains silent.

He could taste the food and hear their voices, yet he still felt out of place.

Because all of this belongs to him, yet it doesn't belong to him.

He was indeed the same person as Nianzhuo in the mirror, but he was different from himself in the mirror. They were the same age, but the more than ten years they had experienced were completely different. All of this was his own in the mirror, and none of it belonged to him.

"Shut up, stop talking." Covering her forehead, Nianzhuo finally responded to 'Nianzhuo's' call, but her tone was not so happy. "Let me watch for a while longer, just a little while, the past that I never had."

"..." Silence. 'Nian Zhuo' had realized he'd said the wrong thing the moment they switched body control, but not knowing how to make amends, he could only remain silent. "Actually, I think Mom and Dad treat you not only as my child, but also as their own child..."

"Stop talking..." Nianzhuo's voice was low as he silently watched everything happening outside. "These are all yours, unlike mine. No matter how much I crave these things... what's not mine will never be mine..."

“…Alright, but I think your thinking will definitely change.” Then, 'Nianzhuo' stopped asking questions and focused all her attention on the conversation with her parents.

The joyful family gathering soon came to an end. Nianzhuo helped his parents put the tableware into the sink one by one, and then the three of them lay down on the sofa in a relaxed, sprawling position.

"Ha... I'm so full. By the way, Nianzhuo." Patting his stomach, the middle-aged man looked at the distressed Nianzhuo and asked, "How are you doing over there?"

“Huh? Me…?” Nianzhuo pointed to himself. “If I were over there, actually—” But before he could finish speaking, the middle-aged man gently stopped him.

“I’m talking about you, silly boy.” As if seeing through 'Nianzhuo’s' outer shell, the middle-aged man smiled and looked at him.

"..." Instantly realizing what was happening, 'Nian Zhuo' hurriedly patted his other self, only to find that the other self was even more anxious than he was, and pushed him aside.