Toyokawa Shoko doesn't want to become a witch

"You want me to acknowledge you as my mother? No way." Xiangzi snorted irritably, pointing to his head. "Don't forget, I also have your memories. I know exactly what you've done and thought."

“That’s not what I meant… I was thinking that I should cherish you all. It hurts me to see you fall into despair time and time again. I’ve thought about shutting down the cycle of reincarnation and letting everything return to nothingness, so there will be no more pain.” Toyokawa Shoko sighed softly.

She looked up at Xiangzi, her eyes revealing a complex mix of emotions.

"But my desire for the future and my yearning for life kept me going."

“Isn’t it too distant to sit like this?” Xiangzi said without warning. “Back then, we were actually quite resistant to socializing with classmates we weren’t that close to. In this kind of public social environment, we had to put on airs and speak in a high-pitched voice, and the distance between us was also very far.”

She stood up, walked around the table, and went to the other side.

Just as she stepped over the pillar that separated them, the scene shifted again, becoming the interior of RiNG. Faces were obscured all around, and Morfonica was performing on stage.

Xiangzi's shoulder brushed against Toyokawa Xiangzi, whose hands were in her pockets and whose tone was relaxed.

"It's much more comfortable this way."

"Are we this close?" Toyokawa Shoko seemed quite reserved.

"After all, it's a livehouse."

Why did you come here?

"Because here, everyone's heart is led by the music, and everyone's heartbeat is in time with the 4/4 rhythm."

Xiangzi turned his head to the side, and a stray strand of hair fell down next to his silky eyes, appearing particularly hazy in the dimly lit livehouse.

She suddenly turned around, grabbed Toyokawa Shoko's hand, and pressed it to her own heart. At the same time, she raised her other hand and pressed it to Toyokawa Shoko's heart as well.

“The distance between hearts becomes very close in a livehouse.”

Thump, thump, thump.

With each heartbeat.

The scene in which they were located kept changing.

Spring blossoms are scattered on the bridge.

RiNG's recording studio.

Sugar Rising Three Bells 9 | Umbrella Fruit Witch's Barrier.

Chu Hua's apartment.

Grove.

The reed plains within the barrier.

The top of the cocoon.

Azure coastline.

Kingdom of God.

The art museum in Kamihama.

The beach in my dream.

The rooftop in the rain.

Helheim in the snow.

Underwater city.

refuge.

Finally, we returned to the Livehouse.

"Can you hear our heartbeats? They're exactly the same," Xiangzi said. "There are no barriers between us. I am you, and you are me."

"What are you trying to say...? I don't understand." Toyokawa Shoko lowered her head, her lips trembling slightly.

“You don’t need to try anymore,” Xiangzi said gently. “You’ve already done a great job.”

“You know, I don’t want to hear things like that… We are people who need encouragement from others to keep going.”

“I know, but that’s not a consolation.” Xiangzi laughed. “If there really is a miracle, it can only be created by the efforts of all of us. If you hadn’t started a new cycle of reincarnation, Yan would have become the witch of this shore, and there would be no future.”

"You ignited the flame, turning reincarnation into a relay race, where we pass hope from one generation to the next, until we finally reach the finish line..."

"You have successfully completed your task, so now it's up to us."

"......"

Toyokawa Shoko opened her mouth wide, her eyes becoming misty, as if some words were stuck in her throat.

"No... Have you forgotten that I can see your thoughts too?" she finally said, her voice choked with emotion. "If that happens, you will—"

Buzz————!

Suddenly, a piercing buzzing sound came from the stage's speakers.

Toyokawa Shoko abruptly turned her head, focusing her gaze on the person holding the microphone. Morfonica had disappeared from the stage at some point, and now what remained was a small, white figure carrying a long, rectangular cloth bag.

She held the microphone, panting heavily; her heavy breathing was the source of the buzzing sound.

"Xiangzi!"

Del shouted in their direction.

The surrounding audience disappeared without them noticing, leaving only the three of them. Their completely distorted voices echoed through the livehouse through the microphone.

"I brought the things!"

Del lifted the cloth bag, which was much taller than himself, with his other hand.

"Wait! The thing you're holding doesn't belong to this world?!" Toyokawa Shoko's eyes widened. "You don't belong to this world either! You're from 'that world'!"

"I won't allow you to be here!" Toyokawa Shoko raised her hand and pointed it at Del.

brush--!

The stage where Del stood suddenly began to recede rapidly.

"It is precisely because it does not belong to this world that it can break through the original framework of this world and create an ending that transcends tragedy!" Del mustered all his strength and threw the object at Xiangzi. "Catch it!"

Driven by omnipotent supercausality, all sharpness is concentrated at one point, bringing the last supercausality of the B world line to this side, gathering the hope to be passed on, igniting the fire at the end of the relay, and creating a miracle of impossible miracles by igniting the "concept" that can "kill" everything in this world.

This is--

"The God-Slaying Spear, the Destroyer of Concepts, the Miracle Beyond the Möbius Strip—The Hypercausal Driven Series MKV!"

The long, rectangular cloth bag disintegrated in mid-air, revealing what was underneath.

It was a spiraling, scarlet spear, and in the center of the spear shone a light that Xiangzi recognized all too well—a light that transcended cause and effect.

"Use it to complete the final Deus ex machina!" Del shouted. "I'll be right there!"

Xiangzi leaped into the air under the spotlight and grabbed the gun handle mid-air.

Boom!

His feet landed heavily on the ground.

Xiangzi and Toyokawa Xiangzi entered a moving train carriage.

"I've already received the rifle," Xiangzi said. "Don't make things difficult for her anymore."

"..."

"..."

"..."

The clattering of the train echoed between them. Toyokawa Shoko looked at her for a long time before finally sighing.

"The torch relay will eventually ignite the brazier..."

Looking at the dashing figure holding a long spear before her, she finally revealed her first smile.

It was a smile of relief.

She wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes.

"...It seems like it's really coming to an end soon."

Ding-dong-

The train stopped at the station.

Toyokawa Shoko stepped off the train.

"This is a blessing from the original Toyokawa Shoko to the final Toyokawa Shoko." She stood on the platform, turned around, smiled at Shoko on the train, opened her mouth, and sang a line from a song: "You can change fate, on the other side of time and space. You can change the future, on the other side of darkness."

The train doors closed, it left the platform, and continued its journey.

Xiangzi stood in the middle of the train, watching the platform recede further and further away from him.

"call--!"

A small hand gripped the door frame, peeking out from a section of the carriage behind.

"Why do I always have to run around...? My physique is simply not suited for running..."

Del's tongue was throbbing like a puppy's, and he almost collapsed to the ground, unable to get up again.

"But at least I caught up with you... Give me a hand—oh, thank you."

Before she could finish speaking, Xiangzi had already grabbed her hand and pulled her up.

"You can even say thank you now." Xiangzi crossed his arms. "What a big change."

She looked the unfamiliar yet familiar person up and down.

Although she inherited Xiangzi's memories from the B world line, it was ultimately just a fleeting glimpse for her, without any personal experience. Facing Del, she had a strange, indescribable feeling.

How did it become so cute? I want to pinch its cheeks!

That cute, round face must be inherited from her, right?

It really makes you want to pinch it.

"Not at all, you flatter me." Del scratched her head, and Delete on top of her head scratched its head with its ear in response.

“You should be… Del, right?” Xiangzi said. “And what about the thing on your head?”

“Our consciousnesses have been completely merged,” Del said. “For this moment.”

"For this moment?" Xiangzi blinked.

“Yes, at this moment.” Del spread his arms and raised his neck. “Come on, pierce me with this gun, and you can go back and reunite with them.”

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

“You can’t die. There are still many people waiting for you to go back. Let me take care of the atonement.”

The MKV's function is to "kill" the concept. Xiangzi's original plan was to use this gun to pierce himself, kill the concept of "magical girl," and create a new world without magical girls.

Without magical girls, there would be no witches, and therefore no more tragedies.

But Del disagreed.

She didn't tell Xiangzi that in her own plan, the gun was meant to kill her. In the anti-universe, "Del/Delete" could simultaneously represent both the concepts of "Incubator" and "Magical Girl," so piercing her with the MKV would solve all the problems once and for all.

There are no more magical girls, and no more incubators.

Their tragedy would not have occurred.

“Come on, Xiangzi.” Del swallowed hard. “I’m ready.”

Are you serious?

“Of course, I’m fully prepared.” Del frowned. “Hurry up! I’m getting scared!”

"Still acting like a child." Xiangzi shook his head with a chuckle. "Maybe we should just forget about it."

"do not want!"

Del opened his eyes, rushed to Xiangzi, stood on tiptoe, and grabbed her collar.

"Don't underestimate me, you bastard!"

Her eyes were already brimming with tears, whether from fear or anger at Xiangzi for refusing to do it, it was hard to tell.

"You think the reason I wanted to become human was all because of you?! It's all because you gave me emotions, because you gave me guilt, that I feel so terrible, so much self-loathing, and so desperately want to fulfill your wish!" Del said through gritted teeth, tears welling in her eyes. "After saying all that, I just wanted to feel a little better. Anyway, I have no ties left. Please, just grant my wish! They're still waiting for you! If you stab yourself—"

Suddenly, Del felt a warmth on the top of his head.