"The girl was sent to an orphanage before she was one year old because of her superhuman intelligence." "It was soon after she'd learned to speak." "she learned about games. but they were so boring that no matter who she played with. and a boy who was seven years older than her. empty smile." "The girl said to him long time." "You really are empty." "Let's play a game." "Who is that?" "Blank..." "Blank doesn't..." "Blank doesn't..." "You must've had a bad dream." "I'll bring you some warm milk." "No!" "No!" "He was with me." "He was always with me." "That's why..." "Shiro." "Shiro!" "It's cold... there you are." "so I wondered what happened." "Jibril?" "what is it?" "Who are your masters?" "Why are you asking me—" "Answer me!" "Shiro-sama." "Then who fought you?" "Shiro-sama." "Who told Stephanie to fall in love with them?" "Shiro-sama." "Who found out about the Eastern Federation's games? with the help of what Dola-chan's grandfather left behind. and decided to obey you." "Obey... me?" "Yes." "queen of Elkia and designated representative of Imanity." "there was somebody besides her?" "But there's no proof." "I expanded my range of questioning" "Shiro's House but... either." "Which means..." "It's likely... and had her memories altered." "That's impossible." "Who could have..." "The Eastern Federation?" "they are capable of that." "Master." "Let's play a game." "A game?" "Yes." "We'll bet the false memories that have been implanted in you." "False? but would you please lose?" "That's check." "False memories..." "Are they really false?" "Is that why they're disappearing?" "Shiro." "but is that really true?" "They're all... all disappearing... will they grow wings?" "I don't think so." "You don't change yourself." "You change how you do things." "Brother..." "You have to make your own way." "even while you stay the same." "Let's think of a way to make wings that will let you fly." "We can take our time." "They're all false..." "All of them are lies... I'll feel better." "Blank?" "Master?" "Blank..." "Blank doesn't..." "Blank doesn't lose!" "Why did you win?" "He's real." "Sora is real!" "I know he's real!" "Sora?" "Master?" "But..." "He's real!" "He is real!" "Master." "Think logically..." "You're right." "it's more natural to think he doesn't exist." "But I'm sure he does." "Dola-chan?" "Because I know you two would never lose!" "Steph..." "But... they'd never lose." "There must be some reason." "Some reason this happened..." "You're being overly emotional." "You need to—" "What did you two do yesterday?" "Yesterday?" "I was busy dealing with the demonstrations." "you played a game in the throne room." "That was two days ago." "The 19th." "st" "I'll change my question." "Where were you two nights ago?" "then?" "Um..." "Um..." "Huh?" "I can't..." "You can't remember." "That's right." "Now I just need to confirm." "what are you..." "Fondling your breasts." "How am I supposed to respond to that?" "It doesn't make you excited?" "Even though I told you to fall in love with me?" "Well..." "So you're saying someone other than you told her to fall in love with them." "it was Brother who told her that." "But I thought you already believed he existed." "So why did you fondle my breasts?" "To thank you." "I wouldn't have noticed." "Shiro..." "Then let's think." "how could he have disappeared?" "A way to make our memories of the last day and a half disappear... but it would have had to leave some traces." "What if it was a game?" "A game? and that was part of the rules? it could affect the whole race." "But Jibril... I'm subordinate to him." "We can assume I'm under its effects." "I see." "But what kind of game would that be?" "I don't know." "But..." "I know what Brother said..." "I believe in you." "the two of us are always one." "Brother would never leave me alone." "So... are you there?" "Shiro?" "Brother!" "Would you hold me somewhere..." "anywhere I can still feel?" "So I don't go insane..." "Brother!" "Shiro?" "even if it burns you out." "Think about what's going on..." "Brother trusted you with this!" "Use all the memories you still have!" "Brother said that we were always one." "So he must be here." "Brother said that the game is always won before it starts." "We're bound by a promise?" "Brother said we're not the heroes of a boy's manga." "No!" "Think harder!" "Harder..." "Brother said he was going to get the last piece we need." "Get the piece we need?" "Then this game is to get us something we need to face the Eastern Federation." "Tool..." "Wisdom..." "Observer..." "Elf?" "He's going to get an elf?" "How?" "Challenge Elven Garde?" "Kurami?" "No." "Kurami doesn't believe in Brother." "She'd never agree to..." "What if the game was to steal each other's existence?" "Shiro!" "Shiro!" "A game to steal each other's existence?" "That's right. 420)}Sky Walk and are ranked by importance according to the priority assigned to them by your subconscious." "you won't know which stone constitutes which part of you until your opponent takes it." "the existence of that elf next to you." "or memories. and no one will even realize you're there." "you'll disappear." "Are you serious?" "Yup." "Pledge five:" "The challenged party has the right to decide the rules of the game." "the game is off." "What will you do?" "Kurami... this man said he would bet Imanity's piece." "We can't simply ignore that." "Jeez..." "I was sort of hoping we could reconcile after what happened." "We can reconcile." "If you'll believe me and give me that elf." "I can't do that!" "I didn't think so." "What do you bet?" "We'll say the winner gets the right to make two demands of the loser. and altering the memories of each of our partners to make them join you... we're each betting our existence right?" "That's right." "You're insane." "I'll propose one more important rule." "Brother?" "Master?" "Shiro!" "Are you okay?" "Brother!" "Jibril..." "What is it?" "Could you make a game where you stole each other's existence?" "unfortunately." "but..." "What if you collaborated with an elf?" "Collaborate?" "With those forest bumpkins?" "A single blast of mine during the great war blew away one of their capitals!" "They're nothing but—" "Could you do it?" "It is possible." "Those bumpkins do have some small measure of skill when it comes to constructing complicated spells." "Then Sora erased his own existence by playing this game?" "Yes." "Then wouldn't that mean he's already lost and been erased?" "That's right." "he should exist." "What if it was neither?" "The game's still underway?" "That can't be... see if you can detect any magic in this room!" "Understood." "I woke up here." "I woke up here." "He told me he wouldn't leave me alone." "You're right." "Magic is being used here." "But I can't detect its precise position." "We just have to search everywhere we can— you tripped over nothing." "I don't think you need to keep up that character anymore." "Tripped?" "Me?" "An Othello stone?" "That says "3" in elf language." "Why are there only stones?" "3 2 1" "Because they haven't been used." "they're there." "there's still only two sets of three stones." "We don't even know if we're white or black." "It's simple." "Brother told me that the two of us are one." "I'm participating in this game." "I'll propose an important rule." "Each of our partners will play in the game. our partner can play for us." "That's why I still had my memories." "You can see the board?" "I can't." "But I can see... what Brother would do." "aren't you?" "Nope." "I've set it up so I can win like this." "How he would lead his opponent on..." "What is this?" "Your memories?" "Are you making me steal your memories to prove that there's no other race working with you?" "Not a bad answer." "How he would tell me what he wants..." "Now you can't continue the game." "I win." "But the game is still..." "What's going on?" "Why isn't the game ending?" "850)}3 2 1" "What part of Sora do those three stones contain?" "How he would deceive his opponent..." "And how he would win." "you're amazing!" "Nobody would figure this out..." "Except for you and me." "The parts of you that are contained in these last three stones..." "Three: the way to win the game." "Two: your absolute trust in me." "And one:" "everything I am." "Brother..." "Come back to me!" "Brother..." "Shiro..." "Okay!" "You can punch me if you want!" "I'm ready—" "I'm sorry..." "I'm sorry!" "I'm sorry!" "I'm sorry!" "I should've come sooner..." "I can't believe I forgot my master." "Why?" "Kurami!" "Wake up!" "Kurami!" "Kurami!" "Kurami! I'll make my demands." "Y-You can do whatever you want with me!" "But Kurami..." "Nope!" "Demand 1..." "Don't! and return the originals." "Kurami!" "What's going on? but they get their own memories back. and can trust each other." "This is the last piece that our master wanted." "And..." "Demand 2:" "elf." "I'm taking the right to alter your memories." "Wha—" "Don't worry." "Fi." "He only wants one thing." "right?" "all right." "Spy?" "What does he mean?" "I'll tell you later." "I changed my mind." "I'm in." "Brother!" "Right?" "Tell me how proud you are of your big brother." "Brother." "That makes me blush when you actually say it." "Master!" "right?" "Yeah." "anytime." "Kurami..." "I was so scared!" "I'm never doing that again!" "I was so scared!" "What's going on?" "This may be who our master really is..." "I was so scared!" "Blue Rose" "It's way faster than Salamander!" "Please wait a moment." "Shut up!" "growing up."