Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? - Volume 7.5 - Chapter 1

Outside of Reason

The flow of space and time is similar to that of a river.

The river may start from a small source, but as the volume of water increases, it flows on and meanders as it pleases, splitting here and there for one reason or another. And at the same time, some rivers that have split apart sometimes rejoin down the line. But nonetheless, it flows onward, slowly spreading across and nourishing the soil of the earth.

Space and time work much the same way. Eons ago, there was but one universe, and that universe split over and over again with the passage of time. Sometimes the trigger was something as simple as the flipping of a coin. Perhaps that coin toss would have a significant effect on the outcome of a football game, for example. Heads and tails would thus lead to different realities, splitting space-time then and there, creating a parallel universe.

But still, just as the river, it is possible for those split universes to rejoin. If the tossed coin landed in a wishing well, the outcome wouldn’t matter. The result would be buried by countless other coins and lose its meaning as it vanished into the quantum theory of probability. The two diverging universes of heads and tails would then reconcile into a single reality, and it is not uncommon for a universe to reconverge on such a minute chance. Even if a large rock blocks the flow of a river, the river splits to move around it on either side and reunites shortly thereafter. As the universe splits and reunites, history is knitted together, and we live in one of the strings of that knitted history.

Koutarou, however, was thrown out of that string.

The reason for that was the Super Space-time Repulsion Shell that Clan was intent on using to get her revenge against him. Knowing the destruction the shell was capable of, Koutarou split it in half to prevent Clan from being able to fire it. When he did, however, the energy stored in the warhead was unleashed. It detonated, and though it only expanded to a fraction of the area it would have at full power, it was still enough to swallow up Clan, her spaceship the Cradle, and Koutarou, throwing them out of space-time.

And worst of all, since the shell released its energy in such an uncontrolled fashion, Koutarou and Clan were tossed to the most problematic place possible. They ended up at the very beginnings of the universe. In terms of the river of space-time, they were all the way at its source.

Outside the bounds of the universe was not a hospitable environment. Matter didn’t exist there, let alone living creatures. The laws of physics were barely even extant, meaning it could only loosely be defined as a “place” per se. More complicated still, Koutarou and Clan had been thrown to the source of the universe itself where countless realities and unlimited possibilities were all still compressed into one. Yet for all its limitless potential, time there was frozen. Although everything was possible, nothing could be done. Although it was the beginning, nothing was starting. It was the only place like it in the vast, unending knitting of the universe.

The moment they arrived there, Koutarou and Clan should have been infinitely compressed, ending up as something far smaller than even an elementary particle, and then merged with the nascent universe and its unlimited possibilities.

However, that didn’t happen.

What saved them was the consciousness that existed there. Since that consciousness was the absolute ruler in this strange place, it sensed Koutarou and Clan’s arrival ahead of time and protected them to keep them from vanishing the instant they appeared.

“What is...”

But what the consciousness first felt was a great sense of hesitation. Nothing but that consciousness existed in this place. That had always been the case, and always should have been the case. Here, space was compressed and time frozen, so this was the first time the consciousness had ever felt the presence of someone else. So while it was greatly surprised, it was also greatly curious about Koutarou and Clan.

“Who is this boy...?”

The consciousness was particularly interested in Koutarou. What appeared before this consciousness at the beginning of the universe were three objects: Koutarou, Clan, and the Cradle. Koutarou stood out among them for the extraordinary amount of potential contained within him. If it had just been a matter of energy, the Cradle was easily the most remarkable object there, but the consciousness took a special interest in Koutarou. It was more than just energy. It was the very essence of possibility.

“Nothing but me can exist here... So why is this boy here?”

The consciousness showered Koutarou with attention and examined his body and mind. An existence other than itself. An existence from another time and place. To the consciousness at the beginning of the universe, there was nothing more interesting than that.

Yet when its powers touched Koutarou to examine him, the consciousness hesitated again. This time, however, it was because it realized something strange about itself.

“Boy...? Why am I calling this object ‘boy’?”

The consciousness was puzzled as to why it had called Koutarou “boy.” It wasn’t a term the consciousness had ever used or known before.

“No, more importantly, ‘I’? That’s right, that’s what I call myself!”

The consciousness’s realization concerning Koutarou led to the realization of self-awareness. Up until now, it had never had a clear recognition of itself. Up until now, it had been the only existence present, so there was never any need to differentiate between itself and any other being. However, the appearance of Koutarou and Clan changed that, and thanks to them, the consciousness gained a clear sense of itself.

“This knowledge is flowing from this boy!”

Contact with Koutarou brought further realization still. As the consciousness came into contact with Koutarou’s mind, there was a peculiar sense of familiarity. Koutarou seemed to recognize the consciousness. He knew it, and by observing his mind, his knowledge, and his memories, the consciousness was able to learn things about itself that had henceforth been unknowable.

“This boy has met me before in his past!”

A small white light appeared next to Koutarou. It was the first form Koutarou had come to know the consciousness by. The light then gradually grew larger, and once it reached a sufficient size, it began concentrating and reshaping itself. It grew more and more distinct, finally taking the shape of an entity.

“At that time, this is the appearance I had. That’s why I have been given this form now...”

The light next to Koutarou now appeared as a girl with calm and gentle eyes. The consciousness’s contact with Koutarou had given it clear shape, but that wasn’t all. Meeting with Koutarou had given the consciousness—no, the girl—self-awareness, awareness of time and space, and even language. It changed the girl’s entire existence.

“This object’s tag is Satomi Koutarou... I see, so you’re called Koutarou...”

And once she learned of herself, she learned of Koutarou. She could now understand such things because the changes within herself had given her perspective.

“There are several descriptors in the ID... In terms of parameters, you seem to be a normal human, but you embody incommensurable possibilities...”

She was analyzing the most basic information that made Koutarou who he was. There were physical characteristics like his weight and height, but she could read his genetic data and what kind of life he had lived up until that. Any and all information regarding Koutarou was flowing directly into her.

“But it seems the memory area is being protected... The me that Koutarou met in his past must have made it so his memory couldn’t be read...”

A portion of the information contained inside Koutarou’s mind was encrypted, preventing it from being accessed by anyone. The girl was very interested in what she could learn from the information behind this mysterious door, but she had no way of unlocking it. That aside, she was able to learn what she wanted to know most of all.

“I see... Eventually stars and life will fill even this empty place... I won’t always be all alone...”

And that was that she wouldn’t always be alone.

Before Koutarou and Clan had appeared, she had never clearly been able to identify the emotion known as loneliness. She’d just felt the vague pain of being alone, and even worse, the pain of knowing she would always be alone. It was torturous. In this place where time was frozen, it was hard to express just how long she’d lived like that. However, to describe it in terms a human could understand, it was something like several hundred lifetimes.

That’s why she rejoiced at the information she gained through Koutarou. At some point in the future, the universe would be born. Stars would shine and life would prosper. It gave her hope that she wouldn’t always be alone after all.

“...H-Huh...?”

That was when Koutarou, who had been unconscious all this time, opened his eyes. Having just woken up, he was unable to comprehend the situation he was in and blankly stared at his surroundings. Seeing that, the girl gently smiled at him.

“Koutarou.”

Drawn by her voice, Koutarou turned towards her.

“You’re...”

Hearing her voice and seeing her face, Koutarou was gripped by a mysterious feeling.

I know this girl...

That was a sense of intimacy with the girl in front of him. As if they had always lived together. It was very similar to the feelings Koutarou had for the invader girls.

But something’s weird... I don’t know this girl at all...

However, it was just as a feeling. Koutarou had no memories of this girl that he could recall, and the disconnect between what he was thinking and feeling stumped him.

“Nice to meet you, Koutarou. But you’ve met me before, so maybe saying it’s been a while would be better.”

When the girl spoke those words, a memory suddenly flashed in Koutarou’s mind. A dim underground room. Stone pavement. Several pillars surrounding a statue. And the girl that seemed to appear from the figure of the statue.

What is this memory from...?

Really, they were fragments of a memory. What the girl said to him had conjured them up from the depths of his mind.

“Guh...”

However, when trying to put those fragments together to remember, a dull pain ran through Koutarou’s head.

Who is this girl...? What am I forgetting...? And what’s with this headache...?

The girl was certainly familiar, but he couldn’t remember any of the details. The more he racked his brain, the worse his headache got. If he’d just stopped trying to remember, the headache would have stopped too, but since he felt this was important, he wasn’t about to give up on it.

“Don’t try to force yourself to remember, Koutarou...” The girl gave Koutarou a sympathetic look. “Your memories have been locked away.”

The girl smiled gently and softly put her hand on Koutarou’s forehead. Her hand was small, and it was slightly colder than Koutarou. The chill sensation of her touch peeled Koutarou’s mind away from his search for his memories.

“...Locked away?”

“Yes. It’s a complex lock that not even I could undo.”

Solving an encryption was overwhelmingly more difficult than creating one. And the odds of solving it were next to impossible if the creator was a more knowledgeable version of yourself from the future.

“Now sleep, Koutarou. You have someplace to go...”

“Someplace to go?”

An important notice had been included in the information she gained from Koutarou. It was a message she had written to herself from the future pertaining to a specific time and place Koutarou needed to be.

“I’m sure someone is waiting for you there.”

With those words, Koutarou’s consciousness gradually grew faint. One of the girl’s powers was the ability to put him to sleep. However, Koutarou felt no fear as his mind drifted off. That was because the girl was gently smiling in front of him.

“Why are you crying...?”

As his consciousness faded, Koutarou noticed that the girl was crying. Although she was maintaining her smile, tears wet her cheeks.

“It’s because I’m so happy I got to meet you. I had always been alone up until now.”

What had saved the girl from her eternal solitude was her meeting Koutarou. There was no easy way to convey the joy this encounter had brought her. Smiles or words alone wouldn’t be enough.

“It’s also because our parting is so sad. From here on, I’m going to be alone for a while longer.”

There was someplace Koutarou had to go. There was something the girl had to remain to do. Because of that, she would be alone again until the universe was born, and stars and life formed. That saddened her to the point she was incapable of holding back her tears.

“When you’re sad, you have to start by changing yourself... That’s what my old man always says...”

“Heehee, that’s what I’ve just realized.”

As Koutarou’s field of vision faded to white, the girl wiped her tears away.

Good...

Seeing the girl reveal a smile after wiping away her tears, Koutarou felt a little relieved. He then relaxed and surrendered himself to the drowsiness creeping over him. Koutarou chose not to struggle, but instead asked the girl one last question.

“Will... we meet again...?”

This gentle and warm, yet lonely girl... Koutarou couldn’t help wanting to see her again.

“Yes, without fail,” she responded happily.

Then there was a pause.

“But when that time comes, will you want me to exist...?” she asked, the unease audible in her voice.

Is she feeling lonely again...?

Worried, Koutarou now desperately fought to keep his eyes open so he could still talk to her.

“If I didn’t... I wouldn’t have asked... if we would meet... again...”

“...Thank you, Koutarou. Indeed, let us meet again...”

Koutarou hit his limit.

Ah... I forgot to ask for her name...

That was Koutarou’s last thought as he fell asleep. And once she made sure that he was asleep, the girl used her powers to envelop Koutarou, Clan, and the Cradle in a bright light.

“Goodbye... Let us meet again someday...”

The girl then sent Koutarou, Clan, and the Cradle away, far from this frozen place at the beginning of everything. After staring at where Koutarou had been for a while, the girl then put her hands together in front of her chest and closed her eyes.

“I hope the first star shines blue... just like Koutarou’s armor...”

The girl then began knitting time and space, all while dreaming of meeting Koutarou again somewhere several billion years in the future.