Once Mom and Dad faded away, a grand door materialized before me. I took it as a sign to move forward.
Mom had mentioned there was only one trial left. Even if this door didn't lead directly to the finish line, I couldn't help but wonder what kind of ordeal was waiting on the other side.
I took a deep breath, steeled my resolve, and pushed the door open.
"...What is this?"
I had prepared myself for a grueling challenge or a harsh environment, but the view that met my eyes was almost comically anticlimactic.
There was a single, straight path. Aside from that, a grassy plain stretched out in every direction until it met the horizon.
I stepped inside, tilting my head in confusion. When I closed the door behind me, it vanished as if it had never existed, leaving me alone with the blue sky, the prairie, and the lone road.
I looked back, but the view was identical. I suppose my only option was to keep moving forward.
I wasn't sure how long I walked. All my tools—except for my watch, clothes, and shoes—had disappeared the moment I entered this space, so I had no way to track the time. Based on my internal clock, it felt like several hours had passed.
Despite the distance, I didn't feel the slightest bit tired. Physical exhaustion didn't seem to exist here. At that moment, I realized what the "Final Trial" truly was.
The scenery never changed. There were no rocks, no trees, no clouds, and no sun—just a blue sky above a featureless plain. There was no way to tell how far I had gone or how much longer I would have to walk.
This space was the trial itself. The task was simple: keep walking down the straight path.
But for how long? Days? Months? Years? I had to endure this with a body that never grew weary. It was, quite literally, a battle of wills.
"Fine," I thought. "Bring it on. I'll walk for hundreds of years if that's what it takes."
I had been given so much warmth and courage. I was weighed down by more affection than I could possibly carry, and my parents had given me one final push.
I was fine now. I was certain of it. My heart would never break again.
I lost all sense of time. I might have been walking for months.
It was a strange sensation. My body didn't need food, water, or sleep. However, mental fatigue still existed. Every so often, my spirit would waver, making my legs feel like lead. I had to consciously refocus my will to keep from slowing down.
Strangely, my memories remained crystal clear. I could recall my final conversation with Arisa as if it had happened moments ago. It truly was an ordeal designed to measure nothing but mental fortitude.
Still, there was no point in rushing. Only God knew when this would reach its conclusion.
"...For example, if the world were a single story..."
With nothing to do but think as I walked, I started to sing. It was "Small Story," the song Illness-san had taught me—the song I later learned belonged to Kuro. I liked the melody, and the lyrics seemed to fit my current circumstances perfectly.
I walked. I just kept walking. I couldn't say for sure how much time had passed, but it must have been years. I felt like my singing had improved enough for someone to actually call me good at it. Yet, the end of the road remained out of sight.
Doubts occasionally flickered through my mind. Was I going the right way? Was there even an end to this? But that was just part of being human. We complain, and we lose our way. The important part is what we do after those doubts arise.
As long as this path led to where Kuro and the others were, my feet would never stop moving. So, I walked. I marched through that unchanging landscape for as long as it took.
Eventually, I began to feel that walking a path without an end in sight was quite similar to life itself.
How many years had it been? My perception of time had vanished so long ago that I couldn't tell if I had been walking for decades or if it had actually only been a year.
If it were the latter, I still had a long way to go. Curiously, this space didn't make me feel like I had matured much. I was just walking, after all. I had hoped I might develop a bit of Ozma-san's cool, refined air, but I still felt like the same old me. I suppose real life experience is what builds character.
As I walked without end, a thought occurred to me. How had everyone else felt?
Isis-san had lived through a thousand years of crushing loneliness after the Friendship Treaty was signed—though her actual life was much longer.
Kuro had spent tens of thousands of years searching for the one thing she lacked from the moment of her birth.
Alice had lived even longer than that, carrying her best friend's final wish in her heart.
And then there was Shiro-san. How long had she been alive? Hundreds of millions of years? Trillions? Even more?
It's easy to say those numbers, but living through that time is a staggering feat. I had hoped that by walking this path, I might understand their feelings a little better, but it was difficult. In the end, every life is different.
That’s why I chose to imagine. I wanted to share their feelings, even if only a little, to be closer to them.
Come to think of it, what did Shiro-san really want? Was erasing my memories truly her goal? No, something about that still didn't feel right. I had plenty of time, so I decided to use it to think. I wanted to understand the heart of the God who created the world.
I had no idea how many years had passed, but as long as this was a trial, it had to have an end.
As I marched through the unchanging scenery, the Sea of the World suddenly appeared on the horizon. A woman with long white hair stood there, her back to me as she gazed out at the water. I smiled and kept my pace steady until I reached her.
"That was surprisingly fast," I said with a smile. "Is this the goal?"
"..."
"Um... why the long face?"
Shiro-san turned around. Her expression was technically blank, but her puffed-out cheeks made it clear she was pouting.
"I shall answer in order," she said. "Yes, this is the goal. And I am extremely dissatisfied."
"Is it because I cleared it?"
"No. Overcoming the trial is fine. But I am very unhappy that you cleared it in almost the minimum time possible."
"Wait, what?"
It was a straight line; how could there be a "minimum time"? When I tilted my head, Shiro-san continued in her disgruntled tone.
"This trial was Eternity—a path that continues without end. I designed it so that the goal would be reached after one hundred years of continuous walking. However, I built it so that every time you stopped or strayed, the remaining time would increase exponentially."
"I see..."
"I also made it so that stopping would cause various doubts to well up, making it nearly impossible to start walking again."
"That's a pretty nasty setup."
In other words, it was a trap designed to create a downward spiral of hesitation and stagnation.
"And yet, you cleared it in the minimum time. You didn't stop once, Kaito-san. I find this very irritating."
"So... can I assume I passed?"
"..."
I looked at her with a hint of exasperation. She was acting like a sore loser. After a brief silence, Shiro-san let out a sigh and nodded.
"Yes. You have overcome the four trials I prepared. It is your victory."
With a flick of her finger, a grand door appeared beside me.
"I won't say I have no complaints, nor will I say I am not frustrated. Nevertheless, it was a masterful performance. Kaito Miyama... you have truly defeated me."
She spoke with a hint of loneliness, but then a small smile touched her lips.
"It is time for you to wake up. Hold your head high and pass through that door. Return to your world, to the place where everyone is waiting for you."
"Right."
I nodded and reached for the handle. Then, remembering something I had forgotten to say, I turned back toward her.
"Shiro-san."
"What is it?"
"Thank you."
Shiro-san's eyes widened slightly before she gave me a gentle smile.
"Were you able to say the things you couldn't say before?"
"Yes. Thanks to you, I said everything I needed to."
"Then I am glad."
"Well, Shiro-san... I'll see you back in the other world."
"Yes. Kaito-san... I hope that the story you walk from now on is a happy one."
Serious-senpai: "He walked a straight path for a hundred years in a void without knowing when it would end... and the first thing he says at the finish line is 'That was short'? Kaito, are you even human anymore?"
???: "Stop doing a Serious Break. I'm going to dice you up and use you for fish bait."
Serious-senpai: "Why is everyone so mean to me?!"