Machina's tale was staggering. I never imagined she had been Alice's companion. Even more incredible was the realization that Machina—the Best Friend who chose godhood and parted from Alice—had created the very world where I was born, and that I, in turn, had become the catalyst for their reunion.
"I am Omniscient and Omnipotent," she began. "You probably think I can do anything, right? In truth, I don't think anything is beyond my power... and yet, even I can make mistakes. I couldn't save Alicia back then. Thank you for saving Alice."
"Machina-san..."
"I'm sure My Child would claim he only did it because he wanted to, but the fact remains that Alice was saved. That’s why I wanted to express my gratitude properly, at least once."
As Machina smiled, her expression held a faint trace of what looked like regret. No, perhaps it wasn't true regret, but rather the lingering thought that she might have prevented Alice's suffering if only she had noticed it sooner. It occurred to me that someone with her power might even be able to rewrite the past if she truly desired it.
Sensing my thoughts, Machina gave a small shake of her head. "Even if I could, I wouldn't. There's no need. Alice looks far happier now than she would in any what-if scenario."
"I see..."
"Regardless, I am truly grateful to you, My Child. Oh, I have an idea! If you have a wish, tell me. Even if I can't grant it here, I can make it come true for you later."
She beamed at me, and I reflexively started to decline any reward—but then a thought struck me. It was a mere whim, something I didn't mind if she refused. "...Machina-san, in that case... what if I asked to remember who you are in the real world, outside of this dream?"
"I see, so that's how it is," she mused. "Well, my Dignity of a God makes me a little hesitant... and you know you'll forget everything the moment you wake up, right?"
"Yes. Even so, I still want to know."
"I see..."
I had a feeling that Machina and I were acquaintances. Since she referred to her real-world self as "the other me," I suspected she might have assumed a different form. I just wanted to know who she really was.
Machina looked thoughtful for a moment before giving a wry smile and snapping her fingers.
A jolt ran through me. Memories that had been completely inaccessible until a second ago flooded my mind, and the connection was made instantly.
"...So Machina-san was Eden-san's Main Body."
"Hehe, yup. That’s right."
"Then, that time we talked about hamburgers before..."
"Ah, my true self accidentally slipped out that time," she admitted. "I do have a certain Dignity of a God to maintain, so I try to behave with an air of majesty, but I suppose I let my guard down."
An air of majesty? I decided to let that one slide. Still, the revelation that Eden-san and Machina were one and the same was staggering. It certainly explained why I felt a persistent, underlying sense of danger in every word and gesture; it all made perfect sense now.
"Well, my reasons for bringing My Child here are concluded, and I've granted your wish, so we could finish now... but there are still 26 Minutes 38 Seconds until you wake up. Why don't we just have a nice, long chat?"
"S-Sure," I replied. I wondered how she could track my awakening with such casual, second-level precision. Regardless of the form she took, she was undeniably Eden-san at her core.
"I really like it here," she continued. "Because of my contract with Shallow Vernal, I can actually inflict damage on my Main Body here to keep myself in check. There's almost no risk of me losing control."
"Almost?" I repeated. "If you know you're prone to losing control, isn't there something you can do about it?"
"If I could do that, I wouldn't be struggling like this. The real problem is that My Child is simply too adorable. In a way, isn't it actually your fault?"
"That's completely unreasonable..."
"Ahaha, sorry, sorry. I'm only joking."
Machina-san laughed playfully. She seemed younger than she did as Eden-san, and in a way, I found her a little easier to talk to than usual. There was still a distinct madness bleeding through the cracks of her personality, of course, but I decided to be grateful that she was at least making an effort to restrain herself.
"Oh, I know. It might be fun to have a conversation with the three of us together sometime, including Alice."
"That does sound nice... though I have a feeling Alice would hate it."
"She does despise having her past brought up," Machina agreed. "But honestly, she hasn't changed all that much. She's grown a bit twisted over the eons, but she's still the same person at her core."
"I'll admit, I am interested in hearing Alice's Past Story."
"Right? Aside from what I told you earlier, there was this one time we went on a trip, and the way she invited me was just so forceful..."
As I watched Machina-san speak so fondly of her Best Friend, the tension finally left my shoulders. I smiled and nodded along, enjoying our casual conversation until the moment I finally woke up.
???: "Why is the situation getting even worse than in the last chapter?! Seriously, please stop planning these terrifying chat sessions... This is literally a nightmare!"