I had been receiving gifts at a steady pace, and by now, the list was surely winding down. Honestly, I couldn't even recall who I hadn't greeted yet. One face came to mind, but I had no idea how many others were still waiting.
Believing the end was finally in sight, I gave the lottery machine another spin...
[Shallow Vernal]
...Wait, what? No, that couldn't be right. There was no reason for Shiro-san to come up now. Was she really going for a second round?
As I stood there, baffled by the sight of Shiro-san's name—since she had definitely already given me her gift—she materialized right before my eyes.
"No, you are mistaken. The appearance of my name serves as a signal of sorts."
"...A signal?"
"Yes. There is only one person left to present their gift. Therefore, you will now return to the original world, after which the Integration of Parallel Worlds will take place. Once you receive the gift from the final guest, the gift-giving portion of the evening will be officially concluded. My second appearance was merely the cue for that transition."
"Ah, I see..."
When I thought about it, it made sense. While I remembered every single gift I’d received across all the different timelines, it would be a disaster if every guest was forced to inherit the memories of every single parallel world during the integration. The sheer volume of information would be overwhelming.
Most likely, each person would only carry over the memories of the specific timeline where they had presented their gift. But if everyone suddenly regained those memories only for the session to end abruptly and move on to the next event, it would feel too disjointed. A proper transition was necessary.
By performing the Integration of Parallel Worlds now, the final gift would serve as a natural climax to the segment before moving into the grand finale.
"We have already returned to the original world, so I shall leave the rest of the proceedings to Alice."
With that, Shiro-san vanished. Taking that as her cue, Alice nodded and addressed the crowd.
"Alright! As previously announced, we are now beginning the Integration of Parallel Worlds. Everyone will inherit the memories of the specific timeline where you gave Kaito-san your gift, and the status of your presents will be updated to 'delivered.' You might experience a sudden influx of memory, but don't worry—the Gods are using their Almighty Power to ensure the transfer goes smoothly. Once the synchronization is complete, the presentation of the final gift will officially conclude the gift-giving marathon that began with Shallow Vernal-sama."
"Seriously, Shaltan, Kuro-rin... how can you two look so unfazed? Carrying over the memories of this many parallel worlds all at once is making me feel a bit nauseated."
"It's all about splitting your consciousness to handle the load. Oh, but the rest of you don't need to worry. Fate-san is only struggling because she chose to inherit the memories of every single world on her own. For everyone else, you're only receiving the memories of the one world where you gave your gift, so you won't be overwhelmed by the data."
It seemed that those at the Quasi-Almighty Class—like Fate-san, Alice, and Kuro—were capable of inheriting the memories of every parallel world by themselves. They had done something similar during the Hydra Kingdom Founding Anniversary Festival, but Fate-san clearly wasn't used to it yet, as she looked like she was fighting off a migraine.
"Okay! Synchronizing in five seconds. Five, four, three, two, one... And there we go. The memory transfer is complete. I'm sure you're all fine, but if anyone feels sick, please let us know. Now then... it seems there is exactly one person who has not yet inherited the memory of giving their gift. Yes, you are our Grand Finale!"
In truth, I already knew who the last person was. As the session progressed, I had realized that we were in the home stretch and a certain someone still hadn't appeared.
When I turned my gaze toward her, I saw a woman whose face had gone deathly pale, her expression one of pure, unadulterated despair.
"Well, it's mostly a formality at this point, but let's give the lottery machine one last spin. Kaito-san, if you would be so kind~"
Since the session had started with Shiro-san, it was only fitting that it ended with a proper closer. As Alice said, the person acting as the Grand Finale would have to present their gift while the entire venue watched... Honestly, I felt a little sorry for her.
With a mix of pity and anticipation, I spun the wheel... and the name of the woman who would bring it all to an end appeared.
[Lunamaria]
In the distance, I saw Lilia-san—wearing a look of profound, soul-deep sympathy—reach out and pat the shoulder of Luna-san, who was currently sporting dead fish eyes and a twitching, terrified smile.
Synopsis:
Lunamaria: "Th-This can't be... No... I have... no memory of giving him a gift... none at all..."
Stomach Pain Devil: "Recite your death poem; I shall be your executioner."
This Time's Victim (Lunamaria): "Aieee!? Body-stomach-blow!? Why a body-stomach-blow!? WHY!?"
Stomach Slayer: "I'll send you to the same realm of pain as your best friend..."