Future Diary Survival Game-Chapter 35 : The Deal - 5

Chapter 35:  The Deal - 5
I clenched my teeth hard.
But soon after, I relaxed my expression, smiled, and opened my mouth.
“Hey, sister. Isn’t this a bit much?”
“What is?”
“You said you couldn’t side with anyone in particular, right? Then, by that same logic, you shouldn’t be cornering anyone either, should you?”
“I don’t understand, little brother. Why would scattering you all be considered cornering you? Can you not pass the quest unless you’re together?”
To explain that, I would have to mention both the ‘possibility’ and my Diary Book.
I shut my mouth tight.
Magireta playfully reached out her hand.
Without my permission, she ruffled my hair and said,
“Hey, hey. My little brother’s really good at managing his expressions, huh? A role model for any successful adult!”
“……Fine. Let’s say scattering us doesn’t count as cornering us. But still, there was no reason to do this right before I made my request.”
“It’s more fun that way. You’re too serious, little brother.”
Damn it.
I should’ve considered this possibility too.
Come to think of it, it had been the same during the second quest, ‘First Come, First Served.’
According to the Diary Book, I was supposed to travel a distance reachable within three days.
But in reality, I was sent to a location where, had I not figured out a way to cross the swamp by scaling a sheer cliff, I would’ve been eliminated for sure.
‘So even the Future Diary can’t do anything about Magireta’s whims?’
[That’s right. If everything happened purely at random, the Future Diary would never be wrong—but when that woman interferes, nothing is guaranteed.]
‘Don’t tell me Magireta can change the quest itself if she feels like it?’
[No. I don’t believe so. Even Magireta can’t touch the quest itself. Just as she can’t interfere with the hidden rules.]
My ears perked up at the Diary Book’s confident tone.
If it were up to me, I’d press further.
But now wasn’t the time for that.
‘What do I do now?’
[Who knows.]
As always, the Diary Book didn’t give me a straight answer.
I had to think for myself.
Then, suddenly, something flashed through my mind.
I hurriedly grabbed the Diary Book with both hands.
Using the Secret Conversation function, I reached out to the others.
[Can everyone hear me?]
[M-Mason. Whew. You’re a bit late.]
[Damn it. Hey, Princess—if you die, I swear I won’t let you off.]
[But what is this trickery? Why is your voice echoing inside my head?]
I quickly spoke again.
[Everyone, calm down and listen. Has the game started yet?]
[W-What do you mean? Of course it started—that’s why we got scattered.]
[No. I’m asking if the Bulletin Board popped up. At the place where you were sent!]
[……!]
Everyone seemed to realize what I meant.
Between the first and second quests—
Magireta had used the excuse, “The game hasn’t started since the Bulletin Board hasn’t appeared,” to carry out a fake quest called Offering Sacrifices.
This time, we’d be the ones to use that rule.
Magireta had said that requesting a shuffle after the quest began would cost one’s life.
But the game hadn’t started yet.
Which meant, fundamentally, nothing had changed between the moment we were together and now.
‘That means the price I can offer still works. It’s still the right time!’
Soon, the replies I’d been hoping for came in.
[Nope. Nothing here. Magireta’s just spouting nonsense.]
[Same here. Hurry up.]
[Hmm. Same on my end.]
Good.
Just then, Magireta raised her hand.
Her fingers poised, ready to snap.
If she made that sound, the Bulletin Board would appear.
I shouted at the top of my lungs, my throat trembling,
“Wait! I want to make a deal, sister!”
Snap—
Magireta’s fingers froze in midair.
I looked at her lips beneath her hood.
A smile.
But having faced Magireta several times before, I could tell without a doubt—
That smile carried a hint of irritation.
“Can’t it wait till later, little brother?”
“No. It has to be now.”
“Don’t you remember what I said before? If you want a shuffle after the quest starts, you’ll have to wager your life…”
“I heard you. But the quest hasn’t started yet, has it? The Bulletin Board hasn’t appeared.”
Grit—
For the first time, Magireta ground her teeth.
Hearing that sound, I felt an oddly complex emotion.
That inhuman being—
That unbelievably cruel demon—
was irritated because of me.
“My little brother… remembered all that.”
“You taught me well, sister.”
“……”
“Will you accept my deal?”
Then, the voices of my companions echoed in my mind.
[Ah, she froze. Magireta stopped.]
[Same here. Mine too.]
[Quite curious. Seems these Magiretas are connected by something unseen.]
A moment later, Magireta spoke.
“Haa… I suppose I have to. It’s the rule, after all.”
“……”
“As you said, since the quest hasn’t started yet, you don’t need to wager your life. But you’ll still have to offer something quite heavy and precious. After all, reshuffling those I’ve already scattered is a tedious process.”
“Yes.”
“So? What will you offer?”
I took a deep breath.
Then, enunciating clearly, I said,
“My memories.”
“…What?”
“All of them—from the moment I was born until just before I met Mr. Forgotten three years ago. I’ll offer all of those.”
A brief silence followed.
Murmur, murmur.
About twenty of the people who had been dragged here with me began whispering among themselves.
“What’s that guy saying?”
“I don’t get it at all.”
“More like, is he insane? How can he speak so boldly to that witch…”
“Come to think of it, I saw him in the first quest. Thought he was strange even back then.”
But whatever the surrounding noise, I was focused solely on Magireta.
At last, she spoke.
“My little brother sure loves to joke.”
“Why are you taking it as a joke?”
“You don’t have any memories, remember? You’re missing memories from exactly that period you mentioned, aren’t you? Are you saying you’ll put something on the scales that isn’t even in your possession?”
“No. I’m not missing them.”
I tapped my head lightly.
“My memories are definitely here. I just can’t pull them out.”
“Little brother…”
“I’m offering you a persimmon hanging from a tree I can’t reach. But the persimmon tree belongs to me, so whether I can reach it or not, the fruit on it is mine. My property.”
“……”
“You just need to bring a pole and pick the fruit, sister. The owner—me—has given you permission.”
Magireta seemed to ponder for quite some time.
Perhaps wondering whether what I’d offered was a reasonable price or not.
How long had it been?
At last, she opened her mouth in a soft voice.
“That’s… ambiguous.”
“……”
“I acknowledge that memories are precious to you. But I also know you’ve got that nasty thought—‘If you can’t pull them out anyway, might as well treat them as if they never existed.’”
“……”
“You’re peculiar, you know that? I’ve had many trade offers from former participants, but none have ever offered such a clever and ambiguous price.”
She let out a sigh.
Then she stepped closer, carefully scanning my face from every angle.
“What should this big sister do with you, really?”
I felt a chill crawl up my legs, over my waist, and along my shoulders—like a snake slithering up my body.
But I ignored the feeling and spoke.
“If it’s ambiguous… does that mean the scale’s leaning toward my side?”
“Who knows.”
“What did you put on your side of the scale, sister?”
“What do you mean? You asked me to make sure the four of you can keep doing quests together, didn’t you?”
Right.
But the current situation wasn’t looking good.
I knew what that sweeping look in Magireta’s eyes meant.
She might call it ambiguous, but she would eventually make a choice.
And I’d bet everything I had that the choice wouldn’t be in my favor.
“Then let’s make your side of the scale a bit lighter.”
“What?”
“We don’t have to ‘keep doing quests together’ forever. Just make it so we can stay together for this fourth quest only.”
“……”
Magireta stopped, seemingly surprised.
In the meantime, I asked the Diary Book.
‘This is fine, right? Diary Book?’
[Sorry?]
‘What do you mean, sorry? Hey, you can’t just answer like that.’
[Not sure what you mean.]
‘You said last time that after the upgrade, it would be fine from now on. You definitely said that.’
[Ah. That.]
The Diary Book responded in its usual carefree tone.
[Yes, it’s fine. Don’t worry?]
‘Why did you end that like a question?’
At that moment, Magireta spoke.
“Then the scale will tip heavily toward your side… You okay with that?”
“I want to live, sister.”
“I only said it was ambiguous.”
“……”
“Pfft. You really do catch on quick.”
Tap, tap.
Magireta lightly patted my shoulder.
Then she stretched, letting out a long groan.
“This time, I’m getting quite the bargain. Fine. I’ll accept those conditions.”
“……”
“For this quest only, I’ll reshuffle so the four of you can act together again. And I’ll take the memories from the period you designated.”
“Understood.”
“You sure? Aren’t those precious memories you’ll need to reclaim one day?”
“It’s fine. Anyway…”
I grinned.
“If I survive until the end, I’ll just use my wish to get them back.”
“Puhahahaha!”
Magireta burst out laughing and snapped her fingers.
My mind reeled, and I felt my body being flung somewhere.
“I hope it turns out that way, little brother.”
The moment she snapped her fingers, dizziness swept over me.
After a while, my blurred vision cleared.
Shapes and people came back into focus, and my hearing returned.
The first thing I saw was Armelia.
Without realizing it, I murmured,
“Ah… thank goodness.”
At that, Armelia’s eyes widened—then curved into crescent moons.
“You’ve said something most pleasant for a first word.”
“Pardon?”
“You said you were glad to see me again. I feel the same.”
I scratched my head.
Just then, Aina’s voice came from behind her.
“Well, aren’t you two having fun.”
“I’m not exactly playing around.”
“Yeah, sure. Anyway, I’m glad too—that we’re together again.”
Beside her, Berseum stroked his mustache calmly and nodded.
“But is this really all right?”
“Sir?”
“You put your memories on the scale. I’ve just learned you’d been suffering from amnesia, but… there’s a big difference between not being able to recall something and having Magireta take it completely.”
“It’s fine. Like I said, if I make it to the end, I’ll reclaim them with my wish.”
“……”
“I figured I’d need to stake something like that for the gamble to work.”
Armelia bowed her head slightly, as if apologizing.
“In the end, you lost your memories because of me. I keep becoming more indebted to you.”
“I didn’t lose them. I just left them with Magireta for a while.”
“Mason.”
“Anyway, since we’re back together, let’s talk about the quest.”
“Hmm. Before that, there’s one thing we should share.”
Armelia’s expression was solemn.
Naturally, we all leaned in to listen closely.
“As Mason foresaw, Edgar was at the place I was teleported to just now.”
“I see. Did he recognize you, Your Highness?”
“No. Remember, when we killed him ‘once’ that day, he died without even seeing our faces.”
Right—Aina had struck like lightning back then.
“He didn’t recognize me. But I recognized him. So I took the short time I had to observe him carefully.”
“Well done. What was he doing?”
“He was speaking kindly and warmly to those around him.”
That surprised me.
I’d never spoken to him myself, but I never thought he’d be the sociable type.
“And then?”
“One of the people he spoke to was someone I know.”
“Huh? Who?”
“Ian de Trosse.”
Who?
Apparently, I was the only one thinking that.
Both Aina and Berseum looked visibly shocked.
Especially Aina—her expression went beyond mere surprise to outright disgust.
I asked her,
“What’s wrong? You look furious.”
“Trosse is a family known for producing overwhelming warriors—called the ‘Sword of the Empire.’ Especially Ian de Trosse, the current head of the family at the young age of thirty.”
“Oh?”
“It’s not something to just say ‘oh’ about! He’s one of the top five strongest in the entire Crotica Empire.”
“If you fought him, who’d win?”
Aina answered immediately, without even pausing to think.
“Ian would.”