CH 197

“Let’s start with talking about the state of the world, shall we?”



With a cup of coffee in her hand, Rebel began.



“For starters, there is more than one “world”. The world we lived in, the world you lived in, and many other worlds exist. They exist next to each other, overlapping each other, and there are infinite numbers of them out there.”



“Parallel worlds…. Is it like parallel worlds?”



“It is only a branch of one world. The main idea is the same. Other world is a completely different world from the parallel world. Yes, that’s right… If I had to put it another way, the various possibilities that arise in the process of a person’s growth are parallel worlds. I guess you could say that strangers who are different from you belong to other worlds.”



“Ah, if you put it that way, I can kind of understand….”



Well, there’s our world, and then there is the world that  Rebel belonged to, so it wouldn’t be surprising if there were more.



Then the mayor opened his mouth.



“Hmm, something like the multiverse theory?



“Mayor, what’s that?”



“It’s a theory in quantum physics. The theory says that for every possibility we can think of, there is a world out there that has the answers to it. Infinite possibilities are proof of infinite worlds.”



“Huh…..?”



Fujita couldn’t understand what he was saying but  Rebel sighed in relief.



“That’ s a very interesting theory. I’d like to hear more about it later.”



“We’ll talk as much as you want after this is over.”



“That sounds nice. I will take you upon your offer. Well, for now, we don’t have to think too hard. The point is that there are many worlds out there.”



“Yes, that’s it.”



“Let’s not forget that it was Mayor and Rebel who went ahead and took the trouble of creating such a difficult theory…..”



“There are multiple worlds. These worlds do not inherently interfere with each other, and we are not even aware of their existence. With one exception…….”



“The exception……?”



“Yes. And that is the reason behind this whole mess.”



Rebel paused for a moment and then continued.



“The world has a ‘life span’, just like living things. “



“Life span…?”



She nodded and continued,



“Yes. Just as human life has a limit, so does the world. It’s literally called ‘the end of the world’. It is said that when the end of the world is near, we become aware of the existence of other worlds. I don’t know why, though.”



At these words, the people around me started murmuring amongst each other.



Rokka slowly raised her hand. 



“What happens when the…… world reaches the end of its life span?”



“Of course, it will disappear. It will take with it every life in it, every continent. Oh, don’t worry. At the very least, it’s not possible for ‘this world’ to reach the end of its life……. Never.”



“How long does the world have to live?”



“Who knows? Well, it would be after a few hundred billion years, or maybe less than a few trillion years. At least, it’s much longer than a human lifetime.”



Perhaps sensing the anxiety within Rokka-chan and the people around her, Rebel immediately added,



“What does that have to do with the current situation?”



“Don’t rush me. I’ll give you a proper explanation. But first…”



Rebel gulped down the remaining coffee.



“Can I have another cup?”



“Oh, yes.”



Chief Shimizu immediately poured coffee from a pot at the side of the room and placed it in front of Rebel.



She seemed to really like the coffee from this world.



She took a sip and let out another sigh of satisfaction.



“……Our world had reached the end of its life. Originally, it was supposed to disappear into nothingness. But I found a way to avoid that. Thanks to someone I met……”



For a moment, Rebel looked somewhat nostalgic.



“That person realized that our world was nearing the end of its lifespan, and that there were other worlds besides our own. And she found a way. The only way to save our world.”



“…… Don’t tell me.”



I gulped.



I had a feeling I knew what she was going to say.



“Yes… It was the only way to save our world. She tried to prolong the life of the world by merging your world with ours.”



“!!!”



I was speechless.



Everyone had a look of disbelief on their face.



“It sounds outrageous, doesn’t it?　In fact, I couldn’t believe it either. Another world? The end of the world? Haha, it’s so ridiculous it doesn’t even make sense.”



“But,” she continued, “……it is not a lie. When I found out it was true, I shivered in fear. I didn’t want to die. I didn’t want to disappear. Such thoughts consumed my entire being.”



Her hands were shaking as she held the cup.



She paused to catch her breath and resumed speaking.



“That is why — I would first like to apologize. I’m sorry that I dragged your world into this situation for the sake of my world. I’m truly sorry about this…….”



After saying that, she bowed deeply.



Silence engulfed the conference room.



Everyone stared at her in confusion as she lowered her head.



Finally,  Nishino opened his mouth, and asked her,



“What do you mean? Are you saying that our world has just been dragged into this mess for your selfish purposes?”



“…… Exactly. The world that was closest to our world was chosen. And that world is the one you live in.”



Kacha!  Nishino stood up abruptly, walked over to  Rebel and grabbed her by the collar.



“Don’t fu*k with me! Are you telling me we are in this situation because of the selfishness of the people of your world?! Do you even know what we’ve …… gone through to survive till now?”



“….There is nothing I can say to make up for this unfortunate incident.”



Nishino’s usual calm demeanor was nowhere to be seen. Instead, he was shaking with anger as he questioned  Rebel.



On the other hand,  Rebel stood there with an extremely apologetic face. 



“But you see… we had no choice. For us, it was the only way. It was the only way to survive. Or are you telling me that I should just shut up and accept death? Are you telling me that the world is going to die and I should just die along with it? Even if there is a way to possibly save it?”



“Still! Just for that–!”



“…yes, it was for that reason your world was ‘chosen’. For the sake of our survival, we had no choice but to involve your world in this.”



“…!”



Nishino-kun let go of her with an indescribable expression on his face.



“….I am truly sorry for involving you guys in this.”



“No, I am also sorry for getting so worked up.”



Nishino-kun returned to his seat.



He is not usually like this.



I’m sure it was a big shock for him as well.



(…… Honestly, even I’m just trying to come to terms with this situation as best I can.)



…… Ichinose, who is sitting next to me, kept stirring her coffee with a spoon, while saying, “Aww……” I could feel the inner turmoil within her through the [shadow] under her feet.



“…… Let me ask you one thing.”



The mayor raised his hand.



“Who is this person who noticed something wrong with the …… world?　You said it was her–but what if it was ……?”



All eyes focused on Rebel.



But she shook her head.



“…… No, it wasn’t me.”



Who is it then?



“My mother, my Master.”



“Master?”



“Yes. Master was the most amazing person in my world. The lifespan of the world and the method of merging with other worlds were all discovered, developed, and created by my master. I was her apprentice at the time, so I had to help out a bit, too. To be honest, I have no idea how she managed to come up with such a system. She really is an undeniable genius, that person…….”



“I see……”



“Master’s system was perfect. It allowed the boundary between the two worlds to merge without distortion, as if it had always been there. The environment and the laws of the two worlds were set up in such a way that both our world and the people of this world could coexist without any conflict……”



Then Rebel bit her lip.



For the first time, the expression on her face, which had been calm all along, became distorted.



“The fusion of the worlds was supposed to be done peacefully. Before the worlds were mixed up, we were supposed to be able to contact each other and ask you to save our world.  At least, that’s how my Master had programmed it.”



“Wait a minute!”



I raised my voice involuntarily.



“Isn’t that a little crazy? It doesn’t make sense. The monster just appeared out of nowhere. Besides, we haven’t met anyone except  Rebel who is from the other world, let alone being contacted by one.”



I stopped after saying that much.



I had to stop.



Rebel’s face was twisted in hatred beyond anything I had ever seen before.



Everyone gasped at the sheer intensity of it.



“Yes, that’s right. Right now, there are no ‘otherworlders’ in this world except me. Why do you think that is?”



“……”



“Didn’t you think it was strange? Why did only monsters appear? If the two worlds were really fused, then people, environments, continents, objects and structures would have appeared in this world, wouldn’t they?”



“That’s …….”



What she said makes sense.



If this world is a mixture of two worlds, then why did only monsters appear in this world?



If an otherworlder like  Rebel had shown up earlier, we would have been able to fight against the monsters much easier and casualties would also have been reduced by a lot.



This is almost as if–



“…………”



As if– what?



An unpleasant premonition passed through my mind.



–to keep the environment and laws consistent?



Speaking of which, the day the monster showed up, electricity, internet, and all other necessary infrastructure was out of service.



Information was completely cut off, and people were forced to deal with the threat of the monster without any means to communicate with each other.



If we could have communicated with each other, the damage would have been significantly reduced.



The Self-Defense Forces, the government, and other countries would have been able to coordinate better.



But what if all of this was done ‘intentionally’?



“No…… but something like this…….”



All the pieces of information started to come together in my mind, leading to a single answer.



A chill ran down my back, and my heart started racing.



I looked at  Mayor and  Nishino, they had covered their mouths with their hands and were turning pale.



They must have come to the same conclusion as me.



“You’re right.”



As if reading my thoughts, Rebel-san opened her mouth.



” It’ s exactly what you are thinking.”



“……”



“The appearance of monsters was deliberately manipulated in the hands of no one else but us, the ‘otherworlders’.”



[T/N: Nani?!?!?!?!]



“….!”



“My master thought she had created the perfect system. But the people who built the system with her were not perfect. On the contrary, they were extremely selfish and stupid…….”



She looked up at the ceiling and sighed.



“They saw this world as a new place for them to live in. And because of this they viewed the people living here as low-born natives. So they tampered with the system the Master had created and adjusted it so that only the monsters would be transferred to this world first. They killed each other, reduced their numbers, and adjusted the system to make it easier for them to live in and manage the world.”



What the hell is that ……?



Then could it be–



“So, don’t tell me that the ‘enemy’ you were referring to was ……?”



“Yes. It is the inhabitant of my world – an otherworlder. They are an ‘invader’ of this world and an enemy that you must absolutely defeat.”



No one in the conference room was able to utter a word after she finished speaking.