Chapter 444: Rikka and the System

“You woke up just now, right?”

After Yukinoshita and Hiratsuka-sensei left one after another, Himekoji was the only one left in the Service Club. He asked softly.

Silence.

“You’re awake! Say something!”

Himekoji’s voice hardened a little.

[How did you know?]

The System seemed finally stirred. It spoke quietly, a hint of doubt in its tone.

Instead of answering directly, Himekoji said something that instantly captured the System’s attention.

“I know more than that. I know you woke up just now to observe Hanjo Ayame.”

[Oh?]

A single thoughtful sound.

The System neither admitted nor denied it.

“You want to know why she still remembers Rikka, don’t you?”

[I am a little curious.]

There was no reason to deny curiosity.

“She remembers… because of you.”

His tone held mocking notes, but his mood wasn’t mocking.

[Because of me?]

The System’s curiosity flared higher.

“You really never paid attention? What your other piece did while you were sound asleep.”

[Eh?]

At Himekoji’s words, the System seemed to finally grasp something.

But that happened before its main awareness woke up. The lack of energy caused huge amounts of data and information to be lost.

“Because, thanks to its meddling, Hanjo Ayame ‘fell in love’ with Rikka.”

“Funny, right? One force made her fall in love, another force tried to make her forget… Maybe it was first-come, first-served, or some other strange reason, but the first won out. The power of ‘love’ was stronger than the power to ‘forget’. So, while everyone else forgot Rikka, only Ayame still remembers!”

“Playing with people’s memories like this? It really makes me furious!”

Himekoji was furious by the end, clenching his fist.

Only now did he realize: the greatest control over a person came from altering their memories.

Imagine it – if Himekoji lost Himekoji’s memories one day, would Himekoji still be Himekoji?

[Is that so…? I seem to recall a little…]

After a long silence, the System quietly responded with this.

“So, the changes to the world’s settings, Rikka disappearing… that was some other System messing around?”

[You figured that out?]

It sounded slightly surprised.

“Is there any other answer?”

Himekoji simply countered expressionlessly.

“Who else could pull something like that? Only you so-called Systems. Since it wasn’t you, it must be the other one.”

If Himekoji didn’t have a System himself, such a thing would be unthinkable.

But since he had one, it wasn’t that surprising if other people had them too.

No one was special in this world.

Himekoji wasn’t. The System wasn’t either.

[You’ve almost impressed me, I must say.]

“Was I wrong?”

[No. Not at all. In fact, you’re probably spot on.]

“So, if I find the owner of that other System, I’ll find Rikka?”

Here, Himekoji threw down the question he cared about most.

All his reasoning until now had served this one goal.

[In theory, yes. But I strongly advise you not to.]

“Why?”

[Because it’s risky.]

“Huh? Risk? Are you scared?”

[…]

The System fell into deep silence.

This struck Himekoji as utterly ridiculous and laughable.

“Aren’t you supposed to be a god? Gods get scared?”

[Of course. Because the other one… is also a god!]

Rare gravity and solemnity filled its words.

Himekoji just scoffed dismissively.

[You aren’t afraid?]

The System shot back.

“Afraid? Oh, I’m afraid alright.”

[Then don’t waste your effort. When someone is afraid, they can achieve nothing.]

“Really? But I take the opposite view—”

“I believe only when someone is afraid… can they achieve anything!”

He was afraid. He was afraid Rikka might be gone forever.

All this mess… it was the doing of a System!

Maybe not this Pervert System clinging to him… but another one.

Himekoji refused to let those absurd things mess with the people and matters important to him.

He would find Rikka!

[I won’t offer you any help.]

Silence stretched before the System spoke again, its tone low and slow.

Truthfully, it wasn’t “won’t,” it was “can’t.”

The tiny bit of energy it had barely gathered would vanish instantly in a clash of “divine domains.”

Deep down, it wanted to stop Himekoji. But it knew… right now, no matter what it said, Himekoji wouldn’t listen.

Himekoji’s twisted and stubborn nature was something even the slumbering System had come to know a little about.

“Yes, I can manage alone.”

Even without the System’s help.

He would still try.

…

Service Club.

“I believe I’ve found where Rikka is.”

Himekoji spread the map across the desk. A bold red circle marked a spot, glaringly obvious.

Himekoji’s finger landed precisely there.

“Huh? But that’s wilderness…”

Yuigahama’s mouth fell open in surprise.

“No, that’s where Rikka’s family home used to be.”

“What?! Rikka’s family were cavemen?”

“That’s why I said ‘used to be’! Honestly! Yuigahama, just stop talking!”

How did such a serious discussion turn into this mess whenever Yuigahama spoke?

Himekoji rubbed his temples in annoyance.

“Are you suggesting that Rikka’s old family home disappeared from the map along with Rikka herself?”

Yukinoshita was the first to grasp his point.

“That’s right.”

Himekoji nodded.

“So, I suspect these two events are connected. It’s highly likely Rikka is right there now!”

“Then let’s go find her!”

Hanjo Ayame shot to her feet, ready to bolt from the room.

“THWACK!”

A swift chop landed on her head from the Female Teacher.

“Are you trying to drag everyone into skipping class?”

Hiratsuka-sensei frowned, her voice stern with authority.

“Sensei! This is life or death!”

Hanjo Ayame flushed, arguing desperately.

“I understand. But rushing won’t help. We prepare today and tomorrow. This weekend, I’ll go with you.”

“But—”

Hanjo Ayame looked ready to charge off that very second.

“No ‘buts’. It’s remote wilderness with no direct transport. I’ll drive you Saturday. Honestly, do you think I don’t worry about my students?”

With Hiratsuka-sensei putting it so firmly, Hanjo Ayame had no comeback. She turned pleading eyes to Himekoji.

“Let’s listen to Hiratsuka-sensei.”

Rushing blindly served no purpose.

Hiratsuka-sensei was right. They truly needed these two days to prepare properly.

After a moment’s thought, Himekoji made the final call,

though it might seem like overstepping.

After all, the final say in the Service Club had always rested with the president, Yukinoshita.

But somewhere along the way, Yukinoshita had begun listening to Himekoji’s suggestions.

…