The Protagonist's Party is Too Diligent

[Cosplay?]

[Cosplay!]

[It looks great!]

[Mia-chan’s so cute, Mia-chan’s so cute, Mia-chan’s so cute!]

Honestly, it’s rare for someone who watches our stream not to be into anime. So obviously, there were people at that event who also watch our channel.

Which means—even if we didn’t release the photos ourselves—people would still end up seeing us in costume. Someone was bound to upload pictures.

These days, with the concept of portrait rights being more widely understood, people often blur faces when permission is unclear. But as online streamers, we sort of float between celebrities and regular people.

So we decided to show a few photos on the stream ourselves. Naturally, we edited out everyone else in the background. It wasn’t a one-person job—we picked out a few decent shots and took turns cleaning them up on a schedule.

Claire was the one who took most of the photos, since she was the best with a camera among us.

The camera we bought for vlogging last time turned out to be surprisingly useful. Since the weather was clear, the shots came out crisp and bright.

Among all of us, Mia’s cosplay drew the most attention.

“......”

Mia herself was too embarrassed to even look straight at the chat.

Usually, even when she wore costumes, she never got flustered on stream and she never hid her love for magical girls. But seeing her name fill the chat window nonstop—it was too much for her.

[Charlotte looks amazing too!]

[You look like you stepped right out of the anime!]

Well... to be exact, we looked like we stepped out of a game. Though if you follow the story closely, it feels more like some parallel world that's different from both the game and the anime.

“......”

Charlotte was also at a loss for how to respond to the chat. Still, she didn’t look unhappy. I mean, what cosplayer would be upset about being told they look just like the character?

[But Sylvia doesn’t really suit the look...]

[Her smile looks awkward]

[She doesn’t give off that fairytale vibe]

[If anything, she looks like she’s here to assassinate the queen?]

“......”

And then there was me—drawing attention for different reasons. Not because the outfit suited me, like with Charlotte, but because I gave off... "fan character" energy in all the wrong ways.

Getting coached by Charlotte had been a bit annoying, but now that the viewers were nitpicking everything, that was a whole other kind of frustrating.

Especially the comments about assassinations. That one hit a nerve. Half of it was probably accurate anyway. In the game, Sylvia did try to assassinate her own father. And me? I’d... well, I had experience killing someone else’s father.

Still, banning everyone who made those comments would probably make me look petty.

“...Anyway, that’s enough photos for now. Moving on.”

[She’s mad]

[Sylvia’s sulking?]

“......”

My fingers itched to move the mouse, but I held back.

“You did great, Sylvia.”

Alice patted my shoulder as she looked over at my face.

But her expression clearly said she was enjoying this way too much.

“Everyone who made fun of me just now—ten-minute chat bans. Reflect on your actions.”

[IAAAHHHHH!]

[Unfair mod abuse LOL]

[Is this a dictatorship?? LOL]

Only after banning two more of them did I feel a bit better.

“Big Sis...”

Claire’s gaze was sharp as she looked at me, but that was something I could endure.

“I’m not sure if we’ll ever go again, but I had a lot of fun this time. So we might end up going again.”

[Too bad you didn’t get on stage]

“I’ll consider it next time.”

Not that I’d be the one going on stage, even if we did.

*

After an hour of warming up in Just Chatting, we booted up Legends of Atherna again.

So... um...

Ah, right. We were right at the part where Sylvia gets impaled, leaving a gaping hole through her torso.

Of course, the hole wasn’t shown directly—she was still skewered by tentacles at that point.

......

If it had been up to me, I wouldn’t have gone that far. Did that world’s Sylvia really have no other options?

[...May peace be with you all. May the deeds you've accomplished be undone by your own hands—]

The game picked up right where it had faded to black last time.

Sylvia’s chest is pierced, and her body is lifted into the air. Just looking at it, you could tell how much it hurt. Her face wasn’t visible, but it definitely looked like a death blow.

[Sylvia!!]

Alice screamed.

Claire dropped to her knees, totally dazed—an expression I’d never seen on her before.

Even Charlotte, who had developed a bond with Sylvia, and Mia, whose relationship had just started to improve, looked shaken.

This was... definitely not the happy ending I had in mind.

[———.]

No background music. No voice acting. Just the text on screen.

The speaker’s name—

“‘Order’?”

Alice frowned at the name displayed.

It didn’t say Goddess of Order—just “Order.”

In this game, names are often self-proclaimed. If a character uses an alias, the alias is what gets displayed. If they haven’t given a name, it’ll just say something like “Man with blue hair” or “Woman in red cloak.”

So “Order” was probably another self-given name.

[So, this is the path you’ve chosen.]

Slowly, the metallic tentacle that had impaled Sylvia rose upward.

At the end of it stood a faceless woman.

No, rather than faceless, it would be more accurate to say her face couldn’t be seen. A pale blue light covered her face, obscuring it.

It looked like a painting of a saint—except instead of the halo being behind her head, it was in front of her face.

And instead of pure white, the halo glowed a ghostly blue.

Ominous yet majestic music played in the background—probably Latin, though I couldn’t say for sure.

[Despite being given the ability to correct time again and again—the power to set the world right—you still chose to prolong the chaos. Why?]

The tentacle dropped away from her back and disintegrated into dust.

Sylvia’s body fell. Thud. In this game—where most animations were stiff and clunky—that motion was disturbingly well-animated. It looked truly painful.

Blood pooled beneath Sylvia’s body.

[Death could’ve been avoided. A more perfect resolution could’ve been reached.]

[Don’t you dare insult Sylvia!]

Alice shouted.

[I don’t know what happened exactly, but Sylvia acted for us until the very end!]

[And that’s the problem.]

The woman—presumably a goddess—folded her hands in front of her abdomen. It didn’t look humble at all.

Her attire was neat and identical to what Sylvia wore.

Could her face, hidden behind the light, be the same as Sylvia’s?

[If the one created in my image isn’t perfect, then it reflects poorly on me.]

“Whoa...”

Claire, staring at the screen, let out a choked sound.

Yeah.

If I had seen this play out myself, I probably would’ve reacted the same way. Though in my case, I’d also be skewered and lying on the ground over there.

...Maybe the reason the goddess summoned me instead of game-Sylvia was precisely to avoid this kind of outcome.

And maybe—just maybe—that’s why she still hasn’t shown herself to me directly.

Could it be because of this game’s ending?

[There’s no need to worry too much. There will be another chance. I’ll restore order to this world—my power has already been reclaimed.]

[No!]

Leo cried out, reaching forward as the screen began to slow...

...And then nothing happened.

Even the melancholic music came to an abrupt stop.

[...No way...!]

As the goddess turned her body—

[Protect Sylvia!]

Leo shouted.

He probably didn’t understand everything, but he read the situation fast and acted on instinct.

He rushed forward to shield Sylvia, and countless others followed, surrounding her.

Then—

[Sylvia!?]

Alice knelt beside her.

Cough. Sylvia spat blood.

But—she was still alive.

[Hang in there, Sylvia! I’ll do something—]

[Of course. I’m not done yet.]

Sylvia looked at Alice—then her eyes shifted toward Leo’s back.

[...Everything is ready. The world and space-time are connected. The goddess has been summoned into this realm. In this moment, at least, the rules of ‘Order’ are in effect.]

She closed her eyes and spoke slowly.

[However, the one thing I still retain is the power to rearrange this world as I wish—that is, what you call ‘time.’]

[......!]

[Everyone—undo what you have done, with your own hands.]

Sylvia’s voice rang out.

[Not through the tricks of someone like me—but as the true protagonists of fate, walking through time on your own.]

...Wow. That was cool.

...I wish I’d said something like that.