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"Well, it's not as convenient as it used to be."

The flower, unable to be held in place, eventually slipped from Dorothy's hair.

She sighed with some regret and carefully put it back into the inner pocket of her clothes.

"Sister Alice, what's wrong? Why aren't you saying anything?"

Pat-pat.

Dorothy, smiling, walked barefoot towards Alice's position.

The situation was so bizarre that Alice's mind went completely blank, and she could only subconsciously follow the pattering sound as she backed away step by step.

Then, he lost his footing, lost his balance, and fell awkwardly onto the cold floor.

"Hehe, it feels like something like this happened a long time ago...?"

Dorothy leaned down and brought her cute little face close to Alice's.

"Eh...?"

It has indeed happened before.

When she first came to this place.

The problem is, Dorothy shouldn't have known about that.

Rather, it's more accurate to say that someone knew about that matter...

"Hey, Alice."

Dorothy stretched out her little hands and gently pressed them on either side of Alice's head, trapping her under her tiny figure.

Then, she revealed a smile that seemed out of place for her age, and carried a seductive quality.

"Actually, Dorothy remembered her past life."

"Eh? Something from a past life...?"

"The purifying fires of purgatory are so hot, extremely hot... Several times I felt like I couldn't hold on any longer..."

She paused for a moment, then flashed a bright, almost dazzling smile.

"However, I tried my best, so as not to forget, to keep in mind not to forget, to remember the promise I made to Alice... and then, it seems that it was finally completely preserved in my soul. I think it must be the power of love?"

"Um...Dorothy...? You really are...Dorothy, right?"

"Of course, Dorothy is Dorothy."

It was indeed Dorothy, but...

"But Alice, you should already know, right...? Hey, let's call Dorothy by another name...?"

"But...but...aren't you nine years old...?"

"That thing is fake. It's just a lie I made up because I was afraid of being abandoned because I was too young when I didn't remember it."

"Ooh, ah..."

"The promise we made back then... has finally been fulfilled... The game is over—right? Sis-sama...?"

------

"Please, break the seal!......……………………"

The wishes she made that day were not just the ones she told Alice.

She also made an impossible wish—or rather, a wish that was absolutely impossible to fulfill.

"To free my sister from the power of the curse, and—I hope that my sister and I... can always be together, whether it's ten years from now or in the next life... as humans."

However, with the blessing of the Yatagarasu's power and the help of the Holy Spirit, this wish, which was impossible, became a reality, allowing the girl's memories to transcend the purifying fire that was enough to initialize all souls.

Thank you for finding— - The Girl's Star Journey

The scene remains somewhat peculiar.

In the misty steam of the spring, Alice hugged Dorothy, or rather—Kuno, tightly from behind.

Her small body looked especially delicate when held in someone's arms. Compared to her bold and outrageous actions and words just now, she now seemed somewhat timid and hesitant, like a little animal that had done something wrong and was waiting for its owner's punishment.

That's understandable, after all, Alice is a little—no, very angry.

"I'm so sorry... Sister..."

"Instead of apologizing, do you know why your sister is angry?"

"Well, not only did she suddenly pounce on me... she also tried to do strange things to my sister..."

“That’s right, forcing someone is never acceptable! I don’t recall ever teaching you anything like that.”

"Waaah... I... I'm reflecting on my actions... because... because everything was exposed, and I just couldn't suppress those feelings..."

"Since you know you were wrong, then this time... I'll forgive you for now."

To be honest, Alice wasn't really angry, at most... a little bit, no, perhaps... a bit angry?

But compared to anger, surprise and joy definitely made up the majority of my feelings.

She gently rested her chin on the top of Kuno's small head, feeling the softness of her little head.

"Dorothy, are you really Kuno?"

"Yes! Dorothy is Kuno, Onee-sama!"

"...I see, it's true..."

Upon hearing this, Alice tightened her arms, embracing the small body even more tightly.

Once you've experienced loss, you never want to experience it a second time.

"I've always... I've always wanted to see you..."

"Kuno too..."

"I thought it was impossible... I never expected it to happen under these circumstances... in this way..."

"It really is Kuno... not some other personality that suddenly split off from Dorothy, or some unknown ghost that suddenly possessed Dorothy... right?"

"Of course! My sister's idea is so strange. Dorothy is Kuno, and Kuno is Dorothy! It's just that her memories are recovering a little slowly."

"I see..."

It's not some strange thing like multiple personality disorder, nor is it a situation like mine, but rather a completely and truly one soul.

In any case, this miraculous reunion left Alice feeling somewhat incredulous.

"Huh? Wait, memory recovery? So Dorothy didn't have Kuno's memories from the beginning?"

Of course.

Kuno answered as a matter of course.

"If she had regained her memories from the beginning, Kuno would have gone to find her sister right away! She wouldn't have waited until now!"

"When did you think of that?"

"It hasn't been many days, has it? Shortly after my sister and Sylvia went out on a mission."

"That's really only a few days."

"Because I was so lonely not being able to see my older sister, I secretly sneaked into her room, hoping to distract myself by smelling her scent."

"Isn't this way of diverting attention a bit too strange?"

"Then, I found my older sister's hair on the bed! After picking it up and smelling it, I suddenly remembered!"

"...Kuno, your sister might get angry again later, you know??"

"Waaah..."

Kuno immediately shrank back, not daring to say another word.

Although the way Kuno regained her memories and her subsequent behavior were still so...strange, Alice felt a bit complicated.

But in any case, this time it's finally confirmed.

Dorothy is indeed Kuno.

"The promise we made back then has finally been fulfilled."

"Does it mean hide-and-seek?"

"Ah."

"Hehe, since Big Sister won, then Kuno will keep her promise. It seems that Kuno's life is now completely in Big Sister's hands!"

"I...I've always had a lot of regrets..."

"what?"

Kuno blinked, puzzled.

"I've always felt guilty for not being able to save Kuno back then... I wanted to save everyone, but in the end... I was the one who was saved by you, Kuno."

Whether it was those embodiments of the will of nature, Mount Tianmai, that people who believed in nature, or Shia, Kaguya, and all other important people, or even beings like the Holy Spirit and Anat, she extended a helping hand in her own way, bringing about positive changes for them.

But there was only one exception.

There was only that one person, the one she wanted to protect the most, but Alice felt that she hadn't been able to do anything for her.

That became an insurmountable obstacle in Alice's heart.

"So, I'm really happy to see Kuno again. This time, I won't let you get away again no matter what."

"Of course, Kuno won't go anywhere! But, sister, you're wrong about one thing."

"...?"

“It’s wrong to say that ‘I couldn’t save Kuno back then.’ Didn’t we say that Kuno was saved by her older sister so many times that day?”

"is that so……?"

"Yes, not only have I been helping Kuno... but I've also kept every promise I made to Kuno!"