Love You Ninth Night : 01 [Mido Sayoko] ◇◇ (84) (Patreon)

Beep beep beep beep beep beep.

The sound of the alarm pulled the two of them back from their doze.

Apparently, after getting out of the bath, Sayoko and Erika had fallen asleep at some point while fooling around on the sofa.

The digital clock in the room displayed, "Tuesday, November 3rd, 1:00 AM."

It was Erika who had set the smartphone's alarm.

"Well, I'm heading home."

"...I'll walk you."

"Okay."

They were next-door neighbors. Normally, this was a completely unnecessary act.

But Sayoko did it anyway. And Erika didn't refuse.

A distance that wouldn't even take ten seconds, they took over thirty seconds to cross... The two of them, holding hands, walked slowly, stopped, and then walked just a little more.

And like that, without exchanging a word, they had arrived at the Nagano family's front door.

She couldn't say "See you later."

To say "goodbye" was far too sad.

Saying only "Good night," Sayoko waved, and they parted.

As she walked, she touched a finger to her lips. It was a heart-wrenching feeling, as if the sensation still lingered.

(Eri-chan.)

Erika had given her a memory.

Before she headed into her final battle, Erika had given Sayoko a memory.

(Thank you, but...)

It's okay, Eri-chan.

Your fight is already over.

So you don't have to put so much pressure on yourself.

All that's left is for me to die.

Me? I'm okay.

I've been prepared for this for a very long time.

Thanks to you, I'm not scared at all.

(So please, don't worry, Eri-chan.)

◆

Locking all the doors in the house, paying special attention to the gas and fire sources, making sure no lights were left on... After all that, Sayoko returned to her room to find Kyoka's avatar huddled on the bed.

"Kyoka..."

She called out, but the girl didn't reply. She moved her head slightly to look at Sayoko, but immediately buried her face again.

Sayoko sat down next to Kyoka in silence. She continued the motion of stroking the avatar's back and simply waited for time to pass.

...As the two sat side-by-side without a word, time passed. The clock in the room finally indicated "1:58 AM."

Sayoko stood up from the bed and sat on the floor, facing Kyoka.

"Thank you for everything, Kyoka."

Kyoka finally raised her face, her eyes meeting Sayoko's.

"I'm sure things will be incredibly tough for you from now on, but... um, do your best. I don't know, I can't say it well. But you see, for me, this is goodbye."

From Kyoka's eyes, which stared blankly at Sayoko, streams of tears traced paths down her cheeks.

"You silly girl, why are you crying? I'm about to fulfill my true purpose, you know? You should be smiling and seeing me off."

Kyoka shook her head as if to say no, no. Then she jumped off the bed and ran to Sayoko's lap.

Sayoko reached out a gentle hand to pat her. But she couldn't get the positioning right, and her fingers passed through the avatar.

"...I'm sorry, it's almost time."

As Sayoko smiled at Kyoka, her vision suddenly went black, and her consciousness fell as if being sucked into the darkness.

◆

With a beat of her heart, Sayoko's consciousness returned.

(The final replicated space, huh.)

Her vision was dark and hard to see. But if she strained her eyes, she could make out that she was inside some kind of building.

However, there were no windows around, and no lights were on. Looking around, she couldn't figure out anything.

(I can't see anything.)

She shrugged.

(Oh well. It'll be fine.)

She hadn't come here to fight this time. She had come simply to take her own life.

(How should I die, I wonder~?)

For now, she could find a place with some light and look for a blade.

If this was inside a building, she could find a high place and jump off.

If there was a rope or an electrical cord, hanging herself would be an option.

(Oh, right, if you hit the out-of-bounds barrier, you die instantly, don't you?)

That's probably the quickest way, she thought, clapping her hands together as she considered methods of suicide. A soft "fufufu" escaped her lips.

(I bet... a person so joyfully, so contentedly, so proudly... searching for a way to kill themselves in such a happy mood... Aren't I perhaps the first person in human history to do so?)

The girl thought this, feeling like she could almost break into a dance.

With the overwhelming emotion of having fulfilled her true purpose, she took a deep breath.

『Spatial replication complete. Domain fixation complete. Contender transfer complete.』

The ninth voice.

Sayoko waited for the starting announcement, nonchalantly continuing her thoughts.

(Now then. Once it starts, maybe I'll just walk along the wall for a bit.)

...But fate had betrayed Sayoko.

What the voice announced was not the same starting call as always.

『At last, this test, this program has reached its final battle. So this time, as a special treat! We'll have our two finalists share their fighting spirit for the championship match! First up, Side A, Ability Name: [Scar]!』

Flash!

And with that, a light shone down from above Sayoko.

Like a spotlight, it exposed her figure out of the darkness.

"Wh-!?"

This unexpected situation sent Sayoko into a panic.

"Hey, you idiots! Stop it! I said stop! You pieces of shit!"

But ignoring her, the announcement continued.

『Next up, Side B, Ability Name: [Gunstar Heroines]!』

"Stop it! Please! I'm begging you, stop! Hey! Stop it!"

Sayoko's pleas were in vain as another spotlight-like beam of light shone down.

And it clearly illuminated a person standing a short distance away, out of the darkness.

Standing there was the girl called [Gunstar Heroines].

Mido Sayoko's beloved, Nagano Erika.

2025.06.24

Kiyo-sensei, the artist of the "I Won't Forgive Your Future" manga, has made summer clothes for the handmade Sayoko and Erika plushies!

Kiyo-sensei: "The summer uniforms really give off a youthful atmosphere, don't they?"

I feel that on a deep level... ( ´∀｀) I get it...

The summer days that surely must have existed before the main story.

Please feel this page from Sayoko and Erika's affectionate youth!