I just need a miracle...! (Pink Trigger's Power >4999)

There had to be a way! I was sure there was some way! There were so many chapters, so many routes... One of them would lead to what I wanted!

Without reading every chapter, how could anyone judge I wasn't qualified to love and be loved? How could anyone call me unworthy! I just needed to find that chapter...

I'll believe in a miracle!

The two looked at each other with an expression I hadn't seen before. They were still smiling, but it had taken on a new gravity. "Oh... so you come bearing the endorsement of that great witch, do you?" Zepar asked me, raising an eyebrow.

"We can do nothing for you, but if it's that great witch... However, be advised. If that witch can't find your miracle..." Furfur trailed off.

The two demons stepped away from me, bowing as they disappeared into the dark. For only a second, I thought they'd finally decided to show me some respect... But then, I felt it. Like cats' eyes, watching a mouse with curiosity... a mouse in immediate danger of becoming somebody's dinner. By this point, I had an idea of what to expect, so I turned around and immediately fell to my knees. After all, I have to welcome my new guest, and my master...

Ah...!! The Witch of Miracles, Bernkastel, stood above me, dressed in her frilly gothic lolita style, black with white trim. Her long purple hair appeared to stay perfectly in place, heedless of gravity. She gazed down at me without passion from her place in the sky before slowly, gracefully lowering herself to my level.

"Mister Player," she addressed me simply. Ah, I never thought I would be talking to her... "... This is quite a mess you've found yourself in."

Yes, yes, I agreed with her, nodding vehemently. These demons who don't believe in the power of miracles are keeping me from realizing my love! I filled Bernkastel in on every detail, starting from my agreement with the witch. I spared no secret: after all, if you can't tell Lady Bernkastel, who can you tell?

"... She's even reading this kind of story?" Bernkastel muttered, chuckling very slightly. "Boredom is a terrible poison... Now, Mister Player. You're already well-acquainted with the power of miracles, returning from the dead, are you not? Between that and this meeting with me... You seem to be a very fortunate person already."

No, I told her. Dying and returning from the dead in an endless loop with no hope of a miracle of love was no fortune. It was a kind of hell.

... Something I said didn't seem to sit well with her. She frowned and closed her eyes. I remained deathly silent, unsure if I'd just blown my only chance at a miracle. Finally, she opened her eyes once more. "You've died and come back many times before now, haven't you? For that spirit of perseverance, I can become your ally. And, as your ally, I'll give you the hint to find your way out of this ****."

A miracle! A miracle after all!! I thanked my generous master over and over.

"There's no need for that," she brushed me off, keeping her distance. "The witch that keeps you in this story has imposed a rule that causes your **** each time the day nears its end. In a single day, the chances that you will know true love are likely nearly zero. Indeed, I find it hard to conceive of a fragment in which your miracle will occur."

No! Please don't say that! Isn't there anything you can do?

The witch frowned. She glanced around: at some point, the spotlight, Zepar, and Furfur had all disappeared. I was now floating with Bernkastel alone in what looked like a sea of stars. As I watched, the witch would pluck these stars, inspect them, and replace them where they'd been. Each time, she would shake her head sadly. Finally, upon looking at one, her eyes opened wider. "Mister Player... this is..."

I tried to run over, to crane my neck around and see what she was looking at. Effortlessly, she floated away into the air while continuing to hold and inspect the star.

"Mister Player. Alone, you hold no hope of obtaining your miracle. However... If we inspect not just what can happen to you, but what can happen to any version of you, across any fragment..."

My head was spinning. I didn't even know what a "fragment" was. It was like she was speaking another language. I didn't feel like much of a magician.

"In layman's terms... there are many versions of you. Many have converged upon this point, right now, to hear your plea. Perhaps, one among those Players has a miracle that can grant you the contented life of love you seek... However, if you would risk this path, you must devote yourself to it completely. Although it will be another you, you must be willing to risk everything to bring about this miracle."

I told her I'd do anything.

"I see. This miracle will never occur as you are now. Rather than a person, you must submit yourself to being a character in the story. In doing so, you will become something less than human. You will give up some agency... But you are already a dead man, are you not? If you consent to being a character in the stories of those Players, you may find that one of them has written the ideal world you wish to take part in. You may live an ideal life, as an ideal player. That miracle... may exist."

It was too good to be true. I'd had it with my own sorry erotica. Why not leave my fate in the hands of strangers? Surely, somewhere out there was a version of me who'd been able to make this happen.

"I will hold this door open for you... And, I will close it behind you," Bernkastel told me. She opened a rift beside her: it looked black like cat fur for only a moment (I thought I saw some eyes in there as well), but soon gave way... to total darkness. I could see it was nothing like the space we were now in. There was no light.

But if I don't take this risk now... I'll give up my miracle! I disappeared into the portal, thanking my master one last time. I could see she had prepared snacks and tea, likely preparing to wait for the start of Rokkenjima's main game.

Let it go on without me. Now, I enter a new chapter of my own.

...