Chapter 2

Whuh-Whaa? There was a flash just now.….

Ah, Rui-kun! Where are you going!?

I’m still here.

Huh!? W-Wait, are you the Rui-kun who came with us?

Yeah, it’s me. Rui Kamishiro, director of Wonderlands×Showtime.

That being said, what exactly is the deal with this phenomenon?

At first, I thought only my body shrank, but it turns out that my actual body is over there now. Which means.…. we must have switched bodies.

I’m not sure if that proves anything, but I still have all my memories. Or... maybe this is some sort of interference with my perception, and in reality——

Phew! It really is the Rui-kun we know!

Yep!

Sorry, I got a bit carried away by this fascinating phenomenon.

Nope, we’re just glad we know for sure it’s you, Rui-kun!

But still, why did you "shrink" in the first place?

.….Even if we try to figure it out, there’s still too much we don’t know. What we need now is more information.

First, we should figure out where we are. Do you two know anything about this place?

Yep! Miku's pretty sure this place was born from one's feelings ♪

Mhm! But, like, this place feels way more unstable than the Fragment SEKAI..…

If I remember correctly, the Fragment SEKAI is different from the usual SEKAI, and you can only have a glimpse of the emotions and feelings there temporarily.

So, theoretically, if we leave things be, we’ll eventually return to the original SEKAI?

Sorry, Miku's not sure about that. Oh, but…..!

The emotions Miku felt from the other you were still totally your feelings, Rui-kun!

……! So, this place was born from some kind of emotion within me, huh?

Then the next question is: what kind of emotion is it?

There’s gotta be some clues around here! Let’s look around!

Yeah.

Hey, check this out! There are tons of photos here!

There are pictures from when Rui-kun was little, all the way to now! Oh, isn’t this one from your school trip?

Hey, these are from the sports festival ♪ Oh, and here’s one from the Wonder Stage show too!

(My age, the people in the pictures, and the locations are all random. There doesn’t seem to be any order to how they’re arranged.)

(Which means what’s important must be the contents.)

….Look at how happy you are right now.

Even though you used to always be alone.

(From the way I spoke earlier, it’s probably…..)

..…Found it.

Oh, this one only has Rui-kun in it….. wait, what!?

This one has cracks all over it!?

(All of the cracked photos are from when I was in elementary and middle school.)

(But the ones with Nene and my family from that time aren’t damaged…..)

(That must mean I want to reject the me from when I felt alone..…)

(.….No, maybe it’s the other way around.)

("He" probably thinks the current me is denying who I used to be.)

("His" anger makes sense now, if "he" is really who I think "he" is……)

.…I’ve figured out what kind of emotion brought this place into existence.

Really!?

That’s right.

This place——it’s a SEKAI born from my loneliness.

….!

Rui-kun!?

I’m back…..

(The air around me feels… lighter somehow……)

Do you think it’s because you finally found out what the other Rui-kun was feeling?

…..I’m glad you finally figured it out.

Ah! The Rui-kun we first met….. and?

That’s me from middle school.

Hey, nice to meet you….. is that even appropriate to say?

Fufu, getting a “nice to meet you” from myself like that feels kinda surreal.

I didn’t have any strong feelings about this matter, so I decided to observe quietly since it looks like it could be pretty entertaining.

I see… that’s exactly what I’d do.

…..So, you’re not angry anymore?

…………

…..I thought you had forgotten.

Since you have more company and tons of friends now.

…I’ve never forgotten, not even once.

Those lonely days….. they’re not something you can just forget.

But——

Your heart’s started to fill up more and more with happy memories of all your friends and companions.

There’s no place left for “us” anymore…..

It’s true that, because of Tsukasa-kun and everyone else, I no longer feel that crushing loneliness I used to feel back then.

But I’ve never once thought that I wanted to forget, or that it’s something I should forget.

Huh…?

Maybe it’s just that I can’t forget, but… having gone through those days is the reason I can understand one thing clearly.

The existence named “Wonderlands×Showtime” is truly a miracle.

Rui!

Rui-kun ☆

Rui!

…..It’s because of those lonely days that I was able to take action back then.

Even if the right choice was for everyone to achieve their dreams, I didn’t want to choose a path where we go our separate ways.

I desperately searched for a way for the four of us to keep performing together, clinging to that miracle.

…………

…..At the very least, I don’t believe there’s such a thing as a memory that’s better off not existing.

Because I know what it’s like to suffer, I can be kind to others, and because I know sadness, I realize how precious a smile can be.

And it's the same with this.

Because I’ve experienced loneliness, I understand the importance of having companions——

That’s why Wonderlands×Showtime is my most cherished treasure.

Treasure…..

Yeah.

So, you don't need to go anywhere. You have a place here, with me.

…………

…..We can stay here?

Looks like—— I've found myself a wonderful treasure, huh?

Mmm.….

Looks like we’re back in the original SEKAI! Thank goodness…..

Maybe it’s because little Rui, who's responsible for the fragmented feeling, has returned to Rui-kun ♪

...I see.

Rui! Miku, Len! Where were you guys!?

You went poof all of a sudden! We’ve been looking for you!

Heeeeey! Big bro KAITO! We found Rui-kun and the others!

.….Did something happen? Are you okay?

I’m fine. No problems at all.

(…...Because I have all of you here with me.)