To finally put this story to rest, in the end, I was never able to find the truth. The truth of Olympia, nor the truth of the world. But maybe that's not the most important thing in the world. Even if what I see from her isn't the full truth, it's what I'm being shown; it's all that I can work with.
"So, Kiyomi-chan, in the end, you didn't find anything," says Kagami. "Or maybe I should say you didn't find what you were looking for. But do you think that such a thing is so easily found? Has it even been a month since you've met her? You don't expect to know her fully in such a short time, do you, Kiyomi-chan?"
Two weeks have passed since our Leap Into the Sky's End. In other words, our one-month anniversary of meeting each other is in a few days. Somehow, I managed to escape that failed suicide attempt with minor injuries. Olympia, on the other hand, is in the hospital getting treated. Luckily, she didn't harm herself too badly, but she still needs to rest in the hospital.
I haven't visited. Not once.
That's why Kagami is here with me today. We're on our way to the hospital Olympia is in.
Kagami encouraged me to come visit Olympia. Or maybe she dragged me out of bed to finally come see her. Regardless, I didn't get much sleep, so I'm unsure which case is reality. I hope it's the former; I don't know how I feel with Kagami knowing where I live…
"I guess not," I finally respond. "I may not have found what I've been looking for, but maybe one day I will. Every day forward is a step closer to what I'm looking for. So I can't stop walking. I can't start all over just to end up not a single step forward. I can't become stagnant."
"My, my. I was going to say my lack of involvement in this volume would result in fewer people reading this junk, but maybe you have grown since the initial volume. Maybe. Even if that change isn't drastic, it's noticeable. That should be enough to satisfy you.
"By the way, Kiyomi, did our Pollyanna grow wings? You ended the previous chapter with quite a cliffhanger. I'm dying to know what happened. Did she grow wings? Or did you close your eyes? What was it that saved you two?"
"The answer to that question is rather simple. But I know that depriving you of that answer will drive you crazy, so I'll courageously withhold from sharing that information with you."
"Huh!? Where the hell do you get off teasing me!? That's supposed to be my job. Jeez, it's been a long while since I've been in a chapter, and this is how I'm being treated upon my return…"
Kagami seems genuinely upset by my teasing. But the truth is, I don't know whether or not Olympia grew wings. My head had been rather hazy during those few days. It's only after a few days after that leap that my head feels clear. Looking back at the way I was thinking, I have no idea how to explain any of that.
So, sorry, Kagami. I can't answer your question. At least not with the truth. So please get over it. We survived. We're still breathing. We still matter. That's all that matters.
"By the way," I interrupt Kagami's sulking, "where did you hear those rumors from a witch? That's how this whole mess started."
Crap.
I realized too late that I should've asked this sooner, as Kagami gives me a smirk of sadism.
"Oh, who told me those rumors? Hmm," Kagami takes a while "remembering" who it was who shared the rumors with her. "I forgot."
…
I guess it doesn't matter anyway. We're over that hump.
We walk in silence for a while. That is, until Kagami decides to interrupt this moment of peace.
"Kiyomi-chan, I still have quite a few questions that are bugging me. I'm dying to know the answers to them. Can I ask? Pretty please with a cherry on top?"
I'm hesitant to give her permission after that last line. Couldn't you have come up with something clever?
"I'm sorry. Pretty please with a cherry down below?"
"Uhh, sure. Ask ahead…"
"First, what was up with Kumiko this volume? It seemed as if she was not real or was purposefully playing with you. Giving you contradicting information. Disappearing all of a sudden. What was up with that?"
"Hmm, that's something I hadn't given much thought to." Now that I think about it, I've already been trying to repress these memories.
She notices that I can't give her a solid answer, so she moves on.
"Second, what was Neku's role in all of this? He watched Olympia from afar—always just out of reach—even after everything. After she broke him. I don't understand. Was he waiting for an apology? Or just for her to notice him again? Would you do that, Kiyomi? Would you watch someone you loved destroy you...just to see if they'd stop?"
Another question I don't know how to answer.
Kagami doesn't waste time waiting for me to struggle to answer, and instead moves on to her third and final question.
"Kiyomi-chan, my final question is this: how did Olympia's Secret Nectar taste? Should I ask her for—"
"No."
Kagami isn't shocked by my immediate response. Instead, she smiles.
"Well, that's all the questions I have for now. Let's go see Olympia. Hmm, this will be my first time meeting her. No—This will be my first time meeting this Olympia. Too bad the readers won't get any of the juicy details." Kagami finishes her last remark with a cheerful laugh. I don't know why she has an interest in Olympia. But if there's no harm, I shouldn't put much thought into it.
So,
In the end,
There are still plenty of questions that don't have answers. But not all questions need to be answered. Not all questions will have a satisfying answer. Some questions will serve only to raise more and more questions.
But none of this is an excuse to give up on finding answers.
Maybe not an absolute answer,
Maybe not the full truth,
But an answer nonetheless.
I call out these prayers to the sky, heavy with thought, see your face
I carry these memories inside, thoughts of a soul colored by love
See me grow wings and fly high, passions will die down below
I burn in a basin of fire, watchers look on as they dance in their merciless sky
Watching me, watching you...watching me
Until then,
The brain is wider than the sky.