Chapter 1: Mahiro of Two Worlds
SEVERAL YEARS AGO
"AHHHHHHHHH!"
"It's okay Mrs. Oyama, you're doing fine. Just keep breathing. That baby will be coming out of you very soon."
"Thank goodness." Mrs. Oyama replied. "How long has it been?"
"Seventeen hours." the doctor replied. "I know it may seem long, but I've seen some women stay in labor for two or three days without delivering. You're honestly way ahead of them even if this is taking quite a while."
"I'm sorry," Mrs. Oyama replied, "it's just that my first child didn't take nearly so long to come out."
The doctor couldn't help but look over at the small child at the other side of the bed that was holding onto Mrs. Oyama's arm.
"Mommy, is it time yet?"
"Not yet sweetie," the doctor replied, "but it's very soon. I promise."
"I'm just so happy. I'm going to have a little brother or sister. Though I really hope it's a sister."
"I've been in this job for twelve years and I see so many kids that would rather stay their family's only child." the doctor said. "It's nice to see such a young one like yourself who wants to welcome another member of their family into the world."
Mrs. Oyama started groaning in pain again.
"Okay Mrs. Oyama, here it comes again. Just breathe carefully, and push."
"AHHHHHHHHHH!" Mrs. Oyama cried out.
The doctor looked between Mrs. Oyama's legs once again.
"Okay, you're fully dilated. I think it's about time to have this baby. Just keep breathing."
Mrs. Oyama inhaled and exhaled as she tried to get her breathing under control.
"Okay, get ready. It's starting to crown. When I tell you to push, you push."
"AHHHHHHHHH!" Mrs. Oyama cried out as she let out an extremely long scream.
"Here it comes, here it comes."
All of a sudden, a baby's crying could be heard throughout the entire room. Mrs. Oyama looked up with a sense of relief while the child next to her started smiling.
"Is it here?" the child asked.
"Yep," The doctor said.
"Well, what is it?" the child asked.
The doctor held up the baby to check the sex, and said "it's a girl."
"Wow, wow, wow!" the child cried out. "I have a little sister."
The doctor glanced up at the clock.
"Time of birth, 3:35 PM." The doctor then wrapped the baby in a blanket and placed her in Mrs. Oyama's arms.
"Hi baby." Mrs Oyama said while looking at her new daughter. "Come over here sweetie, come and see your new sister."
The child leaned over to look at the baby, and instantly fell in love with her. The baby girl was so small, but extremely cute. Despite just having been born, she had a full head of extremely short but pretty hair, coupled with bright brown sparkling eyes that seemed to light up the room. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.
"You know that as her older sibling, it'll be your job to protect her and look out for her."
"I know Mommy, but I'm more than happy to do that. I will always protect her."
There was a few minutes of silence as the two looked at the beautiful bundle of joy that had just come into the world.
"Have you thought of a name?"
"Yeah," Mrs. Oyama replied. "Mihari, I'd like you to say hi to your new baby sister Mahiro."
"Hi Mahiro." Mihari spoke. "I promise you that I'll be the best big sister you could ever ask for."
Mother and daughter smiled and giggled at that statement, and Mahiro started to giggle as well. It seemed as if she was eager to join in on the conversation with her family.
PRESENT DAY
Mahiro walked along the sidewalk on her way home surrounded by her best friends. They typically walked home together since they were all so close.
To the left of her was Asahi. She had a look of relief that school was out, coupled with one of eagerness for whatever adventure she would set herself out on before reaching home. Despite being Mahiro's opposite in almost every way, Mahiro really enjoyed Asahi's company. Asahi may have been a bit on the dumb side, but she was always honest, cheerful, and extremely caring about everyone and everything she came across. With Asahi, you could truly be yourself, as she never cared about things like labels or hobbies. Regardless of what you did, she would love you all the same. If it wasn't for her, Mahiro wouldn't have been able to relax so quickly when she first met her and Miyo.
Speaking of Miyo, she was on Mahiro's right side, directly behind her. Miyo was one of the more even tempered and rational of Mahiro's circle of friends. Just like Mahiro, she wasn't very athletic. Her biggest trait was her absolute arousal when it came to girl-on-girl, or yuri, situations. Anytime she saw two girls interacting physically, she couldn't help but get aroused. She even had a habit of playfully shipping her friends together into non-existent relationships. Mahiro found her habits a bit strange, but the two were still very close. Miyo had even opened up Mahiro to the world of yuri manga. Out of respect for Miyo's wishes, Mahiro kept their shared love of the genre a secret.
Then there was Momiji, who was walking directly next to Mahiro on the right side. Momiji had a special bond with Mahiro, as she was the first one of their circle of friends to befriend her. Mahiro had already met up a few times with Momiji's older sister Kaede before the two met themselves, and even then they met by sheer coincidence. They formed a bond before either one knew the other's identity, and once they found out they were eager to meet up again. After they met up a few times, it was Momiji who introduced Mahiro to Asahi and Miyo and allowed them to become such a tight-knit circle of friends.
There was more to Momiji's relationship with Mahiro than meets the eye, however. Momiji treasured her friendship with Mahiro so much that she always acted differently towards her than anyone else. Momiji loved it when Mahiro paid attention to her, and got strangely jealous and competitive when Mahiro paid attention to someone else. In addition to that, Momiji would always do her best to hang out with Mahiro without Asahi and Miyo. Granted this wasn't unusual, but Momiji really seemed to treasure the moments that she hung out with Mahiro. Aside from a few awkward encounters they had gone through, nothing had ever happened to suggest that they were anything more than best friends. It seemed like things were unlikely to change, and Mahiro was more than happy to keep it that way as she treasured her friendship with Momiji as well.
"Can you guys believe that test we had today?" Miyo asked.
"Yeah," Momiji replied. "I hope I did okay. What about you Mahiro-chan?"
"Hmm." Mahiro thought. "I guess I did okay. There were a few questions that tripped me up though."
"Yeah, me too." Momiji remarked with a slightly embarrassed smile. "I don't even want to think about how Asahi must feel."
Turning their heads, they could see Asahi in her typical lethargic state that came with taking tests. She was usually so energetic and outgoing, but tests were her one weakness. When she took them, she lost all that energy and acted nothing like her normal self.
Seeing her like this always made Mahiro want to help her feel better. She used to be the same way during her first go-around in middle school and always felt bad seeing such an energetic friend get like this. Mahiro walked up to Asahi and hugged her tight.
"It's okay Asahi. We'll always be here for you regardless of what happens. Who needs such a silly test anyway." As she said this, Mahiro pet Asahi's hair from behind.
Soon after this, Asahi looked up and Mahiro stopped hugging her. Mahiro could see that Asahi was feeling better, as the energy had returned to her face along with her smile.
"Mahiron, I'm so happy that we're friends. Let's go have some fun."
As she finished saying this, Asahi grabbed Mahiro's hand and started running with her down the street.
"Wait, where are we…?" Mahiro said. She then sighed a bit. This was the pitfall when it came to Asahi. She was always looking for a new adventure, and when she was at her peak she was equally eager to drag everyone else along. There was nothing that could be done at this point except to go along for the ride. A classic Asahi maneuver.
"Hey, wait for us." Momiji cried out as she and Miyo followed them.
As everyone followed closely behind Asahi, Mahiro knew that this was going to be a long afternoon. Still, she couldn't help but smile at the way things had turned out.
For the first twenty years of her life, she was Mahiro Oyama, avid gamer and eroge lover as well as the older brother of Mihari. Several months ago though, she had been transformed into Mihari's younger sister and had been given a second go-around in life as a middle-school aged girl. As a boy, she had always felt useless, as she never had any friends and was always compared negatively to Mihari who was a prodigy at everything she did. Nowadays, she had tons of friends, and could easily live her new life any way she wanted without fear of rejection. Her friends had no idea about who she truly was, and she was determined to make sure that that didn't change anytime soon.
Despite a lingering fear that her friends might find out the truth about her someday, she still loved her new life and wouldn't give it up for anything.
After a few hours of fun shenanigans with her friends, Mahiro bid them farewell and started the trek back to her house. In no time at all, she found herself opening the door and breathing a slight sigh of relief that she could finally relax.
"I'm home." Mahiro cried out.
As she walked into the living room, Mahiro saw Mihari lying on the couch reading a copy of Science Magazine. Mihari looked up from her magazine and immediately smiled.
"Welcome back, Onii-chan." she spoke. "How was your day?"
Mahiro placed her bag on the couch and sat down before answering.
"School was okay I guess." Mahiro answered. "That test we had today was a bit tricky though. I think I did okay though."
"Oh?" Mihari said with a smile. "So you think that you might at least get a 'B' this time?"
"Stop teasing me!" Mahiro said with a bit of resentment. "You of all people should remember what it was like to be in my shoes."
Mihari put down her magazine.
"When I was in your shoes, Onii-chan, I always got perfect grades and was at the top of my class."
Mahiro felt a bit depressed upon hearing this and dropped her head.
"Oh yeah, I forgot."
"Even so," Mihari said. "you know deep down that it doesn't matter in the end. After all, the purpose of the experiment is for you to start enjoying life again. I'd say that that part at the very least has been successful."
Mahiro smiled a bit and lifted her head back up.
"Yeah, you're right about that much at least."
"Glad to hear it." Mihari said. "Now, dinner's just about ready, so why don't we eat, and then you can take a bath before relaxing?"
"Totally!" Mahiro exclaimed.
The dinner that the two siblings sat through lacked any significant conversation. Mihari tended to ask Mahiro about how her friends were and what they planned on doing the next day, but she had slowed down on the latter since Mahiro pointed out that they very rarely made future plans when they hung out together. Mihari also mentioned how Kaede would be coming over on Saturday to study, which made Mahiro very happy.
Mahiro had come to enjoy these times that she spent with Mihari every evening. For more than two years, she had stayed in her room almost all the time and never felt the urge to speak to Mihari. Mihari had been somewhat forceful in getting Mahiro to accept a new routine once she had transformed her into a girl, but Mahiro had realized that it was for the best in the end. Now she got up earlier, she took better care of herself, and she felt good as well. This dinner conversation was one such routine that allowed the two to grow closer, and it always made her feel warm and fuzzy inside.
After dinner was finished and the dishes were cleaned and put away, Mahiro grabbed her pajamas and went to take a bath. As she settled in the tub, she felt a deep sense of peace and tranquility and smiled.
"Now this is one of the best parts of being a girl. Taking a nice long soak after dinner relaxes every source of tension one gets from the day."
Once Mahiro had had enough, she got out of the bath, dried herself off, and changed into her pajamas. Afterwards, she headed upstairs to start her favorite part of the night: game time.
This was the lingering aspect of her old life; playing games. She couldn't get excited by her eroge games like she used to, and they as such now occupied a dusty pile in her closet. Instead, she played more traditional games that she always loved such as the Lost Quest and Last Fantasia series. She had been particularly happy to have found Yuta and Minato, two boys in her class that loved games as much as she did. She did have to be careful when talking to them though. They weren't retrogamers like she was, and as a result she tended to slip up in conversation when discussing her love of certain titles. Fortunately, they didn't suspect anything. Imagine their reaction if they found out that the girl their age who was into the same things they were was actually an adult man. Mahiro could do nothing but shudder at the thought.
Mahiro quickly booted up her game and started playing. She would have to get a lot done with what little time she had. Back in the day, she tended to pull all nighters when she played her games. Since she wasn't in school at the time it wasn't a problem, but now that she was back in school she had to be careful. It wouldn't be a problem though. She would play for a few hours before the daily reminder came in to tell her to go to sleep.
After several hours of playing, the reminder came right on schedule. Mihari, wearing her pajamas, opened Mahiro's door.
"Go to bed, Onii-chan."
Mahiro groaned a bit.
"Okay."
Mihari closed the door.
Mahiro yawned a bit as the door closed.
"I guess it is getting late. I guess I should go to bed. After all, the game will still be here when I get up tomorrow."
Mahiro put her game system away, turned out the lights, and crawled into bed. As she settled under the covers, she closed her eyes and smiled.
"Man, what a great day. I can't imagine what tomorrow might bring."
After what seemed like an eternity, she managed to fall asleep.
Maki paused the screen on his viewing globe as he watched Mahiro go to sleep. It had been such an interesting experience once again seeing such a display go down.
Maki was like so many other gods, an immortal being that used to lavish attention from mortals by demanding tribute from them as well as their constant worship. Like all the other gods however, he had eventually grown tired of such treatment. Experiencing the same thing over and over again had gotten to be a bore for him and the other gods that continued to exist. As such, many had left their status as gods behind to indulge in the simpler pleasures that the mortal world had to offer. Some had decided to become mortal themselves and lived limited lifespans before dying out. Others had ventured to other planes of reality to experience new treatment at the hands of mortals from such realities. Maki, on the other hand, had chosen a much different path for himself, that of a watcher.
For the longest time, Maki had been unaware of the existence of the multiverse; the idea of there being an infinite number of realities with infinite possibilities for differences between them. After he submitted his application to give up his status as a god, he had originally intended to settle down with a young woman he had fallen in love with on the world he ruled over, only for her to die of a sudden illness before all the paperwork was filed. Needing a change of pace, he was informed about the vast nature of the multiverse and immediately got intrigued. Being exposed to the natures of alternate realities, he realized that this was what he wanted to do for all of eternity.
As a watcher, he was given the job of monitoring different realities for research purposes. Doing so had introduced him to the idea of chaos theory; the idea that even a small difference between two realities can have a massive impact on how those realities develop. It was so intriguing to see such differences as they developed, and he as a result had grown fond of viewing the lives of mortals from different realities as they progressed. Using the viewing globe he possessed, he could view the entire lifespan of these individuals as well as those they were close to in multiple realities simultaneously. At first, he had been interested in viewing alternate versions of the woman he fell in love with that hadn't died from the sudden illness. Eventually, all versions of her passed on naturally, so he had changed his focus on random individuals. Typically, his research would last a few weeks before he would choose another random person to focus on, as few managed to keep his attention for any longer than that.
Recently though, the random individual of choice that he had stumbled across had managed to grab his attention for the last several months. That individual was Mahiro Oyama. What Maki found intriguing about Mahiro was the fact that in the first reality he found with one, Mahiro had been an adult man that was transformed into a middle-school aged girl by his prodigy of a younger sister; Mihari. The fact that a mortal could do something like this was beyond intriguing. One typically had to be a Class 10 sorcerer or Grade B God in order to perform such magic, but Mihari Oyama had managed to find a way to do it with the simple objects found only in her own reality.
Watching Mahiro navigate through her new life as a girl was enjoyable to say the least. As a result, Maki had grown to spend almost all his time in the office so he could continue monitoring Mahiro's growth from there. He had gotten so intrigued by Mahiro's development that he began searching for alternate versions of them that shared such a trait.
Unfortunately, this reality with Mahiro as a girl was one that had only branched off recently, so there was not much in the way of alternate versions of Mahiro that yet existed. Typically, the development of a character such as her would need to be completed before branching pathways could begin forming around the primary path that had already existed. However, he had managed to find an alternate version of Mahiro that grabbed his interest. It was a version that involved coincidental overlapping realities; realities that began much different, but by chance had a single common trait that allowed them to follow similar paths. These were, sometimes, even more intriguing than branching realities.
As Maki began to bring up the viewing globe again, a large individual began to walk up to him from behind.
"Well Maki," a deep booming voice said behind him, "still looking at the life of that Oyama kid are you?"
Maki recognized the voice and turned around. It was his supervisor Nash. Nash was typically an easygoing and friendly person, especially when he invited you out for drinks after a long shift. At the same time, he was an excellent boss. He was an extraordinarily organized person who regularly checked in with all his employees and made sure that they were focused and doing their jobs correctly. Every century or so, he would even offer a promotion to someone who was working hard. Maki was never offered one, but he wouldn't want it anyway. If he couldn't be with his long lost love, he would rather research alternate realities and lives. It was a perfectly okay job, and he was happy to stay at it for the rest of his unending life since it had never once managed to get boring.
"Hey Nash." Maki said. "Yeah, I've been studying up on Mahiro Oyama's life. That includes this other coincidental overlapping reality where she exists in a similar, yet also much different, state."
"Really?" Nash asked. "Let me see that."
Maki proceeded to open images from both realities on the viewing globe, as well as the pathways that each reality took when focused on Mahiro. It didn't take long for Nash to also grow fascinated at how close two realities like this could go despite having started so far apart from one another.
"That is very impressive, Maki." Nash said. "You've always been one of the most dedicated watchers on my staff. You should be proud of all the hard work you've done during your 13,287 years at this position."
"I try my best, sir." Maki replied.
"Yes, but anyway onto why I am here." Nash spoke.
"Okay, why are you here, sir?" Maki asked.
"I've been a bit concerned about a shortage of personal time in your schedule, especially since you started The Oyama Project." Nash answered.
Nash was confused but didn't say anything.
"Lately, it seems like all you've been doing is work, and it's gotten me a bit concerned."
"Sir," Maki insisted. "I've been a hard worker for centuries. It doesn't matter that I almost never take time off. I did tell you this before. Without her, there's no reason for me to put myself out there. I'll never love anyone the way I loved her, and if working is the only thing left for me I'm more than happy to do that."
"Oh that's right," Nash said, "Vira was it? That girl you wanted to grow old and die with as a mortal before she suddenly died and you couldn't do anything about it?"
"That's right, sir." Maki said.
The fact was that Maki really hadn't been able to do anything about it at the time. Gods may be gods, but there are laws and conventions that they all must follow. When you do work, regardless of where it is, you earn experience that boosts your status and gives you permission to do certain things. When Vira had gotten sick, Maki wasn't yet at the necessary status needed to cure terminal illnesses. In fact, he was so far behind that it had taken another 4000 years of work before he reached that specific level. He had processed paperwork to request a god of a higher status to help, but the processing took so long that Vira was dead by the time it was approved. He had long since resigned himself to his failure, especially as he didn't have the status to file a reality transfer form, so he had just thrown himself into his work.
"What does that have to do with anything, sir?" Maki asked.
"Well, you see," Nash spoke, "One of the higher ups owes me a favor, and I put in a request for you to get your 'Ference' license."
Maki was dumbfounded. At his level? With his qualifications? It almost seemed too good to be true.
"Sir, are you serious?" Maki asked.
"Completely." Nash answered. "I've already filled out the paperwork, and all I need to do is send it on up and you'll finally get it after all this time."
Maki felt himself overflowing with joy. A 'Ference' license allowed for gods to be given the permission to interfere in alternate realities. As long as they didn't reveal themselves directly, they could move certain objects around, fix problems that would otherwise be unsolvable, and even create branching realities on a whim. It was what almost every god dreamed of doing, but normally you'd have to be a level 97 angel in order to be granted such powers. A 'Ference' license was a way for lower statused gods to receive the powers, typically due to good behavior and an inherent desire to make good things happen. They weren't given out lightly, so this must've meant that Maki was truly deserving.
Maki immediately began shaking Nash's right hand with both of his own.
"Thank you, sir. You don't know how much this means to me. I promise that I'll make you proud."
"Well, that's the thing." Nash said. "You can't actually receive it yet."
"What, why not?" Maki asked, a bit disappointed.
"Look, no one is ever told this so you have to keep it a secret. Even though these licenses are granted, one cannot receive them without completing a specialized test first."
"A test?" Maki asked.
"Of course." Nash answered. "What, you think they'd just grant reality altering powers to someone who hadn't proved themselves worthy of them first?"
Maki remained silent for a moment before continuing.
"No, I guess that makes sense. After all, someone irresponsible might do some major harm with them that would have lasting repercussions."
"Exactly." Nash said. "Luckily for you, they've assigned me to oversee the test that you'll be given. They wanted me to give you a random assignment, but I convinced them that your recent interest in the Oyama study might prove to be a better test of your worthiness."
"So wait," Maki said, "my test will involve the two Mahiro Oyamas that I've uncovered from alternate realities?"
"Correct." Nash answered. "Based on your current progress reports, we've noticed the key similarities between both versions of Mahiro Oyama, but also the fact that there is not currently much room for growth between them on either side. Your goal, should you choose to accept it, is to find a way for both characters to grow by becoming aware of the others' existence. This is a case study in seeing how interactions between realities can prove beneficial even though these realities theoretically would never otherwise cross. As part of the restrictions, you can make a few key changes to each reality, but not in a way that directly alters the pathways of both Mahiros once the changes are made. You have a few weeks to make that growth happen. Once your assigned time is up, compile a progress report and write a research paper based on the report. Once it is completed, you will orally present the results of your work to the higher ups who will then determine whether or not to give you the license. Do you understand everything I've said to you?"
Maki took a few seconds to take that all in. It seemed like he would be given permission to interfere, but to encourage such growth in a few weeks might prove difficult. This would prove to be a tricky assignment indeed.
Any yet, the end goal was what really counted. If he got a 'Ference' license, he could create a branching pathway to recreate the world where he and Vira fell in love and also use this authority to free her of her illness. After that, he could give up his status as a god and live a simple and mortal life with her until they both died of old age. It was what he had always wanted, and regardless of the risk anything was worth it to get there.
"Okay, sir. I accept."
"Excellent." Nash exclaimed. "Now, I'll get everything set up for you in cubicle 1098-B. I suggest you go to the break room, drink some tea, and think long and hard about how you're going to go about this. If you do anything wrong initially, it'll be very hard to fix it down the road."
Without saying a word, Maki went to the break room. It was always a calm and relaxing place. Being a god had its advantages, especially if the floor manager had a 'Creati' license. With that, you could put in a request for any kind of drink or delicacy from any reality and make it appear whenever you wanted. In terms of tea, a nice cup of black tea from Earth 3406-A seemed like a nice idea. As soon as it appeared in the cup and got to an appropriate temperature, Maki took it to a nearby seat and began to ponder what he would do.
The fact was that he had no idea what he was working with, so it might be hard to figure out what to do. Even so, it seemed like the higher-ups were expecting him to do something specific. It seemed like this was intended as a thought experiment that would test his ability to create a puzzle and get others to solve it in just the right way. There could be a million ways to properly create the puzzle, but it would need to be assembled in a way that made sense and would be easy enough to figure out. But what could he possibly do to make that happen?
"I have to make both Mahiros aware of each other's existence and make them grow because of it. If so, that would mean that they need to accept the ideas of each other's realities. But how to make it happen?"
All of a sudden, a flash of inspiration came to Maki.
"I got it!" he exclaimed.
A few minutes later, he headed down the long hallway to cubicle 1098-A. Opening the door, he saw Nash standing near an extra-large viewing globe with a reality altering interface touchpad. As soon as the door closed, Nash turned around and smiled.
"Oh Maki, good to see you. Please, come and sit down at the globe."
Maki walked over and looked at the controls for the interface. There were two large pads sitting side by side with a checked pattern across them. In front of them was a large bin full of various small statues that looked like chess pieces. All of these things were hooked up to the viewing globe which was calibrated to view into multiple realities simultaneously.
"As you can see, this will be your workstation for the test." Nash explained. "You've been granted a temporary 'Ference' license that will allow you to make changes only to these two realities. Remember, you can make a select number of changes and alter them as much as you need to before the test begins, but after it begins you will only be able to have limited interactions with both realities. Both universes have been synched up for reality and world date and time, so there won't be any problems there. You have a few weeks from when the test begins to make the change. We cannot tell you what that change is, but we can assume that you will figure it out based on the information you've been given and from what you've already previously observed. To begin the test, press the large red button on the back of the viewing globe. If you finish early, press the button again and an alarm will sound notifying us of the test's completion. The alarm will automatically ring when you run out of time. Do you understand everything I've said to you?"
After a moment, Maki answered.
"I do."
"Excellent." Nash said. "Okay, I'll leave you to get prepared before you begin the test. Once the test begins, just watch that countdown timer on the wall to know how much time you have remaining. Remember, there's no fast-forwarding allowed, so you'll have to monitor both realities in real time. Though given your current level of experience as a watcher, I sincerely doubt that you'll find that part difficult."
"Yeah." Maki replied.
"Perfect." Nash answered. "Well then, I'll see you in a few weeks. Good luck."
Nash closed the door, and Maki could hear him locking it from the outside. Now Maki was sealed in, and he wouldn't be let out until the test was completed.
With that all set and done, it was time to set up the alterations to both realities. By using the various tokens in the bin and setting them on the touchpads, certain objects in each reality could be assigned and subsequent alterations to those objects could be made. It was important to label them before beginning, as it could otherwise be hard to follow each object as it moved through each reality.
Maki took out two large figure tokens that were shaped like obscure solid hourglasses with sharp, hardened edges and a smaller top side than the bottom. He placed each figure in the center of both touchpads. Going to the left touchpad, he focused the viewing globe's attention on a sleeping Mahiro and synched up the figure with her. Pressing the top of the figure, a small holographic message board appeared above it. Using his keyboard, Maki typed in the name that would be used to identify this Mahiro.
Mahiro Oyama ️
Satisfied with the pairing, he repeated the process on the other figure. This time, he synched it up with a different sleeping Mahiro and typed in this one's identifier.
Mahiro Oyama ️
"Okay, now that they've been properly synched up, it's time for the moment of truth." Maki exclaimed.
Taking his nails, he burrowed into a small ridge near the bottom of the top side of one of the figures and removed a smaller version of the top. Repeating the process with the other figure, he then proceeded to place each top part in the opposite figure that they came from. Two small clicks was all he needed to hear to know that the procedure had been done successfully. Now that that was out of the way, there were still a few key pieces that needed to be placed for the test to be set up successfully.
As he set up the extra pieces, Maki couldn't help but think of the work that he was about to do, as well as the ultimate end result that would occur.
"Man, if I can pass the test by doing what they ask, I'll finally be able to live my life with Vira like I always wanted. It almost feels like a dream come true."
Maki could feel a tear roll down his face. Looking at the touchpads, everything was correctly arranged. He double and triple checked everything to be certain. Like Nash said, once the test began there would be no room for do-overs, so he needed to ensure that everything was done correctly. Fortunately, everything was in place, and it was finally time to begin the test.
Walking around to the other side of the viewing globe, Maki hovered his hand over the button to start the test, but resisted pushing it for just a second. He started to wonder in his head if this was right. He had never directly interfered with other realities before, and somehow interfering with the life of an individual like Mahiro Oyama seemed a bit wrong. Mahiro in both realties seemed to have a perfect life, and messing with it even temporarily seemed like a bad idea. Maki quickly shook his head at the thought though.
"No, I can't back down. It may be a bit selfish and wrong, but I know that Mahiro can figure it out. Regardless of reality, Mahiro has a quiet strength that can propel her through any challenge. I'm sure that she'll be just fine."
With that off his mind, Maki pressed the button. Once he did, the lights in the room dimmed and the base of the viewing globe began to light up. The touchpads and the pieces on them began to emit a green aura. Seeing this, Maki sat back down and watched the changes unfold on the viewing globe. As he leaned back in his chair, he let out a small smile.
"Let the games begin."
Mahiro was sleeping comfortably in her bed. In her head, she was dreaming of the games she loved to play, and new ways that she could beat them. To her, it was absolute bliss that would make this a good night's sleep.
All of a sudden, she started to feel a bit strange. It felt as if she was being pulled away. Away from what she couldn't say, but it felt like she was being forced somewhere else. This feeling of being pulled caused a spiral of colorful images to play about through her mind as she kept being pulled further and further back.
Abruptly, the sensation stopped and Mahiro realized that she was awake, albeit with her eyes closed. Trying to process this, Mahiro realized that she must've been having a nightmare.
"Wow, what a weird dream. Oh well. I'd better try to get back to sleep before I have to wake up in the morning."
Mahiro snuggled further under the covers. After awhile, she finally managed to get back to sleep.
End of Part 1
4/14/2024
Special thanks to my Patrons: Homura VanRoyen, sudowiki
Thanks for reading the first chapter of my first original story. I have become such a fan of this series since the anime launched in January 2023, and I am now seeking to create a truly awesome fic set in that world.
If you enjoy what you've seen so far and you're interested in seeing more, please consider supporting me on my Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/JackFu727). Your support will give me the resources to write more often, and anyone who contributes will be have their name appear in a 'special thanks' section of all future stories that I write
Please feel free to like, comment, and subscribe and stick around for Chapter 2 coming soon.
