Chapter 1140: It's Me

Let's talk about another woman's story.

This woman was also named Reika Rikudou, and like the previous one, she once had a happy family and lived a blissful life. The difference was that this Reika never saw her family fall into ruin; her happiness continued uninterrupted into the present.

Protected by her parents, she had always lived the life of a sheltered young lady.

A good elementary school, a good middle school, a good university, and a good job... Her life proceeded smoothly, without worry or hardship. She never had to worry about life, nor did she ever cause her family any concern.

For most ordinary people, this is probably the kind of life they dream of.

Her path was already set: after finishing her education, she would work, gain social experience, and wait for the right person to come along. She would build a family as happy and prosperous as the one she grew up in, have a child as cute as she once was, and raise that child—thus continuing the cycle of a happy life.

If it hadn't been for that one incident.

It happened one day after the turn of the new century, just after she had celebrated her 25th birthday, standing on the brink of the last days of her youth.

Her somewhat old-fashioned father and gentle mother gave her birthday wishes, followed by a conversation subtly suggesting that they had met some young men who seemed promising and that she should consider dating one of them.

She didn't refuse. She had always been the obedient daughter in her parents' eyes, and besides, she thought it was about time to get married.

In Japan, the minimum marriage age for women is 16 (with parental consent). At 25, she wasn't exactly old, but in a traditional Japanese family, she wasn't considered young anymore either.

What would her future husband be like? With these thoughts in mind, she closed her eyes.

And then, she began to dream.

In her dream, she saw someone who looked exactly like her but had lived a completely different life.

Though the figure was blurry and indistinct, she knew that this other version of herself had suffered deeply—a kind of suffering that her own happy life could never comprehend.

When she woke up, her pillow was soaked with tears she hadn't realized she had shed.

Dreams and reality are opposites, she told herself. Dreams aren't real, and they fade quickly from memory.

For the next few days, she didn't dream about that tragic, suffering version of herself again.

However, about a week later, just as she was beginning to forget that strange dream, she had it again. The dream picked up right where it had left off on her birthday night.

Dreams can continue?

She asked herself, chalking it up to coincidence.

A few more days passed without incident until the second week came to an end—and the dream returned.

Then the third week, the fourth week, the fifth week, the sixth week…

From her 25th birthday onward, at the end of every week, on the night that marked the beginning of the new week, she would see that other version of herself and experience a new chapter of that ongoing dream.

She sought advice from a psychologist, who couldn't offer an effective solution. After determining that the dreams weren't affecting her daily life or mental health, the doctor suggested that she simply relax and treat it like she was following a late-night TV drama that aired once a week, with herself as the main character.

She accepted this and peacefully returned to her regular life, awaiting each week's new "episode."

Gradually, she started to enjoy it.

This other version of herself, living a brand-new life.

Although there was suffering, and although there were all sorts of bizarre and unrealistic scenes, her life slowly began to improve—especially after two other main characters appeared.

A cool, dark-haired man and an innocent, adorable little girl.

These three, who had no relation to one another, suddenly became a family—father, mother, and daughter.

If this were real life, critics would probably bash it for being illogical, calling it a bad script, but she didn't mind. She found it surprisingly pleasant.

After all, it was just a dream.

The father was handsome, the mother was beautiful, and the daughter was adorable—what a perfect family, just like the one she had always envisioned.

Compared to that, who cared about things like the Holy Grail War, the battles between heroes, the magic and sorcery, or the conflict between the red and black factions? Those were all incomprehensible things. What could be more important than the mother taking care of the daughter, living a peaceful life, and waiting for the father to come home?

On days when there was no new episode, she would even complain:

"Why include so much irrelevant stuff?"

"I want to see the family of three on their trip to Romania!"

"I want to see the romantic development between the male and female leads!"

"I want to see the female lead competing with the other beautiful supporting actresses for the male lead's affection, and finally emerging victorious!"

Isn't that the classic soap opera formula?

Unfortunately, even though it was her dream, it didn't bend to her will. The story continued on its set course.

The male lead first went through a rough patch in life, then rallied, said goodbye to the female lead and the daughter, and went off to the battlefield. Though he achieved victory in the end, he never returned, having gone to another world.

That scene marked the end of one dream episode, and when she woke up, she threw her pillow in frustration and cursed, "Going to another world means dying, doesn't it? They finally got their happy ending, and you ruin it like this?! What a trash story! Why am I even following this trash plot?!"

For the following week, her mood was terrible, and she even turned down a matchmaking event her family had arranged.

Every day, she anxiously counted the days, torn between hope and fear.

She counted the days, waiting for the next episode.

She was nervous because she feared—what if that was the conclusion? What would happen to the happy version of herself? What would happen to her adorable daughter?

If there were no more episodes, then her 26th birthday would undoubtedly be the worst birthday of her entire life.

That's right, it had been a full year since she first saw that other version of herself.

Fortunately, the dream resumed as usual, and the story wasn't over.

After all the hardships, the other version of herself had grown stronger. She had turned into a capable and powerful woman, partnering with another strong woman to expand their influence and gather resources—all in the hopes of finding even the slightest chance of reuniting with him.

By now, she had also realized that the other world the male lead had gone to wasn't the world of the dead, but something akin to the concept of parallel universes, as mentioned in more and more literary works.

It was a bit fantastical, but as long as there was hope, it was enough. She was also incredibly curious to see where this mysterious, unexplainable drama would go next.

Finally, her patience paid off. A mysterious blue cube with magical powers appeared before them, offering the method they had been seeking and bringing new hope.

Faced with this hope, the two women made different choices. One resolutely gave up everything and embarked on an unknown journey. The other—her dream self—chose a more indirect approach.

She used the cube's power to project her memories, her thoughts, and the bond she shared with him into another world.

In the final episode of the drama, her dream self waved away the surrounding scenery and spoke into the space:

"I'm leaving our daughter and him in your care."

PS: Similar to Lost Belt 6. Morgan send her memories, feelings and ambition to her past parallel self.

PS2: Hmm, then this Reika is still V.