TEWMDD02

Chapter 2

Q. On my seventh birthday, I suddenly remembered my past life—and it turns out my mom is going to die, and my dads will destroy the world. What should I do?

A. Wow! You’re doomed. Congratulations!

Seven years into the life of Cecilia Miller.

I have just realized that the world I live in is going to end.

And it will all start with my mother’s death.

“This can’t be happening.”

Unable to believe the reality before me, I stretched my cheeks down with both hands.

This had to be a dream.

It’s definitely a dream!

Otherwise, why would someone like me—who just moments ago was debating whether a white carriage or a black carriage would look cooler—be struck with such a trial?

But even after I pulled at my cheeks and pinched myself until it hurt, the absurd situation didn’t go away.

Oww…

As I sat there clutching my cheeks in the whirlpool of chaos I never expected, my mother tilted her head in puzzlement.

“Why is my little Cici doing that all of a sudden? Don’t you like the cake I made?”

“That’s what I told you, ♩♪ don’t make the cake yourself—just buy one! The only person in this house who can actually cook has left.”

Kyle, the foul-mouthed dad, shook his head with a sigh.

“Watch your mouth.”

At the same time, Derrick Dad scrunched up his already intimidating face in warning.

“Sometimes the truth is necessary, you little ♪♩. How long are you going to cover for her?”

“As I’ve said countless times, Blake, perhaps you could temper your language in front of the child?”

The ever-refined archmage Harzen Dad spoke from a distance, observing them as though from the sidelines.

For people who were apparently destined to destroy the world, they were having an awfully ordinary conversation.

Normally, I would have ignored it entirely—but not today.

Ugh, my head hurts.

Having discovered the shocking “extra” ending, I couldn’t calm down at all.

Why should I, at age seven, be burdened with something like this?

“But I really worked hard to make it…”

Right then, my mother murmured dejectedly, her face full of disappointment.

I stopped thinking and snapped my head up.

“No! Mom, your cake is amazing! It’s the best! The absolute best in the whole world!”

“But you didn’t look very happy, Cecilia.”

“Uh, th-that’s because—”

—because I just found out you’re going to die and my dads will destroy the world.

Glancing between my mom and dads staring at me, I let out a deep sigh.

It was natural for them to worry—after all, here I was with a long face on my birthday.

I couldn’t let them be concerned, so I decided to at least pretend to enjoy the party… but who was I kidding?

I couldn’t focus on a single thing.

More than anything—

The idea of Mom dying? Impossible!

I looked at her again, my face crumpling.

Oh no, Mom, don’t die…

If she died, we wouldn’t be able to share cake like this on my birthday ever again.

We wouldn’t open presents together and celebrate…

Speaking of which—what’s my present this year?

No! Focus!

I shook my head vigorously to chase away the drifting thoughts.

Even with my memories back, my seven-year-old brain kept wandering like this.

Anyway…

I should just tell them outright.

Misunderstandings and ruin always start with a lack of communication.

Why struggle alone in silence? If we put our heads together, we could come up with something.

Surely, if anyone could think of a brilliant plan, it would be my mom and dads.

“Um, Mom, actually—”

The moment I made up my mind to speak—

[WARNING]

A statement has been detected that could cause severe disruption to the world’s setting.

If the statement continues, additional penalties—including shortness of breath and death—may be applied.

“What the—”

The instant I read the words that appeared before me, I clamped my mouth shut.

There were penalties?!

No, more importantly—

What kind of penalty is that?

Shortness of breath and death?

Isn’t this supposed to be suitable for ages seven and up?

How can they just kill a growing child like that?!

“ Cecilia?”

I sat there with both hands covering my mouth, staring at the floating scroll, when a voice full of worry reached my ears—gentle and beautiful, like something from heaven.

Naturally, it was my mother, Yuria.

“Moooom…”

I immediately wormed my way into her arms.

Mom’s arms really are the best.

If I could, I’d stay there until the day I died.

The thought that I might not be able to enjoy this warmth in the future was unbearable.

No! I refuse!

Even if the world split in two, I had to save her.

But… how?

“Is it because Sion’s not here?”

As she stroked my head, my mom muttered to herself.

For the record, Sion was the one dad not currently at home.

Think of him as “World-Destroyer No. 4.”

“Maybe you miss his cooking. Honestly, I do too.”

“That’s not it!”

“Then why the long face, Cecilia?”

“Becauuuse—”

—my future is pitch-black.

But if I say that—

It’ll be my funeral right away.

I couldn’t die before saving Mom.

I shook my head hard and said,

“It’s a secret.”

“A secret?”

“My life is precious.”

With that, I slapped my hands over my mouth again.

All my dads turned to look at Mom.

“So the cake really was ♪♬ bad enough to kill.”

“Yuria’s fault.”

“Indefensible.”

“Seriously…?”

Ignoring my betrayed-looking mom, I rolled my eyes away.

Sorry, Mom.

That was the only excuse I could think of right now.

But I promise—I’ll protect you no matter what!

Even if it means betting all my dads on it!

A few days later, I reached a conclusion.

The fact that the scroll appeared in front of me had to mean something.

It must want me to save Mom and stop the world’s destruction.

Usually in these kinds of stories, some kind of system or whatever shows up, and the protagonist overcomes the crisis.

Even the spoiler comment proves it.

It told me about the ending because it didn’t want that ending to happen.

But still—

“Why won’t it tell me more?”

I buried my face into my stuffed animal and kicked my legs in frustration.

Why? Just why?!

Why tell me the conclusion but not the most important part—the process?!

Wait… could it be…

Suddenly, a thought struck me.

Was this one of those setups where you have to build up your stats to clear the “stop the apocalypse” quest?

That would also explain why a status-window-like scroll had appeared before me.

“All right, then…”

I glanced around cautiously.

Good—Mom was away volunteering at the retirement home.

Derrick Dad was chopping firewood in the distance, Harzen Dad was reading elegantly somewhere far away…

And Kyle Dad—well, he was probably holed up in his lab working on another invention.

“Ahem, hem.”

Clearing my throat, I whispered very quietly,

“System.”

…

“Status window.”

…

“Summon administrator?”

Nothing appeared.

So it wasn’t that kind of genre?

Then how was I supposed to figure this out?

“Urrrgh!”

I shook my stuffed bunny violently in my frustration.

Sorry, Bunny—are you in pain?

I’m in pain too…

Wait a second.

As I sat there sulking and tormenting the bunny, a thought suddenly flashed across my mind.

“An extra chapter…”

In extra chapters, the author often ties up loose ends left hanging in the main story.

So if I think about unresolved threads from the original…

The problem was—

My brain isn’t working, ugh!

Another thing I’ve learned—my thinking capacity is not up to par with my memories.

Of course—my brain is still seven years old.

Even with my past-life memories, my body is the same!

I keep losing focus or acting on impulse.

Like right now—

Here I am, staring up at the sky and looking at cloud shapes in the middle of thinking.

Ooh, that one looks like a bunny.

My mouth hung open as I admired the fluffy clouds when—

“… Cecilia!”

Derrick Dad suddenly called out to me, his expression tense.

Harzen Dad also furrowed a brow, staring into the distance.

Huh?

What was going on?

Before I could figure it out, my dads’ sudden tension filling the air—

A new, translucent scroll appeared before my eyes.

[Main Story Route Segment Activated]

Extra Chapter 1: The Threat That Never Ended

The visit of the Royal Palace Knights has partially fulfilled the conditions to begin the extra story.

Continuing this route will fully activate the main story progression.

Progress to full activation: 10%

What on earth does that mean, dear scroll?