My mind recalls a scene from the past, a random snippet of conversation that may be a guide, though how much trust can I actually put into my faulty human memories is already quite questionable.

But either way, due to that I don’t really have much else to go on regarding the clues and hints that I could put to use in creating a vivid image of logical construct that would help me infer the truth behind this apparent dilemma… Hahaha, I’m Just kidding. I don’t really need to do any of those complicated logical deductions to figure out why my wife’s surname is different from what I remember.

I'm just thinking that in detective novels, a scene where the main characters give their monologue about how they brilliantly find the intellectual way to arrive at the most interesting, strangest, and the most outlandish of explanations logically, were my favorite parts. So I want to try to do something like that myself.

Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth, after all.

But ironically enough, in my relatively short experience in the living world. I often find myself in a state where I could only see the most probable of conclusions without having to go through the steps to eliminate the impossible. As if reality was mocking my effort to try to find more meaning in the little things in my daily life.

Why was that clock on the wall hung off angle? Well someone probably did it because they never thought that people would actually care, or be bothered even a little by the apparent sloppiness of their work, after all, it was just a clock.

Why did that middle-aged lady always have that scary frown on her face as if was she aggressively shouting to the entire world that she was angry? It was probably because she used to wear glasses and has recently switched over to contact lenses. It was probably also because she has accidentally dropped it somewhere and can’t find it; she’s now unable to see properly and has to squint her eyes. Actually, that's not very obvious at all, is it? Bad example. Ah, never mind you get the point...

Why is the surname of my beloved wife, not the one she shared with me?

—Occam’s razor. The simplest explanation is always the best explanation… So the simplest explanation here, the most obvious, the most uninteresting—and the most hurtful of explanations here is.

“She remarried… didn't she? After I die?”

Master doesn’t say anything in response. Is he trying to be lenient towards me now? After he has shown me that scene from my past just to trigger a reaction out of me for whatever reason I can't comprehend?

“What are you trying to say by showing me this?”

—If the little trip earlier down my memory lane was simply to tell me that he knows more about me than I know myself?

“Is it because I said something like that before? About her not needing me in her life?” 

—Then this example here is probably to show me that it’s inevitable that she would eventually move on… that I was right in my prediction that I was never a big part of her life, not as she was in mine.

“So, just like earlier when you showed me a scene from my past. Now, are you showing me the scene of my future to prove that the universe has its predetermined course that it would unconditionally follow, regardless of what I think?”

—To prove that all of my life’s unreasonable uncertainty was really all just unavoidable… and I was simply conditioned to accept it and that there was nothing I could do. For it was fated for me to become a stepping stone for another from the very beginning.

Master finally turns to look at me. His short white hair looks incredibly fitting with the architecture of the Grand Archive. His blindfold hides the look in his eyes from me but the rare lack of a smile on his lips tells me that he's being serious this time around.

“To be honest, I was just trying to show off.” 

“...”

—Or not. See? I told you this happens every time.

“Seriously, Steve. Why are you thinking about this so much? It’s not like any of this matters to you anymore, you are technically going to die in 1 second.” 

“Then why are you showing this to me? Is this your idea of some kind of joke? Or are you really just messing with me at this point?” 

“I want you to see this first and foremost, Steve. Before we can move on to more interesting things we need to solve your lingering regret. Just think of yourself as a wandering spirit being freed to go to the afterlife or something.” 

—Huaaa… I don’t know if this is such a good idea anymore.

Ignoring Master being Master, I turn my eyes back to the scene around me. I’m sitting on the couch right next to him but we’re now in a completely new environment.

Specifically, we’re in a room, a relatively large room to be exact with lines of empty chairs that fills it with a claustrophobic feeling. There are a few people in this room, all of them wearing black, ominous clothing.

“Welcome to your funeral, Steve.”

Master’s voice contains no emotion that I can discern, I feel that to his eyes, a scene such as this is nothing special. But to mine, it looks so off-putting that it sends shivers down my spine.

.....

So, this is where it’s all been leading up to…. This one tiny room fills with the sadness and tears of my loved ones. Should I feel sorry for them? Or should I feel glad at least that there are still people attending this small ceremony?

Then, a trembling, crying voice draws my attention to the one person that matters the most to me in this room. To my wife who is crying in front of what looks like a coffin—my coffin most likely. She wails pitifully while wiping tears from her eyes. I couldn't articulate... how much it hurts my heart to see her like that...

There are so many things that I want to say to her right now. So many feelings I want to express. It all feels so faint, so surreal... But if there's any truth in all these dreamlike scenarios. Then I want to use this opportunity to tell her so much that—

“I’m sorry… Sabetha.”

—So, please... Please stop crying.

But even if I try calling out to her now. Even If I scream. She wouldn’t be able to hear me or see me. To her now, I’m a being of the past, a dead man who left her to be alone for life without leaving behind any kind of compensation.

But at the very least… I don’t want her to be sad… It’s unbearable for me to see her crying like that.

I want her to think that I’m just another unfortunate and unreasonable event that happens all the time in life...

I want her to think that my life isn’t worth her tears…. And I want her to move on.

“Her sadness continued for months, she was incredibly sullen—her figure was thin and lifeless.” 

As Master narrates the account of what will happen—or what has happened—the scene in front of me changes to show the damage and pain that I have caused.

“The energy that she used to have, the hope that was the thing you love the most about her… disappeared from her eyes.” 

Despite thinking that I have prepared myself for this. The look of her hollow eyes and sunken cheeks makes my heart feel like it’s being wrapped in barbed thorns that tighten with unspeakable guilt.

“Your death changed her completely. It traumatized her, she had to suffer through anguish and pain…. all alone. Without anyone to rely on.”

As I watch the figure of Sabetha sitting alone by the roadside, I imagine how lonely she must feel at that moment... and it makes me feel like there’s a lump in my throat preventing me from making any sound.

I want to—so desperately I want to hold her in my arms and tell her… how very, very sorry I am...  How incredibly sorry I am to think that my death wouldn’t matter to her in the slightest. How shameful I feel now for having given up at the moment so easily...

But all I could do for her now—is nothing.  

To her, I am dead... and I’m sorry… I’m so sorry I’m dead, Sabetha. I really am... So please stop being sad.

“But her sadness lasted just for 10 months.”

Master’s voice continues to resound in my ears, but the tone of it changes from somber indifference to—cheerful?

—Wait, what did he just say?

I look at him, and he looks back at me. That smile appears on his face once again and it’s giving me a really, really unsettling feeling.

“Congratulations, Steve! You were right! You should feel very good about yourself right now because I’m about to tell you that your wish has been granted! Exactly ten months after your funeral, Steve! Just 10 months! She stopped being sad about your death—completely. And then she moved on.”

“Wait—what? B-but how?” 

I mean, I guess I should be glad for her but it’s too sudden!

Master notices my confusion and to answer me, [The Astral Projector] brings us to the front of a man.

“Meet, Roland Carmack Gilligan. The love of your life’s love of her life.” 

“Oh...” 

First of all, Roland Carmack Gilligan?! What kind of name is that?! It sounds way too cool that It’s unfair! My parents named me Steve, you know? STEVE! How many people on earth are named Steve? I have childhood traumas about being called Steve! Why am I literally just one of the many Steves and he’s freaking Roland Carmack Gilligan?!  

“True. You could literally be replaced by another Steve and I don’t think anyone would notice.” 

“Oh, come on! I’m not that generic… Am I? Please tell me no.” 

“Anyway Steve, take another look around you because this is important.” 

I do as he says and begins to pay attention, and the more I look, the more I frown.

Details about the man are being displayed in front of my eyes through [The Astral Projector]. After a while, I gathered that the man by the name of ‘Roland Camack Gilligan’ is a handsome guy... a really handsome guy actually… he’s younger than me and he's rich... successful... intelligence… has a gentle personality and even knows Taekwondo.

—Who IS this guy?!

He sounds exactly like a self-inserted fanfiction character! How am I supposed to even compete with this?!

“He appeared in front of your wife and began to fill in the hole inside her heart left by your early trip to the afterlife, Steve. And I have to say, he was doing such a good job of it as well.”

Master speaks. The page turns. And now in front of me is Roland, holding my wife’s hands and whispering sweet flattery into her ears.

He is also a smooth talker!? H-how is he still single despite being so perfect!? Why is someone so young interested in a woman almost ten years older than him?! I mean I supposed my wife is still really pretty… BUT WHY!?

I shuffled uncomfortably on the couch next to Master, trying not to let it show that my heart is currently feeling like there was a sharp knife grinding on it as I watch the young handsome man flirt with my (former) wife.  

I thought I was ready for this, I thought I was fine with it, I thought It’s okay even if this happens at some point in the future without me around. But I didn’t know, I didn’t know that It would be this difficult to watch it happening in front of my eyes.

My new friend, however, seems to care very little about my predicament because the scenes that come afterward are more unbearable! He is forcing me to watch my wife falling in love with another man. And I did... I watch all of it... while screaming internally…

“This is their first date together. They even wore matching clothes and everything, don’t you think they fit so perfectly with each other?” 

“...” 

——AHHHHHHHH~!!!

.....

“This is when he brought your wife to a high-class five-star restaurant in Paris, where they enjoyed the food cooked by the greatest of chefs while exchanging adorable, lovey-dovey couple’s conversation.”

“...”

——AHHHHHHHHHH~~!!!

.....

“Later that night, atop of the Eiffel tower looming over the brightly lit city and with the full moon romantically illuminating the night’s sky… is where they first kissed.”

“...”

——AHHHHHHHHHHHH~~~!!!

.....

“This is where they spent their first night together—”

“...”

——Okay, put me back on that street… I think I now want to go and meet my fate.

Master doesn't heed my plight and continues to show those heart-wrenching scenes to me until I feel like I have truly reached the afterlife...

—————..........

Maybe 30 minutes after that...?

I don’t actually know how long it was exactly. It’s not like this place has a tilted clock.

I feel as if my soul is flying away from my body as I stare up into the sky, despite technically not having a body. Above the non-existence ceiling of the main observation room, [The Six Eternities] are shining brightly, strikingly contrasting the dark backdrop.

Which one of those white dots did I originate from, I wonder? Ah, it’s not like that even matters at this point now, is it? Nothing matters anymore… I should probably just die… Let the wheels of the ever-turning current sweep away all my sorrow into the void.

“Steve.”

“Yes... Master, what could this humble, ignorant mortal who is an embarrassment to all carbon-based lifeforms do for you?”

“Why do you think I showed those scenes to you?”

“To prove to me that true love doesn’t exist?”

“If only it was that easy, Steve. No, It’s not about that. Despite your fancy theatrical rant, I know that you’re fine. So why don’t you tell me what you actually think?”

I finally turn to face Master who is sitting by my side. The white-haired man smiles innocently and I recall what was shown to me. I couldn’t properly express how amazed and terrified I am now at the [The Conceptors Grand Archive] omniscient capabilities.

In only a small amount of time... 80 years of a human’s life were shown to me in a short, concise format of an undetailed montage.

Specifically, 80 years of Sabetha Gilligan’s life ever since that day at the funeral to her death were shown to me.

After the initial shock of her new romantic partner, I realized that I was kind of overreacting to the whole thing. Because no matter how much I try to deny it, Sabetha’s relationship with Roland saved her from perhaps the darkest times of her life, one that I am the very cause of and can’t do anything to help.  

“No, you really can’t, and you must also admit that she was way happier being Sabetha Gilligan than being Sabetha Carlo.”

Tsk—! 

What am I supposed to say? I don’t even know how to react…  It was simply too much to take in all at once.

I begin to process all the information I have seen, reorganizing them in my mind.

This is the rest of what was shown to me by the record.

—————..........

It’s true that after they got married. Sabetha had completely moved on from my death and back to her stubbornly passionate self, she was more successful than ever with her career and Roland was a great husband who would be there for her whenever she needed him.

With such a perfect marriage, it didn’t take long before they conceived their first child. So later, a boy was born and they named him Steven. They moved to a new house a little bit outside the city and It was spacious enough to accommodate their growing family. Scenes after scenes flashed by. Steven grew up from an infant to a boy, and from a boy to a teenager. Another of their children, Stephanie, was born as their newest family member.

It was quite heartwarming and wholesome… the only problem was that I wasn’t a part of it.

I saw Sabetha struggling with being a mother of a rash teenager while trying to take care of another baby. They got into arguments with each other over small little things like family does and then reconciling over a dinner meal like family also does. Steven got his heart broken by his girlfriend and came crying back to the comforting embrace of his parents. Roland, trying his hardest to be liked by his feisty daughter and finally succeeds.

The happy little family grew up and grew old In that house that was full of pleasant memories.

Eventually, Steven finished college and got a job while his little sister was still in high school. I saw Sabetha getting old enough that she could retire and after a few years, Roland joined her. They traveled around the world for the first time after their retirement, visiting the most exotic of places and making so many memories along the way. Stephanie eventually also finished her study and got her own life as well.

When the time came at last for their children to make families of their own, Sabetha and Roland shed tears and said their goodbyes. They continued to live the rest of their lives in the house, holding hands as they grew older together...

And at the end... I saw the 110 years old Sabetha lying on a large bed. She was an old woman now, her beautiful face almost unrecognizable through layers of wrinkled and rippled skin... As the sounds of her breathing grew softer and softer, I almost wanted to reach out and hold her hand... but I knew I couldn't... The 100 years old Roland was sleeping by her side, and it was his hand that was intertwined with hers.

Then softly... peacefully... The rising sun shined its orange light through the small window… and they quietly passed away at the same time. 

Master and I were only watching all of it from beginning to end… 

—————..........

“And at the end of it all, what do you think?”

Master asks me, and the only thought that’s been on my mind ever since I saw that last scene comes out of my mouth.

“My wife is dead...” 

I know that I can’t exactly call her my wife anymore after that… but the fact remains that if what I saw is true, then Sabetha remarried a man by the name of Roland Carmack Gilligan and lived together happily with her new family until the day they both died of old age.

But if what I saw is true…

Then she, the woman who used to be my wife, Sabetha, is already dead… 

“Death comes for us all in the end, you even said so yourself. We all know that we’ll all die one way or another. You already know your way—now you know hers.”

“But she is dead… Just like that?”

“I might have skipped over a few too many details back there but It’s not really what you think, Steve. For all its worth, she had a chance to fully live the entirety of her life-span with the people she loved, unlike you.”

Thank you for reminding me of that.

“But this isn’t the point that I’m trying to make in this episode. I’m asking what you think about the entire thing. The big picture.”

The big picture?

Is that what he was trying to get me to see?

I believe he said something like ‘solving my lingering regret’ earlier.

So by doing all of this, the thing that he’s trying to tell me is that...

“Sabetha’s life after my death was almost in every way better than it was before?”

“Exactly.”

Frankly and almost cold-heartedly, Master utters that confirmation.

I know he’s right but couldn’t he be a bit less blunt about it?

“Your death pained her greatly, that is undeniable. But what came after the cold rain was years of beautiful rainbows. There was nothing for you to worry about, Steve. She eventually found herself a place of happiness. Even if you couldn’t be a part of it, if you truly love her then you should at least be glad that she did.”

Glad? I suppose I am a little bit glad. When I saw her sadness at my funeral, it truly hurt me. Knowing that sadness didn’t last, does make me feel a lot less guilty.

But still...

“I have always believed that she doesn’t really need me in her life...”

So, does this really change anything?

“You believed. Now you know.”

Master says without a hint of playfulness in his voice.

Is he perhaps… doing all this to help me get over the fact that I have practically already died? By showing me the future that despite my lack of presence somehow still worked out, maybe even better than if I were to still be around?

If so then, that kindness of his seems almost… human. There might be some truth in his claims after all...

Master stands up from the couch, stretches a little, and walks over to take <Sabetha’s record> out of [The Astral Projector].

“I’m glad that we got that over quickly. Now the real fun can begin.”

Then he lightly tosses it away to the side...

“Um… shouldn’t you treat those precious records a bit more carefully?”

“Now then, Steve!”

He ignores my question and twirls around, spreading his arms grandly.

“It’s your turn to choose. What do you want to find out first from the Grand Archive?”

I get to choose?

What kind of secret can I learn from this place? What kind of story lies hidden in those walls of books, waiting for me to discover it?

But before that… this has been on my mind for a while now and I’ve been wanting to ask.

“Does this place have records of light novels, web novels, manga and anime, and stuff?”

I want to read ahead into the future.

“Yes... I suppose… I can probably pull some specific records about them for you… If you like...”

“Then I want to read those first.”

“You can literally ask for anything in existence, Steve. And you’re asking for this?”

“I have a lot of unfinished series. And I don’t even have to wait for new releases anymore because this place should already have everything, right?”

“Literally everything in existence, Steve.”

“Great!”

“...”

—I can stay here for as long as I want, right? Then I don’t think we need to hurry and rush things.