Arisa's memory goes back to seven years ago when she was in a cramped cell to meet someone.

 

"I'll tell you one thing before you leave here," said Johann out of nowhere when Arisa was about to leave.

 

She turns with a confused look.

 

"You know the rumor about the ring's hidden feature? I saw on RingNet that some volunteers were talking about it."

"I know that. They say this ring can grant any wish of the wearer, right? Practically, everyone can get their wish granted somehow. However, no one has found how to access the feature until now. Do you know anything deeper about it?"

"It's as you said. I know all about it while ensuring the feature is inside the communication ring."

"…is it really true?"

 

A little thought that her wish could be granted appears in Arisa's mind if the rumors are true. She stares at Johann a bit impatiently, waiting for her childhood friend to reveal the information.

When Johann moved his mouth to explain further, Arisa listened carefully. What she heard had wholly changed her mind at that moment.

Since that day, Arisa got her goal back: to use the hidden feature of the ring worn by everyone from the future.

 

"Are you seriously giving me this?" asked Vanilla looking at Arisa in disbelief.

The eldest sister nods. Vanilla widens her eyes because she still can't believe her ears. She carefully picks the hair clip. Indeed, Arisa gave her something that has always stuck in her head.

 

My hunch is telling me that something I don't like will happen soon, the short-haired girl thought.

 

"Why? What is the reason you gave this hair clip? I almost never saw you take this off and now you give it to me?"

 

Arisa stays silent and smiles instead. That smile increases Vanilla's confusion even further.

 

As if she's going for a departure, far from here. I don't want that.

 

"Vanilla, I was asking if you could turn back the time before, right?"

"That's right."

"And your answer is—"

"I want to do it. To turn back the time."

Arisa strokes Vanilla's hair gently. "So am I. If possible, I will turn back everything to make things right. To undo all of this so matter the risk that will arise. I will face all of the consequences."

"Wait a bit, Big Sis. Why are you keep mentioning to turn back the time?"

 

Arisa takes a few steps back and activates her ring in front of Vanilla. Seeing something she has never seen before, Vanilla gasps and covers her eyes by reflex.

It's time to grant the wish hidden in Arisa's heart for seven years.

 

Arisa's mind flashed back to Johann's words at that time.

 

"That's how to access hidden features of our ring. Now, we are both aware if the feature to grant someone's request really exists there. It's just that there are still many things that I don't understand, "said Johann while remembering what he had learned related to the feature.

"...and that thing is?"

"To activate this feature, it takes a tremendous amount of energy. In fact, the energy needed is far greater than the amount we need to go to the future. It could be that gathering the energy in the ring for five years is still not enough." 

"I see. Have you ever tried to activate it?"

Johann shook his head. "Because I know that the amount of energy needed will be an an absurd amount, I don't really bother to use it. No one knows whether there has been a human's wish that has been granted before. What is clear to us is the method to activate it." He shrugs for a bit. "You know, when a feature can guarantee one's wish no matter how impossible it is, don't you think if it can even cost a life?"

"Do you think this ring can kill someone because of that, Johann?"

"Just a guess. I've said I don't bother with the said feature."

"...okay."

 

If the energy needed is really that much, then accumulating it for seven years should be enough, right? I'm sure that much can fulfill the activation requirements.

I'll be accessing the hidden feature of my ring by then. Thank you, Johann.

 

A warning notification appears in front of Arisa, asking if the user wants access to the hidden feature. She answered the question from the system deep inside her heart. Vanilla is witnessing the absurdity in front of her and cannot comprehend what happened here.

 

"Big Sis!? What's the light coming from your hands?!"

 

In an instant, everything around Arisa suddenly changed. There is no more dam nor Vanilla. The view from above of Tantoris is also disappeared. 

 

"This...?"

 

She is floating in the middle of nowhere as if she is in water depths. As far as Arisa's gaze goes, everything around her is like an endless twilight sky. She adjusted her body so that she could stand up even though she wasn't actually standing. Somehow, Arisa can adapt herself to the void of twilight.

A notification screen reappeared in front of Arisa.

 

"This feature is able to grant all human requests, no matter how impossible and can transcend the boundaries of space and time. It will take a tremendous amount of energy to do this. Are you sure to proceed?"

 

The girl smiles proudly. She is aware of her wish very well. And to achieve that, she wants to turn back time. So, she raised her ring to present the energy she had accumulated over the past seven years and–

 

"I do. Let's proceed."

 

A projection screen shows that the energy that Arisa has accumulated is decreasing. Arisa's wish will come true soon. She closes her eyes and relaxes all her muscles because her body falls into the infinity of warm twilight clouds.

Far before her, there is a vast mechanical clock with the size of the moon. Or perhaps much bigger. Arisa is sure that if the earth's satellite comes closer to the atmosphere, it might look this huge.

Arisa notices countless clocks or timepieces with past, present, and future types suddenly appearing around her. The objects rotate slowly, surrounding the girl while vivid images come into her head—views of various possible futures and other streams of time.

A what-if vision suddenly appears inside her head: when she didn't adopt Vanilla, when she didn't meet Rio, or when she didn't meet Johann again. And a scenario when the incident at the dam never happened. 

But then, Arisa is firm with her greatest wish: to turn back the time.

 

Suddenly the twilight sky around her turned into a warning screen numbering thousands. There was a small notification that always accompanied Arisa when she was falling. Each of those alerts carried a message:

Not enough energy to activate this feature.

 

"Really!?" Arisa shouts in disbelief. She didn't expect the seven years of energy she had accumulated isn't still enough.

"Then, how much do you want? Ten or fifteen years' worth of energy? How unfortunate. Then, it's better to cancel this feature," she told the system.

 

A projection reappeared.

If you cancel this function, the energy used can't be recovered.

 

"That can't be… do you know how long I must wait, so I use my energy now? Are you saying that the energy I've accumulated over the years has been wasted?"

 

A scene appears inside her head. Arisa can see how long she waits, for the energy accumulated inside her ring will always not be enough. Be it twenty or thirty years to come, it'll not suffice. Even though Arisa used up all her lifetime, she couldn't accumulate the energy needed.

Trying hard to grasp her hopes that are about to disappear, a projection reappears by offering an alternative for Arisa, who is currently falling among thousands of warning notifications:

 

"The lack of energy needed can be covered with my existence as the cost. What does it mean?"

 

Suddenly an image of the meaning of her disappearing existence flashes into her mind. It only takes a few microseconds to make Arisa smile. 

 

"I see. To wish something impossible does require a fair price. That explains why I can't have enough energy even though I used up all my life's worth."

It's good I handed over my hairclip to Vanilla beforehand.

Then, she whispers, "I'm ready to use my existence so my wish can be true."

 

All the warning projections disappeared instantly and were replaced by the night sky full of stars. Her eyes widen when she witnesses the road of beautiful stars similar to the milky way as if her wish hidden in her heart is blessed.

The moon-sized mechanical clock's hour hand is moving backward.

It's final. Arisa's request will be granted soon.

 

When Arisa wakes up, she is back at the city dam with Vanilla, waiting for her with almost-cried eyes. From her perspective, Arisa had just now emitted a strange square-shaped light from her ring. Then, the light just disappeared.

 

"Big Sis...? Are you okay?"

 

 Vanilla approached with unsteady steps. For some reason, the strength in her legs almost disappeared. It felt hard to approach her older sister, who had lived with her all this time. When her sister came, she could clearly see Arisa's face–

——who is crying beautifully that the view of Tantoris at dawn behind her is no longer charming.

 

"...?"

 

Arisa sobs, and a second later, she tries to smile in front of her little sister. At least she still knows a bit about how to fake her expression even though her tears are overflowing. 

 

"I'm sorry, Vanilla but this has to be done. There is a wish that I must grant at any cost."

"What are you saying, Big Sis? I don't understand anything. What kind of wish that you want grant?! Please explain it to me!"

 

Vanilla can't hold back the burning feeling in her chest; this is the first time she shouts in front of Arisa. Her eyes start to water, trying to express everything to her sister.

 

"This has to do with you gave me your hairclip, right? This also has to do with your question before, right? No wonder you invited us all to spend time together and gave me this very important hairclip! Big Sister, are you going to leave me too?!"

 

Her cry echoes in the cold night as Vanilla throws herself into Arisa. She quickly hugs Arisa tight and buries her face in her clothes.

 

"I don't need to turn back the time if it means you go far away! No! I don't need it! Please don't go! You should always be here!"

 

Listening to her sister's cry touched Arisa's heart. In fact, this is the first time Arisa knows that Vanilla can express her emotions like that.

 

It feels unfortunate. But I want to do this from the bottom of my heart.

 

Vanilla pulls her head and looks at her sister with a puffy face. Arisa's tears flowed more with her smile before she hugged her sister tightly. On this night, two people are conveying their feelings to each other.

One is crying because she doesn't want to lose someone she holds dear.

The other one is crying because of satisfaction and relief.

 

The ring in Arisa's hand gives off a lukewarm light. Like the arms that hug so gently and serenely, the sparkle shines more and more, enveloping the two. It also engulfs the dam and everything in it, overlapping the lamps installed there.

The light continues to expand, touching all corners of the city, starting from the north side. And then to the cable car station, the Mayor Bridge, Tower Café, Arisa's house, to the city station at the south end. 

At dawn, before the sun truly comes out, Tantoris is enveloped by a mysterious light that is so comforting to fulfill the wish of a girl who likes ice cream.