45: Fated by Chance

“Tom is still… he’s not gone yet!!”

With a desperate cry, Rena delivered a powerful blow to Dan.
The force behind it propelled her forward, her next course of action now crystal clear.
Tom’s resolve had become her strength, and all she could do was follow its guidance.

“Wait.”

Dan’s growling voice tore through the sky like a sonic boom, sending a tremor through the ground beneath Rena’s feet.
His overwhelming presence tried to paralyze her, but she pushed her legs forward with sheer will.

“Just a little more… if I can just jump into that pond again…!”

The image of Tom being attacked by the officer replayed vividly in Rena’s mind—reflected on the surface of that very pond.
It wasn’t just water. Her instincts told her it was a gate between the Picture Book World and the real one.
And when Dan had let slip the phrase parallel worlds, she became certain the connection was real.

She was placing her faith in the law of this world—that believing would shape the story.

“If the axe glows gold and resonates… it means you know the truth.
I only wanted to confirm it, but… tsk, was that a mistake?
Well played, girl… a fine performance.
You’ve earned yourself a Best Actress award.”

Dan glared at Rena, who kept trying to run even as her legs tangled beneath her, barely holding back the frustration boiling inside him.

“Just a little more…
If I can stretch my hand to the edge of the pond…”

As Rena struggled to move forward step by step, the rainclouds above dispersed.
The whimsical sun peeked through, casting its light upon the battlefield.
Shattered shards of the mirror scattered across the ground caught the sunlight and reflected it directly onto Dan’s crouched, darkened face.

“Heh… hahaha!
In this Picture Book World, everything bends to my will!
This sunlight reflecting off the shards will amplify my mirror abilities tenfold!”

Dan’s scorched face began to regenerate rapidly, bathed in the mirror-enhanced sunlight.
He turned sharply toward Rena just in time to see her leap into the pond.
Instantly, he extended his left arm and spread his fingers wide.

“You won’t escape!! Parallel Mi—”

Before Dan could finish his spell, something unexpected smacked him in the face and clung to it.
It was sticky. And it was the kind of creature known for jumping.

“Wha… A frog!?”

“Ribbit.”

Dan yanked the frog off his face, scowling in disgust.
He stared at the creature, clearly disturbed.

“A golden frog…?
Is this another coincidence?
And that girl…”

His eyes drifted to the rippling surface of the pond, then back to the golden frog in his hand.
Realizing how absurdly this uninvited guest had interrupted his story, Dan burst into laughter.

“Fine then, little girl…
I’ll let you ‘swim’ for now.
You’re probably going after that ‘Tom’ from the other parallel world, aren’t you?
Heh… good luck with that.”

The ripples caused by the frog spread across the pond, reaching all the way to Dan’s feet—as if opening the door to another world.

***

Total silence.

Rena, who had just leapt into the pond, now found herself standing alone in a pitch-black void.
She couldn’t gauge the scale of the space—its depth, width, or distance.
Nothing felt real. It was as if the very concept of place had disappeared.
She felt cold, watchful gazes pressing in from every direction, making her instinctively wrap her arms around her shoulders for comfort.

“So it really was true… that pond was a gateway to another world.
A world where thoughts become reality… Anything is possible.
But this place… doesn’t feel like the real world either.”

Rena dragged her right foot forward, cautiously taking a step.
She desperately wished for a light source in the darkness, but even the image in her mind wouldn’t form.
Her hand reached out blindly, groping through the air as if to grab something invisible.
But nothing appeared.
It was as if her imagination itself had been severed—like a puzzle missing a vital piece.

“Huh? I can’t picture anything?
No… I can’t think!?”

In this space, the rules of the Picture Book World seemed to no longer apply.
The powers she once wielded were gone.
Though she’d escaped Dan, she was now lost in an unknown void with no way to proceed.
Panic surged through her.

Tears welled in her eyes, and she nearly screamed in despair—when something small tugged gently at her skirt.

“Big sis, are you okay?
This is the darkest place of all, so… why don’t we go that way together?”

Rena gasped and looked down.

Emerging from the blackness was a child’s familiar face, smiling warmly at her—one she had seen reflected in that cursed mirror during her confrontation with Dan: the very image of hope.

“You’re… the child version of Tom… from earlier!”

Wearing a T-shirt with a picture of a cow facing forward and red shorts, barefoot Tom beamed up at her.
He gently took Rena’s hand, guiding her toward the soft light that shimmered faintly beyond the darkness.