Annette Mana

I woke up and found myself inside a small but empty apartment room, which is very familiar. The PC I build is still on, showing the game I played called 'The Greatest Demon Lord Wanted a Slow Life After Reincarnated', and I'm in front of it.

If I'm in front of my PC the whole time, then that fantasy world called Excelia was nothing but dream? Also, am I not being stabbed by that yandere boy who have a crush with that Sumeragi girl?

Maybe I was too tired, which caused me being paranoid and hallucinated as a little girl named Annette Mana. But still, I remember everything what her Nee-san explained to me.

"You're not dreaming or hallucinating, Onee-san."

Who said that? The pitch of that voice is quite familliar and somehow, I'm already used for it. To make sure I'm not too tired, I gulped a whole bottle of water near my PC.

When I'm sure no one in there, time to begin my boring, shut-in life. I wonder how many days before the deadline.

Anyway, time to play that dating simulator. But, which main girls should I conquer first?

"Don't ignore me, Onee-san!"

I heard that voice again. I turned around and found the source of that voice.

"Finally!"

It was a girl, approximately six year old from her height, with chestnut colored hair in low twintails and blue eyes. And from her pouted face, maybe she's angry at me for ignoring her.

I know her name, and I call her with the name I know the most.

"Satou-san?"

"Wrong! It's Annette!"

I see, so she's Annette Mana, the real one. And looks like I made her angrier than before, but her angry expression is cute. No wonder Nia-san doted her a lot.

Then Annette inspected me with serious but cute expressions. Even though it's cute, but I need personal space. After she's done, she nodded.

"So, Onee-san will be the one who live as Annette for now, huh?"

Even though she's speaking in third person, the way she's questioned me that made me flinched. Everything happened when I started to live as her was real, and that guilty feeling somehow surfaced again.

Swallowed my saliva, I answered her questions.

"I guess. Sorry."

"Why?"

I can see her body trembled. She might be supressed her anger at me.

"Why Annette have to died!? Why Onee-san has to live as Annette!? Is it because Annette is a bad girl!? It's not fair!"

She cried and punched me while . Every punches she threw at me was weak, but I can feel all of her feelings from those punches.

It really unfair for someone as young as her to have that kind of fate. So, the first thing coming to my mind hugged her then hold her tightly.

"Let Annette go!"

I knew she tried to push me away, but I strongly hold her tight. Then I whispered at her ear.

"It's okay, Annette. Let it all out."

Aftrer that, she stopped to push me and cried out loud, releasing all of her emotions she supressed while I caressed her back. From how she can't accept her fate remind me of how I lost my parents in mysterious way, and I can't accept it too. But that woman (Aunt) took it as her advantage.

I don't know how Annette able to manifest in this dream, but I assume there's some lingering feeling from the body I hosted in reality. Just thinking about it really hard made my head hurt.

After... I don't know how long was it, Annette finally calmed down, and I released my hold. Then, she looks at me while her eyes still red after crying.

"Onee-san, can you promise Annette one thing?"

"Sure. What is it?"

"Can you protect Mama and Onee-chan for Annette, especially Onee-chan?"

I know she wanted me to protect her family as her last will like in most anime, but why she prioritized her Onee-chan a lot? I'll question it later.

"I understand. I'll protect Vittorica-san and Nia-san."

"They're your family now, Onee-san. Don't be so distant to them."

"But-"

"Think of it as an extension of our promise. And no buts."

Smart girl. Looks like I can't reject it, since it's part of that promise.

"Fine. I'll protect Mom and Nee-san."

I still think I don't deserve them, but I need to get used for it. As a part of that promise.

Annette nodded at what I said with a small smile on her face. I know behind that smile, there's still some regret, and somehow she seems too mature for her age. But those regret changed to curiosity when she glanced at the monitor of my PC.

"Onee-san, what is that thing?"

She pointed at the monitor. She might be not asking about the PC, but the game I played.

"It's a Virtual Novel."

"'Virtual Novel'?"

"It's like... picture books, but... recorded, I guess. You can look at its case."

I'm really embarrassed since I can't explain what it is while giving her the game case. I really need Makoto-kun for this.

"I see, like Recording Crystal, or maybe a high level Inscryption Magic."

'Recording Crystal'? What the heck is that? I wanted to ask her about that or the 'Inscryption Magic' she's talking about, but her attentions seem absorbed with it.

Maybe she read the description of that game, but I think it's impossible because of language barrier, except I was proved wrong.

"Demon Lord Amon reincarnated as a human named Alito Cromley in the future? Why is one of the four Wise Kings wanted to do that?"

"You understand what's written on it!?"

"Yeah, the language in it is the same as in Excelia. The Otherworldly Sages who decided it as the world main language long time ago."

So, that otherworld language is Japanese!? I thought I understand what Mom or Nee-san said because I assume I got a skill to understand their language. Otherworldly Sages, what have you done to that world!?

If Excelia has been influenced a lot by them, I'm afraid nothing about that world felt... original. I couldn't help but groaned at that fact.

"Is that Princess Ariadne Vierte Liberia? How nostalgic."

She knew about one of the main girls in that dating simulator!? And why she said nostalgic!?

If I didn't get the answers from her, I'm going to regret it. Time to ask her now!

"Annette, do you know about her?"

"Yeah... From one of Annette's memories."

"What?"

"Nothing."

What did she mean by one of her memories? Now another question added to my mind which she doesn't want to answer it.

"Then, why are you wanted me to protect Nee-san?"

Instead of answering, she just gave me a sad smile. She put the game case near the table and whispered the answer in my ear.

The answer I got is not what I expected, but now I understand why Nee-san is very important for her. I can't say anything for that revelation, and just nodded at her.

Suddenly, Annette body glowed while she just sighed for that.

"Looks like Annette's time is over, even though Annette wanted to talk more with you, Onee-san."

"'Over'? As if, going to the afterlife?"

The answer I got is a shook from her head.

"The history of Excelia is much deeper and darker than you thought, Onee-san. What Onee-chan explained to you is just a tip of the iceberg."

Wait, what!? Only the tip of the iceberg! Don't tell me, Excelia is just some shitty world like in the light novel with the main character is an edgy boy with chuuni streaks!

I need to know about it, no matter how dark it is.

"Then, can you tell me a little bit about its history?"

"Sorry, Onee-san, but Annette can't do that. You can find the truth by seeing the world with your own eyes."

'Seeing the world with my own eyes'? Simply put, she encouraged me to become a traveler. It might be cost a lot of money, but I'll keep that in mind.

Annette's body started to disintegrated from the bottom while the glow is getting brighter.

"One more thing, Onee-san. No matter what happened to you in the future, you will always be yourself, not the White Girl."

'The White Girl'? Now another question added to the pile of my unanswered questions. Before I ask her, she touched my forehead with hers and everything started to getting too bright.

At that moment, a lot of memories I don't know flowed into my mind. And I heard her final word before my vision went blank.

"Let my memories help and guide you to find your own way of life, Yuko-onee-san."