[Aventurine looked around and discovered that this entire Film Paradise actually had not a single person in it.]
[He walked forward all the way and discovered that there was actually a small child here. He stepped forward and asked: "I remember that during Golden Hour, minors are not allowed to enter… Hey, why are you here all alone?"]
[After speaking, a wave of dizziness hit him, causing Aventurine to involuntarily clutch his head and let out a pained sound.]
["What's wrong, mister… you don't look very well?"]
[The boy turned around at the sound. The moment he saw those eyes, Aventurine's entire body froze—on the boy's chubby little face, a pair of blue-violet eyes were flowing with a starry luster—that was the cursed beauty unique to the Avgin.]
["Your... eyes?" Aventurine's voice caught in his throat. He shook his head. "…This is impossible. Who are you?"]
["They're beautiful, right? Big sister said that is a gift from [Gaiathra Triclops] (the Earth Mother Goddess). Colored eyes can bring good luck to people." Halfway through speaking, the child only then belatedly noticed: "Ah, mister… you also have a pair of beautiful eyes. So pretty!"]
["Are you… alone? Where are your parents?"]
[The child looked back behind him: "They're all in this amusement park. Mom and Dad went in first. I'm going to find them now. So I have to go, goodbye, mister. I hope you can also have fun!"]
[With that, the child waved at Aventurine and then dashed off into the park behind him.]
["Those eyes, and Fengo Mama… no, this is impossible..." Aventurine watched his departing figure and muttered to himself, "There are no more Avgin left in the universe..."]
——
KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World!
"Aaaah this is great! Aventurine is finally not alone anymore!" Aqua cried tears of joy, almost smearing a whole handful of tears and snot. "There's a child of the same race! And his parents! Aventurine isn't alone in the universe—he's not the only Avgin left! Wuwu this is so great!"
However, Aqua's words did not resonate with the others in the tavern. Instead, more people were sighing and drinking in silence. Even Kazuma and Megumin, who usually loved to talk back to her, were unusually quiet.
"Hey, why are you all just drinking and not saying anything?" Aqua looked at everyone in confusion. "Isn't this something worth being happy about? If you want to throw a celebration party that's fine too! My banquet skill is all ready!"
"Aqua." After a moment of silence, Kazuma slowly spoke. "That child..."
"…might just be Aventurine's hallucination."
Aqua stood frozen on the spot for ten full seconds, then an even louder "Haa?!" rang throughout the entire tavern.
She pointed at the child's bouncing departing figure on the Celestial Screen: "Kazuma, have you gone stupid? That child has a mom and dad, and they're right in the park! He's real, real!"
"Aqua, that child's face…"
Megumin couldn't help but lower her voice, her tone carrying a slight tremor, her gaze lowered: "But there are wounds on his face… not just the face, but also on his hands. There might be even more wounds under his clothes... those are probably the result of torture by the Katika people..."
Darkness also nodded with a sigh: "That child… is probably Aventurine as a child." She cleared her throat. "Anyway, Aqua, stop deceiving yourself."
"Eh…? Why are all of you..."
Aqua's entire body froze on the spot. The forced smile from earlier completely disappeared, leaving only tears beginning to well up in her eyes, like a flood about to break the dam.
"Y-you're lying, right, you guys..."
The next second, she threw herself onto Darkness, tears instantly breaking through the defenses and pouring out like a floodgate opening.
"Wuwuwu—!! That kind of thing is no good! You must be lying to me, right? Hurry up and say you're lying! Kazuma, don't you love teasing me the most?!"
"Aventurine being the last Avgin or whatever—what is this supposed to mean! How is this even crueler than the other world!"
——
[Aventurine continued walking inward. The child's voice rang out from inside: "Dad, Mom—wait for me—"]
[He was about to continue when a familiar voice came from behind him.]
["Bottomless, just like Penacony, right?"]
[Aventurine turned around and once again saw that familiar silhouette. He couldn't help but frown: "Why are you still here?"]
[The other completely ignored his question and continued on his own: "You already knew clearly that if the Family truly treated every family member who came seeking help with tolerance, why would they need to build such high walls and deep trenches?"]
["But people don't think that way. After all, the taste of Dreamscape syrup is truly tempting. You are isolated and without aid in Penacony, trying to topple the high walls with only your own strength… how could that be possible?"]
["So the moment you stepped into the hotel, you took off that tall hat and began asking for help everywhere, looking exactly like a hyena scavenging for food in the desert. Because you knew that opportunities are fleeting."]
[Aventurine sneered: "Compared to your way of putting it, Ratio's 'Attini Peacock' sounds extremely pleasant."]
["You know I rarely speak from the heart. I advise you to take it in." The shadow paused. "Speaking of which, you mentioned that professor—I especially like the common points between you and him: schemes and calculations… especially the ending part—a magnificent betrayal!"]
["…When everyone thinks that way, who would then go on to suspect that it was yet another carefully laid trap of yours?"]
——
Jujutsu Kaisen.
"A trap?!"
Kusakabe Atsuya sharply sucked in a deep breath. In an instant, a large section of the cigarette in his mouth burned away as he took a top-tier lungful.
Could it be that Professor Ratio's betrayal was also within his expectations? No... could he even predict that? Or was it that he himself was gambling on Ratio "betraying" him?
If it was the latter, then this guy is completely insane, right?
"The so-called 'trap' should be a 'performance' that he and Professor Ratio carried out together, right?" Shoko said lightly. "This performance began from the very first moment they entered Penacony. The acting of the two performers was exquisite and flawless. And the audience in the seats remained only one person the entire time—Sunday."
"I also think this possibility is greater. That way, the matter of the professor giving him medical advice can be understood, because from beginning to end they were standing on the same front line." Mei Mei nodded in agreement. "Professor Ratio knew Aventurine's entire plan, and he was willing to cooperate with the performance. But the problem is… Aventurine's current predicament still has not been resolved. At this very moment, how is he supposed to reverse all of this?"
It was like a examinee who had understood the question yet did not know how to answer it, and could only write a powerless "Solution." Even if he understood the question clearly enough, he still could not solve any problem.
In Mei Mei's view, when all was said and done, Aventurine still lacked the critical... power—a power sufficient to break the deadlock.