Chapter 376.1. Saying Farewell

The world shook, dyed white by flashes and explosions. After the brilliance subsided, I quietly descended to the ground and sighed.
“Creating a world of plants was a lie, wasn’t it?”
“…Ah, of course. But, it seemed fitting, right? He looked like a boss.”
Before me, the fading Shin floated. His physical form had disappeared, and his soul was transformed into golden particles.
“Why did this happen?”
“Hehe. I had to defeat you. That’s what my instinct as Yggdrasil told me. But more than that…”
Melting away, Shin answered with a voice mixed with loneliness and sadness.
“I really wanted to fight seriously. Not with a predetermined outcome, not with a clumsy actor in a play. I wanted to throw everything I had. I thought the joy and satisfaction of defeating the Demon God were lies.”
“Were you satisfied?”
“Who knows… I wanted to say I was satisfied if I could, but I lost. But…”
Almost entirely turned into particles and disappearing, Shin spoke one last word. With a gentle voice, he thanked me.
“Thank you.”
Muttering softly, those were his final words before completely vanishing.
“You were like a protagonist, Shin.”
Supporting the platinum hair fluttering in the wind with my hand, I smiled.
All the power is within me. This world is now mine.
“Yggdrasil-san, I won. So sorry, but I’ll take everything!”
[World Transfer]
Pressing my hands onto the ground, I put in effort with a determined spirit. As I channeled my magic power, the ground shook, covered by a platinum light.
Not just a huge tree towering in front of me; the world itself, supporting it, was also turning platinum.
There was no resistance. Shin, who had become the core capable of moving Yggdrasil, had perished. 
And that power, I devoured it all.
As the World Tree was dyed, the tips of its branches disappeared as if melting, turning into golden particles and scattering into the sky.
Then, a light sphere containing the universe floated gently from Yggdrasil to my Great Tree. The golden light sphere held the universe within it, with multiple galaxies visible, and stars scattered like jewels.
It’s a world. It’s the world where Takano Miu lives. From the outside, it looks like a tiny light sphere.
But now, it’s the most important world for me. 
It’s the world where my family lives, where my friends live.
It’s a warm world. It’s a world sweeter than parfait. It’s a world that warms my heart.
The golden color changed to platinum and quietly got absorbed into the Great Tree. Now the world is safe. Takano Miu’s world is protected.
“Well then, let’s dig in!”
Once the world shifts, nothing can stop me. I open my small mouth wide.
“Ah~”
The golden particles spreading to fill the world get sucked into my mouth. They flow in forcefully.
It’s so delicious, sweet, and melting! 
The world tree, the size to support the world, turns entirely into golden particles, and I eat it all.
“I have a separate stomach for sweets, so I can eat as much as I want!”
There are clearly more golden particles than me. But as a maiden, I have a separate stomach for sweets, so it’s okay.
I’ll eat everything. …Originally, I planned to eat everything, even the world. After finishing, I intended to move to other worlds to search for a new parfait.
When I told the old man about it, he said there are even more delicious things, so I should stop. Curious and skeptical, I created Mii-chan to try it out.
It was true. There was something sweeter than parfait. Family is the best. I never thought something like this could exist.
After this, I’ll ask mama to make homemade hamburgers. Oh, I must also prepare a helmet as a souvenir!
And so, all the golden particles entered my mouth. Every last fragment, every single particle, I ate them all.
The only things left were light spheres like fireflies.
“So beautiful~. These are all souls, huh?”
Souls that haven’t reincarnated into the world yet floated in the sky, twinkling like a full sky of stars. These were the souls that Yggdrasil had encompassed.
For a temporary rest, the souls entered the branches of my Great Tree. In the spaces between the semi-transparent, crystal-like branches, they stopped like fruits and quietly blinked.
The deceased would take a peaceful rest until they gained a new life.
Relieved that everything was over, I smiled. My parfait journey had come to an end. It was a journey that had lasted a very, very long time.
[You’re not really on a parfait journey, are you? Also, that’s overlapping with the concept of a journey.]
[Using the term ‘journey’ makes it sound cool! I thought it was important, so I used it!]
[There’s something more important than that. Something really important! It’s important!]
As Miu added an unnecessary retort, I proudly responded. But more importantly, what could be so important, Mii-chan?
[After working hard to eat, I got hungry again!]
[True! I’m really starving!]
Rubbing my flat and dejected stomach, I felt a bit sad. My stomach growled, and I realized I was quite hungry.
I need to eat hamburgers soon! And I’ll have 2 fried eggs on top.
Before that, though, there’s something I need to do. If I forget this, it won’t make any sense.