"I'm going to play outside!!!"

A girl's cheerful voice echoed in the house.

It was a tenement house, so walls were thin.

So of course, her yell carried through to the neighbors, but since it was a child's voice, nobody complained.

"Miyoko,

we're thinking about going to the mall."

Her father's voice didn't reach the girl, because all she was thinking about was making a new secret base with her friends in the field.

Her father knew the girl had been looking forward to going to the mall, and that if they went without her, she would be upset.

He also knew that the girl liked collecting flags from the kid's meals at the restaurant there, and one more would bring her collection to twenty flags.

The girl was making a wish on those flags.

She believed if she collected twenty of them,

she could become happy.

Oh well...

He supposed he'd bring a flag home as a souvenir.

It wouldn't be a big deal.

If he asked a waitress, she'd bring one for him.

On that day, due to an accident, the trains were running behind schedule.

To make up the time lost,

drivers were braking a little too late

and accelerating a bit too soon.

It was rather unsafe.

The Tanashi family didn't own a car.

They always used a train to go to the mall.

As the girl skipped her way to her friend's house,

an unfamiliar woman stopped her.

Obviously she wasn't from around there.

The ties between the neighbors were very tight around there.

The girl knew everyone's face.

So if there was a stranger, it was either a new mailman

or someone who's lost.

The woman said to the girl:

"Do you want to live?

Or do you want to die?"

Any person would think the woman was crazy, asking something like that.

But the girl was too innocent to think that way.

She answered immediately.

"I want to live!!"

"Okay.

Then go.

Your friend isn't home, but go on."

"......She isn't home?"

The girl couldn't figure out why this woman would know that.

As the woman left, the girl stopped her.

She was curious,

although it was a little scary, as to what response she'd get if she answered differently.

"If I want to die, then what?"

"You'll get another flag from a kid's meal."

"...Eh?!

Hey, that's not fair, they're going without me!!

That's not fair!!"

The girl turned,

and tried to run back home.

"Are you sure?

...You

won't regret it?"

The mysterious woman tried to confirm this.

"Why would I regret it?"

"......I won't tell you.

I'm mean."

"Hmm..."

The girl thought this was some kind of a riddle, so she pondered it for a while,

but she couldn't figure it out.

Then she clapped her hands as if she came to a conclusion.

"That's okay, then."

"Why is it okay?"

"Because my parents will be with me."

"............"

The woman stepped aside.

The girl bowed to her and ran home.

She saw her parents locking the door to leave.

The girl jumped on them and nagged them that she wanted to go too.

The girl was going to the mall with her family.

The family headed to the train station,

waited for a train to arrive,

and got on it.

The driver was feeling the pressure to make up for the delay

and the passengers could tell that from the way he was driving.

The girl noticed the unusual swaying of the train.

She stood on her knees and looked out the window.

Her mother told her to sit down, because it was dangerous.

The girl stuck her tongue out.

...Then,

the train reached

a very big

and very sharp

curve.

The train tilted in that direction, and all the people were shoved to the side.

They were all squished together, and grumbled about it.

Then,

the train continued

to...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

The girl and her parents came home under the sky full of stars with shopping bags in their hands.

They unlocked the door, turned the lights on,

and then the girl put her bags by the front door and ran into her room.

She opened her desk drawer,

took something out of her pocket, and put it in.

She closed the drawer once, but opened it again,

and then spread her treasure on the tatami floor.

They were the flags of many different countries

that came with the kid's meals.

The Japanese flag, the American flag, the English flag... Which country was this for?

The one with three colors...

She lined them up as she counted.

She counted out loud.

Then, she danced around happily.

For she now had twenty of them.

It took her so long to collect that many.

It was hard work for this girl, who was so proud of herself for reaching her goal.

She worked so hard that there must be something good waiting for her.

She made a wish to become happy if she collected twenty of them.

Therefore, something wonderful must be waiting to happen.

The girl waited excitedly, but soon realized it wasn't a magic lamp, so no genie would be jumping out.

Maybe it wouldn't happen that night. Maybe it'd be tomorrow.

The girl decided to wait patiently.

She accomplished something as great as collecting twenty flags.

Surely, some wonderful happiness awaited.

Surely, some wonderful miracle awaited.

Or perhaps it might be like a charm, keeping sad misfortunes at bay.

The girl put her twenty flags back in the drawer.

As she heard her mother tell her to brush her teeth and go to bed, she ran to the bathroom.

This is fine,

isn't it?

It's okay to get a miracle in advance.

Hmm, what should I do next?

There are plenty of Fragments to play with.

What?

You want to try too?

Hee hee, it's fun.

It makes you feel like God.

A world with Satoshi or a world where the Sonozaki sisters didn't switch.

I wonder what a world with Satoko's parents and Rika's parents alive and well would be like?

Oh, how about this?

Akasaka gets enticed to the enemy's side by Takano.

Ahaha, that sounds interesting.

Personally, I'm curious about a world where Takano is madly in love with Tomitake.

It'll be fun to match Keiichi with different girls too.

I love drama very, very much!

Hee hee!

Let's see, what should I do next?

I have so many Fragments.

Hey, do you want some?

What kind of world are you going to make?