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“Eraserhead. Present Mic. It’s over. You did well.”
“Are your eyes okay?”
“They’re so unbearably dry.”
“Your botte of eyedrops still full enough? Otherwise, I have—”
“I’m sorry, Shirakumo.”
“Oi, Eraser—?"
“If only I could, I'd make a deal with god and get him to swap our places. But I can’t. I’m sorry about what I’ve done to you. I’m so, so sorry.”
The first time you ascend the stairs to my abode, your steps are careful. Not insecure, but slow in their placement, in the way you make sure to firmly place your foot on each stair in your climb.
When you arrive at the stairhead, your gaze swivels around, taking in as many details of the place as you can.
There are still other people queuing for an audience in front of you. You wait in line patiently, not trying to cut in or hurry anyone, though the way you occasionally shift from foot to foot and flex your hands betrays your impatience and nervousness.
You listen in on the things other people request, demand or state in their own audiences, until one makes you flinch. Then you keep your senses to yourself, preparing for the time when it is your own turn instead.
Eventually, it is your own turn.
A flicker of hesitancy flashes through your eyes, but it is immediately extinguished and replaced by determination. You square your shoulders and step forward.
State your name.
“It’s—uh—I’m Shirakumo Oboro.”
Shirakumo Oboro, what is it that you desire?
“I desire, um—My friend, Aizawa Shouta, he—I desire to exchange my fate with his.”
Your desire cannot be fulfilled.
“What?! B-But you can exchange people’s fates, it was said everywhere that you could—”
Exchanging the fates of two people cannot be done without the consent of both people the exchange pertains to.
“But Shouta’s dead! He can’t do anything anymore! That’s the very reason I want to make the exchange!”
Your desire cannot be fulfilled.
“How do you expect him to give his consent from beyond the grave?! This doesn’t make any sense!”
Your desire cannot be fulfilled.
The next time you ascend the stairs to my abode, your steps are hastier and harder, though you still wait in line just as patiently. When you face me, it is with the same determination in your gaze as before.
State your name.
“It’s Shirakumo Oboro.”
Shirakumo Oboro, what is it that you desire?
“I desire to exchange my fate with the fate of my friend, whose name is Aizawa Shouta.”
Your desire cannot be fulfilled. Exchanging the fates of two people cannot be done without the consent of both people the exchange pertains to.
“Well, if you need Shouta’s consent, you should head into the realm of the dead, where he resides now, after he died, and ask him there!”
Your desire cannot be fulfilled.
“Or, you know, if you cannot go there, you can send me so I can obtain Shouta’s okay and report it back to you? Not that I want to spend my one God-given wish on this, I just mean as—"
Your desire cannot be fulfilled.
You still ascend the stairs with confidence, patiently wait your turn, and face me directly when you step before me. However, I can see the veil of desperation in your eyes.
State your name.
“It’s Shirakumo Oboro.”
Shirakumo Oboro, what is it that you desire?
“I desire to exchange my fate with the fate of my friend, Aizawa Shouta.”
Your desire cannot be fulfilled. Exchanging the fates of two people cannot be done without the consent of both people the exchange pertains to.
“See, I understand where this rule comes from. It’s so nobody can take revenge on or advantage of another person by swapping the other person’s bliss with your own misery. Or even swap the fates of two random people you’ve never even interacted with just for shit and giggles. But as I told you before, Shouta’s dead, aka has already suffered the worst fate there is! Thus, my wish would not make his life any worse or anything, but improve it. Literally, he doesn’t even have a life anymore, so how could things be worse for him?”
Your desire cannot be fulfilled.
“Also, as I said, he’s dead, I’m alive, and I still have my one God-given wish that I want to cash in. Surely the happiness of a living person should be a higher priority than that of a dead person, who can’t feel any feelings anymore anyway?”
Your desire cannot be fulfilled.
State your name.
“It’s Shirakumo Oboro.”
Shirakumo Oboro, what is it that you desire?
“I desire to exchange my fate with the fate of my friend, Aizawa Shouta.”
Your desire cannot be fulfilled.
State your name.
“Shirakumo Oboro.”
Shirakumo Oboro, what is it that you desire?
“I desire to exchange my fate with that of Aizawa Shouta.”
Your desire cannot be fulfilled.
Even at the times when you drag yourself up the stairs, body heavy with exhaustion, eyes tiredly directed towards the floor only to prevent you from tripping over your own feet, you always square your shoulders, set your mouth into a tight line, and lift your head to face me as you champion your interests.
State your name.
“Shirakumo Oboro.”
Shirakumo Oboro, what is it that you desire?
“I desire to exchange my fate with the fate of Aizawa Shouta.”
Your desire cannot be fulfil—————
Your desire is corroborated by the other party.
“M-My desire is WHAT? But—But how? How can that be possible, it shouldn’t be—”
I will summon the other party to resolve this matter.
“Uh, um, yeah, please do.”
Your eyes immediately jump to the figure appearing to your right, which crumbles to a heap on the ground, limbs not strong enough to support it. You cry out and rush over, dropping yourself onto your knees and reaching out to the other person.
“Sh-Shouta! Is that you?!”
Aizawa Shouta groans.
“But—that is—Y-Your hands and arms… your legs…your back… What IS this? What the hell happened to you?!”
Aizawa Shouta groans again, then whines lowly when you, after a moment of your hands hovering hesitantly in the air, circle your arms around him as best as you can and drag him into your lap.
“Shhh, it’s alright, Shouta, everything is going to be alright now.”
You turn your attention back to me.
“You said something about ‘my desire being corroborated.’ Does that mean that Shouta here, too… wished for our fates to be exchanged?”
You are correct.
“Good.” You nod, then take a deep breath and release it slowly. “That’s good. Then I can use up my God-given wish for this now after all, right?”
You are correct again.
“Hgh… Obo…?” Aizawa Shouta stirs, slowly shifting and lifting his head to peer up at you.
You recoil at what you see.
“I… Oboro, I…”
A sad smile spreads over your face. “Yeah, Shouta. Yeah, it’s me. Don’t worry. I'm gonna save you, okay? Just another moment. Then you won’t have to suffer anymore.” You lean forward and press a kiss to his forehead.
Directed towards me again, you ask, “You can exchange our fates so that you also undo some things in the past, right? Like the incident in which Shouta die—or rather, was involved in. You can change it so that it never happened and no one remembers that Shouta was the one who got hit and supposedly died and everything I mean.”
Your fates can be exchanged starting with a specific point in the past, undoing what happened to Aizawa Shouta that way. The undone past will not be remembered by other creatures, except for those whose fates were exchanged, as they need to retain the memory of redeeming their life's single God-given wish.
“Okay,” you say. “Okay, that makes sense I guess.”
Then state your name.
“My name is Shirakumo Oboro.”
Shirakumo Oboro, what is it that you desire?
“I desire to exchange my fate with the fate of Aizawa Shouta. Um, from the incident where he was buried underneath the rubble onwards.”
I ask the both of you, whose fates will be exchanged by the desire of Shirakumo Oboro. Shirakumo Oboro.
“Yeah?”
Shirakumo Oboro desires to exchange his fate with the fate of Aizawa Shouta, from the incident where he was buried underneath the rubble onwards. Is that what you desire to use your life's single God-given wish on?
“Duh. Uh, I mean: Yes, it is.”
Aizawa Shouta. Shirakumo Oboro desires to exchange his fate with the fate of Aizawa Shouta, from the incident where he was buried underneath the rubble onwards. Is that what you desire to use your life's single God-given wish on?
“… … yes.”
Then state your name.
“… Aizawa… Shouta…”
Shirakumo Oboro. Aizawa Shouta. You have redeemed your lives' single God-given wishes.
Your desires will be fulfilled.
Your steps are firm as you ascend the stairs to my abode as you seek an audience with me, speaking of great resolve. You don't bat an eye at the other people waiting in line and the requests, demands or statements they make. You hold your head high. Return everyone's gaze if they meet yours by accident. Speak loud and clear when it is your turn to step before me.
State your name.
“Aizawa Shouta.”
Aizawa Shouta, what is it that you want from me?
“I… I desire to reverse the wish I made. When I… when I wished for my fate and Oboro’s fate to be exchanged.”
Your desire cannot be fulfilled.
“It… cannot…?”
From one blink of the eye to the next, your face goes slack in horror.
“Why?!”
You have already used the single God-given wish you were given in your life. Wanting to reverse having used it is a desire that itself necessitates you using the single God-given wish to be granted. Thus, your desire cannot be fulfilled.
“B-But… I didn't mean to! I-It was an accident! I just thought, just for a moment, about what if... what if these things didn't happen to me. But I didn't seriously want for Oboro—for Oboro to have to suffer through what was done to me!”
Your desire cannot be fulfilled.
“No! No, I mean, please! Please, I'm begging you, please reverse it, please I'll do anything—!”
Your desire cannot be fulfilled.
Your steps as you ascend the stairs are halting. Heavy. You stumble several times during your climb, as if in danger of falling down the staircase. Nothing around you attracts your attention. You only stare ahead of yourself.
State your name.
“Aizawa Shouta.”
Aizawa Shouta, what is it that you want from me?
“I desire to reverse the wish I made. That my fate and Oboro’s fate be exchanged back.”
Your desire cannot be fulfilled. You have already used the single God-given wish you were given in your life. Wanting to reverse having used it is a desire that itself necessitates you using the single God-given wish to be granted.
“Please.”
You kneel down on the floor, bowing deeply.
“I implore you. I made a mistake, and now someone innocent has to suffer because of my failings.”
Your desire cannot be fulfilled.
“Please have mercy. Please. I'll pay whatever prize you may see fit to—"
Your desire cannot be fulfilled.
State your name.
“Aizawa Shouta.”
Aizawa Shouta, what is it that you want from me?
“I desire to reverse the wish I made, so the fates of me and Shirakumo Oboro will be exchanged back.”
Your desire cannot be fulfilled. You have already used the single God-given wish you were given in your life. Wanting to reverse having used it is a desire that itself necessitates you using the single God-given wish to be granted.
“I was wrong. It was wrong of me to wish for what I did. I was selfish and cruel and a failure and inhumane… But I'm not asking for me and my own peace of mind! I just don’t want Oboro to suffer when it’s me who deserves it! Are you not a just god? Can’t you see the injustice in the way things currently are?!”
Your desire cannot be fulfilled.
State your name.
“Aizawa Shouta.”
Aizawa Shouta, what is it that you want from me?
“I desire to reverse the wish I made, so the fates of me and Shirakumo Oboro will be exchanged back.”
Your desire cannot be fulfilled.
Your metallic leg grows heavy quickly on your ascend up the stairs. You need nearly twice the amount of time until you reach the stairhead now than you did in the past. And more than ten times the amount of energy.
State your name.
“Aizawa Shouta.”
Aizawa Shouta, what is it that you want from me?
“I desire to reverse the wish I made, so the fates of me and Shirakumo Oboro will be exchanged back.”
Your desire cannot be fulfilled.