———————————————————————
[Black Cat: Yo! You never asked me for any help, huh? How boring. No wonder. This house is filled with all kinds of notes...]
———————————————————————
So that's the trick.
The save files were actually the black cat's assistance.
The use of its power to assist the player had drained the black cat's strength.
So, when the player arrived at this point with save data, the cat, having exhausted all its power, would depart early, leaving behind only a lifeless corpse.
Come to think of it…
"This is so frustrating." Why did it have to be called "Black Cat" of all things?!
Even if it had a different name, she might have accepted it better. Damn it!
With these thoughts swirling in her head, Goko Ruri continued reading.
———————————————————————
[Black Cat: …She wants to use the magic of this house to reclaim her original body.]
[If that happens, the magic of the house will disappear, right? If I stay here, I might get consumed too.]
[Heh, we may not have physical forms, but that doesn't mean we're immortal.]
———————————————————————
As the dialogue ended, the screen changed.
A faint, sinister black aura surrounded the black cat.
Crimson droplets appeared on its upper body, and even though the image was blurry, an overwhelming sense of malice radiated from the screen.
Then, to the her shock, the subtitle that reappeared showed the black cat's title had changed.
———————————————————————
[Demon: Alright, that's it. Good luck, Ellen, the witch who keeps her promises.]
———————————————————————
As the black aura faded, the black cat slowly collapsed.
"This ending... it's even more complete than the true ending!"
Ruri's eyes lit up with excitement.
She had planned to use the true ending as content, but this no-save, one-life-clear ending was undeniably superior.
All the mysteries were laid bare without any deception.
In the true ending, there was no way to confirm the black cat was actually a demon. But in this ending, the game spelled it out directly.
For Ruri, this was an unexpected treasure.
As she pushed the door open and explored the house, she noticed the details had changed compared to the true ending.
The information was even more complete.
In front of a blood-stained bedsheet:
———————————————————————
[I used to lie on this bed.]
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Next to a broken chair with shattered legs, seemingly a silent testament to the past:
———————————————————————
[The chair is overturned. Viola used to sit here and chat with me.]
———————————————————————
A bookshelf:
———————————————————————
[There are several books on magic. It feels quite amusing to experience the world as a powerless human.]
———————————————————————
Approaching the witch's diary, Ruri held her breath.
Would the story change this time?
With this thought in mind, she clicked to read.
———————————————————————
[The Witch's Diary]
[I knew she would agree.]
———————————————————————
The very first line was already drastically different from before!
Ruri felt both excitement and dread.
Dread that this new plot would plunge her further into despair.
But her curiosity to see what kind of storytelling the creator had woven won out.
With a click of her mouse:
———————————————————————
[Because she's so kind.]
[Because she's so pure.]
[When we swap bodies, Viola will be shocked, won't she?]
[My body is falling apart, and I'm in constant pain.]
[I've gotten used to it, but she won't be able to endure it.]
[She'll probably cry out in agony.]
[So, I'll give her some medicine.]
———————————————————————
A burning, throat-scorching medicine.
———————————————————————
[With this, she'll be quiet.]
———————————————————————
!!
———————————————————————
[I don't want to hear my own screams.]
[If I tell her it's for the pain, she'll drink it without question.]
[Then, I can finally leave this house.]
[I can step into the garden and feel the breeze on my body. It must feel wonderful.]
[Oh, right.]
[Before she arrives, I need to gouge out my eyes and break my legs.]
[That way, Viola will be left to die in despair.]
[Ahh, Viola, my dear... "friend," so kind, so lovely... so naive.]
[My dear "friend."]
———————————————————————
As the final word faded, the screen trembled as if an earthquake had struck.
Dragging her bloodied body, Ellen, the witch possessing Viola's soul, emerged on screen.
Ruri's heart trembled with rage.
"This... this wretch!"
"This scum!!"
"No... this thing is no longer human!!"
This was a true witch.
Not the kind of cutesy, marketable witch for fanservice, but a true, detestable, loathsome villain who evoked pure hatred.
Her actions had completely abandoned the morality of humanity.
Ruri's fury burned uncontrollably.
In the previous two endings, even after learning about the body swap, she subconsciously thought that Ellen had always been like that—born into suffering, tortured endlessly.
In a twisted way, she even felt satisfaction at Ellen's suffering.
But this diary revealed the truth.
Ellen wasn't born that way.
She became this monster by her own hands.
The moment the body swap magic was complete, Viola was subjected to unimaginable suffering.
Such a kind and pure girl, treated so cruelly…
"Damn it! This is unforgivable!!"
"Why does such a monster even exist?!"
Ruri slammed her desk in rage, her hands stinging from the impact, but she didn't care.
The physical pain was nothing compared to the helpless agony welling up inside her.
After all, the moment Viola woke up in the garden, the story's fate was sealed.
The body swap magic had already succeeded.
From the very start, this was a hopeless scenario.
The player couldn't save the real Viola.
All they could do was aid the witch Ellen's escape.
"Huff... huff..."
Ruri gritted her teeth, breathing heavily.
And then...
"No depth to the story, huh?"
"Cliché, huh?!"
"Alright then... I'll make you all feel true despair!!"
With eyes burning with darkness, Ruri launched her video editing software.
In this moment, she had become a machine devoid of emotion, ready to deliver unparalleled anguish to those foolish viewers still reveling in the joy of Steins;Gate.