HoloAdvent (A Hololive fanfic) *Completed*

Chapter 11

"I don't remember my past."

"Huh?"

Shiori stood by the building's edge, gazing over the city's radiant lights alongside me. Her arms hugged her waist, and she offered a wide smile.

"I'm not great at comforting others, but from what I've read in books, you gain some insight into empathizing with people and their hardships. We all face challenges in life, that's something you and I share. Something Nerissa and Bijou share. What Fuwa and Moco have. All of us."

"Do you have troubles, Shiori?" I inquired gently. "I don't mean to be intrusive, I can't help but think you girls carry a lot... There's the cell situation, but that's being sorted out with this contract... If there's anything, you can tell-"

"Hey, calm down there, boss. You still haven't spilled the beans about what's bothering you." She extended her palm near my face.

"Oh, yeah. It wouldn't be fair," I replied, scratching the back of my head.

"But I suppose I can share a bit since we're unexpectedly along for the ride with you," Shiori said, her hair dancing in the wind. "All I can recall from the moment I first opened my eyes was rows upon rows of books filling my vision. I was stuck in this weird and huge place filled to the brim with books and all sorts of information. A shining golden globe hung from the ceiling, and absolute silence. In that madness of knowledge, I had no one to converse with, no one to confide in. There was only this voice that talked to me in that place."

You will carry all that exists in this world. Should you die, another will take your place.

"The expression on your face told me something I haven't seen in a while on mine."

She continued.

"That sense of being adrift, not knowing where to turn. For a moment, I sensed that in you. In some way, I wanted to do whatever I could to help alleviate that."

"Were you completely alone in that place, Shiori?"

"I'm sure every person on Earth has a family. I just don't know mine," Shiori smiled softly. "Throughout my life, I've been consumed by reading—managing collections of historical documents and records was all I've ever known. There was such a wealth of history in that boundless knowledge that picking one person to dwell there seemed random. That person ended up being me."

I rested my hands on my knees as I sat on the edge.

"That place would take in random individuals and trap them there for an indeterminate time. Then there was a continuation of that narrative. Eventually, the trapped people would become obsessed and lose their sanity to leave that place as a requirement. I hated the idea of being there forever so over time, I gathered all sorts of information and stored them among the aisles, just like history foretold. I grew obsessed."

"And you encountered forbidden knowledge afterward..."

"That contributed to my hair being like this," she motioned to her white locks. "While I haven't gone completely insane, I read forbidden knowledge, punished for it by strange authority from who knows where, and now I'm here trying to make things better even though I was wilder before! Being alone for so long. Having no one to talk to. Devoted to one specific thing. Who wouldn't want to delve deeper? I was solitary, and while I found some aspects enjoyable, loneliness was also a constant companion. But, you know," she grinned, "having been sent to a place unknown to the human world in this form. Don't you think I might have a family out there wondering where I am? I thank whoever gave birth to me for gracing me with an amazing appearance."

"A lot of things are possible in this era." I said. "I'm sure you'll find them."

Shiori laughed to herself. "I spent centuries trying to find information about them, Mr. Calypso. This stuff's hard." She patted my back. "But that's enough about me. I hope I cheered you up. If you can tell me what's on your mind one day-"