Chapter 12

In front of me, I could still see Ayaka's blood gushing forth from beneath the steel beam. Despite being in such a dreadful mental state that any normal human would simply drown out any noise, I could still hear the voice. And it continued, mercilessly.

'Each time you begin a new attempt, your lover's memories will turn into a blank slate, and she will remember the sadness and pain she experienced after the accident. And each time the accident triggers, she will regain all the memories she had lost from the previous loops. Do you understand what that means? Each time you fail, she will accumulate hellish dread and fear memories, which will grow in number equal to the number of attempts you've wasted. Does it Sound…cruel to you? Well, being able to just erase the loops you will experience from existence…would be a bit too easy, don't you think?'

"Why…are you doing this…" I muttered, barely containing enough strength to speak.

Needless to say, I didn't expect a proper response in return. However, what came back was less of an answer and more of a riddle that seemed unfitting for the severity of the situation.

'…Have you ever seen bubbles that never disappear?'

What does that even mean? But despite scoffing at it, I remembered something. When we were kids, Ayaka and I would often drink ramune. Inside the faintly blue, cold but sweet liquid…were foaming bubbles. She would drink a sip and then smile at me. Her red face, when she grew flustered, and the sweetness of it all. And even though I could clearly remember it, none of that was part of the present. Even the sweetest bubbles will eventually burst and disappear. Instead, a future drenched in red blood built up in front of me and blocked my advance.

'Now then, how long can you bear with this trial bestowed upon you?'

The voice declared so—And announced the beginning of hell.

Chapter 8

She experienced a tragedy. And from here on out is the story of all the endings. Because of me, she lost everything.

"…!" I jumped up from my bed. "…Huff…"

My entire body was drenched in a nasty sweat. My heart was racing, my breathing out of control, and even the tips of my fingers felt frozen cold.

"…? …?!"

I looked around me, but Ayaka's bloody carcass was nowhere to be found, and I wasn't standing in front of the train station, either. It was—my own home. I grabbed the phone lying next to my pillow and checked the date. July 7th. Wednesday, 8 am. Time…was reversed. Just now, when the steel beam crushed Ayaka…It felt like a nightmare but also wasn't. It was a reality that was reversed. I don't know why, but some mysterious power must have been activated. This time…This time, I'll protect her…!

"Ayaka…!"

I jumped out of my house, headed to my neighbor, and stormed inside Ayaka's room.

"Wah…Aki-Kun, what happened?"

"…! Kazu…hi…!"

I had to confirm that she was there. That she was still a part of my life.

"Ayaka…! Please, don't go anywhere today. Don't step out of the house…!"

"Huh?"

"If not…something horrible will happen to you. So, please…I beg you…!"

Since she doesn't know what's going on, I must be Sounding like a crazy person to her. However, I cannot let Ayaka suffer again. She was bewildered, blinking at me in confusion—But she immediately smiled.

"Okay. I'll do that, Aki-Kun."

"R-Really? Thank god…But…I'm surprised you agreed so easily. Don't you think what I'm saying is weird?"

"Well…You're a bit different from usual, but I can tell that you're serious. And, I trust you, Aki-Kun. Sometimes you're a bit stubborn, but you would never lie or joke about something that could make me worry. There's a reason why you're saying this, right?"

"Y-Yeah…"

Seeing Ayaka nod like that without any questioning made me feel like crying. However, I can't afford to cry just yet. Even just now, when I avoided the tragedy with the truck, another misfortune occurred. And I won't know where or when it will happen. But, I won't let Ayaka suffer like that again. With that decided, I made sure that Ayaka would not leave this room, and we stayed together the entire time. Ayaka's mother thought it was weird, but I just said that 'Our lectures fell flat, so we're studying together,' which worked just fine.

… Every single passing on the clock was like a small salvation, but equally hell in itself. But, I was filled with hope, thinking that as long as this day would come to pass, Ayaka would be saved. While feeling despair and dread that something completely unnatural could happen to take Ayaka from me again. And these two created a maelstrom inside of me. And as this day granted to me continued to progress, each minute scraping away at my sanity, Ayaka must have guessed that something was wrong, so she talked to me throughout the entire day.

And finally…as I had gotten mentally exhausted, this long day ended with nothing ever happening. I was left bewildered. I had assumed that something would happen. And I was so on edge, I would have rather stayed over the night, too. But with her parents being home, that was out of the option. I told her to stay out of harm's way, and to contact me in case anything happened. To the point she probably got annoyed with me. And while I held on to my phone all night, I didn't catch a wink of sleep.

As soon as morning came, I rushed over to her house, standing guard on the outside. Around 7 am, a call came in from Ayaka. For a moment, I could feel all the blood drain from my face, but when I answered, Ayaka spoke up with a cheerful voice.

"Ah, morning. Aki-Kun, can I go out today? I really have to attend university."

…She's safe. She's alive. I managed to make it past the day of the accident. Is everything okay now? Is Ayaka saved? It hasn't fully set in yet, so my anxiety has yet to subside. But, I can't let Ayaka be locked inside her home for the rest of her life. And after giving it some thought, I decided to attend university with her. Naturally, I stuck close to her side to the point I must have looked like a weirdo. Even just a small Sound around me had my blood pumping with terror. And since I hadn't gotten a minute of sleep the night prior, I was utterly exhausted when evening came around. Yet, my worries were still present, weighing down on me.

"Aki-Kun, I've got work after this…"

"It's okay. I'll escort you there."

"But you have a lecture now, right?"

"I don't care about that."

"You shouldn't do that! You already missed parts of your lecture today because you snuck into mine."

"…It's okay. I just don't want to leave you alone right now."

All I could remember was that nightmarish scenery. Just the thought of it made my body quiver, my body freezing.

"Am I…troubling you?"

Since Ayaka didn't know a thing, this must all be abrupt and bothersome, I'm sure. I don't want to make her worry, it's just…

"Not at all. If you're saying that, then I have no reason to be angry. You're always thinking about me, right?"

Her words, her smile…her warmth entered my paralyzed mind. My eyes were watering up to the point I struggled to hold back. However…I wasn't given any time to get emotional. A tragedy always occurs without forewarning, aiming for the exact moment you're careless…to strike where it hurts.

"—Ayaka!!"

When I realized what was going on, I quickly pulled Ayaka closer to me, embracing her. However, that was nothing but futile resistance.

BANG