Part 8

Se Yue: So, I recall, last time we were talking about deja vu.

Se Yue: That is, the phenomenon where you see something for the first time, but feel like it's familiar somehow.

Se Yue: Deja Vu, like the Mandela Effect, may be related to the self-corrective measures that time takes to ensure its own consistency-

Wu Shi: I'm sorry, the what? The Muggle Effect?

Wu Shi: Uh. Is she okay?

Qian Yuan: She has a weird sense of humor that gets ticked by the weirdest things sometime, just roll with it.

Wu Shi: ...You know, if I were to film this scene, I could probably blackmail Cesium for, like, a load of money.

Qian Yuan: Your ability to speak even the most despicable of your thoughts without self-censorship is astonishing as ever.

She smiled at me menacingly, and I immediately dropped the idea.

After a minute, Se Yue finally recovered from her bout of laughing.

Se Yue: -I say, Wu Shi, you've got quite the talent for stand-up comedy. In every way you are equal to the best of the jokes from my joke book.

Wu Shi: ...Th...anks??

Was she calling me a joke?

Se Yue: Anyways, the Mandela Effect is talking about a certain african political leader whom many people thought had died in prison in the 1980s. In reality, Mandela only passed in 2013, and he'd even been the president of South Africa.

Wu Shi: So, what you're saying is, sometimes collective knowledge isn't in sync with the facts.

Se Yue: That's right. That's the Mandela Effect- or, as I like to call it- the Collective Memory Desynchronization.

Wu Shi: That's... so bizarre.

Se Yue: Let me raise another example.

Se Yue: You've seen P█kachu from P█kemon before, right?

Wu Shi: Sure.

P█kachu was a mainstay of everyone's childhoods, after all.

Se Yue: So, what color is P█kachu's tail?

Wu Shi: Eh?

Se Yue: Is it pure yellow or yellow with a bit of black at the end?

Bit of black at the end

Pure yellow

Fully black, with gothic lolita lacing

Wu Shi: SOLID BLACK WITH FRILLY LACE.

Se Yue: .....

Qian Yuan: I-is that really what the P█kachu of your heart looks like, senpai??

Wu Shi: Is it not?

Se Yue: Qian Yuan, show him the proof.

Qian Yuan: Yes ma'am.

Qian Yuan pulled a P█kachu-shaped keychain from her coat.

I looked carefully at its tail-

Wu Shi: Oh, gosh.

It was pure yellow.

Frankly, the fact that my first impression had differed from the truth had made me more than a little disturbed.

Qian Yuan: Also, here's a P█kachu doll.

Qian Yuan kept pulling thing after thing from her dress.

Qian Yuan: Here's a P█kachu pillowcase, a P█kachu purse, a P█kachu bento box, a P█kachu hat, a P█kachu lapel pin, a P█kachu nametag, a P█kachu-themed transparent document binder, a P█kachu-themed chest pad...

Wu Shi: OKAY I get it! I completely and thoroughly understand the appearance of P█kachu tails now!!

Hearing my exclamation, Qian Yuan disappointedly put all of her pieces of P█kaphernalia back into her dress, one by one.

...She clearly had a LOT of room under that skirt, judging by how much P█kastuff she was able to fit under there, but I probably shouldn't ask any questions about that.

Se Yue: In conclusion, from these pieces of evidence we can reasonably deduce that this world may have been changed by the acts of time-travelers, leading to what we know as the Mandela Effect.

Wu Shi: Who the fuck would go back in time just to change the color of P█kachu's tail?

Qian Yuan: ME! I would totally do that!

...Her characterization was just completely collapsing now, wasn't it?

Didn't you JUST explain to me how you had all these psychological scars because of your experience with looping time?

Se Yue: Anyways, there's lots more examples of the Mandela Effect, do you want to try them?

HELL YEAH I DO!

HELL NO I DON'T!

Se Yue: In the sculpture 'The Thinker' by Rodin, is the fist lifted to rest on the statue's forehead or chin?

The fist is resting on the statue's forehead.

The fist is resting on the statue's chin.

Se Yue: Yep, it was the chin.

Se Yue: On the pants worn by M█ckey Mouse, are there two suspender straps or are there not?

YES

NO

Se Yue: Nope, there never were any such straps.

Se Yue: In the Mona Lisa, does Mona Lisa's smile cause the corners of her mouth to angle upwards or not?

YES

NO

Se Yue: One of the corners of her mouth is in fact angled up!

Wu Shi: ARE YOU SERIOUS?

Se Yue: The rate at which people answered these questions incorrectly in the past has been unimaginably high, believe it or not.

Wu Shi: The more of these questions I heard, the more I wondered whether you weren't making these up to fuck with me.

Se Yue: Good conversation material, in any case, don't you think?

She took another sip of her tea.

Without realizing it, time had slipped away in our cheerful conversation.

Se Yue: We're basically out of time now, we don't have any more time left to deal with S. What we need to focus on right now while we still have a bit of time left is one particularly important matter...

Se Yue: Your eventual death, I mean.

Wu Shi: ...Right.

I'd almost forgotten about the way this whole thing began, the fact that I was predetermined to die and be used as fuel.

Se Yue: To prevent you from dying the same away as last time, we're definitely not going to just let you go right back out there where S could get you.

Se Yue: For the rest of this trip you'll be staying in my bedroom.

Wu Shi: But... what about the bonfire party?

Se Yue: You're not allowed to attend.

I immediately tried to duck out the door to the VIP cabin, but Se Yue grabbed my wrist and forced me into a wrist-lock immediately when I tried to turn away from her.

Se Yue: Did I not make myself clear?

She was grinning resplendently as she said those words.

Se Yue: You. Aren't. Going. Anywhere~!

Wu Shi: ...I have a very important reason for going, though. I have to go.

Se Yue: I can probably guess what it is, but for the sake of your life you're just going to have to control yourself for a loop.

Wu Shi: I can't, there's something I have to get-

Wu Shi: That thing is more precious to me than anything.

Wu Shi: No matter what, even if I risk my life, I have to go get it.

Wu Shi: I didn't want to explain it to you yet, but if you're going to keep me here then I have no choice. The thing I'm talking about is...

Wu Shi: THE DELICIOUS BARBECUUUUUEEEEEEE!

Wu Shi: BEEF TONGUE!

Wu Shi: HIGH-QUALITY KOBE BEEF!

Wu Shi: Top-quality beef tripe, tenderloin, chilled beef ribs, chargrilled sweetmeats, smoked beef belly, and the deliciously chewy yet tender hearts and neck meat!

Se Yue: Gosh. You have such a great memory for these things.

Wu Shi: I absolutely NEED to eat these delectable delicacies, ESPECIALLY if it's the last thing I do before I die!

Se Yue: No, I mean, weren't you going to attend with Yu Guang and Ji Hengsheng and form lasting bonding memories for a lifetime?

Wu Shi: Eh, I see those two around all the time. The meat's way harder to come by in comparison.

Se Yue: ...You three are friends, right? I just- I need a bit of confirmation again.

Wu Shi: As they say, the most important buds you have are your tastebuds. I'm sure that both of them would agree with me on this one.

Se Yue: .....

Wu Shi: IN CONCLUSION I AM GOING TO THAT BARBECUE PARTY AND IT'S FINAL.

Se Yue: NO!

Wu Shi: IF YOU DON'T LET ME GO I WILL MAKE A MESS OF YOUR ROOM AND DIG YOUR PORN MAGAZINES OUT AND TELL EVERYONE ABOUT YOUR FETISHES!

Se Yue: I HAVE NO SUCH THINGS!

Wu Shi: No fetishes? Damn, I'm so sorry that you've been developmentally stunted.

Se Yue: YOU'RE THE ONE WHO'S STUNTED, OKAY?!

With some kind of clever twist- some sort of judo thing?- she knocked me down to the floor.

Se Yue: YOU sit RIGHT here and don't even THINK about going anywhere.

Wu Shi: Idunwanna!

Se Yue: Fine. Your determination has moved my heart, and I will generously make a concession to you in light of your brave defiance.

Se Yue: You can have as many of my biscuit straw snacks as you'd like while you're in my room.

Wu Shi: NOBODY GIVES A SHIT ABOUT YOUR SHITTY-ASS JUNK FOOD SNACKS.

Se Yue looked wounded by those words.

...I cannot fucking believe this. Come on, isn't the heir of the Se Family not supposed to show weakness or whatever?

Please don't tell me that your love of sweet biscuit straws is actually your true one weak point.

Se Yue: ...Look, just, stay put for now.

Ignoring my words, she closed the door and locked it, and then leaned against it, her back to the door.

Wu Shi: ........

Well, even though I'd said all that,

what I'd really been after was an excuse to receive Ji Hengsheng's ring at the bonfire.

Ji Hengsheng surely must have gathered her courage for a long, long time, to be able to propose marriage to me with that ring.

If I were in her place, no matter what happened afterwards, I'd surely want the other side to understand the depth of my feelings.

If I really missed the bonfire event, I'd surely regret it for a lifetime.

Wu Shi: ...Sorry, lady.

Picking up a chair, I smashed it against one of the weak connector points in the window, broke it, and climbed out through the window.

I'd been on the roof of this train enough times that it was second nature to me now.

Wu Shi: Sorry, but I'll be back as soon as midnight's over! You can do whatever you'd like to me after that, princess!

Se Yue: GET BACK HERE, WU SHI! IT'S DANGEROUS!

Wu Shi: Relax, princess, I'll be back before you know it-

Se Yue: GET DOWN, NOW! WE'RE ALMOST AT MIDPOINT!

...Eh?

Suddenly, I felt the train shake violently beneath me. It almost knocked me off my balance.

Se Yue reached out to me, and I to her, but our fingers slipped past each other's by just a fraction of a centimeter-

And I was flung off the train.

Qian Yuan: Senpai, are you alright?

Wu Shi: incoherent screaming caused by memory reinvestiture

Wu Shi: continues having trauma flashbacks to all the times he's died. usually by drowning or by falling asleep. falling off the train and cracking his skull is a new one.

Wu Shi: hyperventilates for a whole minute as his mind struggles to reintegrate all these new memories.

Se Yue: Are you done?

Se Yue: If you are, here's the briefing.

Se Yue: We're back on noon of the second day. You refused to listen to me and fell off the top of the train. We stopped the train immediately and tried to save you, but you entered a coma state we couldn't treat with the instruments in the infirmary alone, and you finally perished- exactly at noon on the 3rd day, just as scheduled.

Se Yue: Is there anything you'd like to say to me, young man?

Wu Shi: ...Sorry.

Se Yue: Your head's tilted up too high.

I lowered my head until it was all the way at th efloor.

Wu Shi: ...Really really sorry.

Se Yue: Qian Yuan, stomp on this idiot for me.

Qian Yuan: Yes ma'am.

Wu Shi: Wait, why aren't you stomping on me?

Se Yue: I'd like to avoid dirtying my precious foot.

Se Yue grinned.

Se Yue: Also, because I don't want you treating this as some kind of reward.

Se Yue: I turned back time, using your corpse as the fuel.

Se Yue: I'm honestly impressed how surprising time's interventions can be at times.

Se Yue: Did you know, in order to prevent your death by drowning this time, I set up a ton of interventions?

Se Yue: I've already called the Family and ordered them to put a full squad of medical and rescue professionals at the terminal station.

Se Yue: I've also ordered the preparation of anti-flooding measures to be preemptively readied, in preparation for the inevitable flooding that will occur tomorrow.

Se Yue: I figured, with all that, there was no WAY you'd be able to somehow drown yourself tomorrow.

Se Yue: And then you throw your own damn self off a moving train at full speed.

Wu Shi, weakly, knowing he doesn't have a foot to stand on: ...I said I was sorry...

Se Yue: I'm still optimistic though. As long as we keep plugging holes in Time's self-consistency measures I'm sure we'll be able to plug all the leaks and prevent your death.

...I wasn't really sure that'd work, myself.

Se Yue: By the way, S didn't show up at all in the previous timeline.

Se Yue: In any case, I hope this all has convinced you to stay put nice and safe right here, in my bedroom, young man.

Wu Shi: ...Yeah...

Se Yue: LOUDER! I CAN'T HEAR YOU!

Wu Shi: How could- hrk- uh- ahem- How could this be?!

S, dragging their iron pipe on the ground, showed up right as scheduled.

Wu Shi: Wuaaaaaaahhhh~. I'm so scaaaaared~.

Yu Guang, who's buying it hook line and sinker: EVERYONE! RUN!

S: My target is Wu Shi alone.

Wu Shi: Aaaaaaaugh.... I'm so scaaaaared, mommyyyyyy~....

Wu Shi: I'm scawed... It's scawy! Eeeeek! I'm so scaaaared-

Se Yue: Wu Shi, please do us a favor and shut the fuck up.

Wu Shi: Eh? But I've been working so hard at my performance...

Se Yue: Just shut up.

After all that, Qian Yuan comes to find me at my bed again, just like in last loop. I immediately preempt her by telling her that I already know everything she was going to tell me anyways.

Wu Shi: But I don't mind listening to it a second time, if it makes you feel better! Go on ahead.

Qian Yuan gave me a very strange look.

Yeah, I guess I'm not... very good at doing the same things over and over again by mechanical rote.

Wu Shi: The worst part is that the princess has gone on ahead to the party herself, on account of needing to give that opening speech or whatever. That's so rude of her.

Se Yue, appearing unexpectedly: I say, you are a master of saying rude things about people right in front of them.

Wu Shi: I disagree that my words can be construed as an insult. The way I see it, they're objective descriptions of the truth.

Wu Shi: I am your faithful servant, milady, and as your faithful servant I strive to speak nothing but the unvarnished truth to you.

Se Yue: ...Yep, that's you alright. You've always been this way as long as I've known you.

Wu Shi: ...You haven't known me since before this loop though- oh, you mean, before all this, on the very first day when I followed you and you called my name asking me if I saw the 13th train car. Riiiight.

Wu Shi: Actually, yeah. If we'd never met before that how'd you know my name?

Se Yue: Ugh, this is what's irritating about you. You're sharp enough to remember the tiniest of details sometimes.

Se Yue: Don't misunderstand me. I just memorized the names of every student that was going on this trip before the trip started.

Wu Shi: Wow, real genius brain you've got.

Se Yue: As the host of this event, it's my responsibility to firmly remember the identities of every single companion on this journey.

Se Yue: Not just the names, but also their heights, weights, and interests, and other things of that sort- they're all here in my mind.

Se Yue: Furthermore, I know the names, addresses, places of employment, and ages of all of their parents as well-

Wu Shi: You actually have no idea how threatening you sound when you say stuff like that, do you.

...The princess sure worked hard to make friends when she set herself to it.

Se Yue: Actually, now that you've reminded me, there's some inconsistencies with what happened back then that I thought I'd try to hash out with you.

Wu Shi: ...Does this mean it's time for the whiteboard again?

Se Yue: Every day is whiteboard day in my world.

Wu Shi: A worm and a demonic tree. I guess the Se Family's top-tier education isn't all it's chalked up to be when it comes to the visual arts.

Se Yue: I'm pretty sure you've already made that joke before. Also, shush, Professor Se is about to give her lecture, so just sit tight and pay attention to the board.

Se Yue: Anyways, as you likely already know, there are two general models of time travel.

Se Yue points to the straight line labeled A.

Se Yue: The single-timeline model...

She then points to the crooked tree labeled B.

Se Yue: And the parallel-timeline model.

Wu Shi: Oh, yeah, I know about parallel timelines, I've seen them show up all the time in sci-fi movies and stuff.

Wu Shi: There are an infinite number of parallel universes where anything could be possible, and all that. Like there could exist a parallel universe where there's a Wu Shi that's actually really smart, or a Wu Shi who's really adored by all the chicks.

Wu Shi: So are we in a model-A universe or a model-B universe?

Se Yue: I'unno.

Wu Shi: Eh?

Se Yue: This is my first actual usage of the machine, and I've got far too little evidence to work with. To jump to conclusions too early is a dangerous thing, you know.

Wu Shi: So, go ask Qian Yuan for information.

Se Yue: I... can't.

Se Yue: She's... not with us anymore.

Se Yue: ...Because I told her to go attend the bonfire party. Don't worry, I put a different maid to guard the door to the VIP cabin.

Wu Shi: Oh, wow, you freaked me out for a moment there. Isn't this a critical point of time, though? Is it really such a good idea to send your most trusted servant away right now?

Se Yue: Well, it's also a young lady's responsibility to ensure that those who serve her can pursue their own personal happinesses, after all.

Wu Shi: I am deeply moved and grateful to you on my friend Yu Guang's behalf. I know for sure the two of them will be able to find lasting happiness with each other, and my heartfelt wishes go with them. Also I'm so fucking jealous and I'm going to curse Yu Guang for getting the chances I couldn't until I die, gaaaaaaahhhhhh.

Se Yue: ...You two are friends, right?

Wu Shi: But, you know, that's just how friends are. We celebrate each others' successes at the same time that we take the mickey out of each other. That's just how friendship works, you make fun of each other and you make fun with each other in alternating fashion.

Se Yue: I see. So this is what they call friendship out there in the wider world...

Wu Shi: I'm sure you have friends too, princess.

Se Yue: I'm not sure any such beings exist for me.

Wu Shi: Of course you do, Qian Yuan's your friend.

(flashback to Qian Yuan telling Wu Shi to take care of the ojou-sama, even if Qian Yuan were to die.)

Wu Shi: She considers you more important than anyone else in her life. I'm sure you feel the same way about her as well.

Se Yue: ...I don't think that someone to whom I continuously give unrefusable orders can be considered a 'friend' of mine.

Se Yue: Friendship requires first equal standing, and by my nature nobody can stand equally with me.

...Right, yeah. The whole Se Family Rules thing. No asking for help, no apologizing, no thanking others.

With all those things binding her, she truly has lost the privilege to speak her feelings from the heart.

If it weren't for the fact that she thought she was alone back when she left the dining car by herself, I probably wouldn't have been able to notice the longing for friendship in her heart either.

Se Yue: Well, come on.

Wu Shi: Come on?

Se Yue: Since you're having to miss the bonfire party, I decided to offer you a consolation prize.

The firelight from the bonfire party poured in through the windows, painting the side of Se Yue's face flame-orange.

Se Yue: You will have the opportunity of dancing with the heiress of the Se family, this very night.

I was actually dancing with the heiress.

It felt something like a dream.

This was surely an opportunity that countless people would give so much to have in my stead.

But it was I who was receiving this honor.

Unfortunately, I'd never danced much before, and I was sure that I'd bungle it.

Se Yue: I believe that, in your previous loops, you never got to dance with miss Ji?

Wu Shi: Yeah, neither of us really liked to dance all that much.

Se Yue: So are you not enjoying this dance either, then?

Wu Shi: Well, I wouldn't say that.

Her hands were so soft as they held mine, and there was a subtle fragrance about her.

Se Yue: Has my confinement of you here caused you to miss anything important at the bonfire?

Wu Shi: Hmh...

Yeah, I was missing Ji Hengsheng giving me her ring, and the whole thing where she asked me to propose marriage to her.

That was pretty important, no matter how you looked at it. It was the sort of thing that would change our futures forever, one way or another, after all.

But, all those countless deaths in the previous loops tore me away from those thoughts.

Because Ji Hengsheng was so important to me, I had a responsibility to her to avoid doing the same things that would lead to my death every time, and stay alive for her sake.

The me as I was now no longer wanted wanted to get her involved anymore.

Wu Shi: It's fine, she won't blame me.

I've known her for so many years, after all!

I understand exactly how she thinks, really.

As long as I'm happy and safe, then no matter what I do, she'll always choose to forgive me.

If our positions were swapped, I'd feel the same about her.

Se Yue: That's reassuring to hear.

Se Yue: By the way, on our previous subject.

Se Yue: You remember how, whenever you loop through time, someone has to die to be used as the fuel, don't you?

Wu Shi: Can't exactly imagine forgetting.

Se Yue: Reversing time requires the use of one dead person as fuel, and repeating is impossible.

Se Yue: Remember what I said about singular timelines versus parallel timelines?

Wu Shi: Yeah.

Se Yue: No matter which configuration we're in, as long as the user doesn't give up, the world will loop repeatedly.

Se Yue: In the single-timeline model, the world will repeat endlessly, while in the parallel worlds model, endless parallel universes will be spawned.

Wu Shi: Mm-hmm.

Se Yue: If continued, at the furthest extreme, all of humanity being used as fuel could even be within the realms of possibility.

Se Yue: To prevent this scenario, the God of Time has preserved you, the first Fuel, and allowed you to retain your consciousness.

Se Yue: You remember everything just as the user does, and are an equal to the user.

Se Yue: However, this makes you destined to oppose the user of the time machine.

Se Yue: Since, the number of times you must experience your own death is equal to the number of times the user loops time.

I remembered all the many deaths I'd experienced, and shuddered.

Se Yue: To escape the final death, you'd be incentivized to find a way to oppose the user and stop the loops.

Se Yue: To use a metaphor, it's like if the world were infected by a disease known as 'time looping syndrome', and you were the specific antibody created by the God of Time to oppose this infection.

Of course, neither path had any salvation for the so-called 'antibody'.

Failure to resist the 'infection' meant endlessly experiencing death over and over, while success meant that the antibody would die a final death.

Se Yue: Of course, I won't let you die.

Se Yue: From now on you are to stay right here in this cabin.

Se Yue: There is no way S can appear in a closed room occupied only by the two of us.

Se Yue: Furthermore, like last loop, I've established the medical and rescue teams at the terminal station.

Se Yue's preparations had been thorough. She'd done incredibly well in eliminating as many unstable variables as she could, and taken all the preparatory measures she could think of.

If even that weren't enough to save me-

Wu Shi: ...Princess.

Se Yue: Hm?

Wu Shi: Really, I've wanted to ask you for a while, what makes you want to save me so badly.

Just because I saved you in a previous loop?

Well, it wasn't like she could admit to being motivated by the desire to repay a debt, being the Se heiress.

Wu Shi: If other people sacrificing for you is right and proper, then you oughtn't need to be concerned about my wellbeing either, right?

Especially not to the point where you'd break your oath to not use the Tour of Time, and become the new user of the time machine yourself.

Se Yue: .....

Se Yue: Because I can't fail.

Her response confused me thoroughly.

Se Yue: So, I'm not doing this for you.

Se Yue: I just, can't permit myself to fail.

Yeah, I couldn't tell what she really meant here.

What did she mean by 'failure' here? The design flaws of the Tour of Time? Or the fact that she needed me to save her in the first place in one of the loops?

I got the impression she wouldn't answer me even if I asked her further, though.

Se Yue: Anyways, rest assured.

The light of determination shone brightly in her eyes.

Se Yue: I will save all of you and bear all of this by my self.

...There was no way I would ever have thought such a thing on my own, ever.

But, as the only other person in the room, it was my duty to speak the truth to her.

Wu Shi: A single person can't bear everything.

Se Yue: If you have capability and resolve, it can be done.

Wu Shi: It can't. That's not how it works.

Se Yue: As the family princess, it must be workable.

Wu Shi: I said, that's not how things work.

The dance music in the background was still playing, but at some point, the two of us had stopped dancing, and were just looking at each other, now.

In her eyes was a fierce will that looked like it wouldn't be crushed by anything.

I suddenly remembered the words that Qian Yuan said to me.

(Qian Yuan: No matter what happens to you or me, please take care of the princess.)

I finally understand.

I understand what she really meant by those words.

CONVINCE SE YUE TO CONTINUE USING THE TOUR OF TIME

CONVINCE SE YUE TO CEASE USING THE TOUR OF TIME

Wu Shi: Let's stop all this, young mistress.

Se Yue: Stop what?

Wu Shi: Stop looping time, stop working on saving me-

Wu Shi: All this.

Ending things here would be the smallest possible sacrifice. At this point I was the only one who'd been burnt as fuel in this timeline so far, after all.

Wu Shi: Just let all this end with only one death- mine, please.

Se Yue: You're wrong; it's not possible.

Eh? I'd said something wrong?

...After this trip's end, the number of dead people should be...?

ONE

TWO

THREE

Se Yue: According to the rules of the Tour of Time, last time you were used as fuel, so you cannot be used as fuel again this loop.

Se Yue: That means that the Tour of Time will produce a new death this loop, whether we use it or not.

...Well, I fucked up again.

I should have had the resolve to see things through last loop, before I'd fallen off the train.

I should have convinced her to give up on looping before I died. Then I could have saved an additional life.

Failing to convince Se Yue to stop this whole exercise in pointlessness while the losses were as minimal as possible- that was my fault.

Wu Shi: Even if that's true, that doesn't justify letting the damage continue to spread.

Wu Shi: Two deaths is still the best possible outcome we can have, at this point in time.

Wu Shi: Let's say I die again this loop. What will you do?

Se Yue: I will loop time and work on the third loop to save you.

Wu Shi: And if I die again?

Se Yue: Then I will loop a fourth loop.

Wu Shi: And when I die again-

Se Yue: I'm going to loop time until I can save you. That is not up for debate.

Wu Shi: ...Young lady, I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to burst your bubble, here.

Se Yue: What do you mean?

Wu Shi: Do you not see how you are changing?

I let go of her hand.

Wu Shi: You are slowly becoming S.

Wu Shi: Repeating the world of the 14th train car... we both know better than most where this path leads, eventually.

Wu Shi: I finally understand why there is no sign of anybody like S appearing, in this world of the 14th train car.

Wu Shi: Because...

Wu Shi: You are S.

Se Yue: I'm not like S!

Se Yue: S failed, but that doesn't mean I'm going to fail like S did!

Wu Shi: Young lady.

Wu Shi: As the princess of the Se house, I know that you're not permitted to let others see the inner workings of your heart.

Wu Shi: I think I understand what's going on in your heart far more than you imagine.

Se Yue: Don't get too familiar with me.

Se Yue: ...We've seen each other all of, like, three times, across these loops.

Wu Shi: Oh, I beg to differ.

Wu Shi: While you only have the memory of the previous three loops,

Wu Shi: I have the whole unvarnished memory of all 48 loops inside the 13th train car, as well as the loops you remember.

Wu Shi: Don't you think it's strange how obsessed you are with saving me?

Wu Shi: It's too much, for a stranger such as me.

Wu Shi: Not to mention being so free with me as to dance with me.

Se Yue: You're overthinking things. These are just the kinds of things that the successor of the Se house ought to do.

Wu Shi: Really.

Wu Shi: Have you heard of a little thing called the Mandela Effect? Or Deja Vu?

Se Yue: ...Are you trying to say that, the 48 previous loops that I don't remember nevertheless had an effect on my personality, which is why I'm not at all suspicious of you and why I'm so fixated on you?

Wu Shi: Is it such a strange theory? It ought to be normal, for us mortals bound by fate, to also be bound by those emotions carelessly woven and discarded by fate as well, shouldn't it?

Wu Shi: I've watched you over these past 50 timelines, seen you struggle against S to protect us students, and I know what kind of person you are.

Wu Shi: You're right- you're not like S, who performs cruel experiments just to gain power over time.

Wu Shi: Se Yue.

I spoke her name specifically to gain her attention.

Wu Shi: You're just a person who doesn't want others to die pointlessly, right?

Se Yue: ...I have not given you permission to libel my image with your careless suppositions.

Se Yue: As the heir of the Se family, I would never do anything selflessly for others.

Wu Shi: ...Young lady, take my advice. Stop now, while you still can.

Se Yue: ...But you'll die, if the loop's just allowed to end here.

Wu Shi: That is preferable to eking out a tortured half-existence between ceaseless deaths every twenty-four hours.

Se Yue: Your parents will be sad.

Wu Shi: Such is fate.

Se Yue: When your friends Yu Guang and Ji Hengsheng see your death, they'll be left with lasting memories of it, an indelible lifetime trauma, y'know.

That got me to hesitate, just a bit.

Wu Shi: ...Ultimately, I have faith in them.

Wu Shi: I have faith that they will be able to stand up and rise above the shadow that I unfortunately must cast on their lives. I believe in their inner strength, and I believe that despite what I must do to them, they will be able to attain the happiness they so deserve in their own good time.

Se Yue: ...You three really are friends, then.

Se Yue: Regardless, I-

Wu Shi: Hang on what's that noise.

Se Yue: Huh.

Se Yue: Didn't expect that to happen so fast.

Wu Shi: Hey, uh, princess, what's, happening? What's that sound?

Se Yue: Humans are bound to fate and incapable of resisting?

Se Yue: Don't give me that garbage.

I was starting to see it- white mist, or smoke, in the air. Some kind of white aerosol was being pumped into the room, and it obscured my vision, so that I couldn't see anything clearly anymore.

Wu Shi: Se Yue what the FUCK are you DOING?!

Se Yue: I thought I'd explained already.

Se Yue: Like I said-

Se Yue: It seems to be inevitable that the Original Fuel who becomes designated as the antibody by the God of TIme,

Se Yue: Must come into conflict with the User of the loops sooner or later.

Wu Shi: PRINCESS YOU CANNOT DO THIS-

Se Yue: I'm not trying to oppose the God of Time, you understand.

Se Yue: I'm just certain that there must be as-yet unexplored principles of reality, that will in the end enable a world where everyone can smile together.

Wu Shi: ...Don't...

I couldn't keep my eyelids open anymore.

Wu Shi: You'll... end up... like S......

Se Yue: Good night, Wu Shi.

Se Yue: Everything will be over when you wake up.