Goosebumps were raised all over my body. I never knew C could have this aggressive side to him. He always seed peaceful and collected and even managed to think of corny jokes while facing difficult circumstances. But hearing these words coming out of his mouth made shiver. They were freezing and lifeless. As if coming from soone ready to give up on living, each word C said harbored straightforward yet sober sentints.
"W-what are you talking about?!" Past stuttered. It was understandable, to be fair.
As soon as he ntioned their nas, my past self went pale. Everything and anything C said was spot on, and she could not find anything to defend herself. Even though her mories told her otherwise—that there was no way for C to find out what they did—her present mind believed everything he said without question.
"Until I am done with you, Han will not intervene. As for Rachel, guess what Han is doing to her right now on the rooftop? They finished having lunch, full of energy and lust. What would transpire between two young people in their pri, Kurokawa?"
It was a completely different C I was seeing. The hostility he projected was abysmal. I did not know why he was showing such aggressiveness, but strangely it did not make feel hateful or anything toward him. Mother had done worse things to . What my protagonist showed was nothing but a tip of an iceberg to her.
Instead, my heart ached to see him behaving out of character. Throughout many interactions and after witnessing his lonely sacrifice, I had no doubt of the actual person C was. In order to make his way up the rooftop, C broke both of his hands. He risked his life trying to save Laura without asking for anything. He ran up to Rachel after hearing her cries without caring for his safety. And finally, he ca to despite many awful things I said.
In this world, in this damning, forsaken world, there existed only one good person, and that was C. Regrettably, in this iteration, he was desperate. So desperate that he had to resolve to such a ntal state.
Sothing must have broken him. I was sure of it. It was not his fault. Not now. Not in the past. Not ever!
"You..."
Her face contorted, and her lips quivered as she tried to speak but failed miserably. Frantically looking around her, that girl was trying to make sure no one was trying to listen in on their small discussion. Luckily for her, none of the shadow people were interested in them. Still, I knew they were background mbers without an official role in this ga, but that previous iteration of mine definitely thought they were real people.
At this point, she could no longer keep her smile.
"Please, trust ." C's voice softened after a long sigh. "I didn't want to do this. If you would please follow elsewhere..."
He held out his arm, offering it to her like a wounded animal. However, instead of accepting his offer, she quickly stood up from her chair and said: "Fine." Her eyes were filled with doubts and uncertainty. And above all else, hatred. "Lead the way."
Retracting his fingers, C slowly walked through our classroom. Soon, that Kurokawa version followed. Even though he was faceless, I could make out a painful expression.
A few minutes of complete silence passed, and we all arrived at the school's infirmary. Without talking to each other, C and my past version entered the room and closed it behind their backs. Thanks to my current state, I could phase through the door.
"Please, sit on the bed. There's no one here. I'll go get sothing for you." While saying that, C walked to the cabinet and took disinfectants and bandages out.
Being threatened by him prior, even though she was doubtful, that girl listened to his request.
"Open your hands." He said.
Another frown appeared on her face, but she was still silent. That scene reminded of yesterday when Laura tried to monopolize C and wanted to help her. I was behaving the sa way, not saying a word.
Using a pair of forceps to grab so gauze pads to soak up the disinfecting solution, C ca closer to her and once again gave her his hand.
"Please."
Hearing his plea, she finally gave up fighting and extended her hands. Upon opening them, there were newly ford scratches all over the palms, possibly from clenching her fists too tight.
"Thank you. This might sting." Gently, he started to wipe the dark red blood of her wounds.
I wondered if he would be this gentle to if I listened to him and not pushed him away. Maybe he would hold my hands just like he did in this mory and caress with all his heart.
Because of my mistake, I lost that chance to be alone with him, cared for by him. I lost it.
My past self looked at C, then looked back at her hands. Knowing her, I thought she wanted to determine what C wanted and his final goal. For two people who had never had any interactions before this day, it must have been weird for that girl to hear her deeds being found out. Plus, C's way of dealing with her was unclear. Rather than being frank with her about what he wanted, C never said anything and only helped her clean up her scratches.
"You're good at this." Past complinted C. "I don't feel a thing."
"Thanks. This is only one of the few things I am good at. After all, it doesn't require much strength. If it cos to strength, I'm totally beaten." He laughed awkwardly.
But the other person was not having fun: "Let's cut to the chase, C. We're not friends, so I don't have ti for leisure like this."
"Okay." With hands still caressing that girl's hands, C made his point clear: "Don't die."
Once again, the girl's pupils constricted into pinholes. However, her hands were not moving. They were still letting C's hands clean.
"You seem to know much. Too much, to be more exact. Are you a stalker? No, it's still impossible to know what I never said to anyone."
She leaned her head slightly backward and continued. "Psychic? Mindreader?"
He nodded. "You can put it like that."
"I'm intrigued. What more do you know?"
"Hold on, let change the gauze." As C reached for the next package of gauze pads, he told her the truth. "I knew you killed your mother. I knew Han helped you by keeping her body a secret. I knew how you thought his appearance when you buried her body was too much of a coincidence."
C then held her hands tightly.
"I knew the guilt in your heart was leading you toward self-destruction. I knew the despair you felt when you accidentally killed your mother and the regret you were living through."
"I knew you didn't love Han. To you, he was only a facade to hide your broken heart. I knew that one day, you would find a way to kill yourself."
"Please, don't...die. That is my request."
I could see droplets of tears forming on his face.
C was crying.
"Why..." The other did not focus on C but looked down at her feet. Her shoulders were shaking. "If you knew so much, why didn't you stop ? Why didn't you warn before?"
"Because I couldn't, Kurokawa. Because every ti I wanted to save you, sothing worse would happen. Because every attempt I made, this world compensated my efforts by giving you a much more terrible fate."
"This...too?" The other version of did not seem to doubt his words. She kept on asking questions about him.
"It will," C exclaid with his head hung downward. "This is my first trial of 24 to save you from killing yourself after you hide the body. The past 23 tis, I tried to keep you from coming back ho or found safety asures so your mother would co out safe."
Through my misty eyes, the past iteration grabbed his hands. "And what happened when you stopped that incident? What happened to Mother? Was she saved? Was she alive?"
"..."
"C! I need to know! I need to know! Tell !" Tears fell down her cheeks, so as mine.
I also needed to know what happened.
"She killed you, and then she killed herself." He reluctantly answered.
So it was a loop.
"So it was a loop." We both said the sa thing at the sa ti.
*Rumble*
A sudden rumble abruptly cut us short. The whole school started shaking violently. Through a window of the infirmary, I could see everything outside the room slowly corroding and crumbling into nothingness. A dark sky ford, and thunderous clouds were flashing dangerous lightning bolts.
"No! No! NO!!!! Not this!! NOT THIS!!!" C scread. "Not when I just started seeing hope!!! She is starting to change!"
In front of his face, the past asked with panic in her voice: "C! What is going on?"
Without missing a beat, C hugged the past . "This...is a reset. This interaction between you and will be erased. And you...dearest Kurokawa, my bookworm, will cease...to exist. Just like the other versions of you."
"I will die, then?"
"We both will. But I will keep this mory in my next life, while yours will be forgotten." His voice broke to pieces.
*Rumble* *Rumble*
So that was how a reset would start. Everything crumbled into nothingness as if ti was sped up profoundly.
"Then, rember this for , C. The next ti you see , tell the future version of mine that you are proud of her. It is sothing I have always wanted to hear."
*Boom!!!*
"Don't die, Kurokawa. I am proud of you."
That was the first sentence I heard after coming back to the present.
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