Chapter 19
“Why!!”
I was banging on the window in a frenzy. I told him so many times! I told him not to touch Shinji!
But… Shinji didn’t collapse.
Which meant,
“Did I… break out of the loop?”
I let out a deep sigh and slumped back into my seat. It was over. Now Shinji could properly atone for his crimes and make a fresh start. And so could I.
I watched intently as Shinji was loaded into another car.
Only Kamiya would be returning to my car.
“Sorry to keep you waiting. Just as Hirose-san said, we’ve successfully arrested the suspect. Please wait a moment.”
Saying that, she started making a call on her phone.
“Ah, this is Kamiya. Yes, that’s right. Yasuhara-san will handle the details. Yes, please send the forensic team over. The location is exactly as shown on this phone’s GPS. Yes.”
After finishing the call, she set the phone down. The car carrying Shinji had already driven off while Kamiya was on the phone.
“He didn’t have one, did he?”
“Huh?”
“A Heart Attack”
“Ah, right. Maybe I’ve managed to escape after all.”
When I said it,
“There was no time loop in the first place, right?”
Kamiya looked at me with a stern expression. Of course, it’s the police’s job to be suspicious, and I realise that this is a bit of a stretch. But,
“Then why did I go to the police?”
“Well…….”
Kamiya fell silent for a moment.
“Oh, never mind. We’ll go over the details at the station.”
She uttered the standard line and started the car. We drove down the hill and onto the mountain pass.
“So you didn’t believe me at all from the start, did you?”
When I spoke, Kamiya lifted the corner of her mouth slightly and replied.
“Yasuhara-san is… a realist, after all.”
“You pretended to believe me just to get me to guide you here. Just as I expected—‘Demon Yasuhara’.”
As I said this with a hint of sarcasm, Kamiya replied.
“Oh, but Yasuhara-san also goes by the nickname ‘Buddha Yasuhara,’ you know?”
“Huh?” Both?”
“Yes, he’s a very compassionate person. He has a strong sense of justice—so strong it’s rare these days. I’ve been told time and again to always do the right thing.”
Oh, that… sounds familiar.
“…… Was pretending to believe my story the ‘right thing’ to do?”
“Well, that’s hard to say. But in reality, nothing happened when Yasuhara-san touched him, and you were planning to turn yourself in in the first place, right? Then there’s no problem.”
I feel like I’ve been talked into it somehow.
“Well, if this really means I’ve broken out of the loop, then that’s fine.”
I said half-heartedly, as if giving up.
“…… You said you tried it many times, didn’t you?”
Kamiya looked at me through the mirror. Even though she doesn’t believe it, I guess she asks out of curiosity.
“I did try—all sorts of things.”
“By any chance… that number of notes?”
“…… That’s right, and so?”
“Ah, no. I actually like sci-fi. It’s like how just a slight change in your actions can create multiple parallel worlds. The possibilities are practically endless.”
“…… Yes.”
“Even if you overcome one obstacle, if you make the wrong choice next, you’re out. To reach the desired result, you either have to rely on sheer luck or try every single option meticulously. I just thought that would be a huge undertaking.”
It hit me.
That wasn’t what I’d been thinking. I’d assumed that as long as I could get through just one specific action—the “right” one—that would be enough. But if it’s not just about overcoming individual obstacles, but rather navigating a maze where I can’t make any mistakes…….
That’s a scary thing to think about. If that’s true, does that mean I might be stuck in a loop forever?
“Also, if you’re the only one stuck in a loop, it seems more important to focus on what happens to you, rather than what to do about him, doesn’t it?”
That’s right.
Shinji had suggested that I might be the problem, and I had vaguely started to suspect as much myself. That’s why this time, I focused on figuring out what to do about myself. And this time, that plan succeeded… or so I thought.
“…… Oh?”
Kamiya slowed the car. Looking ahead, it seemed that smoke was rising from a curve a few turns ahead.
“Are people having a barbecue by the river?”
Kamiya asked.
Indeed, there’s a valley beside the road here, with a riverbed below. But it wasn’t the season or time of day for barbecues. Besides, that smoke looked less like barbecue smoke and more like…….
I felt a sudden chill run down my spine.
There’s no way…….
The car rounded the second curve. There, right before our eyes, lay the mangled wreckage of a small truck. Perhaps a leak of oil had caught fire; bright red flames were blazing.
“Fire!”
Kamiya pulled over and called dispatch to request the fire department and an ambulance. Looking at the truck, a man was lying bloodied next to the driver’s seat. If we didn’t act fast, the flames might spread to him.
“Hey, Kamiya-san…… this isn’t a single-vehicle accident… is it?
My voice trembling, I pointed down the road. I could see the skid marks stretching towards the riverbed. The impact of the collision with the truck had sent it off the road.
Kamiya unlocked the car. She rushed to the truck and dragged a man who appeared to be the driver toward our car.
I hurriedly got out of the car and followed the brake marks. I peered into the riverbank and looked away. —It was the other police vehicle that had left earlier.
“Hirose-san! What’s over there?”
“Come… come here, quick!”
I called out to Kamiya in a trembling voice. She had laid the man down and rushed over when she heard me. She gasped when she saw the sight before her.
“No way…”
Watching Kamiya practically tumble down the slope, I followed after her.
As I made my way down, nearly tripping over the uneven ground, I found Kamiya, who had gone down first, banging on the door and shouting.
“Yasuhara-san! Yasuhara-san, are you okay?”
Due to the impact of the collision with the truck, the front end of the car was completely mangled and beyond recognition, and the police officer in the driver’s seat was dead, his body twisted beyond human form. Because it had flipped over, the rear seats were half crushed, making it hard to see inside.
“Shinji! Shinji, are you okay?”
I desperately reached for the rear door on the opposite side, trying to open it. There were three people in the back seats. Shinji was sitting in the middle, sandwiched between Yasuhara and a police officer.
I let go of the warped door and went around to the back. I picked up a rock from nearby and hit the rear window with all my might. After hitting it a few times, the cracked part shattered.
“Kamiya-san, over here!”
I called out to Kamiya, and the two of us peeled away the glass. Red blood dripped from both our hands.
“Yasuhara-san! Yasuhara-san, please, don’t die!”
I sensed something special in Kamiya’s desperation. Even though there’s a huge age difference between them—enough to be parent and child…….
Kamiya stuck her head into the car. She placed her fingers on Yasuhara’s blood-soaked neck. She took a deep breath and broke down in tears.
I pushed Kamiya aside and reached out to Shinji.
“Shinji! Can you hear me?”
When I leaned in and called out, Shinji faintly opened his eyes. He’s alive!
“Hang in there! I’ll get you out right now!”
I stretched out both arms, trying to lift Shinji’s body. But all I felt was a slimy, lukewarm sensation—I couldn’t hold him.
“Na… sumi… I’m sorry….”
“What? Why are you apologizing? I messed up again. It’s my fault—”
“…No… It’s because… you got involved with me…….”
“Don’t say stupid things. I… I don’t regret meeting you at all!”
“Nat…… sumi”
Shinji mustered all his strength and stretched out his hand. I took it and prayed.
“I’ll go back!!”
If I’ve broken out of this loop now, it means I’ll never see Shinji again. That’s the one thing I absolutely don’t want.
“I’ll find you for sure! I’ll definitely find a way to save you, Shinji-kun!”
I scream with all my might.
Shinji’s hand slipped away, limp and lifeless.
Sads Translates 