Eternally Regressing in Another World

Chapter 39: Square 32: Alone Again

”I DON’T WANT THIS!!!!!!!!”

A man’s scream tore through the air, jarringly out of place against the peaceful scenery. Noticing the sudden change in scenery, I pressed a hand to my mouth and wiped my brow. Steadying my racing heartbeat, I looked around.

”...D-did I come back?”

I was sitting on a bench. My clothes, which should have burned. My arm, which should have been broken. My side, which should have been stabbed. My right eye, which should have been slashed. My bag, which should have been lost. Everything was back to normal.

”If only this were a dream.”

Steadying my trembling hands, I pulled my phone out of the bag. The time read 10:15. The same time I’d checked on this exact bench before.

”...No point wasting the battery.”

I closed the app I’d left open and powered it down. That should make it last a while. I turned off the tablet’s power the same way.

”Starting over from scratch, again. Elizabeth, Tender, none of them remember me anymore...”

I didn’t want to think about it too much. Just the thought of not a single person in this world remembering me made me feel sick.

”Want to go home... huh.”

Remembering my own words right before dying made me sigh. Clinging to a world I’d chosen to throw away myself. How pathetic. And if things had gone one step further, my mind might have actually broken completely. If that had happened, I’d have ended up joining the ranks of the Fallen myself.

”No, no! At this rate, I’ll just end up walking the same path all over again!”

I slapped both my cheeks hard with my hands. Throw away the weakness! Change your mindset! If your heart breaks, it’s game over. If you want to go home, think! To survive!!

”First, why did that riot break out?”

The answer’s simple. Because Elizabeth, Rick, and Elizabeth’s father, this country’s greatest fighting force, all died. A country with already shaky security losing its deterrent entirely, turning into lawless chaos. Perfectly plausible.

”That said, there’s no stopping that foreign summit.”

This was a matter between major nations. Handled poorly, it could even risk war. Someone as ordinary as me had absolutely no way to intervene in something like that, no matter how hard I tried.

”Anyway, time to act. I don’t have time to sit around crying anymore.”

I tightened my loosened tie and headed toward the shopping district.

A busy, large shopping street. Clothing shops, weapon shops, general stores, all lined up one after another, but none of them caught my attention. I just kept moving straight ahead, scanning the faces of the people passing by.

”Whatever happened to the country, whatever happened to Flaut being killed. There has to be some way to prevent it. To do that, I need to move as fast and efficiently as possible.”

I hadn’t managed to do anything before I died. No, everything had ended before I even had the chance to think about doing something. If I could act faster this time, maybe I’d start seeing a path forward. While turning that over in my mind, a man came into view.

”There!”

The huge man. The fat giant who’d been with Nest. Head and shoulders above the crowd, easy to spot instantly. If he was here, that meant... I powered on the tablet and started up the video recorder.

”That robe, no doubt about it, that’s Nest.”

Flanked by two vicious looking men, the figure in the gray robe strode through the crowd. Even hidden away like that, the sheer intimidation kept passersby subtly giving her a wide berth. I kept my eyes on the tablet, pretending not to notice, and walked straight ahead. Then, shoulder collided with shoulder, and I stumbled hard.

”Oi! What do you think you’re doing to my sister!”

The slim man shouted. Same situation as before. If things played out according to my memory, Nest should step in to calm things down right here.

”It’s fine. Making a scene would just cause trouble for everyone, wouldn’t it?”

”Y... yes ma’am. If you say so...”

Yeah, same as before. Relying on memory, I did my best to repeat the same actions.

”I am truly sorry.”

I bowed deeply. And with the tablet’s camera still recording, I managed to capture Nest’s face cleanly. Second time doing this, but the tension still left cold sweat soaking into my dress shirt.

”I’m not bothered anymore. Go on, off you go.”

”Y... yes! Excuse me!”

I hurried into an alley and hid myself. Catching my breath, calming my racing pulse, I played back the footage to check it.

”Alright, good, got it clean.”

Nest’s face came through clearly. All that’s left is showing this footage to Elizabeth. I checked my watch. Currently around 10:30. Still some time before Yu would be attacked.

”Now, just need supplies. If I don’t skimp on preparation, the fight with Nest might go easier this time.”

I started walking down the main street again. An old, weathered looking general store caught my eye. I put my hand on the door, and the creak of old wood set the mood.

”Welcome, take your time looking around.”

A voice called out from the back of the shop. The voice belonged to a remarkably gentle looking old man. Wearing glasses, reading a book with sleepy eyes. His appearance fit the worn down shop perfectly.

”Kind of a nice place, this.”

If I had to compare it to something back in Japan, maybe an old fashioned neighborhood candy shop? Something nostalgic, warm, and a little exciting all at once, it was oddly enjoyable.

”Let’s see, don’t need weapons. Wouldn’t work on Nest anyway...”

Knives, clubs, all sorts of things displayed on the shelves. Not that I couldn’t afford them, just that I couldn’t picture myself actually using any of it.

”...Hey, old man. What’s this explosive crystal?”

I picked up a stone about the size of a gashapon capsule from among the small sundries organized like a medicine cabinet. A single magic circle was engraved boldly across its surface, giving off a faint glow.

”Ah, that one, it explodes when you strike it. Pretty dangerous stuff, so keep it somewhere out of kids’ reach.”

Looking closer, the price tag underneath read ”Not for sale to those under 20.” An explosive stone, sounds risky to carry around, but... Might actually come in handy somehow.

”Alright, I’ll take this.”

”Sure, that’ll be 60 yen each.”

”Cheap!”

Sure enough, the price tag read 60 yen apiece. Genuinely felt like a candy shop.

”That one stops working if the magic circle gets dirty, so be careful with it.”

”Right, got it.”

In the end, I bought five of these explosive crystals. I also grabbed a couple of bottles of oil on my way out. And so, I began preparing for the fight against Nest once more.