The crimson city.
"Home sweet home"—a bitter joke. Each return edged Takakai closer to true death.
But this time… relief.
45 days (or 30? Time warped) imprisoned in that lightless tomb—dehydration warping his mind, bones grinding to powder—had been true hell.
Even now, sprawled on the bloodied pavement, Takakai twitched with phantom agony.
If Shirakawa Apartments gave me doorbell trauma… this…
He'd developed full-blown claustrophobia.
"Chika… I owe you everything."
Her final smile haunted him—the sacrifice, the confession. Memories of their first timeline flooded back: her loyalty during investigations, cleverness in retrieving the senator's poster from [Resentment's Realm].
(Note: That Bush family bastard deserved his watery grave.)
Hum—
Three objects materialized:
Unremarkable Necklace (Kawa's Obsession): Subtle mental nudges—sway choices within existing preferences.
Sleeping Pills (Kawa's Obsession): Rapid healing for 10 minutes. Second dose? Guaranteed possession.
(Kawa probably overdosed in [Blood Vessel]—hence his deranged attack.)
Silver Ring (Andrés' Core Obsession): [Immortality]—survive any injury while active.
(Shirakawa's boiling water torture? Child's play with this.)
But Takakai couldn't keep it.
Dong—
The watch's sixth function revealed itself:
Mandatory Perfect Clears.
No escapes. No compromises. Destroy the Obsession's root or die trying. The watch hungered—it would force-reset him otherwise.
Dong—
Seventh function: Painless Suicide. One-minute countdown to instant reset.
(Finally—no more rock-grinding agony.)
DONG—
A vision:
Shiomi Miko: Proud, hand outstretched. Fujiwara Chika: Blushing, smile radiant.
Takakai gripped Chika's hand.
Click—
The watch's hand advanced to [6]—halfway filled.
Darkness swallowed the world… but one memory persisted:
A girl's laughter, unbroken.
Takakai opened his eyes.
Drip—
Amidst the crisp water droplets, he slowly rose.
The same distorted cavern. His third encounter with this starting point.
But this time would differ.
"Let's move."
Murmuring to himself, Takakai strode toward the light.
There she stood—adventurer-suited, waiting.
Their eyes met. Twin smiles bloomed.