Butterfly Effect

　After a while, Nao, who had regained her composure from the confusion of returning from death, began to blurt out a few words.

"It was when the inversion rate exceeded 3 percent. I was not feeling very comfortable, so I went out in front of the main entrance and smoked a cigarette. ……That's when Karube-san came to me. We talked about nothing important, and just as we were about to part ways, that came over."
"……That? "
"A Black Wolf."

　At these words, Akira let out a sigh.


　The Black Wolf was one of the top monsters in the city. In addition, the Speed value is quite high among its status values.
　Even in its unstrengthened state, it was a monster that could not be taken on without raising physical strengthening to Lv 2, so it was immediately clear from listening to the conversation that the current Nao, caught off guard, was no match for it.


"It was an instant. It was just a moment!　I couldn't run away or even scream, it killed me so fast."


　Nao touched her unscarred neck with her hand as if she remembered that moment.
　Perhaps she got clawed or bitten there just before she died.
　Nao continued to speak slowly, stroking her neck with her hand.

"I guess it just so happened that it was near us. No, maybe it was hiding somewhere and was watching us. We didn't see it coming out of the darkness until just before it happened."

　Muttering, Nao bit her lip hard in frustration.

"And when I woke up I was…… I was also in front of the main entrance. Just before you woke up, we were fighting against a swarm of Killer Bees that had attacked the hospital, so I knew right away that I had come back to the past. That was the only time I ever had to deal with a swarm of Killer Bees…… What's more, people who should have died in the battle at that time were still there. ――――So I noticed it right away. That this Return from Hell happened because I died."

　At these words, Akira looked at Nao's face.
　Perhaps feeling responsible for his death, Nao looked at his hands with a thoughtful expression on her face.


"……I see."

　Akira exhaled as he finished listening to Nao's words.


"I understand your situation, Nao-san. If you've met a Black Wolf, you didn't have a choice. Those wolves don't have an effective sense of smell, but they are fast. You can hide or run away before they find you, but it is difficult to escape if they have found you. Let's use this failure to our advantage next time."
"No choice, you say!?　I died because of that, and you…… You're back to that state again."

　It was probably because she had seen Akira, who was in good shape.
　Nao looked at Akira, who was once again immobilized as a result of her Return from Hell, and she looked as if she was about to cry.
　Akira shook his head at Nao and slowly spoke a few words.

"You can't be blamed for dying I don't even think about it. Besides, I didn't know I would be like this until after I returned this time. At some point, the starting point for the Return from Hell was changed. ……So I guess sooner or later I was bound to be back in shape."
"Starting point of Return from Hell……?　――――Speaking of which. Certainly, when you mentioned it before."

　Akira nodded his head.

"Yeah. Up until now, it was that night when the monsters showed up that I would have returned after dying. So, as long as I returned from death, all the injuries and physical exhaustion I had sustained up to that point would have never happened. ……But not this time."
"The destination of return after death is the aftermath of the Minotaur's defeat.…… is it? "
"That is correct."

　Again, Akira nodded.

"……Why was the starting point for the Return from Hell changed? "
"That is…… something I'd like to know."

　Akira responded with a heavy sigh at her words.

"It was all of a sudden. I don't even know why. No, maybe it is because the minotaur was defeated, but I don't understand why the destination of the death return was changed at this particular time. It's hard to pinpoint the cause of this change by itself."
"……I see."
"And as for the point about Nao-san's death triggering the Return from Hell. Do you remember the scenario? "
"You mean the one where I get to die and come back with you, right? "
"Yes. To that effect, my Return from Hell was applied to you as well, Nao-san. As a result, it seems that if one of us dies, the Return from Hell itself is triggered. I, too, only just figured it out. So from now on, let's work together as much as possible."
"……Okay."


　Nao nodded her head in agreement.
　Apparently, she had recovered from her turmoil and understood the situation. Her face looked as if she was feeling responsible for her own actions, but was also thoughtful about what was to come.
　Akira continued his words as he viewed the situation.


"However, there is a limit to what we can do together at all hours of the day, so we need to level up first so that you can defend yourself to a certain extent, Nao-san. Tomorrow, I'll be able to move, so we'll see if I can make any substantial actions then."
"I understand. Until then, am I free to do what I want? "
"Yes. I think it should be fine. In the previous life, there was no big commotion involving monsters until we returned from Hell in the middle of the night……"

　Akira said, his gaze wandering as he gathered his thoughts.


"But I expect Karube-san to be here in the evening, and I would like you to be in this room at that time. If possible, please move as you did last time for as long as you can remember. In my experience, if you act differently from your previous life, you're going to see some changes in the situation afterward. Maybe when Karube-san comes to see me, he will go out to look for you because you are not in this room, Nao-san. This might change the location of the lurking Black Wolf, or it might not even lurk in the first place and instead attack this hospital. ……If I could move, I'd be willing to give an aggressive try, but here we are. Until I can move, let's repeat the same actions as in the previous life."


　At Akira's words, Nao opened her mouth with a serious expression.


"I get it. Then I'll stay in this room until evening."
"I agree. Please do. First of all, let's aim for a safe tomorrow, shall we?"


　Nao nodded deeply in response to his words.

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