Only I know that this world will end – 120 | Sousaku – 創作

For a moment, to yesterday

"――――――"

He was speechless at the sight.
His perception narrowed, and all sound faded away. The only sound in that moment, in that world, was the sound of his own heart beating wildly.

"……Nao-san? "

The words spoken softly sounded distant.
By his side, Kashiwaba was shouting something and crouching down.
Akira staggered over to Nao and placed his hand on her cheek.

――Warm.

That was the first thing Akira felt when he touched her cheek.

" ! "

Slowly, he felt other sounds returning to the world.
Akira was startled and immediately brought his face close to Nao's mouth to check her breathing.

"……! "

――Still breathing.
Although faint, Nao was definitely alive.
Her body was crushed, half her face was gone, but Nao was definitely still alive.

"Nao-san! ! "

Akira called out Nao's name again.
That scream must have reached her ears.
Nao's closed eyelids trembled, then opened slightly.

"…………A-Ahh…… Ichijou? "

The words that escaped her lips were so soft and faint that even the slightest sound would have drowned them out.

"Sorry…… I'm not presentable…… Where, are you? I can hear you, but I can't see you very well."

Nao muttered, raising her half-open eyes.

"Nao-san! ! Your eyes――――"
"……Ah, you're by my side. I didn't see you."
"Please don't talk! Right now, just rest your body as much as you can……! It's fine, you have 『Auto Regen』. As long as you live, someday you will surely――" "No, it's impossible. The reason I'm alive is because of the unique skill you gave me. All I did was avoid instant death…… I won't be able to survive until Auto Regen heals my wounds."

Nao interrupted Akira and muttered, then flashed a distorted expression that could hardly be called a smile.

"These wounds. It won't be long before I die. Therefore, please listen carefully now. It's about the guy who attacked me."

Akira opened his mouth to say something in response, but eventually closed it tightly.
He didn't want her to talk.
Right now, all he wanted was for her to rest.
Every time Nao uttered a word, it felt as if life was draining from her lips. He wanted to shut those lips right now, by any means necessary.

――But doing that would be meaningless.

Apart from the part of him that didn't want Nao to die, there was another part of him that had already realized that she couldn't be saved, and was calmly deciding to gather information that could be used in the future.

"――――The man who attacked me was the man we met at the apartment building."

Eventually, with Akira watching over her, Nao slowly spoke those words.

"A foreigner wearing black clothes. The one who was talking to you……That man."

Arthur.
Upon hearing those words, Akira immediately thought of that person.
At the same time, Akira realized who was responsible for the many dead bodies he had seen on his way to this room.
Those corpses looked just like the Giant Bats he had seen in the apartment building.
The ethereal woman who followed him――Just like the Giant Bats that were crushed by Olivia's “Compression” at that time, the bodies of the people they encountered were crushed and mangled beyond recognition by an extraordinary force.

"Why would he do this to Nao-san? In this world, she has no connection with him other than having met him once. There was no reason for him to go out of his way to kill her.)

Akira muttered silently to himself.
If there was a reason to be resented, it would be for refusing that man's request, but even so, why did he attack Nao?

(It was me who turned down the request this time. I was the only one who talked to him, and I cut ties with them. Nao-san just watched and waited for things to unfold.)

He could understand if that man resented only Ichijou Akira.
However, it was not Akira who was actually attacked, but Nao.
If so, there must have been a reason for it.

(……Why? What's going on? Why was Nao-san attacked? )

Akira racked his brains desperately.
Why was Nao attacked?
How could this situation be changed?

(Last time, and this time…… Why was Nao-san attacked twice……? ――――Last time? That's right, Nao-san was attacked and killed last time too. If, at that time, it was really someone other than Hanayagi who killed Nao-san…… And if the person who killed her was Arthur, just like this time......)

The possibility was not zero. However――――

(Nao-san was killed with the iron sword last time. ……But Arthur cannot lift the Iron Sword of the Pig-headed Demon. I saw it with my own eyes. There's no way he could kill Nao-san.)

Was it really impossible? Was he missing something?

(――――Maybe it's different.)

Akira thought deeply and suddenly realized something.

(Even if Arthur can't do it, if it's her. If it's Olivia, she can lift the iron sword. I'm sure I saw it many times. Olivia, a spirit, interfering with this world, opening doors. Opening the cupboard. What if she could lift things? )

Arthur himself said that Olivia was increasing her strength stats to increase the power of Compression.
If that is the case, it should be easy for her to lift the Iron Sword of the Pig-headed Demon.

(Assuming that Arthur killed Nao-san last time as well…… If that's the case, then why is Nao-san still being relentlessly targeted in this world after I returned from the dead? )

Now that the scenario had not occurred, only Akira could retain his memories by returning from death.
Nevertheless, both last time and this time, the reason why they attacked Nanase Nao must be the same.
And because of that reason, even at the moment when they met them in that apartment, it was already decided that Nanase Nao would eventually be killed.

――The reason why they attacked Nao.

The only way to find out the reason is to ask them directly.

"……Got it. Thank you."

Akira spoke gently and slowly to Nao.
Nao laughed.
Rather, she let out a small breath as if she had laughed.
There was no smile on her lips, but Akira felt that she had definitely laughed.

"It's up to you…… After all, you're still going back, right? "
"…………Yeah."
"Fu, fufu, aah…… That's what I thought."

Nao muttered that, exhaled deeply, and closed her mouth.

"Nao-san? "

Akira called out softly.
However, there was no response to his words.
Realizing immediately what that meant, Akira gently laid Nao down on the floor.

"…………"

Akira stood up slowly.
Then, as he turned to leave the room, he remembered Kashiwaba sitting on the floor and gazed at her face.

"Where are you going?"

Kashiwaba, who had been watching Akira and Nao in a daze, said.

"Just out for a moment, to change this world, to yesterday."

Akira muttered in response to Kashiwaba's words.
Hearing those words, Kashiwaba stared at Akira's face.
Kashiwaba seemed unable to understand what Akira meant. Staring intently at Akira's face as if searching for the true meaning of his words, she asked in a small voice.

"That's, those words…… no way. Ichijou-san, do you mean you can go back in time? "
"……If I die, that is. That's my unique skill. By dying, I can go back to the past and start over again. Over and over again. As long as I keep dying, I will repeat this world over and over again. That's my ability."
"……Time Leap."
"Yes, you could say that."

Kashiwaba remained silent for a few seconds, thinking about Akira's words.
After a while, Kashiwaba's eyes widened slightly as if she had noticed something, and she muttered.

"――――No way. Are you willing to die for that? "

Akira just smiled at her question.
The answer was something that didn't need to be said out loud.

"See you next time."

Akira quietly whispered to Kashiwaba.
Without waiting for Kashiwaba's reply, Akira passed by her and took his own life in a place where no one would notice.