Chapter 30: The Tenth Playthrough (1)

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You have started your tenth playthrough.

"Hey! You blond bastard! Let's fight!"

Furuya Rei fooled Matsuda Jinpei for the tenth time, and for the second time climbed over the wall and left the school, heading towards the mountain.

[—Rei Furuya has joined the group chat—]

[Rei Furuya: We failed.]

[Rei Furuya: However, I also obtained some important information.]

Furuya Rei briefly shared his discovery with the three people in the group, without encountering any obstacles or restrictions.

[Natsuki Subaru: So, we're being watched by countless viewers right now?!]

[Natsuki Subaru: Wait! So, will they see us when we shower or sleep?!]

[Homura Akemi: That's unlikely. It's not certain if it's something like a live stream; it might just be in the form of a novel or manga. I didn't feel like I was being watched all the time.]

[Shinping, a netizen: However, live streaming is indeed the easiest way to collect and concentrate emotions for an outburst; this possibility is very high, especially with the existence of bullet comments. If they can achieve this, they should probably choose this method, right?]

[Shinpei Netdai: What does Mr. Furuya think?]

[Rei Furuya: Before we discuss this, there's one more important thing: our original world and the thing that brings us together—the system I'm talking to—should be two different existences.]

[Natsuki Subaru: System?]

[Rei Furuya: Because they're like AI systems incapable of understanding human emotions, that's what I call them, or you could call them observers.]

[Wang Dai Shenping: It's indeed a very fitting phrase.]

[Homura Akemi: It seems like Kyubey is involved. Could they have some kind of relationship? But Kyubey doesn't know about the group chat, and he can't see it either.]

[Rei Furuya: Now that we know we come from different worlds and each has our own name, and those names don't seem ordinary, combined with some intelligence and deduction, I have a guess.]

[Rei Furuya: Subaru comes from "Re:Zero -Starting Life in Another World-". This name has a strong light novel feel to it. Maybe your world was originally an isekai adventure light novel, but the style is a little different...]

[Rei Furuya: Shinpei comes from "Summer Revisited," and Nagumo-sensei is a very famous author. Her novel is extremely similar to the events that happened on your island, so I speculate that your world was originally a suspenseful horror novel, or maybe a manga, but I'm not entirely sure.]

[Rei Furuya: Homura is from *Puella Magi Madoka Magica*. Magical girl series are generally manga and anime, but the theme of your world is completely different from the magical girl genre I know. It might be some kind of depressing manga that takes a different approach. In any case, it's very likely to be a manga, and the protagonist is Madoka Kaname.]

[Rei Furuya: The world I'm in is "Detective Conan," and given the very obvious game loading and save point notification sounds, I'm guessing there's a very high chance this world is a detective adventure game, and the protagonist is Conan.]

[Rei Furuya: Of course, this is just my speculation, and there's no concrete evidence. But based on this speculation alone, we can easily understand what the system wants to do and what it has already done. Similarly, if we think about it from the perspective of novels, manga, and games, and if we consider all the plot developments from the perspective of the author and game planner, we can guess some of the subsequent developments.]

[Rei Furuya: Then there's the issue of the audience. Our world, consisting of the four of us, already has a huge audience and influence in other worlds where we can see us. Plus, our experiences are... rather tragic? This sparked the wishes of our fans, such as wishing for everyone to live and achieve a happy ending. That wish attracted the system, which chose to bind us and broadcast our story to those viewers. The system is not only collecting our emotional energy, but also the emotional energy of countless viewers in other worlds.]

[Rei Furuya: I also think that live streaming is the system's preferred format. If that's true, it would be great to see the live stream comments. There are still too many things we don't understand.]

[Shinpei Akutagawa: Mr. Furuya is incredibly talented, truly amazing. If it weren't for him, we would never have discovered this massive conspiracy so quickly, and we wouldn't even know how we would have been exploited and drained dry. But for now, Mr. Furuya, you really need to relax and rest.]

[Homura Akemi: Mr. Furuya, you've worked so hard. I also think you need to rest. Although you haven't said anything, we all know you're exhausted, and we're all worried about you. Now that we understand the situation better, there's no need to worry anymore. It's just a matter of more experiments. After you've rested, Mr. Furuya, let's work together again. Whether it's Kyubey or the System, we'll definitely find a way to completely defeat them and successfully bring our important person back.]

[Natsuki Subaru: That's right, that's right, I can finally say it! I've been holding it in for so long. Actually, we're really worried about Furuya-san. No matter how amazing Furuya-san is, he's still human. He's died ten times and is on his tenth playthrough. He's even figured out what's going on with the mastermind. How could he not be tired?]

[Natsuki Subaru: Even if it's Furuya-san, no, it's precisely because he's a kind, gentle, responsible man who values ​​emotions so much that he must be in even more pain, right? How can the pain and despair of watching countless people important to you die be completely erased from memory? You can't just ignore the pain and exhaustion because you're strong, can you? Just like even if we could be reborn, we couldn't ignore the pain of death...]

[Natsuki Subaru: Even now, every time I rewind to my death, it's still incredibly painful, terrifying, and heartbreaking. I often feel hopeless and want to give up, and I doubt whether I can really do it. Every death is excruciating, and I'm constantly afraid of encountering that again, terrified of seeing everyone's corpses... I can't be as calm as Furuya-san; it's impossible for me to perfectly act nonchalant. So, whenever I'm emotionally unstable, everyone notices, and I often can't help but vent. Then, everyone comforts, supports, and encourages me, and that's how I manage to pull myself together.]

[Natsuki Subaru: But Mr. Furuya, you never show even a little bit of your emotions in front of us. You only ever talk about the important and good things, glossing over everything else... Keeping it all bottled up like this won't work; it'll make you sick.]

[Natsuki Subaru: Even if you can't tell anyone else, you could at least talk to us, okay? We're not that fragile. What kind of hell haven't we seen? Furuya-san, your protectiveness is a bit too strong. Please believe us, we want to share your troubles too. Aren't we companions? Although I'm not that smart, sometimes a flash of inspiration might suddenly come up with an unexpected solution? Even if we can't solve it, we can only keep going by sharing the burden and supporting each other, right?]

Rei Furuya remained silent for a while before starting to type a reply to the message.

[Rei Furuya: So you guys were worried about me all this time? Thank you, I'm really happy, but I'm really fine. This is nothing to me at all. It's just learning, just the process of achieving that final goal. How could I be tired? I'm even full of fighting spirit right now!]

[Rei Furuya: Don't worry, if there's any trouble I can't solve, I'll definitely ask you guys. You guys have helped me a lot too. I wouldn't be where I am today without your efforts and information. Seeing you guys get back on your feet gives me hope too! (winks like a cat)]

But he had really gotten used to being alone for a very, very long time...

[Shinpei Netdai: If this can really help Mr. Furuya, that would be wonderful. This is a major breakthrough. My Uchiha has also been revived. I believe things will only get better from here on out!]

[Natsuki Subaru: But seriously, Furuya-san knows so much! He knows more about these things than I, a total otaku! Shocked.jpg]

[Rei Furuya: Actually, I didn't know that before, so I looked it up later and learned a little about it.]

The three people in the group fell silent about the degree of "slightly".

Rei Furuya smiled, temporarily ending the conversation with them, and preparing to end this loop and jump to the eleventh loop.

He stood on the edge of a cliff where the mountain wind was howling, and after switching to his chat app, another phone call came in immediately.

Caller ID: [Jing]

Rei Furuya stared at the name in a daze until the call automatically ended without being answered, becoming the fifth red missed call number.

Immediately afterwards, the phone displayed its tenth unread email.

Rei Furuya is a little afraid to watch it.

Hiro still remembers all 365 unread emails from the previous cycle clearly.

[Zero? Where did you go? What happened? I can't get through to you on the phone at all.]

[Zero, dropping out of school is a joke, right? Why would you suddenly drop out? And without telling me anything... Did your father do it? Are you having any problems? Is there anything I can do to help?]

[I still don't believe Zero would suddenly drop out of school for no reason. You're not that kind of person. Did something dangerous happen that you can't tell me? But if you don't say anything, I'll definitely worry about you and start investigating everywhere and looking for you. That would make it easier for me to disrupt your plans and get into danger, right? But if you tell me on your own initiative, I will believe you without hesitation, no matter what it is. I will never do anything reckless, so please don't exclude me... Zero...]

Zero, you're home? Did your father bully you?

Zero, are you really going to become a politician? You're not going to be a policeman anymore? But why? This is so sudden, nothing feels right. Zero, what's wrong with you?

Zero, I'm really getting angry. You wait, I'm coming to find you right now.

Why won't you see me? Why are you deliberately avoiding me? Did I do something wrong? Did I make Zero angry? But even if she's angry, this is too much, really too much. At least give me an explanation!

Why? Can't you even give me a reason? I don't understand, Zero...

How could this have happened? Just the day before, we were happily attending the opening ceremony, saying we'd become police officers together and that we were looking forward to police academy life. Why did he suddenly drop out the very next day? Why isn't he answering my calls and messages? Zero... is he already fed up with me?

[I just had a nightmare. I dreamt that Zero said he hated me, had had enough of me, and was going to break up with me. It woke me up in a fright. But after waking up, I realized that the reality of not even saying goodbye or explaining is even more terrifying. Although it was a promise from when we were little, Zero clearly said he would always be my friend, and would never leave me... Were those just lies to comfort me?]

Zero, I've made three really good friends. I wonder how things are going with you? You seem quite active in politics, but… it's a little scary. Zero feels like a stranger to me now. I'm also a little worried. I'm worried that Zero is forcing yourself again, that you're being bullied because of your overly serious personality, your sense of justice, and your mixed heritage as Masahiro Furuya's son. Even though Zero is definitely very capable, I can't help but worry. After all, it's politics… No matter what, you'll always be an important friend to me, and I don't believe everything that happened before was fake. So, I'm waiting for your explanation, Zero.

【zero……】

【zero……】

【zero……】

Zero, I'm graduating soon, and I've received an invitation from the Metropolitan Police Department's Public Security Bureau. I'm wondering if, after I graduate, I'll meet Zero as a politician, even as a police officer? The thought of that might be quite interesting, a little funny, and also a little curious. I wonder what Zero is like as a politician? Just like how Zero never gave up on me when I was little and insisted on leading me out of the darkness, I won't give up investigating the truth behind Zero's changes. You can't hide from me forever, can you? We'll meet eventually, and I'm waiting for that day to come.

But that day never came, and this was his last email.

After that, he suffered a huge blow; everyone died.

Rei Furuya raised his hand to his face, gasping for breath, but all he could feel was the cold night wind blowing from the mountaintop, which tore at his heart and lungs with a piercing pain, making it hard for him to breathe.

I'm sorry... I'm so sorry, so sorry, so sorry, so sorry...

Hiro still has memories of the previous timeline, right? Before ending this timeline, he needs to apologize to Hiro, even if it's a trivial and useless apology, but at least he should say something...

The blond youth leaned stiffly against the cliff face, then slid weakly to the ground, and finally managed to open the email page after tapping three times with his cold fingers.

Then, his fingers froze for two seconds in front of the phone screen before he finally gritted his teeth and tapped the email that had just been sent.

I'm serious, it's no use killing yourself now. Even if you kill yourself again, I'll still have the memories. Even if you kill yourself again, I'll still remember everything. So, can you wait for me a little while? Let's talk this over. Please, Zero, don't jump. Wait for me, okay? I really don't want to see your body again...

[from Jing]

What?

Rei Furuya's eyes widened suddenly, his usually sharp mind going completely blank.

What? What? What what what?

What is Hiro saying...?

Rei Furuya's fingers began to tremble uncontrollably, his vision went black, and he felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave.

Hiro says he knows everything? How would Hiro know? Why does Hiro remember? If Hiro has always remembered... then what unforgivable thing did he do?!

But why? If it were just memories from the previous timeline, Hiro couldn't have discovered these things. What exactly happened?

Rei Furuya suddenly stood up: "System? Observer? Is it you—"

"Zero!!!"

Rei Furuya shuddered violently, turned around and met the gaze of the panting blue-eyed youth. His aura plummeted instantly, and he even wanted to run away immediately, but he absolutely could not escape this matter.

“hiro…”

Morofushi Kagemitsu suddenly rushed over, grabbed his hand, and pulled the stunned blond youth into his arms with unprecedented brutality, holding him tightly.

Only after he had truly caught the person, pulled him away from the dangerous cliff, quickly retreated to the safety of a large tree, and leaned his sweat-soaked back against the sturdy tree trunk, did Morofushi Kagemitsu feel as if he had come back to life. Then he realized that his heartbeat and breathing were deafening, and his chest and throat were aching as if they were being torn apart.

However, the blond youth in his arms suddenly realized what was happening and began to struggle violently.

"Hiro, why is Hiro here? Does Hiro really remember what happened before? How much does he remember? But why does Hiro remember? What did they do to Hiro?!"

“Yes, I remember! I remember everything!” Morofushi Kagemitsu gritted his teeth, grabbed his shoulders, and stared into those wide, purplish-gray eyes. Tears mixed with sorrow and pain streamed down his face as he finally let go. “The first time we were all living happily together at the police academy until September 13th, when I died in a fire and you ran in to find me and we both died. The second time, on April 1st, after you finished asking me about the details and sent me away, you turned around and committed suicide by slitting your throat in the dormitory. The third time, on September 15th, I was stabbed by a thug while saving someone and died despite attempts to save me. You ran to a secluded place and stabbed yourself in the heart. The fourth time, you jumped off this cliff and died, and I only found your body at the bottom of the mountain. The fifth time, you cut ties with me, left the police academy to go home and become a politician, and then, after seeing the news of our deaths, you shot yourself. These… I remember them all clearly.”

Rei Furuya was completely stunned.

"This is too much, really too much, Zero! Why did you keep this from me? Why didn't you discuss such an important matter with me? Why did you even attempt suicide to erase my memories? Doesn't death hurt? Are my memories something you'd rather endure the pain of death to erase?"

Morofushi Kagemitsu gradually lost his strength, and his body was even trembling, but he still dared not let go of the blond youth in front of him, so he could only slowly slide down to sit under the tree with the other person.

"Zero, those are memories of you and me together, not just your memories."

Morofushi Kagemitsu wanted to talk to his childhood friend about this seriously, and he wanted to look into the other person's eyes to show that this matter was really important to him, but the uncontrollable sadness and tears blurred his vision and made his voice choke.

"No matter how cruel the memories are, they are still precious memories of everything we went through together. I don't want to lose those memories. I don't want to forget everything and continue living as if nothing ever happened. How could you take them all away from me on your own? You even stopped being friends with me and cut off all contact with me without a word... That's too much. Don't you think it's too cruel to me?"

"...I'm sorry." Furuya Rei apologized in a dry, low voice, reaching out to wipe away his tears. "I'm sorry, I...I didn't know you would remember..."

Aside from his childhood, Hiro rarely sheds tears, but since his rebirth, he has seen him cry twice, both times because of him. Just how much unbearable pain and sorrow has he brought to Hiro...?

"That's not the issue! That's not what you should be reflecting on!" Morifushi Kagemitsu suddenly raised his voice to interrupt him.

Rei Furuya, who had almost never seen his childhood friend so angry, froze.

Morofushi Kagemitsu grabbed the hand that was frozen in mid-air, quickly wiped away his tears, and looked earnestly into the eyes of his childhood friend who was filled with pain and self-blame: "Zero, don't you understand? What hurts me isn't those things, what pains me is that you didn't tell me anything, and even kept trying to kill yourself for me, while I knew nothing. I'm angry that you can't take care of yourself a little more, Zero."

Morobuchi Kagemitsu was forcing himself to calm down.

Even if he was on the verge of a breakdown, he had to endure it, not act impulsively, not let his emotions ruin things, and stay calm. Zero must have suffered more and more terrible pain than him, and he had to calmly think of a way to comfort Zero. He absolutely could not let Zero continue like this.

Morofushi Kagemitsu tightened his grip on his childhood friend's hand, his expression becoming extremely resolute, as if nothing and no one could shake his decision at this moment.

"How many times have you reincarnated? What have you encountered? What have you gone through? What are you thinking now? How much pain are you in? I know absolutely nothing about these things. I'm the person closest to you, aren't I?"

Rei Furuya couldn't help but avoid his gaze, turning his head to look at the ground beside him, where he saw a small white wildflower swaying gently in the wind.

“zero…”

When Furuya Rei heard his childhood friend let out a long sigh, his heart skipped a beat. Feeling guilty and uneasy, he cautiously looked up again to see the other person's expression.

Then, Furuya Rei saw a sad yet helplessly indulgent encouraging smile, as if no matter how outrageous his actions were, he could be unconditionally accepted and tolerated.

"It'll be easier to say it out loud," he said with a smile.

Rei Furuya was stunned.

[It'll be easier to say it out loud.]

He said these words to Hiro, who suffered from aphasia, when he was a child. He never imagined that, as time passed, Hiro would say these words to him with concern.

Furuya Rei looked at the black-haired youth in front of him, who seemed to be shining just like his name under the moonlight, and stared into his blue eyes, which were even clearer and brighter after being washed by tears. He was speechless for a moment and could only let the other hold his hand and continue to talk.

"No matter what difficulties you encounter, no matter how unbelievable or terrible things are, don't bear all the troubles and pain alone anymore. Let me share some of your burden."

"I will always believe in Zero unconditionally, so I hope Zero can believe in me too, okay?"

The black-haired youth with beautiful blue, upturned cat-like eyes gripped Rei Furuya's hand tightly and gave him a gentle yet incredibly firm smile.

“I won’t leave you alone anymore, Zero,” he said.