Gotham Singularity (15): Playing with the Time of Death...
"I hope the reason you said this," Holmes said quietly, "is not because you were embarrassed or annoyed that you confessed your feelings to Miss Ritsuka yesterday."
Jason nearly spat out his tea. He forced it down, then coughed for a long time, choking. "How could that be!" he protested vehemently. "Am I that kind of person?!"
“Mr. Todd, your reaction only confirms my suspicions,” Holmes said with a playful smile. “But please remember, it is clearly not a wise decision to interpret anomalies using common sense.”
Fujimaru Ritsuka's expression was unusually serious. "Jason, death is death. The pain and separation it brings will not be lessened in the slightest by the passage of time."
They were all acutely aware of the pain of death and the sorrow of permanent separation, and they clearly did not intend to delve into this topic. Once the singularity disappeared, death would inevitably return to the fear it brought.
“…I know.” Jason paused for a moment, then said slowly, “I know, and I think I should have more experience than you?”
That's a bit too hellish to say.
Fujimaru Ritsuka coughed and changed the subject: "...By the way, why don't you have a cup of tea to calm down?" After all, experiencing the death of yourself or someone close to you is really not something worth comparing yourself to.
They moved the chairs around for Jason to sit down. After three days of non-stop work, and then suddenly experiencing a time reversal that morning, everyone needed a little time to catch their breath.
Nobody talks business over tea. Holmes recounts a few minor cases that Watson didn't record, while Ritsuka tells stories of her magical experiences each summer.
Jason started by selectively recounting his experiences as Robin. Then, it was as if all his secrets were known to the people in front of him, and there was nothing left to hide.
He let go of his burdens, a mocking look in his eyes, and chugdled cups of black tea like water, giving Batman a good dressing down.
He thought that after he died, Batman wouldn't hire underage kids as his assistants anymore. Being Robin is a high-risk profession, like…
He suddenly put down his teacup, staring intently at Fujimaru Ritsuka. "Wait, if I may ask, are you an adult?"
Fujimaru Ritsuka blinked, unconsciously rubbing the rim of the cup: "Cough, at least when the journey started, I was still a high school student?"
Oh, another institution that exploits minors. Jason frowned. He had become Robin because he was a damn fan of Batman back then, but judging from Fujimaru Ritsuka's expression, it was clearly not the same thing.
He keenly sensed Ritsuka's concealment and chuckled softly. Incredibly, he had indeed come to truly trust Fujimaru Ritsuka within just a few days, treating her as a friend.
He didn't press further and finished the red tea in front of him in one gulp.
Fujimaru Ritsuka glanced at Holmes, trying to ask him if there really was no alcohol in the black tea.
Holmes shook his head. He knew perfectly well that Jason had finally succumbed to the excessive pressure and was venting his emotions.
Since his resurrection, Holmes has been trying to manage Jason's emotions and guide him onto the right path. However, Jason harbors an unventable emotion that keeps him under constant pressure.
Perhaps wanting to keep something in front of his former idol, Holmes couldn't get Jason to fully open up. Miss Ritsuka, however, quickly managed to put him at ease, which was no easy feat.
But if it's her... it's actually quite normal. How many people in Chaldea wouldn't open their hearts to a Master like that?
After a while, as if suddenly remembering something, Fujimaru Ritsuka reached into her pocket when Jason stopped to drink water, "Want a candy?"
She grabbed a handful of candy and sprinkled it on the table. "I think it tastes pretty good."
Jason paused, instinctively retorting that he wasn't a child anymore. He glanced at the packaging. "Did two troubled kids give you this candy?"
Fujimaru Ritsuka nodded. As early as the first night, the two children said that their mother was an elementary school teacher and that their house was always filled with candy and gifts to attract children.
So, to thank her for her help, they generously gave her and Xu Fu all the candy they had. The fact that they were given another pile of candy when they met them again later confirmed this.
Jason stroked his chin, recalling several experiences in his mind, feeling that something didn't quite match his memories. But clearly, the two murders that shouldn't have happened in the previous cycle were more concerning than the vague illusions.
He stopped drinking, straightened his expression, and discussed the next direction of the investigation with Ritsuka and the others, who were also becoming serious.
The brief respite is over. To save Batman's life, to find and retrieve the Holy Grail, and to eliminate the Singularity, those burdened with the truth must continue their investigation.
In the previous loop, the victims were Black Mask and Batman. Both died in the same manner, and the killer was the same follower, but the motive for the murders is unknown.
In the three days leading up to yesterday, they had not found any clues about the woman who possessed the Holy Grail and summoned a Servant.
Therefore, they decided to start with the anomaly, splitting into two groups to track Black Mask and Batman respectively, trying to catch the murderer who wanted to kill them, and also to see if there were any clues about the holder of the Holy Grail around them.
Given that the mere mention of grouping immediately caused Xu Fu to tug at Ritsuka's sleeve, and he and Jason exchanged a knowing glance of disdain before turning away with a snort, only one viable grouping remained.
Jason glanced at Holmes and took the initiative to suggest tracking Black Mask, which caught Fujimaru Ritsuka, who had originally intended to hand over Batman to him, off guard, but she still agreed to the decision.
It's definitely not because Jason looked like he was about to get angry.
Perhaps Holmes' words really left a heavy shadow on him.
The discussion was mostly over, and Xu Fu, who had been catching up on sleep, stretched and yawned: "Whew, what an adventure! Let's go, let's get this over with quickly, maybe we can come back and take a nap!"
Jason: ...So all this effort just to sleep? And this serious stalking is being called adventurous? Is that really okay?
His gaze fell on Fujimaru Ritsuka, hoping she would say something that made sense.
Fujimaru Ritsuka opened her bright eyes: "It's an adventure! Yay!"
Jason nearly slipped; was he really going to repeat that line?! Holmes, who knew Ritsuka's true nature well, curled his lips and gave her a somewhat sympathetic look. "Then let's go, a new adventure begins."
Jason: "..."
Haha, so you came here on an adventure too?
He stared up at the stark white ceiling, feeling more clearly than ever before that he had boarded a pirate ship.
At the same time, in a dilapidated, cramped room in Gotham, a pale-faced woman knelt on the floor, coughing violently as if she were coughing up her lungs.
Atalanta also half-squatted down, patting the woman's thin back, and said softly, "Your body can no longer support you reversing time one more time, Master."
"Cough cough cough, really?" Mary gasped for breath, her voice hoarse with coughing. "So, this is the limit."
She shrugged, her weary eyes looking up at the wooden window letting in the light. Since obtaining the Holy Grail, she had often been nocturnal, and the last time she had seen such a clear blue sky felt like a lifetime ago.
Feeling the power brought by the flow of magic in your body, even the pain that comes with magic is addictive.
She had to admit that shaping her destiny into the form she desired created a delusion. It was as if, in that moment, she had become a savior, with the opportunity and the responsibility to save families like hers from similar circumstances…
So she was unwilling to let it end like this—she knew that if she could just start over, if she could just go back one more time! She was certain, absolutely certain, that she could achieve a perfect future!
Atalanta frowned and couldn't help but press down hard on Mary's shoulders, trying to calm her down. "You've already done a miracle, don't push yourself any further."
To be able to rewind time so many times is far beyond the limits of an ordinary person. If this continues, her soul will also be pledged to the Holy Grail.
"If your wish is to protect those two children, then there's no need to kill Bruce Wayne. Just follow the trajectory of the previous future, evade for seven days, and you can take the two children and live a good life!"
They had already escaped all danger with the two children last time, and now that Black Mask is dead, no one will have the time or inclination to care about them anymore.
But Bruce Wayne's death changed everything; the two children tragically died during the Arkham breakout.
Or rather, to die again.
“…No, Atalanta.” Mary took a deep breath, calmed herself, and helped Atalanta sit back on the bed.
Despite being tormented by illness, her eyes were still full of tenderness. "You should have known that I am a cowardly, selfish, and greedy person."
Atalanta shook her head in surprise, wanting to say something, but Mary covered her mouth.
"Please don't defend me. Because of my own selfish motives, I was forcing you to do things," Mary said, her deep eyes filled with sorrow. "You saw the devastation Gotham suffered after those madmen escaped from prison, didn't you?"
Atalanta's memory was instantly dragged back to the frenzied night of the previous day. Faces smeared with ugly paint, grotesque figures, they roared and ravaged. And even more screams, curses, and cries of anguish nearly engulfed the entirety of Gotham.
"Did you see the way their gangs killed each other at will? Did you see the faces of the children we cared for, crying for their mothers before they died?"
Mary's voice was soft and trembling. But Atalanta felt the words strike her heart with a heavy blow. She couldn't save the two children; though her arrow pierced the throats of the criminals, she was too late.
"I selfishly ran away for a long time, as long as I didn't see it, as long as I lived my own life... But Atalanta... I really can't keep pretending like this anymore!"
Atalanta was well aware of these things, but changing a city is no easy task, and how many times would it fail? How many times would it regress?
She didn't want her Master to sacrifice her soul for this, causing her two children to lose their mother, "but in any case, you cannot live to experience the next time time reversal."
If that's the case, then there's only one option—
“Let’s do our best this time. Gotham should become a normal city, without superheroes or Arkham lunatics.”
She gripped Atalanta's hand with all her might, "Would you be willing to try again with me?"
Atalanta: "..."
How could she say no to such a person, to such a request about a child?
She can't.
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