Fifteen seconds.
Had she screwed up?
Of course not.
Lightchaser had once said something to her:
"But… your constant second-guessing isn't entirely a flaw. Even when you're on the right path, you keep running simulations of how it could go wrong—and you prepare for them."
"That's good. Pessimists never trust fate. And fate, in turn, tends to favor them."
Besides, she'd already seen the answer from her future self who had gone back in time.
Rita pulled out an item—a keepsake she'd taken from a fellow student.
[Time is Ticking] (Curio): When used, reduces the cooldown of a chosen item or piece of equipment by 20%; can only be used once per hour.
Ten seconds.
Her right hand cradled the clock as she reduced the cooldown of [Cat's Ideal].
Nine seconds.
The world dimmed, and in the dark, a bell chimed. A lantern swayed gently in the gloom.
Rita jumped back nine seconds—precisely to the moment when she'd been about to leave.
Eight seconds.
