The thousand-meter run was probably the most obvious example.
When he'd first started high school, Shu could easily run it in under four minutes. He'd even finish with energy to spare, just a little out of breath.
But by the final test in his third year, he collapsed the moment he crossed the finish line.
Even with the teacher yelling at him not to lie down and to walk around to ease the fatigue, Shu just lay there, a spent mess on the grass.
Thinking about it now, the physical decline over those three years was pretty stark. From having energy to spare, to gasping for air, to being completely unable to get up—it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a nosedive.
Otto saw the look of realization on Shu's face and smiled. "See? You can feel that something's wrong with your body, can't you?"
Shu nodded, and Otto continued his explanation. "Sometimes, you can feel your body isn't what it used to be even after a single bad illness. What you experienced was three years of gradual change. Spread out over that long, the fluctuations seem normal."
"But you have to remember, you experienced all those changes within a single month. A slow, steady stream becomes a flash flood when it's compressed. It's a miracle you didn't break down from such a sudden transformation."
So that's how it was?
Shu raised a hand and clenched it tightly. He could feel a distinct sense of exhaustion, as if squeezing any harder would trigger a muscle spasm.
At the very beginning, while his physical fitness wasn't anything special, the fact that he could keep up with a sprinting Kiana on pure physical strength alone proved he was quite strong back then.
But at the time, his only points of comparison were Kiana and zombies. After Bronya arrived, Shu didn't engage in any strenuous physical activity with others.
Later, at the Nagazora train station, he was kiting Deathly Honkai Beasts and fighting back on his own. That was another instance that showed how strong he had been initially.
And now? The blurry world he saw without his glasses was the most telling result.
"Well, your diagnosis is in." Otto waved his hand, putting away the medical equipment. "Let's start with the conclusion. The overall decline is about what I predicted. All discrepancies are within an acceptable range."
"In other words, your so-called 'drastic physical decline' is mostly in your head. You're still safe for now."
Safe?
The word made Shu pause.
["Shu, you're already exhausted! If you keep this up, you're going to burn out!"]
The first thing that echoed in his mind wasn't a question of his own physical safety, but Kiana's panicked cry. It stirred a sense of anxiety within him.
This anxiety made it difficult to think. His emotions were clouding his judgment, and he had to force them down.
But at that moment, Kiana's expression had been even more frantic than his own. Shu had a feeling that if it weren't for him, she might have just stormed over and forced him to rest.
Yeah, Shu figured that if he were still in his previously weak state, Kiana might have actually just tackled him to the ground.
Unfortunately, if he were still that weak, he wouldn't need to rest. Back then, he was the one being protected by Kiana. He was the one being sheltered throughout their entire journey in Nagazora.
It wasn't until sapphire City that he began to gain the strength to protect them in return...
Wait...
Shu froze for a second.
When did he start accepting the idea that he needed to rest?
Faced with this sudden question, Shu was silent for a moment before shaking his head internally.
No, he couldn't rest yet. At least, not right now.
Shu shook his head and looked at Otto. "Otto, how many more cycles do I have left?"
This was the real reason he'd come to Otto for a physical exam. Otherwise, he wouldn't care even if his physical condition had deteriorated further.
Even a weakened body could be temporarily boosted with [Hope]. As long as he was still breathing, he could continue to protect Kiana and the others.
But the time loops were his last resort. Shu didn't think for a second that he was invincible. Even though all the enemies he had faced so far were weaker than him, their endless variety of abilities was a constant headache.
It was because he had suffered at the hands of these abilities that he maintained such a high state of alert. If his opponents were all like Gu Chu, it would be fine; at least that guy wouldn't go after Kiana and the others.
His fear was that the Herrschers would bypass him and go directly for Kiana or someone else.
His ability to rewind time was the best defense against such a scenario, the ultimate tool to be used when an irreversible situation occurred.
But the number of rewinds was limited, and who knew how many more Herrschers would appear in the future. There might even be enemies he couldn't face head-on...
He had to remain highly focused to guard against potential dangers.
Otto had been watching Shu's expression the entire time. Upon hearing his question, Otto sighed.
Then, a decision formed in his mind.
"Forget about all that for now." Otto waved his hand, tossing aside Shu's medical report and data charts. To Shu's surprise, Otto sat down across from him and crossed his legs.
"There's something more important right now." As Otto sat, Shu felt a strange sense of familiarity, as if he were seeing the Otto he knew from the original story.
No... at this point, he wasn't sure if he was more familiar with the Otto in front of him or the one from the game. But at this moment, the two images of Otto seemed to overlap in his mind.
"What is it?" A bad feeling welled up in Shu's gut. He had a hunch Otto was about to stir up some trouble.
"First, I need to introduce you to a piece of forbidden technology from future City—the [Mosquito's Breath]."
The name sounded familiar. Shu thought for a moment and recalled hearing it in Sirin's dreamscape.
Back then, joyce had a device like that on him, which he used to evade Bronya's tracking. Shu didn't have time to ask about it in detail later, but the technology had left a deep impression.
If nothing else, the concept of a technology related to one's own presence was baffling to him.
"It seems you've heard of it?" Otto raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Then you must know what it does, so I won't elaborate."
Otto took out a small badge and tossed it to Shu. "This is for you. You're too famous now, and I imagine you don't want to be mobbed by a crowd every time you step outside."
"Or would you rather experience the life of the world's greatest, most famous, most admired hero, the one everyone looks up to?"
Otto picked up a remote control and brandished it at Shu. "This is the switch. There are only two in the world. I'm giving one to you. If we both happen to lose them, you'll have to live the rest of your life as an ordinary person nobody recognizes."
"Oh, perhaps someone might still remember you, but it certainly won't be me."
With that, Otto handed the remote to Shu.
Shu took it and fiddled with it for a moment. "If you won't remember me, then who has the other one?"
"Heh." Otto shrugged. "That's a secret."
Shu was speechless. "You're keeping something like this a secret...?"
"Life is full of countless unknowns. While the feeling of having everything under control is nice, it's something we can't achieve. We can only learn to accept the unknown."
After brushing Shu off with some nonsensical words, Otto seemed to remember something. He leaned closer. "Shu, have you had a look around Fire Moth?"
"What?" Shu was still examining the remote. Otto's abrupt change of topic made him look up sharply.
"I mean, this Fire Moth that I've built up so well, the one that's developing so rapidly?" Otto's words seemed to have a leading, almost proud tone... Shu thought it might just be his imagination.
"I... haven't yet." Shu thought for a moment and realized he was probably under Otto's surveillance at all times, so he might as well tell the truth.
Otto's expression changed in an instant. The speed of the transformation was startling.
"That's right... why would our great savior deign to waste his precious time and attention on the petty squabbles of mere mortals?"
"?" A shiver ran down Shu's spine. He looked at Otto, utterly confused.
He didn't understand why Otto would suddenly say something like that... It was different from his usual jabs. Shu could feel a genuine, sharp edge to Otto's words.
"Shu, you've been away from Fire Moth for too long. You know nothing, and you're unwilling to learn. Shu, you have completely derailed from the rest of Fire Moth."
Otto's blatant malice only served to confuse Shu further. He wanted to explain, "Yesterday I was... I can go look today, I'll get caught up right away..."
"No." Otto held up a hand, cutting off Shu's excuse-like defense. "Anyone can make a symbolic effort to understand. But Shu, you need to realize one thing. The only connection you have to Fire Moth now is that everyone still believes in you."
The moment Otto stood up again, Shu felt a pressure from this man, who was physically fragile compared to him, a pressure he hadn't even felt from Gu Chu.
"Shu, Fire Moth is no longer your Fire Moth. It has nothing to do with you now." Otto was a few centimeters taller than Shu, and with Shu currently wearing the disposable slippers Otto provided, he could only be looked down upon.
"Now, it is my Fire Moth."
"?" Shu made a visible question mark gesture in front of Otto. "Can't you just say what you mean?"
Otto's eyebrow twitched. The next moment, his expression returned to normal as he sat back down.
"I don't think I've ever truly seen your composure break. I don't even know what you look like when you're angry or sad. It's truly a shame."
After saying this, Shu noticed Otto staring at him for a long moment. It wasn't until Shu frowned slightly that Otto looked away and pulled out another file. "Alright, I'll be direct."
"I'm usurping your position, Shu. You're fired."