A few days after Damien's death, it was dismissal time at the academy.
Due to the recent murder, the academy had instructed students to return home in pairs during dismissal.
So, I was waiting for Sierra in the backyard of the main building.
As I waited, I recalled the moment I first saw Damien's body.
'No matter how I think about it, that… was an imitation.'
A rope connected to the main building's rooftop.
A limp body hanging from its end.
I remembered seeing it.
'It's exactly how I died in the first timeline.'
As if trying to send a message.
Damien's death had been staged to be perfectly identical to my death in the first timeline.
And one thing that implied.
'The one who killed Damien was… Mari…'
I clenched my fists and stood my ground.
In the end.
She killed her own brother.
Mari, who had always strived so hard to gain his recognition, to get along with him like they used to.
With her own hands, killed Damien.
"Why, just why…"
I couldn't understand.
I had done my best, even giving up on Aira's capture, to prevent Damien from dying.
When Aira didn't recall her memories and didn't kill Damien.
Mari stepped forward herself and killed Damien.
"..."
What on earth does Mari want?
Is she trying to get revenge for me?
Or else.
…Is she trying to get revenge on me?
"Haa…"
And just as I sighed and kicked a stone on the ground.
"Emil! I'm here!"
"Ah, yeah."
Sierra, whom I had been waiting for, approached me with a bright smile.
"Huh? …Are you okay? You look down."
"Ah… no. I'm fine."
"You recalled that moment again, didn't you?"
"..."
I kept my mouth shut at Sierra's question.
Then Sierra came closer and gently patted my back.
"You must have been really shocked… Damien President-nim, …since you saw what happened to him directly…"
"No, I'm fine. Quite some time has passed already."
I smiled faintly at Sierra's comfort.
'Still, it's a relief Sierra didn't see that scene.'
Damien's body had been removed before Sierra arrived at the academy.
Thanks to that, Sierra didn't see the shocking scene; she only heard the news.
"If you're anxious, should I hold your hand?"
"Just be normal. Tease me and joke around."
"Geez, I have some sense too! Why would I joke around at a time like this!"
And so, I returned to the dormitory with Sierra again today.
However.
"Emil."
"Hm?"
While we were going through our usual routine.
She approached me.
"Senior-nim…"
"Ah, are you feeling… a bit better?"
Aira appeared before us as we walked.
At her sudden appearance, Sierra asked about her well-being in a worried voice.
'I heard she's been investigating the recent murder case…'
Aira's appearance was visibly poor.
Dark circles were heavily present under her eyes, her hair was a mess, and her gaze was cloudy.
She looked like she hadn't slept properly and hadn't cared for her health at all.
"Uhm… about President-nim's matter…"
At her appearance, I naturally brought up the topic of Damien.
After Damien's death.
Today was the first time I had properly faced her.
However.
"Emil, I have something to tell you."
"Huh…?"
At Aira's following words, I couldn't finish what I was saying.
And she bluntly stated her business.
"I like you."
"…Huh?"
"Oh…?"
"I like you, Emil. As a man, as a person of the opposite sex. I'm telling you I have romantic feelings for you."
At Aira's unrestrained yet sudden words, I thought I had misheard and asked again.
Sierra looked at me in a bewildered glance.
However, Aira paid no mind to our reactions and bluntly spoke again.
"Emil, I've harbored feelings for you for a long time. I genuinely like you. Please accept my feelings."
"..."
I didn't feel any sincerity at all.
'What on earth is this…'
I didn't think Aira was crazy.
Because I knew the meaning of Aira confessing to me.
'Surely not…!'
A single possibility flashed through my mind.
A sudden confession, and precisely when I was with Sierra.
'This is a situation where I have no choice but to reject the confession, no matter what…'
Aira knew that I liked Sierra.
For her to confess to me while I was with Sierra meant.
She had calculated and acted with the full intention of being rejected.
In other words, Aira was.
━Intentionally trying to see memories from previous timelines.
"Who… who on earth is it…?"
"...Emil?"
"Who on earth… told you to do something like this?"
"..."
At my question, Aira's eyes widened for a moment as if surprised.
Then she looked at me seriously again and opened her mouth.
"No one told me to. This is sincere. Emil. I've liked you for a long time."
"Don't lie━!! You genuinely loved Damien!!"
"E-Emil…"
"No, I like you. I only realized it recently."
Aira fearlessly approached me as I shouted in confusion.
"Don't come closer…!"
"Saying 'don't come closer,' does that mean you're rejecting me?"
"Th-that's…!"
At Aira's question, I looked at Sierra.
She was looking at me with a worried and confused expression.
'But… if I reject her like this, Aira will…'
Recall past memories.
An ominous instinct welled up, telling me I shouldn't let that happen.
But I couldn't just stay silent either.
"If you don't answer like this, Emil, I'll assume you've accepted my feelings."
"Emil…"
"Stop playing around. It's not funny at all…!"
"I'm serious. I like you. Answer me. What is your will? Will you accept my feelings and become my lover?"
"Kugh…!"
She was cornering me.
With a strong will to get a rejection, no matter what.
'What on earth… what should I do…'
I hesitated at the sudden crossroads.
'Should I just accept it… and explain to Sierra separately…?'
But if I did that, Sierra would learn about what happened with Mari, Chris, and Lia before.
That absolutely couldn't happen.
At least Sierra.
I wanted her to have no involvement in this matter.
"I…"
Therefore, in the end.
"…I…"
I had no choice but to make a decision.
"I… cannot… accept it."
I clenched my fists, bowed my head, and replied, trembling with unease.
"E-Emil…"
And at that moment, Sierra, sensing something strange about my appearance, blocked my path.
"Senior-nim! What on earth are you doing━!!"
"..."
"Sierra…"
Sierra pushed Aira away from me and started to get angry.
"No matter how difficult things are for you…! Emil is struggling too━!! He's suffering from directly seeing Damien President-nim's dead body! But…! But why are you doing something so strange right now…!"
As Sierra teared up and vented her anger at Aira.
Aira smiled faintly.
"I'm sorry."
"Huh…?"
"..."
She smiled with her hollow eyes and looked at me.
"And thank you, Emil."
"..."
"...What on earth does that mean."
Only Sierra, who was the only one among us who didn't understand the meaning of those words, muttered blankly.
And Aira simply turned around and returned to the dormitory without a second thought.
"Emil, …are you okay?"
"Yeah, I was just surprised…"
"..."
Sierra came closer and firmly held my hand.
My heart calmed down from the warm and soft warmth.
Feeling that warmth, I calmly gazed at Aira's retreating back.
'Mari…'
Who had ordered Aira to do such a thing?
The answer came quickly even without deep thought.
With this, I felt I understood part of the reason Mari killed Damien.
'Seeing that I wasn't pursuing her capture… she forced her to confess…'
But I still couldn't understand the fundamental reason.
Why did she induce Aira's confession?
…Recalling it, even during Lia's capture, Mari had tried to help her confess.
"..."
But no matter how much I thought about it.
I couldn't understand the heart of Mari, who constantly engaged in abnormal actions.
And that night.
Ding!
[Condition Met!]
['Memory of Despair' is activated!]
Without fail, my special ability activated.
Aira was plunged into the memories of the second timeline.
***
'This is…'
Aira opened her closed eyes and looked around.
'It really is… just as she said…'
The condition she heard from Mari.
Confess to Emil and be rejected.
At first, she thought it was a mischievous prank to humiliate her.
But after being rejected by Emil, just as Mari had said.
She, who had fallen asleep in the dormitory, opened her eyes to find herself standing in her classroom at the academy.
'The time is… lunchtime, isn't it…'
The classroom was bustling with students.
And in it, a familiar seat.
There, Aira herself was seated, calmly reviewing several documents.
'…Is it right before the Student Council President election?'
Aira could guess the timing by looking over the documents.
After all, these were documents whose contents she had seen just recently.
'Then this… is showing me the past…?'
Aira began to interpret the scene before her.
A scene where a self identical to herself existed.
And documents identical to those from past memories.
She could think of nothing else it meant but past memories.
However.
"Hmm… you want to be a helper?"
"Yes! I'll be as helpful as possible! Even as a mere odd-jobber, please make use of me!"
"...But do you know me? I don't know you. What on earth did you see that makes you want to be my helper?"
"Senior-nim, aren't you the current Student Council Vice President! I was captivated by the charismatic way you usually handle things! Please accept me!"
'…This is.'
Something was different.
Emil had certainly come to her and volunteered to be a student council election helper, just as she remembered.
"I'm sorry, your enthusiasm is good, but it's still a no."
"Wh-why?!"
"Look, we have this many applicants already. We'll pick the most outstanding individuals among them anyway. I can't just accept someone like you, who has average grades and no particular achievements."
"..."
She had rejected Emil.
Him, whom she had clearly accepted at once in her own memories.
'His grades… are average…?'
Something was different.
Somewhere different from her own memories.
Memories of another world.
Aira realized it immediately.