"Johan, you the number printed on my game jersey, right?"
"Yes, of course —it's 18, yes? Quite an odd number despite being an even number, I must say. It doesn't seem to have any relevance to the numbers you've been peppering now and then as hints for the readers from the previous chapters."
Don't break the fourth wall so casually!
"Yes, it does —if you used the number-to-letter decoding, 18 translates for the alphabet 'R'."
"Wow, I didn't know that."
"Yes, yes, you didn't. Anyway, the letter stands for my name, Rei, and also for a word that is the number one rule in "Rei's rule of law."
"Whoa! VISION constitution and then Rei's rule of law? Your history pretends to be the height of joblessness! Anyway, what's the word?"
"Firstly, apologize to every moment of my history for insulting it, and secondly, the word is 'revamp'— the most important aspect of our date's future from now on."
"Revamp? Redoing the horrible attempt of the alleged date once again? Has the last neuron of sanity abandoned the tiny brain of yours? When I saved you, I thought you'd never be able to stand on those longer-than-Latin-literature legs ever again."
While that might be true as my longer-than-Latin-literature legs shivered at the thought of facing those cold-blooded stares ever again, I can revamp as long as I have life. I could redo anything.
Cos that's the strongest weapon I have against humanity.
"Well, if certain someone hadn't brought me back to the past when we hadn't entered the shopping mall yet (just before our date started) I wouldn't have been able to face that cruelty and trauma-inducing experience once again. Also, I thought that the certain someone (a VISION) wasn't able to time travel if I am right?"
"...Um sorry for hiding, but the unknown souls had specifically made a request not to tell you about the time travel abilities, or else you'd try to go to the past and alter all your horrible experiences changing the course of this universe to doom."
"Ah, I see — Wait what? Did those fools really think I'd be hovering over my past all the time? Plus, what about now —is the universe going to doom!?"
Actually, if I got the chance, I'd try to do it as if my life depended on it, but whatever— I'd rather worry about the present and future rather than the well-done past. Anyway, who the hell were these unknown souls? They seemed to appear only twice (?) before in this story yet they seem to have a considerable influence.
"Nay, short-term jumps are fine—the butterfly effect might have something to brag about but since it's within a span of an hour, it should be fine I guess."
"Hmm, I see. Nothing of a shocker I guess, except only the VISION constitution may need a few more itty-bitty amendments."
"While at this rate you may just abandon it 'cause you're going to see things."
"...Things? Is that foreshadowing the end of the world? If yes, I would like to see them."
"You're much more than a maniac than I could have ever expected."
"Then, I must say you've not seen things yet!" I said assertively—being assertive was important for such a statement to come into effect.
So, I went on. "Petty mind reading, or should I say, face reading won't tell you everything about me."
"Heh, heh, I guess."
"...Hmm, anyway, if you could time travel, why didn't you just go back to the moment you were about to die? You could have easily prevented your own death and avoided all this trouble of going on a date in the first place."
"You seriously think I wouldn't have thought of doing that?"
"Obviously, with that level of intelligence."
"Ah— No! The main reason those 'unknown souls' sent me to you was to determine the time of my death so that I could change the reason why I died and my death itself."
"...And? How did you die?"
"...Slipped on a soap and died from snapping my neck or so I remember."
"Muhahahaha! Is that supposed funny? Because it really is."
"Shaddup! Don't be insensitive towards people's deaths!"
"I'm sorry, but I'd never heard of such a death, not even in cartoons, Johan."
"So, what are we going to do next?" Johan inquired, devoid of any will to continue the conversation on the topic and with an absence of any plans in mind.
Perhaps he had thought I'd be so traumatized that he'd have to lift me back home like a prince and the date would reach its end (not that it's practically possible, but it would be presumably entertaining).
"Next? Let me take charge—I mastered the art of planning. I'll handle the situation personally, with my own hands."
"With which hand will you handle it? Left, or right?"
"..."
"I mean, there's no 'personally' here, right? This plan would apply only to both of us, so even a shoddy plan would do. That's fine!"
Nonsensical statements suit him—even if they're not delivered at a tension-accurate timing.
"Of course not! A thorough and well-thought-out plan is necessary for such a heart-shattering experience to never repeat itself."
"...I see."
Hmm, so revamp, huh? That word has stuck with me in every step of my life—not like an annoying bug but as a defense mechanism. You could call it the first rule—nope, the first policy of my life.
So, I had to plan. Yes, I was good at planning but I didn't exactly enjoy it—I thought I could leave all that stuff to Johan as he was the strategist and I'd be the implementer but leaving it to inexperienced hands wasn't a good idea.
"...There are just three things—only three that we both have to follow." I broke the hidden silence.
"Well, that's quite a number for a short time. Anyway, I had assumed you didn't like plans —either sticking with them or making them, right?"
"Yes, I didn't like doing either but as long it's for me I couldn't care less about my likes or dislikes and no, the number of rules is just directly correlated to the plotholes in our date."
"Ah, that surely makes sense."
"Anyway—the three loopholes could be filled by: the first thing, that we're already maintaining since we have returned from the future—is to speak only through telepathy except if it's a do-or-die situation for me."
"Oh, I see."
"Secondly, you do not have the right to wander away by yourself for a maximum of ten meters—remember this is a constraining order."
"Aw, that sucks."
"Thirdly and foremostly, do not use the time-travel ability once more, even if I were to die."
"Well, that wraps it up! We have no time to waste, let's go."
"Yes, let's go!"