"So, when the researcher puts the cat inside the box with a radioactive atom that decays once in a hour and a device that releases a toxic chemical once it detects a decayed material and close the box with lid. What do you think will happen to the cat after 30 minutes?"
It's their Physics class and it's now 4th period, the last period before lunch. The teacher was explaining about the Schrödinger's cat experiment yet no one in the class seems to take a little bit of interest about the subject. This period were quite a napping hours for them.
Neither do Toby taken the interest to listen, but it's not because the subject is boring for him but because ever since the second period, he's preparing a perfect plan to confront Hina and also how to fight Mr. Kou, quite a good time waster fo him.
*ding
The bell rings and ended the last class. Before the teacher leaves, he reveals the answer to the question, it's not like everyone are interested though.
"We cannot know whether the cat is dead or alive. The only thing we can be sure about is that to know the answer is that we need to open the box.
"That's all for today. Be sure to turn in your homeworks tomorrow," the teacher said after leaving.
"Wait, that's it!", Toby uttered after hearing the teacher's answer. "The cat doesn't exist until it is observed," Toby got enlightened after realizing the problem.
He's now taken interest about the physics class, and what's more is that, "Probably the make-shift reality can be solvable as it could be." Pieces starts to build up for him to understand the 'reset'.
"But, here we go. The investigation would be much easier if I could ask the one who really involved in this anomaly," Toby having an internal monologue.
"Hmm, so you've taken interest in it, Killi-ya-ma-kun?", Hina uttered out of nowhere. All along, she was attentively listening to class while at the same time observing every nuances made by Toby.
Toby pay no need to what she said and as if things weren't going like that way.
"Oi, Toby, did you bring the pallette I asked you yesterday?", asked by someone in front of him. It is Yamato.
"Pallette?" "Yeah, pallette."
Toby couldn't gist what Yamato is trying to say or ask.
"Pallette, right? From your sister? Didn't I ask you to bring one yesterday?", Yamato still ask. "Pallette? What the hell?... Oh the souvenir?" "Yeah, that little tea powder you said from Kyoto."
The conversation were filled with nonsense that carried on until they open their meals. "Uh-hmm, rice balls again, huh...", both of them said after having the same lunch.
They ate the grub as fast as they take out their meal. Dusting themselves off of food stains and properly cleaning their leftovers. Quite a neat habit of them two that only just stand out from the rest.
"Too bad Hikaru wasn't here to..." "Did you say something, Toby?" "Uh... Nothing."
Of course it's not just two of them, they're exactly trio since the middle-school until not just a day ago.
The fact that a buddy passed away out of nowhere and what's worst is that even if his sister doesn't know the man exist. It is truly shameful to die without anything left in this world, even just a memory fr those who truly cares about you.
"Although the things of this world were against with the existence of him, it's still hard not to take a pity for the man, robbed off from his own one's self."
He took a step forward outside his desk, looking around for someone he must really seek right at that moment.
"No, she's not here," Toby said after noticing that the one he's seeking is not currently at that room. "What's the problem, Toby? Leaving already?", Yamato asked.
"No, it's nothing... Yamato, I trust in you my belongings here. I'll be right back after this." "Uh, yeah, as if we're gonna change rooms with other class anyways. It's not like someone would take an interest in your stuff. By the way, what's with you rushing right now? Is it gonna explode already?", Yamato was mocking him.
"Just shut the hell up, man." After saying those words, he walks away from his desk and went outside the room to search for Hina.
"She's probably with other girls right now. It is not best to approach her while with the other classmates though," he is thinking of something that resemble of a plan. "First, finding her before the end of the lunch break would be a top most priority, next to then is just about confronting and interrogating her."
He walks his way outside the room and look around the surroundings, side by side to search for might be a witness or a suspect.
"They're probably at the canteen, it's just a minute away walk but still would take much time of the lunch break," he thought.
Aside from that fact, Toby doesn't know any other places or circumstances Hina would be right now, of course, Toby wouldn't know something like that.
"I guess going to the canteen might be my only choice," he decided to do it anyway, "besides, if I don't commence right now, she'll just walk her way out of the case."
He takes his final decision and did what he needs to do. Turning to his left is the way to the canteen, he follows the usual route and while staying hold on to his intuitions.
Not long from his way to downstair, he met someone unexpectedly...
"Ara-ara, what do you seek of me, Kiriyama-kun?", said by someone who just appeared down from the downstairs and appearing to walk her way up their room.
"Amamiya, do you have a moment?", he said. "Oh, what is this? Are you gonna confess already? The game wasn't over yet you know."
"Game?" "Uh-hmm, that's nothing, Killi-ya-ma-kun. By the way, are you really head-over-heels for me that perhaps confessing early right now would be a good choice?"
"Uh, Haha, don't make me laugh, Ms. Framed-me-up, I'm not here for that," he said to divert the topic to his right path. With a quite small distance from each other, Toby approach his way to get closer to her, literally.
"Hmm, then what makes you come right to me?"
He clinched his fist, bit his lower lips and mustered his courage to make the most rightful way of approaching and interrogating her. He raised his right hand facing it front of Hina.
*slam
"Hina Amamiya, answer me correctly, what exactly is your connection about the death of Hikaru Sato?", he fearlessly said while doing the infamous wall slam to scare and locking her off.
"Hmm," she just replied as if she's not moved at all, "aren't I told you before, you're the one killed him."
Toby, frustrated from what Hina have answered, uttered, "By what do means exactly!"
"Ara, do you really wanna know the truth?" "Just get right to it! You're wasting so much time."
"I know everything about you, Toby Kiriyama-kun." "Huh!?"
He attentively listens to what Hina's saying.
"You're the one who's supposed to die that day." "Huh?"
"Yet, you interfered with what is truly have setted. You let yourself not to die that you even letted your friend to die on your place."
"Huh? What do you m-mean... I, killed him in a way that letting him die would be a choice to let myself live?", the weight of that fact bear something in Toby's conscience.
"Yes, you came from the future for your selfish reasons to not accept your fate. And now, you're the one who will bear the guilt of killing Sato-kun."
"No, enough of that nonsense," he just replied with such a cold-hearted reaction to hide what he truly feels to know such truth.
"May 31, 9 pm, you are there, standing in the alleyway of Kiesu Street. A random passerby beated you in the face out of nowhere," Hina's testimony were far more detailed from what he expected.
"You were stabbed two times to your kidney. Crimson blood flowed so much that it didn't give you a chance to glance who was the one who attacked you. Hmm, how pitiful you are."
"How did she know so much things about my death? Is she the one who killed me? But how?"
"The one who killed you..."
*gulp
"Were no other than the one who tried to kill you after."