Ignoring the voice and ending it all would have been easy, but something about the tone caught my attention. It wasn't a mindless denial of suicide. What did it matter when I died? It would only delay my reunion with Kaya by a little. I could jump later. I turned toward the source of the voice. A middle-aged woman wearing glasses stood there, fiddling idly with a lighter. Her demeanor grated on my nerves.
"What do you mean by 'you shouldn't'?" I asked.
"Hey, no need to be so hostile," she replied, raising her hands as if to placate me. "I'm not your enemy. I just wanted to tell you that even if you jump, you won't return to the past with your memories intact."
She knew about my ability?
"You're confused right now, aren't you?" she continued. "You probably want to know how I know about this and why you wouldn't go back. To explain—"
"Can't you just get to the point?"
"Right, sorry," she said with a wry smile. "My bad habit, I guess. The point is, even if you commit suicide, you won't go back. Unlike your sister, your ability only activates when you're killed."
As I reflected, I realized she was right. I had only ever been killed, not committed suicide. But how did she know that? I had looked into this ability before but found nothing but dubious information. I didn't have the time to dig deeper. So how did she know?
"How do you know this? Do you know more about this ability?"
"Why don't you call the police first?" she suggested, ignoring my question. "Your sister deserves that, at least."
"That won't be necessary. I'm sure it's already been reported. Now, answer my question. Or... "
"Fine, fine," she interrupted, raising her hands in mock surrender. "The ability you're calling a power is what we refer to as kotodama, or 'word spirits.' Your sister's ability is known as shichiten hakki—'fall seven times, rise eight'—while yours is shichiten battou—'fall seven times, struggle eight'. Does that make sense, Yuu Hana?"
"Kotodama? Wait, how do you know my name?"
"Relax, I'm not your enemy," she repeated with a sigh. "I'm a detective, you see. I specialize in... let's call them unusual cases. I had to do a lot of digging into your particular kotodama, which was quite the challenge—"
"Enough. Just tell me more about these 'fall seven times' abilities."
This woman could go on forever if given the chance, and I didn't have time to waste.
"Alright, alright. To put it simply, you and your sister can only return to the past a total of seven times after death. But there are conditions: Shichiten hakki requires suicide, while shichiten battou needs someone else to kill you. There are other details, but those aren't important right now. The point is, if you commit suicide, you won't return. Since it's rare for two people with time-travel abilities to exist at the same time, I can't say for sure, but your sister will likely retain her memories while you do not."
"So, what if I get hit by a car or something?"
"Who knows?" She shrugged. "Whether that counts as suicide or not, I couldn't say."
The possibility that I might not return was the worst news I could hear. I tried to calm myself. Ever since Kaya's death, I had been losing my composure. I knew getting angry wouldn't help anything.
"So, why did you even bother talking to me? Are you here to kill me?"
"So many questions," she replied with a chuckle. "I just want to see you and your sister find happiness. And before you ask, yes, that's the truth. I've also wanted to stop the loop for a long time. Even if you only have one round left, the knowledge that everything might reset would make it hard to do anything meaningful. So yes, I want you to be happy."
"And you're here now because?"
"Because I finally managed to get close to you two," she explained, shrugging as if it were the simplest thing in the world. "Though, unfortunately, I was too late to stop your sister's suicide. Anyway, it looks like the police will be here soon. Here's my contact info. Call me if you want to talk more."
She pressed a note with her contact information into my hand and walked away. I just stood there, overwhelmed by the events. I had found Kaya's suicide note in her room, and when I called the school, I learned she had just left. I rushed here as quickly as I could, but I was too late. Why? Why did Kaya have to die again? No, I couldn't afford to think about this anymore.