3:44 PM
From the visions I had during lunch, I was able to vaguely visualize the settings where I encountered this mysterious girl. After reflecting for some time, I caught a glimpse of a strange background during some of our conversations.
Since I have no recollection of any place within the school resembling that storage-like appearance, I believe it's a location that fell out of use and was abandoned by the school. In other words, it is an ideal hiding spot for her. But where could such a place be?
I pace back and forth through the school, hoping that some mental trigger will help me realize where she might be. However, everything seems in order; there's no sign of a place resembling the storage area from my premonitions.
Finally, after so much searching, as if rewarded for my effort, I see long blonde hair fluttering in the wind as a mysterious figure moves stealthily toward the school lawn.
I fix my gaze, and alarmingly, she looks exactly as she did in my supposed premonition. Only a few details differ from most of the flashes, such as the fact that she's wearing pants from a male uniform.
However, what intrigues me the most is the bag she's carrying—it seems larger than a standard school backpack. It unsettles me, as it clearly doesn't bode well.
I consider following her to initiate a conversation. However, as I get closer, she abruptly stops and begins scanning her surroundings.
Not good. This could be pretty dangerous.
Instinctively, my legs freeze, and I abandon the idea of following her.
Instead, I take a few steps back and try to conceal my presence.
Could she have noticed I intended to follow her? That's impossible, as I'm still quite far from her.
Unfortunately, something tells me I can't proceed from this point, and soon, I'll lose track of her.
Then, I'm struck by another flood of information in my mind.
Among them, I see a scene where I argue with the girl at one end of the school courtyard. Apparently, she hid something beneath a loose tile, and it vanished.
Judging by the direction she was moving, it's highly likely she's heading toward that location. Should I go there in an attempt to fulfill this prophecy and start a conversation with her?
It's not hard to connect the dots; it's almost as if someone is guiding me there. However, my intuition says the best course of action for now is to wait. I feel I'd be plunging into immense danger by explicitly following her.
Even without concrete evidence, I think trusting these premonitions is the best course of action. However, I might be walking straight into a trap.
I sit on a bench in the courtyard and wait for a few minutes. After a reasonable amount of time has passed, I walk across the lawn to the location from my vision.
Upon arriving, I confirm that the girl has already left the area and head toward the loose tile.
All right. There's no sign of her; I think I'm safe. Could what she was carrying in that bag be hidden here?
I lift the tile slowly and see an unusual object.
A machine gun.
4:02 PM
What the hell is this? A machine gun? What would a schoolgirl be doing with this? Well, once again, I'll repeat the argument: judging by everything that has happened so far, nothing surprises me anymore.
In any case, if my theory is correct, I'll inevitably have to approach her because the future is already written, and I've accessed it. The only thing I can do is try to choose the most subtle way to approach her.
But first, I need to decide what to do with this weapon. If I assume my premonitions must come true, I already have the premise that this weapon will eventually disappear.
Knowing this, if I leave it here, someone will end up stealing it. This could happen in a few days or immediately while I try contacting Ailiss. Thus, I believe the best course of action is to "steal" it myself.
Exactly, I'll recreate a scene identical to the one I envisioned. Later, after the premonition plays out, I can return it in some way.
Moreover, as the girl in question doesn't seem very friendly, having this in my possession is a good way to balance the playing field with her.
So I decide to hide Ailiss's machine gun somewhere. I wrap the weapon in my school uniform jacket and head to the nearest building.
Even with the weapon wrapped up, I probably look suspicious carrying it. Therefore, I quicken my pace and take routes where I'm less likely to run into anyone.
As I approach one of the buildings, I look around to ensure I wasn't followed and enter discreetly.
After a few minutes of searching, I choose a place to hide the object. I turn into a corridor with some cleaning supply lockers. I open one of the lockers and conceal the machine gun behind some brooms and rags used by the staff.
I imagine no one will mess with it here, especially since the staff were the first to disappear. Still, I make sure to camouflage it as much as possible.
Then, as I'm about to leave the building, I'm startled by a voice behind me.
"Johann-san?"
A chill runs down my spine as I struggle to hide my shock.
Damn it. Could he have seen me with the machine gun?
I turn around slowly and realize it's Haruki.
"What are you doing here?" he asks.
Did he see me tampering with the lockers? For now, I'll assume he didn't.
"I'm just spending some time alone. After finally shaking those three off, I decided to hide here. What about you? Why are you here?"
I hope my nervousness doesn't betray me.
"You know how it is. Even though nothing major has happened, Kaichou ordered us to patrol the school just in case."
"I see. She really is quite the perfectionist in that regard."
Now, since I've run into Haruki, I might as well try to gather some information about the president.
"Oh yes, especially when so many lives are at stake. As the student council, it's our role to maintain order among the students," he responds with a smile.
"By the way, Haruki, I'd like to discuss something with the president. Do you know the best time to contact her?"
His smile gradually fades from his face.
"Well, she's been very busy, and I think it'd be difficult to speak with her directly. Would you like me to pass on a message?"
"No, thank you. It's not that urgent," I turn away and bid him farewell.
5:01 PM
After avoiding any potential suspicion from Haruki, I follow my intuition to one of the school's oldest buildings. After all, based on the characteristics I noticed, her hiding spot must be around here.
Searching further, I discover windows close to the ground on the sides of the building. These windows suggest the existence of a basement, which I didn't even know existed.
I then search for the entrance to this basement, and within a few minutes, I find an old door on the ground floor, its lock curiously broken. This can only mean someone came here before me and forced their way in.
I open the door and see a staircase leading underground.
At the bottom of the stairs, I find a space that initially appears to be just a normal storage area: old desks used in classrooms, rusty chairs, and the like. But soon, I notice a shadow ahead.
Everything is a complete mess around me, but this is definitely the place. Everything matches my premonitions.
In the utter silence, the sound of breaking glass echoes.
Damn it. I stepped on a piece of mirror on the floor.
I can't even finish mentally listing the possible consequences of my mistake before a metallic barrel is pointed close to my face.
"Wait! Don't shoot!" I shout reflexively.
"Give me one good reason," the girl replies, showing no emotion.
Hearing her voice and seeing her face so close triggers what I believe to be another series of premonitions. However, this time, it resembles yet another déjà vu.
My brain starts to malfunction with so many emotions hitting me at once. The information overload causes me to pass out momentarily.
What was that?
When I come to, I'm kneeling in front of her, breathing heavily. This effect was even more potent than what I felt yesterday in the classroom. Now, I'm confident this is no mistake; this power is absolute. I've definitely accessed future emotions and information.
"In all my life, I've never seen anyone act so pathetically in front of a gun. How much of a coward are you?" the girl asks, her expression showing even more contempt.
"Can we talk for a bit? I'll explain this involuntary reaction," I raise my face.
"No. We can't. Unfortunately, you'll die here," she lowers the barrel of the weapon toward my face.
Due to these feelings introduced into my mind, I can somehow understand her behavioral patterns. It's strange; I feel as if we've known each other for a long time.
Either way, I must prevent her from firing, as it would result in both of us dying in the process. The only way to do that is to be upfront with her.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you. If you shoot, you'll face the same fate as me because I'm a player," I reply.
"That's a convenient excuse if you're lying. How can I believe you? Is there any proof of what you're saying?" she presses the gun to my head.
Clearly, convincing her wouldn't be so easy. This response pattern... it all feels so familiar. I think I know exactly what I need to say to convince her.
"I was able to see it... the thing that took the teacher," I notice a specific reaction in her eyes and complete my sentence, "Do you believe me now?"
In this gambit, I assume she's a player to know what I'm referring to. Given my suspicions about her, it's unlikely she wouldn't understand this reference.
The girl, still holding the gun to my face, sighs. Then she steps back a few paces and slowly aims at my right leg.
"It seems you're telling the truth about being a player. However, that doesn't matter. Being a player doesn't make you immune to attacks that don't kill," she says.
Unfortunately, I wasn't prepared for this kind of response.
"Well, now you've got me. Against that, I really have no defense. So all I can do is ask you not to do it, Ailiss."
"How do you know my real name? Have we met before?" she widens her eyes but keeps the gun steady.
From this confusion I seem to have caused, I might find a way to bring her to my side.
However, there's a bigger problem in all this. How will I explain to her this ability I've acquired?
"It's a long story and a bit complicated to put into words, so I ask for your patien-" I'm interrupted mid-sentence.
"I don't have time for long stories. You have ten seconds to explain."
This will make it even harder for her to accept such a justification.
"In short, I feel like we already know each other, but at the same time, I believe this hasn't happened yet. It's something that would only occur in the future, or rather, now."
"Translate clearly what you just said," she narrows her eyes and furrows her brow without lowering the gun.
What's the point of interrupting me? I knew it was impossible to explain the case in a few words. Now, I'll have to elaborate in more detail anyway.
"To be honest, I don't fully understand what's happening or what caused all this. I believe that after entering the game, I've become some kind of seer. Fragments of future events resonate randomly in my mind during the day. Among them was you, as well as this setting in the background."
"Seeing the future?" she chuckles lightly. "Is this a joke? I've never heard of such black magic existing. The future, in theory, cannot be predicted, even through it. Give me more concrete proof of what you're claiming."
As expected, she wouldn't readily accept an explanation that appeals so much to the absurd. But what can I do?
The case of the machine gun wouldn't serve as evidence, as revealing I took it would not help me and would probably put me in an even worse situation.
So, what could I use? Our future meeting with the president? No... she probably doesn't even know her, making it irrelevant from her perspective. I need to recall another particular point that only she would be aware of.
But what? I can't think of anything besides the machine gun and her name.
Suddenly, a word begins to resonate in my head. It must be this.
"Mistkerl."