Day 1
10:27 AM
The time elapsed has extended from months into years. The insanity that once afflicted only a tiny minority has now spread like a cancer throughout the school.
As the iterations progress, more tribes and factions form. Paranoia reaches such extreme levels of distrust that people who once considered themselves friends start acting violently toward each other, inflicting severe injuries that eventually lead to death.
"Hey, you two, stop it! Why are you fighting?!" a girl screams.
"You son of a bitch!" one boy punches his classmate.
"You'll pay for this, you bastard!" the other responds with another punch as he gets up.
The two continue exchanging punches and kicks until, minutes later, one grabs the other by the hair and slams his opponent's head against the wall.
"Die, you bastard!" he screams, slamming again.
"Die! Die! Die!"
He keeps slamming. Blood begins to trickle down the wall, dripping slowly to the floor as the attacker's pace slows and his victim stops resisting.
He lets go, leaving his opponent with a disfigured face and no sign of breathing. Thus, another victim is claimed by the paranoia consuming us.
Scenes like this are becoming increasingly common.
A population decline within the school environment is now noticeable. Based on estimates made by Ailiss and me, approximately thirty percent of the student body is already gone—victims of murder, suicide, or attempts to escape the school.
Given the level of threat posed by specific individuals to the school community, extraordinary cases are dealt with through execution by the student council to maintain public order.
Violence has escalated to the point where Mikoto and Ailiss are always armed, Mikoto with the revolver and Ailiss with the machine gun. They remain in a constant state of alert, as one can never predict when someone will have an outburst and attack others with a sharp object.
"For how much longer will we have to endure this, Johann-san? Will it ever end?" Haruki asks, staring at the body of a young boy who had jumped from the terrace.
"I've asked myself that question countless times. Violence will possibly only end when there's no one left to commit it, but as for these repetitions… I'm afraid to say that we are condemned to this forever."
"He was a first-year student... a classmate of Natsuki-chan. After so many cases, I thought I'd be used to it, but I still can't stop feeling horrified by this situation," Keiko comments, her gaze lost.
"I know it's difficult, but we have to stay strong, Keiko," Haruki says, hugging her. "I'll bury him in the yard. You've worked enough; you can go rest in the dorm."
This will likely only get worse from here... I wonder how much longer they'll hold on.
"Take care—it's getting dark," she smiles.
Haruki releases her, and then we carry the body from the front of the main building to the yard.
After finishing the burial, I enter the lobby and see Natsuki staring fixedly at the spot where we had been.
That girl...
...
At night, I do my usual watch so Mikoto and Ailiss can rest.
I walk through the empty corridors of the main building.
With the residents of this block reduced to a third of their original number, the dormitories are smaller and easier to monitor.
Everything is very quiet; I haven't noticed anything unusual so far. The only sound I hear while walking through these abandoned hallways is the echo of my own footsteps.
A bad feeling has been lingering in my mind since this afternoon.
I stop near the stairs and look down. Everything remains very quiet, but something strange seems to emanate from below. Perhaps I'm just overthinking, but I feel an intense unease.
I decide to investigate and descend a flight of stairs.
Like the upper floors, I cautiously walk through all the hallways.
After finishing this floor, I'll end my patrol and get some rest...
Suddenly, I hear what sounds like a conversation. Or rather, an argument.
I follow the sound.
"You said you weren't interested in Senpai!"
What are they arguing about at this hour? By curfew, everyone should be in their dormitories. Wait… that voice.
"Natsuki-chan, what's the point of arguing about this so late at night? I already told you that Haruki-kun and I are just friends."
"Why are you lying to me? I saw you two hugging, you liar! Liar! Liar!"
"Don't yell. Have you forgotten what time it is? And what's so wrong about what we did? It's just a hug—friends do that, too. Now let me go; I have work to do tomorrow, and I need to sleep. You should do the same."
Natsuki is arguing with Keiko about Haruki? It's clear to me that Natsuki has feelings for him, but she also cares about Keiko. After all, during the loop, she attacked Ailiss to honor her friend's death. So why are they fighting like this?
No... I'm being naive. My instincts had already warned me earlier, and this was the source of my unease.
She's likely suffering from the same affliction as Takashi. Come to think of it, she always had a predisposition for madness, and ironically, this has happened while trying to avenge the very person she's now arguing with.
"No! I won't stay quiet! You were always deceiving me. You said you weren't interested in him, but now I see everything… How could I have been so stupid?! It was right in front of me this whole time!"
"Natsuki-chan, it's late. Let's sleep. You're upset now—tomorrow, we can continue this conversation if you think it's necessary."
"You thought I'd never find out?! You know what you are, Keiko?! A whore! A bitch!" Natsuki starts yelling louder.
And now... what should I do? Perhaps we'll have to isolate her until she recovers from this insanity. No... that would probably only worsen her madness.
We're in no position to provide any psychological treatment; this is a dead-end. In any case, Mikoto must be the one to decide what to do about Natsuki.
"We're friends, but I won't let you talk to me like that!"
"Won't let me?! Well, I'll repeat it: You're a whore! What can you do about it, huh?! Bitch!"
"What are you doing with that?! Put down the knife!"
A knife?! This has gone beyond a mere argument—I need to intervene and stop Natsuki before she does something terrible. Knowing her, I know she's not bluffing.
I try to open the door, but it doesn't budge.
If she locked it, then she really intends to kill Keiko.
"I'm going to kill you, you lying slut!"
I try to break down the door with my shoulder but fail.
Damn it! I should've trained my physical strength more. In that case...
I point my revolver at the door's lock and fire. I manage to open it and see two girls struggling in the dimly lit room.
One of them steps back and collapses.
Too late, I can't believe it… Keiko has already been attacked. I can't let Natsuki continue like this, unhinged—if worst comes to worst, I'll have to put an end to-
Before I can finish my thoughts, I realize I was wrong in my judgment. In fact, the girl who fell, bloodied, was Natsuki.
"Maybe I do like him. And the real slut here was always you," Keiko spits the words and drops the knife to the floor.
I kneel and see that Natsuki suffered a stab wound to a vital area. Barely able to respond to Keiko, she simply writhes in agony on the floor. There's no saving her in this condition—she'll die in a short time.
"I heard the shouting and came to help but couldn't get here in time. Are you hurt?" I ask Keiko.
"No... I'm fine," she sighs.
"Could you explain to me what happened here?"
She recounts the events. In the end, she managed to grab Natsuki's arm and take the knife. In the heat of the moment, she retaliated and killed her.
To think that the two friends who, in two eternities, swore vengeance in each other's name would end up in such a senseless conflict...
Each iteration makes it increasingly clear to me that time corrupts everything. The line that distinguishes human emotions as good or bad, healthy or unhealthy, becomes ever thinner over time.
I judge the case as self-defense, and the next day, we bury Natsuki's body.