Emily stood on the path where she had been killed time and time again.
With a clear view, there was a patch of grass and a path made of tiles.
Moments later, a bizarre woman with long hair appeared.
Emily clenched her trembling hands, standing her ground.
“Ken will definitely help… Ken will definitely help.”
So far, she had only suffered brutal deaths, but this time was different.
An ally was watching over her.
Remembering that fact, Emily stood still, waiting for her opponent.
And two people watched from the bushes at the edge of the path.
Ken Feinstein and an NPC helper from the loop event.
“…I feel like a spy. My heart’s racing!”
“This is serious, so take it seriously. You’re the only one who can save her.”
“I understand. After all, you’re the one protecting my grade. I’ll do my best!”
Alicia Mason, who was beside Ken, whispered excitedly while holding her breath.
Ken was very surprised when Emily brought this girl along during the morning training with Siegfried.
“…Ken.”
Emily, with a worried expression, had found her way to the training spot.
Alicia stood beside her.
The incomprehensible situation pointed to one answer.
Emily was currently stuck in a loop.
“Probably, it was my past self that informed Emily about Alicia.”
And he must have ordered to bring Alicia.
After understanding the situation, Ken quickly took action.
First, he instructed Emily to wait at the academy until the woman appeared, and he tended to Raphne.
Then he prepared what was necessary.
The main sword he had created earlier.
He carved a golden spirit stone into the giant bone sword and modified it.
He added rune designs.
It was the target tracking spell he learned while fixing the Aspectra.
Before long, it was nearing sunset, and he joined Emily at the promised location.
Thus, the current situation unfolded.
“…That’s where Emily dies.”
Ken couldn’t see the woman from the loop event.
So he had preemptively marked the ground.
Intersecting lines.
Emily was standing a short distance away from an X marked on the tiles.
With a tense face, Emily trembled.
“She must have faced many deaths in that spot.”
Just standing there would bring painful memories flooding back.
“So, what’s the relationship between you and Senior Emily?”
Feeling bored while waiting quietly, Alicia suddenly asked.
“What do you mean? We’re just classmates, obviously.”
He suddenly recalled how he had spoken harshly to Emily two days ago.
“I’ll have to apologize later.”
However, upon hearing Ken’s response, Alicia covered her mouth and smirked mischievously.
“Hmm heh heh… Sorry, but I have a keen eye. Sweet and bittersweet relationships are my specialty, you know?”
She seemed completely clueless.
Ken ignored her response.
He was curious about what kind of expression she’d make if Emily disclosed how she’d stepped on his head.
But this wasn’t the right time for such stories.
The sun was about to set.
“Warm up your body. You need to move fast when things start.”
“Yes!”
A moment later.
As the sun began to set, the once blue sky started turning orange.
Twilight.
In the blink of an eye, the atmosphere changed rapidly.
The streets, once bright and warm, were dimming under the sunset.
Emily flinched and trembled.
The long-haired woman had appeared out of nowhere.
“Kyahahahahaha! Did you bring her…? You brought her, right? The Child of Prophecy…”
Under the sunset sky, the woman slowly approached Emily.
Overcoming her fear, Emily managed to speak.
“Sh-she’ll be here soon! I brought her, so please, just wait a moment!”
Of course, it was a lie to buy time.
And it was a signal directed at Ken, who was watching over her.
Ken caught Emily’s whisper and realized.
The woman had appeared.
Knowing that the show was about to begin, Ken immediately closed his eyes and concentrated his magical power.
Calorie Burn.
Ken’s will was transmitted through the circulating magic, and soon his body felt like it was burning up.
“…Kuh!”
Ken let out a small groan at the unfamiliar pain.
[Skill used: Calorie Burn]
[Time Limit: 15 minutes]
The clothes Ken was wearing became loose, and his body suddenly felt lighter. Yet, the strength he felt was on a different level.
“…Whoa, wow!”
Alicia, who was watching Ken’s transformation next to him, gazed at him with wide eyes.
‘No wonder she’d be surprised…’
If someone suddenly lost a significant amount of weight, everyone would be shocked.
“W-What did I do to get Senior Emily’s attention? …I just understood it!”
“What are you babbling about?”
“Don’t look this way! I don’t want to develop feelings for a taken man…!”
Ken stared at Alicia with incredulous eyes.
He hadn’t known much about her as she briefly appeared in the game, but this girl was a bit off.
Ken lightly ignored Alicia and pulled out the main sword he had prepared from the subspace pocket.
The golden spirit stone embedded in it sparkled.
Holding the sword, he kept his focus on Emily.
Emily was shaking, ready to sprint off at any moment, but she was holding her ground.
‘Just a little longer… just a little longer, and Ken will surely…!’
Though tears were threatening to spill again, Emily desperately held on, waiting for the woman to approach.
“…Kyaaaah, bring her to me!… Hurry up and bring her to me!… The Child of Prophecy~!”
The woman approached, gradually applying pressure.
As she got closer, Emily trembled in fear, which only filled the woman with delight.
And just as the woman reached the marked spot.
“KEN—NOW━!!”
Emily shut her eyes tight and yelled.
At that signal, Ken immediately stood up from the bushes.
He launched the sword he was holding with all his might.
Kwahaahh━!!
With an incredible roar, the sword shattered the air.
Like an arrow, the flying sword recognized its target through the engraved spell.
It hit the woman exactly at the marked spot.
Kwahaang!!
“Kyyaaaahhh━!!!”
The woman struck by the flying sword was sent flying several meters, crashing into a tree, and soon cried out in agony as the tremendous lightning power surged from the sword.
The hidden form of the woman was revealed to both of them.
“Alicia!! Now’s the time!!”
“Yes!”
Receiving Ken’s signal, Alicia jumped out of the bushes right away, rushing toward the stunned woman.
‘She won’t die… please don’t die…’
Ken thought as he watched the woman being fried by the lightning.
In the ten-day time loop event, two conditions would reset the day.
One was Emily’s death.
The second was the death of that scissor-wielding woman.
Either way, if one dies, time resets and returns to morning.
Therefore, defeating the woman with a strong ally in this event was utterly useless.
“…Now, you strange lady. Look me in the eye.”
Alicia carefully approached the long-haired woman, focusing her magical power on her eyes.
A peculiar pattern emerged as her magic flowed into the woman’s eyes.
The mesmerizing magic eye.
This student named Alicia was the key to clearing the event.
“You will be trapped in a day that repeats forever.”
Alicia and the long-haired woman locked eyes.
The woman, screaming in agony from the lightning, became entranced by Alicia’s gaze, forgetting to scream.
Soon her eyes rolled back as she fell into a world of eternal repetition.
Now all they had to do was wait for the day to pass for Emily’s curse to be lifted.
“Emily!”
“…K-Ken.”
Ken approached Emily, who was sitting in shock as everything settled down.
Emily was still trembling.
Despite the situation being resolved, she remained on edge from the continuous pain.
“…It’s okay, Emily. It’s all over.”
“…R-Really?”
“Yeah, it’s all resolved.”
Ken gently patted Emily’s head.
Feeling his warm touch, Emily finally noticed the fallen woman.
“…Huh, huh… Ken, huh…”
“It’s okay. …It’s okay.”
After a week of enduring the loop alone, Emily realized she was finally liberated from the repetitive pain of death.
“…Huh, huhhh…!”
She clung to Ken, who had saved her.
Letting her suppressed voice erupt, Emily cried out like a child.
“…It’s okay now.”
And Ken, gently stroking Emily’s hair, offered his shoulder for her to cry freely.
“…Look, look! I told you, my eyes don’t lie, do they?”
The oblivious junior smiled mischievously as she watched the two.
After a moment, the now calmer Emily spoke.
“Well then, seniors. I’ll head back! It’s fate, so I hope to see you again!”
Having fulfilled her role, Alicia returned to the dormitory.
Left behind, the two sat on the empty tile path.
“Alright, let’s get up and head back.”
“…”
Ken helped Emily to her feet, who was still gripping tightly onto his sleeve after calming down from her tears.
Though the tears had stopped, Emily still gazed downward, lost in thought.
Thinking it was the residual fear that had hardened her body, Ken held her hand and led her along.
“Let’s go.”
Ken was going to take Emily back to the dormitory.
“Wait a moment… Ken.”
But Emily grabbed Ken’s moving hand, stopping him.
“W-What? Is something wrong?”
“I… I have something to say.”
At her words, Ken turned to face her.
Emily stood there quietly, still looking at the ground with a somber face.
Did she have more to say?
Ken patiently waited for her to speak.
After a moment, it seemed Emily had organized her thoughts and finally looked up at Ken.
“…Ken.”
Her eyes, which had been fearful until just now, now reflected sorrow and guilt.
Forcing her trembling lips to part, Emily spoke.
“I’m sorry for burdening you… I’m really sorry.”
The words she had wanted to say for so long finally came spilling out.
Saying it aloud made her heart race, and tears welled up.
But she couldn’t cry.
She didn’t have the right to cry here.
So, Emily did her best to hold back the tears.
“I’m not asking for forgiveness… What I did isn’t something that can be forgiven with just an apology.”
Emily’s grip tightened around Ken’s hand, transmitting her feelings of acknowledgment and remorse.
She was trembling, admitting her wrongs and seeking forgiveness.
Alicia’s heartfelt sentiment could be felt through their clasped hands.
“Still, I thought it was something I had to say… I’m sorry, Ken. Really, truly sorry.”
Inevitably unable to hold back her tears any longer, Emily bowed her head.
The droplets from her eyes fell on the ground.
Listening silently to Emily’s words, Ken stepped closer to her.
“…I understand, Emily. Look up.”
Ken kindly placed his hand on Emily’s shoulder.
As Emily raised her head to meet Ken’s words, her face was a mess of tears.
Ken pulled out a handkerchief and wiped her tears away.
“Don’t cry too much. It’ll give you a headache.”
“H-Huh, I-I’m sorry, Ken, I shouldn’t be crying…”
With each of her apologies, Ken gently wiped away her tears.
His soothing touch only made Emily’s emotions overflow, and she couldn’t stop crying.
“Well then, how about this?”
Ken pondered how he could help Emily, who was suffering from guilt.
And he came up with a simple solution.
It wasn’t anything grand, but it was the best Ken could do to ease her heart.
“Next time, treat me to a delicious meal. I really love to eat, you know.”
To make it less awkward, Ken smiled.
At his bright smile, Emily’s anxious and troubled heart began to warm.
Without words, she nodded while shedding tears.
