Erito woke to a startling realization—his mother wasn't there to wake him up as she usually was. Confusion clouded his thoughts until a familiar voice disrupted the silence.
???: Morning, son. You've got school today.
Erito's heart skipped a beat. He turned towards the voice and was stunned by what he saw.
Erito: Wait, ... Dad? You're not dead!?
In a sudden rush of emotions, Erito lunged toward his father, enveloping him in a tight embrace.
Erito's dad: Of course, I'm not dead. I'm alive, and I'd never leave you or your mom. Come on, your mom finished breakfast. Get ready; school starts at 7.
Erito: (thought) Doesn't it start at 6, not 7?
Erito: Okay!
As Erito glanced around the room, he noticed the clock displaying 5:35 am, 9/27/50. The room had an air of opulence, a stark contrast to his usual surroundings. The ambiance was luxurious, the scent in the air pleasant, and the flooring, a testament to extravagance.
In his school attire, he trotted downstairs and caught sight of omurice, his favorite breakfast.
Erito: Thanks!
His mother beamed at him, recognizing his perpetual enthusiasm. The family gathered around the table and began their meal.
Erito's dad: So, are you walking with your girlfriend to school today?
Erito: (thought) Huh? I don't have a girlfriend?
Erito's mom: Akari, right? You two are so cute together.
Erito's cheeks flushed crimson.
Erito: Mom!
Amidst their laughter, the clock ticked away the minutes until it was 6:40—the time to leave for school.
Erito: Bye, Mom! Bye, Dad!
Erito's parents chimed in unison: Bye! See you soon!
Meanwhile with Akari:
As Akari stirred awake in her familiar room, a sense of déjà vu washed over her. Something fell off, yet everything appeared strangely normal.
(Akari's thoughts): Why does everything seem... different? The house looks less bland than usual.
Her parents' call for breakfast interrupted her bewildered thoughts, and she joined them at the table.
Akari's Dad: Good morning, sweetheart. Ready for your first day at school with your boyfriend, Erito?
Akari: (confused) Dad, what do you mean? Erito and I were at the school's science lab yesterday.
(Akari's thoughts): Boyfriend? Erito? What's he talking about?
Just the notion of Erito being referred to as her boyfriend sent a warm flush spreading across her cheeks.
Akari's Mom: (concerned) Honey, are you feeling, okay? You've been acting strange lately.
Akari shook off her flustered state and tried to convey her confusion.
Akari: (frustrated) No, seriously, something strange is happening.
She glanced at her watch, only to find it displaying the same date and time as before: 5:40 am, 9/27/50.
(Akari's thoughts): This can't be a coincidence.
After finishing breakfast, Akari headed to school, the disconcerting thoughts lingering in her mind.
At school, Erito and Akari unexpectedly crossed paths once more, but something seemed different, almost out of sync.
Erito: (surprised) Akari, you're here!
Akari: (confused) Erito? What's happening?
Erito: (frustrated) I woke up in my own house this morning, with my parents mentioning you as if we're...
Akari: (interrupting) A couple? My parents said something similar! But... that's impossible, isn't it? Although... maybe... it could work.
Her voice trailed off as a faint tinge of embarrassment colored her cheeks. The thought of Erito being her boyfriend was somehow growing on her.
Erito: What did you say? I couldn't hear you at the end there.
Akari: Nothing!
Realizing their experiences matched in a bizarre way, the exchanged their morning encounters were too different from last time, they were perplexed by the inexplicable turn of events.
Akari: (determined) This isn't a coincidence. We have to figure out what's happening.
Erito: What a drag... Fine, let's figure it out together.
Throughout the day, an eerie sensation lingered around Erito and Akari, an uncanny feeling of being under observation. Strange silhouettes flitted at the edges of their vision, vanishing whenever they tried to focus on them. The figures seemed oddly familiar, but the reason remained elusive.
In the bustling science classroom:
The Science Teacher addressed the class, his voice cutting through the air with a tone of enthusiasm.
Nakikumari: Alright, class! I'm your teacher, Mr. Nakikumari. Today, we're delving into a fascinating activity—observing microscopic organisms.
Erito and Akari exchanged an apprehensive glance, their thoughts synced in silent panic.
(Both in thought): What about the science project we were supposed to be working on? Maybe it's really the first day of school.
Nakikumari: You'll form groups of two! This isn't a graded project, just a bit of fun. Let's see...
He reached for the basket, pulling out slips of paper to determine the groups.
Nakikumari: Erito... Akari... You two will be a group.
With the rest of the groups assigned, Hiro and Yuki found themselves paired together.
Yuki: Everything okay, Hiro?
Hiro: I don't know. I feel like I'm losing it.
Yuki: Same here.
Erito's gaze darted toward the classroom door, a sense of unease prickling at his skin.
Erito: (Thought) I could have sworn someone was just there...
As the day progressed, the strange figures continued to haunt Erito and Akari's periphery, leaving them unsettled and increasingly curious about the bizarre occurrences encircling their lives.
In the science lab, Erito and Akari exchanged hushed whispers, discussing the eerie figures that had been haunting their experiences.
Erito: (whispering) Did you see them?
Akari: (nervously) Yeah, those figures...
Erito: (thoughtful) And they seem to be linked to whatever is happening to us.
After school, Erito and Akari met up, their determination to solve this mystery unwavering.
Erito: (serious) Akari, let's start by comparing our experiences from the last few "todays."
Erito: (thoughtful) Why are we the ones in this loop? Is this even a loop? It feels more like an experiment.
Akari: (focused) Right. We need to find any patterns or clues that could lead us to an answer.
They spent hours dissecting their experiences, trying to discern a pattern or underlying cause for their strange reality shifts.
Erito: (frustrated) It's like our lives are being rewritten.
Akari: (resolute) But why? And by whom?
Erito: (exclaiming) I got it!
Akari: What?
Erito: We seem to be in some sort of time loop, but with each loop, we're traversing different realities.
Akari: Hmm, our watches seem to indicate which reality we're in.
Erito: Exactly. It's like a multiversal constant. Us, and surprisingly, Yuki and Hiro.
Akari: I noticed that too.
The lab equipment seemed to have reverted to its state from the first loop.
A/N: They just noticed that.
Akari: Look at the instruction manuals.
Erito: Finally, we can start experimenting.
Eagerly, they pored over the instruction manuals, hoping to unlock the secrets hidden within the machines and the lab itself.
Erito: (excited) This is incredible, Akari! We have all the information we need to start our experiments.
Akari: (determined) Let's make the most of this opportunity, Erito. We have a chance to understand these strange occurrences.
With the manuals in hand, they began planning their experiments, focusing on unraveling the mysteries surrounding quantum entanglement, a central theme in their experiences.
Erito: (matter-of-factly) We know that the change of realities and the loop are interconnected, almost inseparable.
Akari: True, but the figures seem different. They don't feel like they're part of this loop.
Erito: What do you mean?
Akari: They're distorted and elusive, disappearing when we try to observe them closely.
Erito: (thoughtful) You're right. Those figures seem more like observers or entities linked to our experiences. But who or what could they be?
Akari: (speculating) It's hard to say. They feel familiar, like we should know them, but it's like trying to recall a forgotten memory.
Erito: (determined) For now, let's focus on our experiments. Maybe along the way, we'll find out more about these figures.
As they dived deeper into their experiments on quantum entanglement, Erito and Akari felt a sense of progression. They sensed that they were edging closer to uncovering the truths behind their ever-changing realities and the enigmatic figures watching over them. The journey had just begun, and they were resolute in their quest for answers.
And now it was 9pm
As they walked through the rain under the protection of Erito's umbrella, their conversation steered toward the peculiar consistency of rainfall at the conclusion of each loop.
Erito: Why does it always rain at the end of each loop?
Akari: I don't know, maybe it's another constant, a consistent element that remains unchanged in every loop.
Akari glanced up at the sky, noticing that the rainfall pattern wasn't behaving naturally; it felt too erratic, almost as if it were manufactured.
Akari: You know how rain works, right?
Erito: Yeah, water vapor condenses in the atmosphere until it's dense enough to fall back towards the ground due to gravity.
Akari: You know how the rain falls randomly here?
Erito: (confused) Yeah...?
Akari: When we put the random feature on our phone's music playlist, it's pseudorandom. To us humans there's a pattern to its randomness. But this rain... it's not falling randomly; it doesn't follow any natural pattern it never lands in the same place twice.
Erito: So, this rain might not be natural, or it could be a defining aspect of this reality or the loop itself. Maybe it's signaling something, some event that occurs during the rain.
Akari: Let's take a left here.
Erito: Ok.
They turned a corner, finding themselves standing in front of the gates of a grand estate.
Akari: I could take it from here. Bye, Erito.
Erito watched as Akari disappeared behind the gates, feeling a sense of unease about the odd rain and the mysteries surrounding their experiences.
Erito: Bye, Akari.
He decided to head home, thoughts swirling in his mind about the next steps to take in unraveling the truth behind these inexplicable events.
10 minutes later, Erito took the usual shortcut on his way home, lost in his thoughts when he was unexpectedly approached by a stranger.
???: Hey, random kid, ever thought about becoming a super actor?
Erito: Huh?
???: The name's Sato, and I can get you to the top of your acting career.
Erito: (uninterested) Sorry, no thanks. I'm not one for taking the easy way out.
Erito turned away and continued walking. Sato, however, attempted to grab him, pulling out a bag as if planning something sinister. Suddenly, a man in a black cloak, partially translucent and resembling one of the mysterious figures introduced previously, intervened.
Cloaked man: You're not touching him.
Sato, undeterred, brandished a knife, but the cloaked man swiftly disarmed him with a silent and precise move. He incapacitated Sato, leaving him unconscious on the ground, but not before revealing a distinct blue clock marking on his hand. Erito, unaware of this encounter, continued on his way home.
Meanwhile, Akari was engrossed in drawing within her sketchbook by the window when she noticed a red dot on her forehead in the mirror. Reacting quickly, she dodged, narrowly avoiding a sniper shot that shattered the window.
Akari: (panting) Another sniper? That was too close! Why am I always targeted like this? This isn't normal!
She glanced at her red watch, noting the appearance of a red '2'.
Akari: I should try to sleep, but it'll be difficult after this.
At the sniper's location, a woman in a black cloak, partially translucent like the figures before, confronted the shooter.
???: W-what? How did you know I was here?
Cloaked Woman: Your shot lacked a suppressor; the whole city heard it.
???: W-who are you?
Cloaked Woman: I am part of the two who work behind the shadows, and my name is...
The Cloaked Woman swiftly subdued the sniper, leaving them unconscious, before disappearing into the night.
END OF EPISODE 3