For Shido, everything began from that day.
No—perhaps it began from the great fire five years ago.
Like a spiral of contradictions, it was impossible to tell cause from effect. Did the fire five years ago create everything that happened today? Or did everything that happened today bring about the tragedy from five years ago?
Perhaps only the Angel Zafkiel could understand that.
In any case, on this day, Itsuka Shido personally witnessed Tobiichi Origami beco a Spirit, then flee. When she returned again, she had already beco a Demon King who destroyed everything.
Origami had inverted.
And with Shido's current strength, there was no way for him to awaken her from her sealed-off consciousness. The girl, who was destroying everything purely by instinct, even shot down the airship Fraxinus.
In the end, Kurumi found him. With the Spirit of Ti's help, Shido returned to Tengu City five years ago, just as Origami had done before.
Only this ti, Kurumi used Tet (Ninth Bullet) to connect her consciousness with Shido's. Through Shido's eyes, the girl wanted to personally confirm what had happened five years ago.
And then, they saw it with their own eyes.
They saw that far too tragic scene—Tobiichi Origami, who had returned to five years ago, accidentally killed her own parents during the battle.
After that, Origami in the sky disappeared. According to Kurumi, that was the phenonon that occurred when Yud Bet's spiritual power ran out and the person struck by the bullet was forcibly returned to the original tiline.
[!!!]
Shido understood everything.
The Origami who had returned to five years ago learned the truth that her parents had been killed by herself. She inverted in despair. Then, because Yud Bet's spiritual power ran out, she returned to the original tiline. And what happened after that was the scene of Origami, now turned into a Demon King, rampaging through Tengu City.
"Origami... One day, you'll know. You'll know the whole truth! But please, no matter what, don't forget! You're not alone... I'll carry your sorrow! I'll endure your anger! If you feel lost, please rely on ! If you face sothing you can't handle alone, then use ! I don't care if you throw all your problems, all your emotions at . So, so... so please... don't fall into despair..."
Shido held the young Origami from five years ago, comforting her, hoping that he could beco soone that child could rely on.
[How unpleasant.]
After saying goodbye to the young Origami, Kurumi's voice echoed in Shido's mind. Through Tet's link, the Spirit of Ti had undoubtedly witnessed everything that happened.
[The enemy who killed Origami-san's parents was Origami-san herself? Indeed, that reason is enough to drive her into despair. But—without my Zafkiel, this unquestionably could never have happened...]
From inside his mind ca the sound of the girl gritting her teeth hard. For Kurumi, who always seed so calm, this was a very rare thing.
[Shido-san. I want to ask you sothing. When did you first et Origami-san?]
"Eh...? That would be... when we were placed in the sa class at the start of second year..."
[Could it be that although Shido-san t Origami-san for the first ti then, she already knew you?]
Once she said that, Shido finally rembered.
Indeed, when they first t, Origami had already known Shido's na.
"Ah..."
At that mont, Shido finally realized.
It was only natural that Origami knew about Shido.
Because—in this ti five years ago, Origami and Shido had already t.
After seeing Shido's reaction, Kurumi beca even more displeased.
[The reason Origami-san hates Spirits. The eting between Shido-san and Origami-san. All the factors that ford the original world are closely related to my ability. If I had not sent Origami-san and Shido-san back five years, the original world would not have been ford...]
Kurumi muttered to herself.
Indeed, just as she said. If Kurumi the Spirit did not exist, if Zafkiel did not exist, perhaps the world Shido and the others lived in would have beco completely different.
"But Kurumi, you didn't use Zafkiel because you specifically wanted to cause this situation, right?"
[Of course not. However, the very act of 'trying to change history' beca one of the elents that ford this current history. After struggling desperately against fate, in the end, we were still toyed with in the palm of the absolute existence called the 'world'. I am furious at that fact.]
"...But everything is already over now."
Shido clenched his fist in regret and spoke.
Origami had already returned to the original world. There was no way to stop Origami's inversion now. And the scene of her parents being killed had been seen by Origami herself, so there was no way to erase her desire for revenge either. To borrow Kurumi's words, Shido had been toyed with by the world from beginning to end.
Even so, there was still a small hope.
That hope was—the Spirit of Ti from five years ago. Following Kurumi's instructions, Shido found the "Kurumi from five years ago."
Their idea was simple. Rather than waiting for Yud Bet's spiritual power to run out and having Shido return to five years later without accomplishing anything, they might as well use the limited ti to find Kurumi from five years ago and borrow Yud Bet's power to go back several more hours, thereby changing everything.
"Very well. I shall offer you my modest assistance."
The plan went smoothly. Kurumi from five years ago agreed to Shido and Kurumi's request.
"...Then, let us et again five years from now."
The girl wearing an eyepatch smiled after hearing Shido praise her outfit, then pulled the trigger.
However, how should they change the direction of the future?
Even though he had traveled back in ti again and returned to the point before Origami, now a Spirit, arrived in Tengu City, Shido did not know what he should do to change everything.
In the end, he set his sights on Phantom. Five years ago, Phantom had found Kotori. That caused the great fire in Tengu City.
At the sa ti, Phantom was also the target Origami wanted to kill, her target for revenge, after borrowing Kurumi's power to return to five years ago. In other words, if Phantom disappeared, then Origami would lose her target. If that happened, the situation where she accidentally killed her parents during her battle with Phantom would no longer happen.
However, things did not go as he wished. Phantom rejected Shido's proposal.
"I am very sorry, but my answer is no. There is still one more thing I need to do... It seems I must thank the Spirit of Ti today. When the ti is ripe, we will et again. At that ti—I will never leave you again. I will never make another mistake."
Leaving those words behind, Phantom disappeared.
Unable to stop Phantom, Shido ran toward the place where Origami's parents were with only one thought in his mind: "I absolutely cannot let that tragedy happen again."
However, there was no ti left. By the ti he reached the scene, a devastating attack was about to fall, sending the two of them from this world before they could even feel pain.
"Damn it!"
Shido kicked hard against the ground with both legs.
[Shido-san!?]
This action was beyond Kurumi's expectations.
However, trapped in this situation, Shido could not think of any better thod.
As a fierce attack was fired from the gathered Angels toward the ground...
"Uoooooooooooooooooooooooooh—!"
Shido let out a hoarse cry, threw himself toward Origami's parents—and pushed their backs with all his strength.
"Wha—"
"Kyaa!"
Suddenly shoved from behind, Origami's parents cried out. Since he had pushed them away with all his strength, perhaps their knees would be scraped when they fell to the ground.
[But please forgive for that small problem.]
I really chose a stupid thod. As Shido's vision gradually turned pure white, he lifted the corner of his mouth in a self-mocking smile.
At that mont, soone's voice reached his ears.
At first, he thought it was Kurumi's voice, but that was not it. This was clearly a voice from the outside.
And just before his vision was completely filled with white light, Shido finally realized it.
It was the voice of Origami from five years ago, standing before his eyes.
In that instant, his eyes t Origami's.
The girl's eyes had not yet been lit by the flas of revenge. They were not yet clouded by the filth of hatred.
"Ah... thank goodness."
After Shido quietly murmured that, his entire body was swallowed by white light, and he lost consciousness.
Original Author's Note:The first-loop recap ends here. I hope this helped everyone get a general understanding of what happened before. Regarding the update for the next volu, I'll be taking two days off tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. I want to carefully think through the plot. I hope everyone understands. (TL:I combined both volu don't worry)
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