"So, do you know how many times the day repeated?" I asked, leaning forward slightly, my eyes searching hers. I was curious to know just how many times she'd gone through this day to drive her into such a state.
Aira's eyes, red and swollen from crying, darted away from mine. "Roughly 7,400 times. I'm not sure, though. I lost the exact count halfway through." She mumbled, picking at a loose thread on her uniform.
"Alright, let's start from there, then," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "Have you ever thought of other ways to find the culprit besides killing them? Are you sure it's not some extraterrestrial being doing this?"
A faint giggle escaped her lips, a fragile sound that surprised me. "Hehe, I'm sure it isn't. After all, I spoke with Veritas." Her mood seemed to lighten, just a little, at my words. But then, a thought struck me, and my brow furrowed.
"...You spoke with Veritas?" I repeated, my voice laced with disbelief.
She nodded, a small smile playing on her lips. "Mmm, a couple times, actually. Veritas was pretty friendly, you know."
What. Was she kidding me? My mind raced. "Is Veritas the 'person' in our dreams?" I blurted out, then immediately questioned myself. Wait, was "Veritas" even a person?
"Yeah, Veritas pretty much told me right away before we started discussing anything else," Aira confirmed, her gaze meeting mine. "They said they forgot to tell us in our dreams about it."
"Huh. So I guess something that's capable of talking to us in our dreams can forget too," I mused, a strange mix of annoyance and relief washing over me. "So what'd they say?"
Aira fell silent for a second, her eyes drifting towards the window. "They didn't tell me not to tell you, so I guess it's fine," she began, turning back to me. "Basically, they wanted to mess with you a bit, by saying something that sounded like foreshadowing, but they forgot to tell you that I also got caught up in this mess and that the culprit's in the school, something like that."
My jaw dropped.
"WHAT HAPPENED TO 'always checking the places with the people that would know who you are'!? YOU'RE SAYING VERITAS JUST TOLD YOU!?" I practically shouted, slamming my hand lightly on the desk. WAS SHE MESSING WITH ME!? They forgot to tell me something THAT IMPORTANT!?
Still, it didn't change the fact that I had apparently been involved in this craziness multiple times.
"Okay, sorry 'bout that," I said, sighing and rubbing my temples. "So... Why's it always me who gets involved with you?"
Aira shrugged, a hint of her former sadness returning to her eyes. "Dunno." Just then, the bell rang, signaling the start of classes. Her face fell as she heard it. Here it comes. I had another question for her, but I decided to save it until lunchtime.
The classes went on as usual, the mundane lessons a stark contrast to the bizarre conversation I'd just had. I was still shocked how Kian was still here, alive and unharmed, like nothing had happened. But that was just how time loops worked.
The bell rang again, signaling lunchtime. As I was about to approach Aira, my eyes widened in horror. She swiftly stabbed a classmate, muttered something I couldn't quite make out, and then, with a chilling resolve, killed herself with her knife. I had thought that after our exchange in the morning, she would stop. But then I remembered what she had said to me before:
"...I did too. That's why I'm trying to find the culprit behind today repeating."
"...Because if I don't, one important person to me will vanish. It's gonna keep happening until I have nobody left. The day's gonna repeat anyways, so I can go ahead and kill myself all I need."
My memories clicked into place, and now I knew what she had said just before she died—
"Not this one."
And once again, the clock went backwards, slowly at first, then picking up speed.