After Rikka Sakuragawa left, Hiruko finally turned to look at Shide beside her, her face full of fearful trembling as she spoke in a shaking voice.
"That... that guy is so strong... terrifyingly strong... definitely not human..."
"Calm down, Hiruko."
Shide removed the shadow shell covering his body, revealing a face identical to Masahito Karikiri's.
"What exactly happened? I don't have memories from before the rewind. Tell me everything."
Hiruko took several deep breaths, forcing herself to calm down, though her voice still trembled slightly.
"That morning five days from now... I suddenly felt a shadow suddenly dissipate, but it wasn't the feeling of being destroyed, rather an extremely painful sensation I'd never experienced before, and then... less than thirty seconds later, from that direction..."
At this point, Hiruko raised her hand and pointed towards the dark hole in the distance, trembling as she spoke.
"That guy wearing the black mask... charged over from there, trying to touch my eyes with his hand..."
"Eyes?"
Masahito Karikiri said thoughtfully.
"Why the eyes..."
"I... I felt..."
Hiruko took a deep breath, her red eyes revealing fear.
"I felt that guy... wanted to take my eyes... meaning to take away part of my time rewinding ability..."
"Hmm?"
Masahito Karikiri frowned upon hearing this, speaking coldly.
"So the other party knows you have the ability to rewind time? But how is that possible... besides me, no one knows about this... moreover, how did they find this place? How strange."
Hiruko didn't know the answer either, as although she could sense every shadow, unless face-to-face, copying humans through shadows, she couldn't transmit memories.
And although Masahito Karikiri had seen Ye Xing's true appearance before dying, he didn't inherit memories after time rewinding.
Ye Xing was using this method to confirm information.
Revealing his true appearance before Masahito Karikiri, but appearing in his Mask form before Hiruko.
So on this timeline, if the other party waited for the right moment to launch a full-force attack directly against him, it would confirm that Masahito Karikiri could inherit memories; otherwise, he couldn't.
"In your current state, how many more rewinds can you perform?"
Hearing Masahito Karikiri's question, Hiruko carefully replied.
"About... thirty or forty times... if you let me feed... I should be able to use more..."
"Thirty or forty times..."
Masahito Karikiri frowned slightly, his expression looking somewhat dissatisfied, while Hiruko appeared timid and submissive. Anyone unaware would think Masahito Karikiri was the real villain...
Oh, right, he was the villain boss all along, never mind then.
"Tell me everything we did over the next five days, every single detail."
Masahito Karikiri's face appeared somewhat distorted, with a chilling glint in his eyes.
"With so many chances to redo things, no matter how powerful that so-called Mask might be, succeeding just once would make my victory a reality."
...
A few minutes later, on the other side, Rikka Sakuragawa, who had already left the underground cave and was now in a small wooden cabin in the woods, murmured to herself.
"I see, so that's the ability..."
Masahito Karikiri had prevented Hiruko from revealing the time reversal ability, and even deliberately had other shadows accompany Rikka Sakuragawa away before discussing this topic - he was being extremely cautious.
However, there was one thing he hadn't considered.
Just like ordinary humans, neither he nor Hiruko could perceive the soul's true form - something Rikka Sakuragawa had confirmed since her first day arriving on Hitogashima Island.
The entire conversation between Masahito Karikiri and Hiruko had been clearly overheard by Izanami, who was nearby, and after returning to her main body, Rikka Sakuragawa had obtained all this information.
Time reversal ability?
Indeed... coming to Hitogashima Island was an extremely good choice.
Rikka Sakuragawa was already thinking that if she could seize Hiruko's ability, combined with Izanami's transformation power, and her vague premonition of future disasters...
Then even Mask wouldn't be able to stop her anymore.
However, achieving this would still be somewhat difficult.
With Hiruko possessing the time reversal ability, how could she seize that power?
Rikka Sakuragawa frowned slightly, pondering quietly in her heart.
That Shide's true identity... turned out to be human... and it seems he's the one in charge. Why would Hiruko, who possesses such powerful abilities, follow his orders... If I could grasp that guy's desires...
Thinking this far, a complete plan had already formed in Rikka Sakuragawa's mind.
Because of Mask and his assistants, and due to the notice they had sent earlier, even on this nearly isolated Hitogashima Island, she couldn't show herself freely, or she might be recognised.
But as long as she transformed one psychic, Rikka Sakuragawa could begin investigating this island through that person.
The ultimate goal...
Find that Shide's main body's desires, transform him into a psychic under her control, and then...
Have him consume Hiruko, seizing that time reversal ability.
That way, everything would be accomplished.
From beginning to end, Rikka Sakuragawa never considered Hiruko and Shide as equal partners - they were merely tools to be used.
...
Meanwhile, outside Kofune Restaurant.
"There's still some time before it gets dark. Where would you like to go? I'll accompany you."
Hearing Ushio Kofune's question, Ye Xing asked casually.
"Hmm... I want to ask you something."
Ushio Kofune replied with a smile.
"What is it? Go ahead and ask. If I know, I'll definitely tell you."
"Have you seen a young woman with large breasts, long black hair, a beauty spot near her mouth, and wearing glasses?"
"Er..."
Hearing Ye Xing's blunt description, Ushio Kofune couldn't help but pause for a moment. After thinking carefully, she said hesitantly, "Could you be talking about... little Hizuru?"
"Little Hizuru? Hizuru Minakata?"
"Right, you know each other?"
"I know her, she doesn't know me."
Ye Xing brushed it off with familiar words, then asked with a smile.
"Is she on this island?"
"Yes, but she just returned, arriving just two days before you."
"I see. Let's go then."
"Eh, where to?"
"To find Hizuru Minakata."
...
Though Ushio Kofune didn't understand what Ye Xing intended to do, she still accompanied him and followed along.
During this process, she noticed a peculiar detail.
Even though Ye Xing claimed it was his first time on Hitogashima Island, he seemed more familiar with the local routes than she was, completely lacking the confusion one would expect in an unfamiliar environment. It was almost as if... he had lived here for a long time.
When they passed through several small paths and arrived at a remote mountainous forest, just as Ushio couldn't contain her curiosity and wanted to ask why they had come here, she suddenly heard a crisp gun bolt sound from behind her and Ye Xing.
"Stand there, don't move."
Ushio instinctively turned her head and saw an elderly man dressed like a forest ranger, wearing a hat and with a robust build, aiming a hunting rifle at her and Ye Xing.
As a resident of the island, she naturally recognised him. Her expression somewhat flustered, she forced a smile and said.
"Un... Uncle Nezu... pointing that gun at us... Isn't that too dangerous?"
Facing the old hunter's gun barrel, Ye Xing simply responded indifferently.
"If you want to confirm whether we're shadows, why not just shoot at our shadows? Threatening with a gun... seems rather foolish of you."
Hearing this, Ginjiro Nezu's expression changed. He still held the hunting rifle without lowering it, speaking in a deep voice.
"You... also know about the shadows?"
"Somewhat."
As the two words fell, before Ginjiro Nezu could react, his vision suddenly blurred. He instinctively tried to pull the trigger, but found that somehow Ye Xing had already inserted a finger behind the trigger. No matter how hard he tried, even with his face turning red, he couldn't press it down.
Bang!
Just then, Ushio suddenly heard a gunshot from behind. She watched as the shadow cast by Ye Xing on the ground, having been struck by the bullet, burst open with a crater.
"Didn't I already say..."
Ye Xing turned his head, looking at the young woman with straight black hair, a bust size far exceeding ordinary people, comparable to Hana Yurikawa, a beauty mark below the corner of her mouth, and wearing glasses. He spoke lightly with a chuckle.
"Now we can confirm I'm not a shadow, right?"
Hizuru Minakata didn't respond; instead, she gathered her long black hair with a hair tie, tying it into a high ponytail.
"Sigh, why bother?"
Ye Xing shook his head, sighing with slight helplessness.
"By making this decision now, it means you'll be beaten up by me on every timeline. I don't have a fetish for tormenting humans, you know."
Hizuru Minakata didn't reply, merely narrowing her eyes slightly. In an instant, with extremely professional speed completely mismatched with her beautiful and quiet appearance, she charged towards Ye Xing, who stood there.
Hizuru Minakata had a twin brother, Ryunosuke Minakata. When they were children, they encountered Haine. Haine attempted to copy Ryunosuke, but Hizuru struck the Shadow during the process, interrupting the assimilation. As a result, Ryunosuke's incomplete Shadow imprint attached itself to Hizuru.
Because of this, Hizuru now carries her brother's shadow personality inside her, giving her two distinct personas. In battle, she ties her hair into a high ponytail—a habit associated with Ryunosuke—and allows his aggressive, combat-oriented personality to take over.
Due to the incomplete copying, Ryunosuke's shadow grants Hizuru a special ability to sense movements approximately two seconds ahead, which dramatically boosts her combat effectiveness.
In other words, in this state, Ryunosuke Minakata, who controls Hizuru Minakata's body, has the ability to predict the next two seconds.
Bang!
With one hand still pressing the trigger of Ginjiro Nezu's shotgun, Ye Xing casually raised his other hand to block the powerful whip kick from Hizuru Minakata, his expression as relaxed as ever, even finding the leisure to remark, "That pre-battle ponytail tying reminds me of someone familiar. The proportions are somewhat similar too, and both of you wear glasses. If there's a chance, I should introduce you two."
Hizuru Minakata, or rather, Ryunosuke Minakata at this moment, had no mind to respond.
He never expected that Ye Xing would so effortlessly block his full-force whip kick.
Feeling the pain in his shin bone, Ryunosuke Minakata quickly realised: though his combat awareness was strong, Hizuru Minakata's body wasn't a shadow—it was just an ordinary human's.
In that instant of impact, the shin bone of this body had fractured.
Ryunosuke Minakata quickly retreated several steps, creating distance as he observed Ye Xing standing there. Gritting his teeth, he thought to himself that the other indeed wasn't a shadow—the shot he'd fired earlier had confirmed that.
But if he wasn't a shadow... why did he possess such terrifying physical prowess and reaction speed?
Just what was he...
At that moment, Ryunosuke Minakata saw the future two seconds from now.
He... no, his sister's body lay collapsed on the ground, condition unknown.
Having foreseen the future, Ryunosuke Minakata naturally wouldn't wait helplessly. Just as he prepared to defend against Ye Xing's attack, he suddenly saw a blur flash before his eyes, followed by his vision gradually darkening.
Watching Hizuru Minakata fall to the ground with a thud after being knocked unconscious by him, Ye Xing chuckled lightly and brushed off his hands.
"Done."
As a cheat player who'd read the walkthrough, Ye Xing knew Hizuru Minakata's special ability all too well.
Predicting the future two seconds ahead?
Truly impressive.
Unfortunately, the hardware couldn't keep up.
When both body and mind are completely unable to react, two seconds simply aren't enough to change anything.
Just then, a gunshot suddenly rang out.
Bang!
Hidden birds scattered in panic from the woods.
"Ye Xing!"
Ushio Kofune watched the gunpowder smoke bursting from the hunting rifle's muzzle, her face first shifting in alarm, then realising Ye Xing remained standing there perfectly fine, completely unscathed - except for a metallic object now held between his thumb and forefinger.
"Old chap."
Ye Xing turned towards Ginjiro Nezu, whose expression was one of utter disbelief, and spoke with a light laugh.
"I can react to bullets."
Both Ginjiro Nezu and Ushio Kofune were dumbfounded.
Catching bullets bare-handed?
Are you even human?
When Ye Xing claimed he could react to bullets, it wasn't entirely truthful.
If it were a specialised sniper rifle like those used by the Metropolitan Police Department, firing supersonic bullets, relying solely on his senses wouldn't be enough to react.
But for subsonic bullets from civilian hunting rifles like this one, where the sound travels faster than the bullet itself, at this distance of over five metres, even Miko Yotsuya could react if she anticipated the shot in advance, let alone Ye Xing.
Of course, to ordinary people like Ginjiro Nezu and Ushio Kofune, there was no difference between subsonic, sonic, or supersonic bullets.
Is this guy really human!?
...
Several minutes later, when Hizuru Minakata finally regained consciousness, she saw Ye Xing leaning against a tree, with Ginjiro Nezu and Ushio Kofune standing nearby wearing complicated expressions.
Feeling the pain in her calf, Hizuru Minakata frowned slightly and was about to let Ryunosuke's personality take over her body when Ginjiro Nezu hurried forward to stop her.
"Minakata, don't act yet. This young man truly means us no harm. Perhaps we should hear what he has to say first."
Ginjiro Nezu wasn't stupid.
With that bullet-catching skill Ye Xing had just demonstrated, if he really wanted to kill him and Hizuru Minakata, wouldn't he have done so already? Why wait until now?
"Since Mr Nezu says so..."
Hizuru Minakata gritted her teeth, enduring the pain in her calf as she adjusted her glasses.
"Then let's hear what you have to say."
Ye Xing proceeded to explain everything to Hizuru Minakata, Ginjiro Nezu, and Ushio Kofune: that this was already a reset timeline, that Haine's true identity was actually a higher-dimensional being that had drifted to this island three hundred years ago and was the source of all shadows, and that the true mastermind behind everything was actually Masahito Karikiri, along with his background and origins.
"You're saying..."
Ushio Kofune wore an expression of disbelief as she hesitantly spoke.
"That Masahito Karikiri is actually Shidehiko Hishigata, founder of Hishigata Hospital, and that through mating with Hiruko, he continuously produces his own children, then uses the shadow's ability to copy his memories into them, thus... surviving for three hundred years?"
Ushio Kofune was completely bewildered, even feeling somewhat nauseous as she frowned deeply.
"This... this would mean... Haine is both his wife... and his mother? That's... utterly disgusting."
Ye Xing looked towards the silent Hizuru Minakata and said in a calm tone, "You should know that since I can speak Haine's name, I'm not just making things up randomly."
"I understand..."
Hizuru Minakata had only ever told Ginjiro Nezu about her younger brother Ryunosuke's death and about making a friend named Haine all those years ago.
Since Ye Xing could name Haine, it most likely proved that everything he had just said was true.
"But since you've already successfully approached Haine once, why do you still..."
Before Hizuru Minakata could finish her sentence, she saw Ye Xing raise his hand, interrupting with a serious expression.
"Don't rush. First, help me with something. It's very important."
...
Meanwhile, at Rio Futaba's home.
"Ye Xing... can actually retain memories from the regression... Even though we didn't feel anything at all..."
Yui Yuigahama's voice already carried a hint of tears.
"We... can only stand by and watch? Not only can we not help, but we can't even share the memories of the timeline with him..."
Hearing these words, the members were all left speechless.
Kazusa Touma suddenly stood up. Seeing her movement, Mai Sakurajima quickly tried to dissuade her.
"What are you going to do?"
"What do you mean? Of course I'm going to Hitogashima Island."
Kazusa Touma wore a calm and composed expression, though her hands had already unconsciously clenched, lightly biting her teeth as she said,
"I can't accept letting him fight alone in a dangerous place, repeating the battles over and over again, while I can only stand by and watch. I want to be with him."
Hearing this, although Mai Sakurajima shared Kazusa Touma's impulse, she could only maintain her rationality and try to dissuade her.
"Even if you go, you won't be able to change anything. Besides, Ye Xing might not find it painful. After all, you know him..."
"How could he possibly not be happy on an unfamiliar small island surrounded by enemies?"
Just as Kazusa Touma finished speaking, before Mai Sakurajima could continue her attempts at dissuasion, all the members' phones rang at once.
Rio Futaba saw from the screen that it was a message from Ye Xing. Her pupils contracted in shock, fearing something might have happened to him, and she quickly picked up her phone to anxiously check the message content.
But the next moment, all the members first froze, then looked at each other, their faces filled with speechless expressions.
The message contained a photo: on Ye Xing's left was a beautiful girl with pretty golden hair, who appeared to be mixed-race and fair-skinned, while on his right was a young woman with long black hair and glasses, exuding an intellectual aura, who was also well-endowed.
Beneath it was an attached message:
[This emperor is doing very well on Hitogashima Island. My beloved consorts need not worry.]