Collapse, the Ordinary Daily Life of the Valkyries

The pedestrian signal light switched to red, and the cars on both sides rushed out together as if they couldn't wait any longer.

"The idea that there are people heading into the future and people heading into the past at the same time is ridiculous. Sure enough, your understanding is flawed."

It seems to be true as he said. As Teranishi said, am I the only one who went back to the past?

"Well, as far as I know, I haven't noticed anything unusual in this world. It's very peaceful."

"I told you it was just Teranishi that you didn't notice."

"From the time I was born until now, sixteen years and six months, nothing unusual has ever happened in the world as far as I know. It will definitely be the same from now on."

The traffic light turned green and people around started moving.

We followed the crowd across the street. A group of high school girls ahead of us seemed to be whispering among themselves, and one of them was staring at me for some reason.

"I'm looking forward to your reaction tomorrow."

"What time is tomorrow?"

"July 2nd, of course."

“…Haaaa.”

I looked up at the tree by the roadside and sighed heavily. In the corner of my vision, a cicada chirped and flew away.

"I vote that Kiichi's head is weird."

Terasi, who was fiddling with his phone, muttered expressionlessly.

"You still don't believe it?"

"No one would believe this, are you dreaming?" Teranishi stuffed his phone into his pocket, then left me and walked forward. "Let's go to the convenience store."

"Wait a minute."

I hurriedly pushed through the crowd and chased after him.

"On a side note, how are things going between you and Kamiki-san?"

"What are you saying all of a sudden..."

"Look, didn't you talk to me about Kamiki-san last fall? Now I'm convinced you're interested in her. You're subtly popular. ——Really, being too generous will only lead to you suffering."

Is Teranishi more interested in discussing my relationship than the fact that the world repeats itself on the same day? That's stupid. My own relationship isn't everyone else's business.

"Hey, how's it going?"

“That feeling that’s starting now.”

My discussion with Teranishi about Kamiki-san must have taken place a few days after the cultural festival. I can't remember what we talked about, but it was a rather disjointed mess. I think it was too late to talk to him.

Teranishi would never do something like mocking a friend's relationship.

"If you don't take a relationship seriously, it might make a person's emotions dull."

Although this sentence is Teranishi's catchphrase, he has nothing to do with such things.

"What—? Just let it go away naturally?"

I am speechless.

"Hey, Kiichi, look at this."

After entering the convenience store, Teranishi picked up a part of the sports newspaper and opened it to see a list of horse racing results.

"Terasai, could it be that..."

"Hahaha, use this to prove your hypothesis! Anyway, write it down for me. So, wouldn't the two of us become billionaires?"

...a billionaire.

"It's tempting, but the me you see tomorrow might not be the same me as today."

"I think it's the same person..."

"Your theory is full of holes. Or rather, nothing more than holes, right?"

“That’s really strict.”

I took the newspaper and wanted to write down the horse racing results as Teranishi had asked, but the clerk stared at me, so I had to take out my wallet from my pocket.

When we were leaving, Teranishi looked at me as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he just said "See you tomorrow" and left.

I think Teranishi was skeptical about this matter until the very end, but this is much better than completely denying it. I thank him from the bottom of my heart.

On the way home, I felt better than yesterday.

***********************************************

That night, I went to a nearby convenience store to read a book in order to witness the moment when the world returned to the previous day.

I usually go to bed early, so I wiped my sleepy eyes and continued to persevere.

It was probably half past eleven at night.

My weariness had reached its peak, and I remember nothing after that.

When I came to my senses, I was already lying in bed, and the sunlight shining through the curtains was undoubtedly the morning sun.

What happened?

The time was 6:30 in the morning, the same time as yesterday and the day before yesterday.

“——Huh?”

The sports newspaper that had been placed on the mat was gone.

I hurried downstairs to ask my family, but they all shook their heads in denial. Only after everyone had confirmed it did I finally realize it was July 1st, and I was stunned.

Back in my room, I thought about this with my slow morning brain. Yes, the sports newspaper wasn't taken away by anyone.

I lay across the bed.

Suppose the world changes after a day. When this change occurs, I won't know unless I observe someone other than myself throughout the day—what must have happened yesterday when I lost consciousness?

Whether something has changed within me, or perhaps the world itself—I can't tell at this stage, but either way, I'm isolated.

I felt this even more strongly when I saw Teranishi at school this morning.

"Hey, did you watch the TV show yesterday?"

This one sentence is enough.

At that moment, I realized that no matter what I did, it was meaningless. No matter how much I tried to explain to Teranishi, the next morning his memory would return to the state it was a day before. (Or perhaps he would return to his old self.)

"Hey, hey, your face has turned blue."

Teranishi patted my shoulder and looked at me worriedly.

***********************************

The first of July, the fifth of the year—that morning, I didn't go to school. Instead, I took the JR and the municipal subway to the center of Misaki City. Everything would be back to square one tomorrow, and the people around me wouldn't think much of me whether I went to school or not. But staying home on a school day would have made my mother suspicious, so I had to go out.

I have to do something——this thought dominated my mind.

Miscellaneous: Statues

Just as nine figures, reeking of blood and sweat, were about to enter an abandoned temple, a hungry stray dog ​​smelled their scent and bared its teeth. However, a vicious glare from one of the men frightened the dog into fleeing with its tail between its legs.

The group gathered in the hall, shutting the doors and windows to prevent light from leaking in. They lit candles and placed them on the floor, sitting in a circle on the floor to count their gains.

This group of men in black suits had recently gone on a killing spree in the drugstore "Relief House" in Fushimi.

"Let's see how many people each of you has killed."

The leader sat in the center, his voice echoing through the dark space with a particularly eerie air. The candlelight couldn't illuminate their faces, so they looked like a flock of headless black birds.

Why do these people gather together to confirm how many people they have killed first?

There is no other reason, just want to show off his killing skills.

"Qingzang?"

"two."

"Sitting for a long time?"

"two"

"Where's Duo Xibing?"

"One."

"Tōchichi?"

"Two—just four or five-year-old kids."

The person who answered had a sarcastic tone in his voice.

"Children are people too. Where's Manta?"

"Three."

"Changci?"

"Three."

"Yoshimatsu?"

"One. Not fun at all."

"Finally...Ajumma?"

"Four."

A faint, low sound, almost a groan, came from between the men. However, it did not surprise those present. A Juan's behavior seemed natural and not worth making a fuss about.

"I killed five—all together, twenty-three. A good performance, as good as our harvest to-day."

The leader said this. Just as he was about to open the two stacked boxes of 1,000 taels before him (Note 1)...

The candle flame began to flicker. The wind blowing the candle flame did not come from the gap between the door and window, but from the door facing the corridor being opened.

As soon as the nine people saw the two figures at the door, the scene immediately became murderous.

No one asked who the other party was. All nine men simultaneously drew their pointed daggers, threatening to suck away the candlelight.

Several people stood up.

"Wait a moment!"

One of the two figures spoke:

"We came to this dilapidated temple to spend the night, and we didn't expect such a coincidence to come across such an interesting thing. Are you guys thieves? It seems you just came back from a big scam."

The voice suggested an elderly man. His natural, steady tone slightly dampened the gang's murderous intent. Facing nine murderous men, he could still speak so calmly.

"I know you're all planning to kill me to silence me, and that's perfectly normal. But before you do, could you please listen to a few words from me? I think you might be interested."

At this moment, a thief suddenly rushed over from the right. The man who had just spoken did not dodge, and when the two figures almost overlapped, the clear sound of flesh and bones breaking was heard.

The thief rushed forward another five or six steps, and when he was near the corridor—almost in front of the door—he turned around. From the way he flung the dagger in his hand, his murderous intent was clearly felt.

It happened so quickly that the other thieves didn't even see what was happening. The actual situation often differs greatly from what was originally expected, but no one expected the difference to be so great.

"Yoshimatsu?"

Suddenly someone shouted loudly.

"Why is your... face upside down?!"

As this person said, although the man named Yoshimatsu's body was facing the house, his head was facing the door.

Yoshimatsu said softly:

"what?"

Then he said:

“It…seems…like…”

The moment Yoshimatsu realized what had happened, his head rolled off his body. Blood spurted out, and his body fell to the ground. After a thud, silence enveloped the scene.

The reason these thieves fell silent was shock far more than fear. They witnessed their comrade's death in a way that was absolutely impossible to happen in this world. It was simply an absurd and comical scene.

While the thieves were still gazing at the corpse, the stranger approached the candle, and in the hypnotic light his features became visible.