Why wasn't I the one who got the male lead's script?

What if this is someone's intention?

"…………!"

Xingjian suddenly figured something out and changed his dejected attitude, suddenly standing up from the ground.

Yes, that's how it should be.

If he, as a time traveler, did nothing and the world still changed inexplicably, then there could only be one explanation.

In addition to him, there are factors that can change the world.

And since the difference between this time and space and the original time and space lies in the existence of Futaba Rio...

So who made the changes that led to the current situation of the world line? He could more or less guess it.

Eliminating all the impossible factors, the only thing that could possibly do this is——

Futaba Rio herself.

To be precise, it is Futaba Rio herself who is in the time and space where "Hoshimi Haru has died" ten years later.

Her words were the only reasonable choice, and she had sufficient motivation because she knew about Hoshimi's identity as a time traveler.

But why? For what reason? How?

and most importantly -

How can we change the current situation?

"Phew...take your time. Don't rush things."

Xingjian, whose brain was working rapidly and felt a little excited, tried hard to maintain rationality and composure, trying not to let his reasoning become objective and practical because of too many emotional factors.

Think about it carefully from the beginning.

He absolutely doesn't want such a future.

Most people will only cherish what they had in the past when they are faced with the day of real loss, but he is very fortunate that he still has a chance to make amends.

“—Wait, I remember…”

The day before, he stayed at Futaba's house at night when the world line ten years later had not yet changed.

Something happened.

[Futaba Line] Destiny: Chapter 7: The Disappearance of Futaba Rio (Part 2)

Hoshimi recalled the first time she saw the transparent potion made by Futaba.

It wasn't when Futaba threw it to herself before the time travel early the next morning, but earlier.

The night he spent the night at Futaba's house ten years later was actually yesterday according to his physical senses - when Futaba cleaned up the study and left him a bed on the floor, he had seen the bottle of transparent medicine in a test tube on the desk.

The bottle of reagent was quietly placed on the test tube rack in front of the desk, with some numbers on it symbolizing the production time and capacity.

Xingjian vaguely remembered what he saw that night - there was not just one bottle of reagent left on the test tube rack.

So, if I can only travel through time and space again with the help of this bottle of reagent...

The black-haired boy, who was leaning against the wall on the street and observing the people coming and going, took out the reagent bottle that he had placed carefully from his pocket.

In the transparent glass test tube, at least half of the liquid remains.

"...Luckily, I held back and didn't drink it all at once. I left at least half."

If Futaba also relied on this thing to change the world line, then if she wants to overturn all this, she can only rely on this bottle of reagent.

"........."

Holding tightly in his hand the reagent that symbolizes the hope of changing the future again, Xingjian fell into an unspeakable silence.

The only explanation that makes sense is that Futaba also used the same method as him to go back to the past and changed something, which led to the current situation.

But why did she do that?

Ten years later, Futaba actually had some resentment and dissatisfaction towards that time and space, which Xingjian could clearly feel.

He actually didn't want to attribute this matter to himself, but was there any possibility that -

Her decadence and world-weariness were partly due to her own death.

So she wanted to change this ending, even at all costs.

"…………"

After a long silence, Xingjian's raised hand slowly fell, and his eyes wandered into the distance, looking at the steel and concrete in the city.

Is this the world that Futaba wants to leave for him at all costs?

A world where one's existence is erased by unknown means, allowing Xing Jianqing to survive successfully.

If this is what she wants, that guy...even if he can't let it go, he will definitely force her to accept it.

Because she didn't tell Xingjian about her plan at all, she might have been planning all this secretly from the beginning.

Having said that, Futaba had said before that she had been researching for the past ten years.

If those reagents were her finished products, she would probably try them herself even if her self from ten years ago didn't show up.

It is to allow the world where "Xing Jianqing survives" to continue.

Although Xingjian had gradually realized Futaba's feelings for him after meeting her ten years later...but this fact today made him feel her feelings for him even more deeply.

Even ten years from now, he would have a stable life and a steady career. Even without his friends by his side, he would still be able to lead a busy and fulfilling life.

She really knows herself, and all of this is indeed Xingjian's vision of an ideal future.

But, she earned all of this at the cost of herself.

“………Asshole.”

After a long time, he could only slowly utter these four words.

In my impression, Futaba has always liked to avoid expressing her emotions.

Whether it was daily chats or emotional topics, that girl always had a reserved look, keeping a low profile and no one could guess what was going on in her mind.

However, she never hesitates to show support and favor to Xingjian in her actions.

She is the one who finds Xingjian's daily chats boring and long-winded every time in the science lab, and she is also the one who treats Xingjian's troubles as her own and deals with them seriously.

Rio Futaba is a duplicity guy, but he is also a man of action.

Presenting a future full of possibilities to the stars - perhaps this is her way of expression, which she has always kept secret but is full of emotion.

And that emotion is definitely more than just friendship.

"........."

What an idiot.

The young man looked up with some melancholy at the blue sky that did not belong to him at all.

"...How can I accept such a gift with a clear conscience, Futaba?"

What's more, she didn't give me a chance to respond to her.

The stubborn guy didn't consider that this time and space couldn't give him even a sense of belonging.

If you look into the reason, it must be because.

"Without her presence."

I feel much better once I figure it out.

For the time being, Xingmi didn't intend to think about where his feelings for Futaba should be accurately categorized - whether it was friendship or a love that almost missed out, it didn't really make any difference.

All he knew was that this person's existence was important to him.

He couldn't bear the thought of losing her. A future without this person was not the future he wanted.

It's like there's a missing piece; it appears complete but is actually empty inside.

Then, even if the world he lives in now is a gift given to him by Futaba herself, he will only push it away.

"You're such a guy who acts on your own without saying anything. I'm pretty much the same."

Xingjian picked up the reagent in his hand again, found a bench in the corner of a remote park, and opened the cork.

He drank half the test solution again, and after making sure that no one was around, he lay down on the bench and closed his eyes.

——After all, how can I let that guy decide my life or death?

What's more, it's a one-for-one exchange, which Xingjian couldn't accept calmly anyway.

Futaba probably knew that Hoshimi would never be satisfied with her actions, so even when he from the past suddenly visited her, she kept her composure and didn't tell him her plans.

She is indeed the person who understands me best in this world besides my family.

But Xingjian has always been a person who does things within his ability. He would never waste his energy on something he feels he cannot do.

But once he decides to do something, he must complete it successfully.

For example, this time, his life and death are related to that of Futaba, and his choice will only be -

Try every possible means to find a world line where both of them can survive.

He doesn't want to do multiple-choice questions.

[Futaba Line] Destiny: Chapter 7: The Disappearance of Futaba Rio (Part 3)

The reagent still had a sweet aftertaste, and the shock and dizziness that kept attacking the brain after closing his eyes also made Xingjian feel particularly familiar.

He began to think in his mind about the time and specific place that Futaba might go to.

Assuming that she used the reagent and went back to the past using the same method as himself, then he would have to figure out what Futaba did to change the world line.

In other words, she did something to erase her own existence in exchange for a world where Hoshimi Haru could survive.

In front of a time traveler who can travel through time and space, the so-called first come first served order is inherently vague. If Xingjian could go back to the past she arrived at and stop it earlier, perhaps all of this would not come true later.

Based on her understanding of Futaba, Hoshimi could actually guess what method she used to erase her existence.

Futaba had previously mentioned something like "the force majeure of the world line," which is probably similar to the concept of "correction force."

If the same person in different time and space meets himself in another time and space, and recognizes that the other person is his past (or future), the correction force will take action to modify this paradox.

The result after "modification" is probably the complete opposite of what is "objectively perceived".

You can guess it with a simple reverse calculation.

"Perhaps the existence that creates the paradox will be erased."

This is indeed the most convenient and quickest way - there is no need to use cruel methods such as "killing someone in the past" to change the world.

After all, that guy who looks cold but is actually very kind will only attack himself.

What Xingjian knew, he had always known.

Futaba Rio is one of those people who doesn't take herself seriously at all and actually has a bit of low self-esteem. She's insecure about her body, about whether she can have normal, healthy relationships, and uses a nonchalant expression as a defense to protect herself from getting hurt.

But if someone has to disappear in order to create a world where Xing Jianqing survives, that guy will definitely choose me without hesitation.

A guy like that—I absolutely can't let her just disappear like that.

Xingjian closed his eyes, letting his brain be assaulted by the constant dizziness and tingling, while silently reciting in his mind the time and space he wanted to return to.

If it was her, she would be there.

She would just be there too.

----

The woman with long grey curly hair who seemed to be in a distorted space opened her eyes with some dark circles under them, and her expression was a little depressed and listless.

"...Tsk, I forgot to wear my glasses when I traveled through time."

She was now in a park near a school, watching groups of students passing by about ten meters away. They seemed to be in two different worlds and no one noticed her presence.

She turned her head slightly and squinted her eyes to look at the gray-haired girl in a junior high school uniform and ponytail who was sleeping on the bench next to her.

That was my past self.

“…12:05.”

She raised her wrist to check the time. Ever since she and the girl had shortened their physical distance, time hadn't flowed around them. The space around them felt distorted, perhaps a consequence of the quantum entanglement that accompanied the paradox.

The twenty-something Futaba Rio didn't say anything, but just quietly looked at the face of the teenage Futaba Rio who seemed to be in a deep sleep.