"Onii-chan, wake up already! We're burning daylight!"

My eyes shot open as I heard those words, my body jolted awake. Actually, minor correction – I'd already been awake for the last 30 minutes or so, if my sense of time wasn't affected by this loop. But I didn't want to be too presumptuous since I still wanted to test out my theory.

So far, phase 1 of that theory was confirmed by Komachi screeching her pre-determined line like a robo-rooster in the morning.

"Woah, did I wake you up that hard?"

I pushed myself to a sitting position before turning to my little sister, "Nah, I just happened to wake up early."

"Eeeeh?" A toothy grin appeared on her face, "That's strange. You usually never wake up this early. Like, at all."

"What can I say?" I shrugged, returning her smile, "Just excited for the last day of our trip, y'know."

"Reeeeeeally? I can't believe I get to witness the day you finally got around to liking trips!" Komachi exclaimed, obviously feeling proud of herself, "Well don't you worry. I'll make sure this last day of the trip lives up to your expectation!"

I gave her a smile, "Sure, sure. Looking forward to it."

But that was phase 2 confirmed.

Phase 3 was me checking my phone and sure enough, all three phases led to the same conclusion.

Today was still the 7th of March.

Today was still the last day of our pre-university trip.

And I was still stuck in the time loop. This twisted temporal cycle. This Endless Eight.

So far, I had no lead as to what the reason behind this time loop was. Was there a way to get out of it? Of course, there was. There must be. I can't be stuck in here forever, can I? I still got a life to live. A life to spend with Yukinoshita. And I wouldn't be able to do that if said life was wasted here in in this touristic Kyoto city.

Before everyone else got up, I took a quick shower and immediately headed outside to get some fresh air. Maybe the cool morning breeze can jog my brain a bit.

As I opened the door and breathed in the refreshing winds, I began thinking of what I should do. A place immediately popped into my mind regarding this so-called time loop. Kyoto is a naturally traditional and superstitious place, filled with reverence and respect for the gods that were enshrined here. Maybe – just maybe – one of these gods had something to do with my current predicament.

Which begs the question; did I piss off a god of time or something?

But my plan was clear. Meet up with the others and while they would be buying the ema plates, I'd be asking that fox-masked shrine maiden about this time loop thing. Surely, with her strict devotion to her deity, she would know something. She should. Unless it was all for customer service purposes; in which case, I'd have no clue as to what to do.

As I rounded the corner, a small voice rang out in surprise.

"Eh, Hikki?"

It was Yuigahama. Who was standing by the entrance of our inn, as was expected, so I simply greeted her with a simple 'Sup' before walking over to her. If my memories served me right, she should've bought two cans of MAX Coffee. And with the thought of free MAX in mind, I naturally held my hand out.

Only for Yuigahama to look at me in confusion.

"What?"

"I…" I struggled to find an excuse, "Thought you bought some MAX Coffee…"

"Why would you think that?"

Because you bought it last time.

"Because you bought it last time."

Hachiman, you goddamn idiot.

"What do you even mean 'last time', Hikki?" Yuigahama narrowed her eyes.

"Uh…" I cursed myself again for letting such a slipup occur, but then again, the worst that could happen was that Yuigahama thinking that I was being weird, "I just remembered you buying me MAX Coffee when we were back in Sobu…probably."

"You're being weird," Yuigahama said before turning around to the vending machine, obviously getting something to drink, "Weirder than usual anyways. Why are you up so early anyways?"

"Couldn't sleep in properly because of Komachi," I shrugged, "But I should be asking that to you. Excited about the last day that much? Is it the wishing shrine thing?"

Yuigahama pouted before shoving something into my hands – a can of MAX Coffee – so I guess the timeline wasn't as broken as I thought.

She took a sip of her canned goodness, almost downing it all in one go before responding, "Sort of. I mean, that kinda thing can't be, like, real, y'know. But it doesn't hurt to write your wish down and stuff."

"I suppose," I nodded before taking a swig of my coffee. The sweetness tasted the same as I remembered, "Got any particular wish in mind?"

If I remembered correctly, she was pretty gung-ho about the wish. I didn't even see her when Yukinoshita and I queued up for the line to purchase those plates. While Yukinoshita and I were – or would be talking – I suppose Yuigahama had already sprinted off to make her wish.

"Hmm, don't really have one right now," answered Yuigahama, "Maybe just hoping for an easy time in the US, ahaha."

"Ah, right. You're leaving soon, huh?"

"Just for like four years or so," replied Yuigahama casually, as if four years won't be a big stretch of time, "What? Are you gonna miss me or something?"

"No, but I'm sure Yukinoshita will miss her shopping buddy."

"Eeeeh, that just means you're my replacement till I'm back!"

"My wallet is already crying at the prospect."

Yuigahama chuckled loudly and I couldn't help but join her. In the back of my mind though, I kept thinking of how this conversation would repeat each and every day if I didn't resolve this absurd time loop. My hope of this being just a dream was dashed as the cold winds, the sweetness of coffee, and my pained temple certainly felt all too real.

It wasn't long before the others came and before long, we set off to the shrine. The walk there wasn't eventful as we just chattered to fill the time. The moment we completed our prerequisite shrine greetings, I immediately set my plans into my motion.

Just like last time, Yuigahama and the others went first. In fact, it seemed like my fellow Service Club member was even faster this time as by the time Yukinoshita and I were in the line, she was already nowhere to be seen.

But I didn't pay it much mind. Because after a few short minutes, I was face to face with an all too familiar enigmatic smile and mask.

"Good morning."

I took the initiative this time.

"Oh my, this is a surprise," remarked the shrine maiden strangely, "Good morning, dear patron! How can I help you today?"

Another difference in her responses, but I chalked that up to her usually being the one to greet customer and not the other way around.

"I want to ask some questions."

"Now that is certainly a surprise," she replied before fishing out a pamphlet in a flash, handing it to me, "Most, if not all, of your inquiries can be found in this brochure, dear patron."

I skimmed it over before pocketing the small leaflet. It was just a tourist-centric FAQ after all. And I didn't think my queries about this shrine's god can be answered by a simple piece of paper.

"Can I trouble you for a more specific question then?"

That smile remained constant as the shrine maiden gleefully nodded, "Certainly, dear patron."

"Who is the deity of this shrine?"

"If you want to know that then I'm afraid you'll have to take an extensive tour of the shrine, dear patron."

"No need," I refused before asking again in a more specific manner, "Is the deity enshrined here related in any way to time?"

"Ahaha," What a fake laugh, "What brings about this question, dear patron?"

"…just something I read online."

"I see. But unfortunately, dear patron, this shrine's deity is not, what you would call, a god of time. Our deity is simply a benevolent one whose goal is to grant the wishes of all our dear patrons no matter what."

"…"

"Does that answer your question, dear patron?"

"…yes, yes it does," I replied, "Thank you."

"You're welcome, dear patron."

I was about to turn and leave the queue in order to go meet up with the others at the wishing board before the shrine maiden stopped me in my track with a question.

"Dear patron, you won't be trying to buy our ema plates?"

Trying?

"No, it's…alright. Thank you."

I bade her farewell and the shrine maiden did the same to me.

…why did she say 'Trying'? Was she expecting me to purchase the ema plates? I suppose that could be the case because otherwise, why would I be in the queue anyways? The other people around me purchased them so it was reasonable that the shrine maiden thought that I'd be doing the same thing. However, wouldn't she have refused me regardless as she would mistake me for another person who had already purchased the wishing plate?

Her choice of wording in all her answers sounded far too suspicious.

As if she knew more than she was letting on.

Aside from that however, it seemed that the god in this place didn't have anything to do with me. Or rather, it was indirectly. What did she mean to say by telling me that this deity of hers grant wishes? Does that have something to do with my current predicament? Surely, it does, right? Otherwise, I'd really have no clue as to where to actually look for an answer.

I decided to shelf those thoughts away and just go with the flow of the pre-determined timeline for now.

As expected, everyone was ecstatic about their wishes after having written and hanging them on the shrine's wishing board – even Yukinoshita's eyes were glimmering with something hopeful. Even I couldn't help but smile at that, despite my circumstances.

Again, just like last time, we bought some snacks, hiked up the same trail, and set up our picnic in the same forest clearing. The difference this time, though, was Yuigahama sharing her sandwiches with her, most likely feeling bad that I didn't get to buy any of the ema plates.

But hey, chicken katsu sandwiches were always welcome.

Ah, I suppose the only other difference was me warning Tobe to not sit on a particular spot, as during the other loops, he was pricked in the ass. I got some confused looks when I spoke up about that, but a careful inspection later and they were thanking me.

Heh, maybe something good can come out of these time loops after all.

The last activity of the day was the festival. Same old snacks, same old festival games, and same old fireworks. My hand was intertwined with Yukinoshita's all the way through. The only good thing to happen was me correctly guessing where the ball was in those scam-like plastic-balls-in-cups game.

Yukinoshita got a small Pan-san plush out of it so really, something good really did come out of it.

When the fireworks and festivities were done, and we were back at the inn, I thought of my plans for tomorrow. Clearly, that shrine needed to be investigated more thoroughly and maybe, even that shrine maiden as well. She was very deliberate in her words and I couldn't help but feel like I was so close to figuring out about what was irking me about her and her answers.

But before I could get into the inn, something – or rather, someone tugged on my sleeve, causing me to stop in my tracks as the others went inside.

It was Yuigahama, who was sporting a rather serious look on her face.

"Yeah? You need something?"

Inhaling and exhaling slightly, Yuigahama steadied herself but still kept a firm grip on my sleeve, "I just want…to have a talk."

"Uh…sure?"

"Actually, scratch that!" Yuigahama shook her head vigorously before asking in a more serious tone, "Hikki, how did you know that there was a cactus right where Tobe was gonna sit?"

What…?

"I don't get…"

"The picnic. In the forest," added Yuigahama, her voice a bit frantic, "Tobe was about to sit down and get himself hurt but you told him there was a cactus there."

"I…just saw it?" I didn't really understand why Yuigahama was so hung up about that detail.

"You weren't anywhere near to where Tobe was at," retorted Yuigahama as she got closer, "So how did you know?"

"I…"

Again, why was Yuigahama being so intense about this particular topic?

"Or even this morning. Why did you expect a coffee from me?"

"Like I said, I thought-"

"You said that I bought it for you the last time we hung out, but that wasn't what you mean, right?"

"Yuigahama, what are you getting at?"

"I'm just saying-!" She took a deep breath to calm herself down while I involuntarily took a step back from her, still unable to process whatever she was trying to say. But before I could get far, her grip on my sleeve tightened.

"Hikki, look."

"I…am looking?"

"I just…like, I don't know how to say this but I need you to listen."

"I…am."

"Without judging."

"You're making it very hard not to, but sure."

One breath.

Two breaths.

Three breaths.

Those were the amount of inhaling and exhaling that Yuigahama needed before she popped the question.

"Hikki, are you also stuck in a time loop?"

…

…

…

"…"

"F-Forget I said anything!"

Yuigahama tried to leave but I caught her wrist before coughing loudly, "Sorry, I just…I just didn't know how to respond."

"It's a stupid question; forget it."

"It's not. It really isn't because…" I gripped her wrist tighter, "I am."

It was a weird feeling to be admitting to your friend that you were stuck in a time loop, but there I was.

"I am stuck in a time loop," I let go of her wrist, "As weird as that sounds but I'm sure weirder thing has happened to you too…right?"

For the first time tonight, Yuigahama's face lit up. Her expression literally lit up and I could see tears pooling from the corners of her eyes before she instantly dropped down into a squat while holding her head in her hands.

"Oh my god…oh my fucking god…" Yuigahama choked on her words as she sighed loudly as if relief washed over her, "I thought I was the only one…"

At this point, I realized that I had been holding in my breath for far too long and the moment I let it out, I too collapsed onto my ass, uncaring that my pants would get dirty.

"To be honest…I totally get your reaction now," I chuckled drearily, "Glad I'm also not the only one."

Yuigahama didn't respond as she kept holding her head in her hands. I could hear sniffles emanating from her but I didn't really say anything until she was ready.

"…sorry…just had to get that out of my system."

"It's alright."

"But…" She finally looked at me, her face slightly puffy but smiling nonetheless, "Time loop, huh?"

"I know, right? Already checked if this was a dream but apparently not."

"Oh, trust me, I totally tried to pinch myself too!"

"I just looked at my phone."

"Eh? How would that prove anything?"

"Because if it's a dream then I wouldn't see anything on it."

"That's totally not how it works."

"That's how it works; I read up on it."

"As if!"

"As if you're gonna read anything about dreams."

Yuigahama's pout still kept up and eventually we burst into chuckles, somehow, someway finding some semblance of hilarity in all this absurdity. But when our laughter died down, I suspected that was also when the gravity of our situation sank in.

"Yuiga-"

"Hikk-"

"Hikio, what the hell are you doing with Yui?"

Only for Miura to show up, face scowling as usual while her crossed arms immediately asserted an air of dominance to both of us.

"We were…"

"He was just helping me up!" Yuigahama cut me off, immediately standing up as she tried to defuse the situation, "I tripped on a branch earlier and Hikki, like, just helped me see if there were any bruises, y'know?"

"Maybe I should-"

"Nah, nah, it's totes fine!" Miura were interrupted by Yuigahama as she waved off any concerns, "No bruises or bumps here. Just me being a klutz like usual."

A deep sigh escaped from Miura's lips before she relented, "Fine. Take care of yourself next time. Yukinoshita's asking about you and all so you should get in early. You too, Hikio. Curfew's a thing here."

What a terrifying Queen Bee.

"Yeah, sure."

"Thanks for coming to check on us!" Yuigahama added as Miura walked away and waved us goodbye.

And when we were sure that Miura was out of earshot, both Yuigahama and I turned to each other, our face etched with one simple burning question: 'What now?'

I took a while to think but assuming that the time loop was still in effect, we wouldn't be able to do anything at this hour.

"Yuigahama."

"Y-Yes!"

"Weird as it is to say but we're definitely in a time loop, right?"

"Yeeeah? I hoped it was just a dream but I guess not…"

I nodded, affirming her thoughts before proposing, "We wouldn't be able to do much tonight anyways. And I think we're tired from today's events."

"Yeah, I guess so."

"So, tomorrow morning, let's wake up early and meet up at the usual spot," I explained, "And share what we know about this…time loop."

"Still weird to say, huh?" Yuigahama chuckled at my reluctance to use that term, while I scoffed in return.

"Oh, you have no idea."

"But yeah, sure. That's a good idea. Fresh start to the day and we can brainstorm at the same time!"

"Yeah, yeah. Well then, unless we want Miura nagging us again, let's just get in and get some sleep."

Yuigahama nodded and followed me as I led the way to our rooms. Right before we went our own ways, she softly spoke up.

"Hey, Hikki."

"Yeah?"

"You'll…remember, right? Like what happened today, I mean…"

She was afraid that my memories would be wiped by the loop, huh.

"Of course," I reassured her before half-heartedly smirking, "Actually, shouldn't I be the one asking you that?"

Yuigahama immediately pouted, "Well if you're acting like that, then I guess you're totally fine! Goodnight then!"

With an annoyed pout, Yuigahama rushed off into her room in an apparent fit of anger but even I could spot the small smile as she went away. And who could blame her? Even I couldn't help but smile at this revelation, despite the circumstances that we found ourselves in.

Finally, I'm not alone in this mess.