"...Um, Ray?"

I grabbed Wendy's arm and guided her toward the museum section of the shack. It was quiet and devoid of people.

I needed to stay calm, to sort things out logically. Emotions wouldn't help in this situation. Wendy looked baffled, so I had to ensure everything was clear.

What had just happened with Wendy? Why did she attack me, and how did she know about my time-travel ability? It was a perplexing puzzle. Her cryptic message to "find me" only added to the enigma.

I reached a preliminary conclusion. Wendy wasn't the type to casually harm someone. Whatever occurred in my room wasn't her doing, or if it was, there had to be an exceptionally compelling reason behind it. That still didn't explain how she knew about my time-travel power, but her request to find her implied a different motive. Furthermore, I couldn't detect any signs of deception or ill intentions from her.

I mentally retraced the scene in my room. The possible entrance... It had a window, which I always locked, and the door was secured because I stored my research materials in the room's drawer. There seemed to be no possible way for Wendy or anyone else to enter without leaving a trace.

Yet, Wendy had materialized in the middle of the room as if from thin air. How was that possible?

"Wendy, I need you to pay close attention. Are you currently... under some unusual conditions? You know, something... extraordinary?"

Wendy appeared taken aback, scratching her head and shaking it.

"Sorry, Ray, but I have no clue what you're talking about."

"No, there must be something, Wendy. Are you absolutely sure? You didn't witness anything out of the ordinary?"

"Well... No."

"Nothing?"

"No. What's going on, Ray?"

I couldn't answer her question directly, so I remained silent. However, I decided to provide her with some information before I went back in time to speak with her.

"Wendy, if you were ever to kill someone..."

"What... What are you talking about? Seriously, Ray."

"Listen carefully and answer me; this is a matter of great importance. How would you go about killing a person?"

Wendy listened intently to my question and pondered for a moment before responding.

"I... I guess I'd... I don't know, use an axe to hack at their head?"

"...What about a nail gun?"

"A nail gun? Nah, nail guns have safety locks to prevent them from firing at a distance. You need to be up close and pull the trigger for the nail to penetrate anything. Using it on a person? I'd probably prefer an electric drill. Unless you intentionally disable the safety lock, then it might be more effective."

"...Thanks. That's... the end of my question. Sorry for startling you."

Wendy relaxed, a faint smile touching her lips. "Yeah, anytime. Just let me know if something weird's happening. Oh, by the way, if you come across my moisturizer, give me a shout, will you? It keeps disappearing on me."

"Sure thing, Wendy."

As Wendy returned to the counter, I settled into the nearest chair.

"...Safety lock, huh."

This only led to one conclusion. Wendy, or whatever entity had taken her form, had killed me deliberately. It had a plan and an intent. But it didn't fit the puzzle completely. If this theory was accurate, how and why did it know about my time-regression ability, and what was the purpose behind its cryptic message to find it?

"...Hm. Maybe..."

Perhaps it was a psychological affliction, similar to the curse. The curse had driven me to madness, causing me to lose control. Perhaps it had a similar impact on Wendy. It could have rendered her unable to communicate about the anomaly due to its contagious nature or her deteriorating sanity.

It made sense in a twisted way. I needed to delve into stories that influenced people mentally and keep a close eye on Wendy.

"...Something is amiss... But..."

A shiver coursed through me. The thought of being killed by someone I considered a friend was abhorrent.

I couldn't shake the feeling that something dreadful was looming.


Things unfolded much the same as before. Stan's party announcement, my contractual obligations, party preparations, Soos engrossed in his DJ book, and Wendy, still occasionally napping on the counter...

Days passed swiftly, leading to Thursday. It was the day before... the day Wendy had killed me in my previous loops. Yet, I remained clueless about her intentions and motivations. I had been closely monitoring Wendy, even asking her to let me know if anything unusual occurred. So far, there had been no signs.

That day, I returned home from the Mystery Shack, thoroughly exhausted. The repetitive routine of managing contracts, party preparations, and other tasks had taken its toll. I found myself standing in front of my home before even realizing it.

"Mom, I'm home."

"Welcome back, dear. You've got some packages; I left them in front of your room."

"Package?"

"Yes, it had your name on it, so I assumed it was yours."

"...Um, thanks, Mom."

My mother's words left me genuinely perplexed. A package? I hadn't received one last time. Nonetheless, I removed my shoes and headed to my room.

Sure enough, there was a package. It was wrapped in plain brown paper and felt relatively light. I held it in my hands and entered my room, relieved to find no sign of Wendy. However, the room's light was still malfunctioning.

"...Could this be something from Bill?"

I recalled that the light had failed at the shack, coinciding with Wendy's lethal actions. This thought triggered my suspicion.

I set the package on my desk and reached for an electronic device I had constructed, which was also on the table. It was a Radiofrequency Detector, capable of identifying devices emitting specific frequencies, like eavesdropping equipment. Considering the strangeness of this town, I had crafted it during a period when I had fewer work obligations, as I suspected the presence of a potential cult or similar groups.

I flicked the switch, initiating a careful sweep of the room, focusing on the light switch that had been malfunctioning.

[-]

"...Huh. Nothing here."

Silence greeted me. Yet, as soon as I returned to the table...

[Beep-Beep-Beep-Beep-Beep-]

"...!"

I rapidly retracted the detector from the table. That sound signified that something in my room was eavesdropping on me. Could it be the package?

I seized the package and brought the detector near it.

[-]

No sound.

"...Could it be...the desk?"

Once more, I raised the detector in the vicinity of the desk.

[Beep-Beep-Beep-Beep-Beep-]

I cautiously diminished the detector's volume and moved it around the desk. By tuning in to the frequency of the alarm, I eventually pinpointed the source behind my computer.

'...Why is this... emanating from here?'

I pulled out the cables from my computer and pulled it out. I checked that the sign was coming out the strongest from the screws that were holding the back side of the computer, and turned the screw out.

"...What the..."

I flinched as I checked the screw.

The screw, which was slightly larger than other screws, had...a small, microchip attached to the head.

"...!"

The radio waves detected by my device had likely originated from this microchip. I hurried to the kitchen, grabbing aluminum foil. I wrapped the microchip and the entire screw in foil, rendering the device inoperative.

Who had installed this? Why? At present, it seemed nearly impossible to trace the source of the eavesdropping device.

But seriously, was my room this vulnerable? First Wendy, and now someone planting an eavesdropper...

I decided to investigate this matter further at a later time and turned my attention to the package. It intrigued me, as I hadn't received one in my previous life, and I was curious about the cause of this new development.

The package was smaller, roughly the size of my face. I opened it with my bare hands and...

"This is..."

It was a container of Clover moisturizer, the same brand Wendy used. Moreover, it was half-used.

"...Wait a minute."

Wendy had mentioned that she had lost her moisturizer. Wasn't this the same one?

What had triggered this event this time, when it hadn't occurred in my previous life? The only significant difference was that I had discussed the situation with Wendy. Could that have prompted these events?

Or was someone watching me? Had someone been monitoring me for the past few days, and was this half-used moisturizer a message? This person might have also planted the eavesdropper in my room.

But how? Who could execute such actions?

"Dear, come down and eat supper!"

My mom's voice called from downstairs.

"Oppa? When is the party again?"

Was it Candy or another family member? I couldn't rule it out, but I had my doubts. All the same, I couldn't ignore the possibility.

I needed to contact Wendy.


I met Wendy at the diner, ordering coffee for her and soda for myself. She sat there, curious about why I had called her. I had refrained from discussing the situation over the phone, fearing that someone might be eavesdropping.

"Look at this."

"...My moisturizer? You found it! Thanks, man! My skin was getting all dry!"

"So it is yours, huh?"

I explained how it had arrived in a package that day and also mentioned the eavesdropper in my room. She appeared surprised initially, but then her expression shifted to one of contemplation.

"...And the eavesdropper... No, Ray. I haven't heard of any cult or secret organization operating in this town. But a few days ago, my cousin's woodworking shop was burglarized, and that caused quite a stir. It was the only unusual incident recently."

"A woodworking shop?"

"Yeah, someone broke in, but they didn't take any money. They only stole some tools – a saw, an axe, and even a nail gun."

"What about the CCTV? Don't you guys have it at a store?"

"Well, apparently it just stopped working that exact moment..."

"Okay. No time to lose then."

I stood up, finishing my drink. There was no time. That person, or thing...is probably something that killed me last life, or at least affected Wendy.

"...Wendy, follow me. We're going on an investigation."

"Cool."

...I still had to keep her intact right now, so I let her follow me.