"I'm tired."

"I'm so tired."

Those are the thoughts that flow through my head as I run through the ruined streets of my home— or at least what's left of it.

Throughout the 10 years that I spent here in Gamindustri, never would I have imagined that Planeptune would end up in a state like this… or any of the nations for that matter. There's piles upon piles of debris strewn about the streets, abandoned storefronts and buildings that appeared to have caved in onto themselves, and… bodies… so many bodies lying lifelessly on the floor.

While my eyes are scanning my surroundings, they land on something that causes my body to almost involuntarily skid to a halt. It was another body, not too different from the dozens I had ran past on my way here, but this time it was different: I knew whose body that was.

Those sharp green eyes that were once full of vigor and life were dull and lifeless.

That bow that typically consisted of two leaves that now only had one.

That… oversized blue coat… now riddled with knife-like holes…

I wanted to believe my eyes were playing tricks on me. I wanted to believe that this was some kind of illusion.

No matter how many times I told myself that — 'It's not real' and 'It's just fake — I couldn't stop the feeling of dread that was rapidly building up inside my body. I'd slowly approach the body, each step feeling significantly heavier than the last, and get down onto my knees.

My hands wouldn't stop shaking as I went to reach for them. The previous set of words echoed in my head — 'It's not real' 'It's just a fake' — trying yet again to convince me I was just imagining things- That when I went to touch this body, It'd vanish or my hand would go through it like it was a hologram.

But no.

When I reached for the body, my hand brushed across something… cold. Cold and unnaturally stiff… Something I've felt before.

My mind went blank, though I don't know for how long. During this time, my body continued moving on its own and I pushed my hand deeper into the body. No warmth. No pulse. Not even a flinch or any semblance of a reaction to my hand on their skin.

I think… That's when the dread officially set in for me.

"I-I-..." I made several attempts to speak, only to choke on each attempt. Eventually though: "I…F…?"

IF. A top agent and member of Planeptune's Guild. She… was a friend of mine. I might've not known the more personal things about her as some of our other friends, but we knew each other for almost a decade — I'd like to think we were close…

There she was though. Lying in my arms lifelessly. One look at her face told me all I needed to know about her death: A frozen expression on her that looked like a combination of shock and fear. A lot of the bodies I've come across had similar-looking faces, which implied that their cause of death came from the same thing.

"That bastard…" While I had this feeling of hopelessness coursing through my body, anger that soon turned into a red-hot boiling rage came alongside it. "He's going to pay…!"

Despite my best wishes, cursing that fucker out wasn't going to bring back IF or revert the ruined state the world was placed into. I was given a mission that I didn't intend to fail. With that, I gave IF another look and moved a hand toward her face to lower her eyelids and close her mouth. She now had this look on her face that made it seem like she died peacefully.

Even though I know that wasn't the case…

I did a quick scan of my surroundings to see if I was still the only person in this area. I know the city was in ruins but it was unnaturally quiet — especially since all this destruction was recent. Since we had gotten back to Planeptune we haven't seen hide or hair of any living creatures, which honestly worries me more than them being in plain sight.

Regardless I still have a mission. I need to find us an escape route out of Planeptune and toward Leanbox. From what I was told there's a secret underwater passageway that bridges the ocean gap between Leanbox and some unmarked continent. In that passageway, there's something akin to an elevator that will take us to where we have to go.

"... What should I do with you?"

I have to find that exit but I don't feel good leaving IF here. I could just leave her here temporarily and come back for her after I find an exit, but I'm getting the strange feeling that leaving her here for just a few minutes would be a bad idea. On the flip side, I could bring her with me and eliminate the need for a second trip, but she'd without a doubt weigh me down if I had to make a break for it.

I… I think I'll…-

DECIDE

Take IF with you
"I'll risk taking her with me"

Leave IF here
"I'll leave her behind for now"

3…

2…

1…

Take IF with you
"I'll risk taking her with me"

Leave IF
"I'll leave her behind for now"

{"Alright, up we… go!" With one swift motion, I let out a loud grunt and lifted IF up off the ground. She was much heavier than I was expecting but I don't know why I was expecting anything else from literal dead weight. "... I hate thinking that."}

I took one more look at IF's peaceful expression, As I did a thought crossed my mind that only made me frown at her. "I'm going to hate her reaction to seeing you even more…"

With my choice made and my path set, I pressed on even deeper into the ruined city.

Sometime later I found myself around one of the northern exits/entrances into the nation. I'm not too good with my easts and wests but I think I'm at the northeastern one. So far it's been pretty smooth sailing but that's only putting me more on edge and leaves me wondering what that "monster" is even planning.

I did another scan of my surroundings to confirm that I was still alone. Once I made sure I looked toward the exit — while it was still a bit of a ways away, I could tell that at the very least there wasn't anything blocking or preventing us from just walking out of the city.

I wanna say it's suspicious but I've checked a few of the other exits in the southern part of the nation and they were completely wrecked. It could very well be a trap but at this point, we're just going to have to risk it.

"Yoo-hoo~!"

What filled my ears was an overly cheery voice that seemed highly inappropriate given the situation that we found ourselves in. I looked down and stared at the walkie-talkie attached to my waist that was blaring to life.

"November to Tango, d'ya copy? Helloooo," The walkie spoke once more, and out it came that cheery voice once again. "Ya there Tango? … Hello?"

"...Ah right," I realized that I probably shouldn't be staring at the thing and should actually respond.

{It was difficult to answer the call while I was carrying IF so I looked around for somewhere to set her down. Before long I would spot a bench and head over to it. There I would place IF gently down and give her another look before reaching for the walkie-talkie on my waist.}

"Sorry, I'm here," I spoke into the walkie-talkie. "Were you able to find it?"

"Yep! It was right where I thought Histy thought it would be." I thought I heard a quick sigh of relief coming from the other end. "It's uh… not looking too bright though. Lots of its power got snatched — This thing can't even register as a night light!"

"It's that bad huh?" I began to pace around. "Isn't that kinda your life force? Shouldn't it being that low pose a problem for you?"

"Ehhhh not really. It's more of a way to juice us up when we're running low but it going out doesn't mean we'll bite the dust!" They spoke again, "If it's low the most it'll do is cause a bit of dizziness, but I'm feeling a-ok! So I dunno what the deal with that is."

"If I had to take a guess I'd say it's because we're still running on whatever energy the Planeptune in Plutia's world is using," I theorized, "... Then again the portal that linked us together closed and severed any connection we had, so I don't know either."

"Bah! Details, schmetails! Histy said it should work fine even if there wasn't anything in here yeah? As long as I got this baby then who cares?"

"I guess it doesn't matter."

"Mhm! Now how're things going over there?" The person on the other line asked, "You find a way out or anything?"

"I went and checked a few of the other southern exits we didn't go to when we were together and they were blocked off," I started, "Fortunately there's an exit northeast of the city, to the left of the tower by that cafe Nepgear and Uni like to go to."

"..."

"... You there?"

"Soo… if it's close to that cafe, then that means it's northwest right?"

I felt like everything stopped briefly when those words entered my ears. "What?"

"Weelll if you're talking about that cafe that Jr. likes to bring back those sick mini cupcakes from, then that's to the northwest of Neptower, not the northeast!"

… Fuck.

"... L-Look you know I suck with cardinal directions!" I could feel my cheeks getting hot, "It's by that cafe! If you know where it is then get over here already!"

Since the city is so eerily quiet I didn't need a walkie-talkie to hear the distant laugh coming from within the city which is… very depressing if you think about it.

"Hoooo, you crack me up Tango," I could only groan in response, "Alright alright, I'm pretty close so I'll be there in a jiffy. Ya got any other intel you wanna share? "

I was about to open my mouth to tell her no but then I stopped. {I stopped in my tracks and turned to face IF's body. She remained in the exact place and position that I left her moments ago. I could feel my stomach start to turn as I tried to find the right words to say at that moment.}

"I… um… found something and … I think you should… um… be prepared for what {you're about to see} when you get here…"I choked.

What followed was a long excruciating pause that would make anyone in my shoes anxious. I didn't hear anything from the walkie-talkie or out from deeper into the city.

"... Emotionally…?"

"... Emotionally…"

I didn't hear anything coming from her end after that so I just put the walkie-talkie back on my waist. I couldn't help but let out a loud sigh following the end of that conversation. I've typically been the one who's had bad news of this caliber broken to them in the past so I know how much it hurts. That's why I couldn't muster up the courage to tell her right then and there.

"God damn it…"

"It must be anxiety-inducing being the bearer of bad news."

That… voice.

"I don't know what that feeling is like, but personally speaking? I find the idea of emotions to be quite fascinating."

My body froze instantly. I could feel my heart rate skyrocket and my mind go blank only briefly in its attempt to process the voice I was hearing.

"Something so trivial—so insignificant—can shape a person's very being." They continued. "It's shocking that something so worthless has the power to shape mankind as a whole! How many emotionally driven choices do you believe were made in our society to lead us to where we are today? Hm?"

I would slowly turn my body toward the direction the voice came from. My eyes wouldn't catch anything at first, but as I raised my head-

"...You…" I whispered.

"One."

"One little sob story was all it took. One little sob story for you to release me from my confinements. One little sob story to enlist in the aid of like-minded fools similar to yourself." They leaned in and smirked, "One little sob story was all it took to kill the one thing stopping this world from falling to ruin: your mother."

"...You…!" I could feel the rage from within my body begin to boil and burn the hottest that it had ever been.

Sitting on top of a broken-down building was the very reason why everything was the way it was.

Why monsters were running rampant and destroying everything in their path.

Why Planeptune and the other nations were abandoned cityscapes.

Why there were so many corpses of innocents who had nothing to do with this.

Why… IF was {sitting on that bench completely lifeless}.

"It's been a while, Tamazaki." The way he spoke in that condescending tone of voice. That half-hearted smirk. All of it was pissing me off. "How was your trip to the Ultradimension, hm? Did you by chance make any new friends?"

"YOU!"

I wasn't going to bother entertaining him or his taunts. I raised my left hand and slapped my right shoulder, coating my entire arm in an almost blinding light and replacing it with a completely metal one. I propelled myself off the ground and up into the air above him and dived into him with a ground slam.

The building instantly crumbled and was reduced to rubble and debris in mere seconds. I got up off my knees and waved away all the sawdust particles that got in my face.

"Somehow I'm not surprised your first instinct was to resort to violence." I heard a familiar voice behind me, "Then again I guess that's perfectly in character for you."

I snapped around and saw him across the street from me. He was by the cafe I mentioned earlier and sat at one of the tables meant for outside dining. The sick bastard stared at me from across the way and somehow wore a smug expression on his face without actually wearing one.

"SHUT UP!"

I launched myself at him once more and went through the large see-through window that separated the shop from the outside. I quickly got back up and shook my metal hand and scanned the shop for him.

"How long will it take you to realize that trying to hit me is-"

In the corner of my eye to the front of the cafe, I could see him sitting with his legs crossed on top of the counter where the cash register and all sweets placed in glass displays were. As soon as I spotted him I grabbed the closest thing near me, which happened to be a chair, and threw it directly at him. He quickly raised his palm and constructed a small barrier in front of him that caused the chair to explode into pieces on contact. Fortunately, that gave me the opening that I needed.

As the chair made contact with his shield, I sprinted at him once again. As soon as our eyes locked it was too late for him to escape. He attempted to leap away but wasn't quick enough and I grabbed him by his leg. I proceeded to spin him around for several seconds, and with all the strength that I could muster, sent him flying out of the cafe back outside.

"... You might not just be all brawns after after all."

I stepped outside the cafe and began to stomp my way toward him. Every step I took only fueled my desire to put this monster into the ground once and for all.

{… And that's when I stopped and realized something.}

{When I had thrown him out of the cafe, he had somehow landed on one of the benches that stood outside… But it wasn't just any bench that I threw him into. He would look up at me and follow my eyes, inevitably landing on IF's body that sat right next to him.}

"Well, this is a surprise. I never thought this girl would be one of the ones to fall victim to the beasts."

{"GET AWAY FROM-"}

{I leapt at him once more but before I knew it this unexplainable heavy force pushed me away from him midair. I couldn't do anything but fall victim to its overwhelming power and was sent flying back into the cafe and intoi the display cases with all the sweets.}

{"Ghh…" I coughed.}

{I lifted my head and saw him holding IF's lifeless hand in his own, seemingly pondering over something. I tried to get back up but no matter how hard I tried, my body wouldn't budge. I don't know if his attack did something to me directly or if it was the impact of the launch, but I couldn't move anything.}

"... You're looking for a fight, yes?" {He turned back to me.} "I have the perfect opponent for you then."

{"S-STAY…away from…her…"}

{I can't tell what he was doing to IF from where I was. All I could see was- bzzt- Moments later he would step out of the way to supposedly grant me a better view… that's when her body started convulsing wildly in a fashion I can only compare to that of a horror movie, only twice as gruesome.}

"I-…IF?" The most I could do was let out a whisper and stare at her.

Then something strange happened. Maybe I had blinked or my eyes looked elsewhere for a moment, but IF had not only suddenly stopped convulsing violently, but she was now standing and looking straight in my direction. There was something different about her appearance too, but I couldn't exactly make out what it was from here.

"H-Hey…!" I shouted, "How is she… What did you do to her?!"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm giving you what you wanted," They raised their hand into the sky, "Your friend… as well as that fight you've been asking for."

As the words left their mouth they snapped their fingers. IF reacted to that as if it were a command given to her and revealed a pair of Qatars that were hidden within the sleeves of her oversized jacket. IF would then make a beeline straight toward the cafe, all while keeping her eyes locked on me.

"Wha- IF?!"

"..."

She didn't respond. Instead, she would enter the cafe and lunge at me. Using everything that I had in me I would break free from my paralysis and barely dodge out of the way of her attack, which caused her to fly right past me. IF recovered much faster than me, who was still scrambling to get up off the floor, and lunged at me again. I dodged again but I wasn't able to stop her from making a small cut on my arm.

I finally managed to get onto my feet and stared at IF directly. It was right then and there that I was able to get a good long look at her.

"What happened to you…?"

IF's pale skin had turned completely gray and her veins and arteries were showing through her skin. That wasn't the wasn't the main thing, however. I looked into what used to be her green eyes and was met with a bunch of 0s, 1s, and other binary nonsense that completely replaced her pupils and irises.

"I thought I would give necromancy a try with my own little twist. Believe it or not, this is a combination of two APL abilities."

I'm… fucking sorry, they're what?

"APL abilities,"

"Wha-?!"

I took my eyes off IF briefly to look at them but quickly realized my mistake. I turned back to face her and saw a blade that was just inches from my face. I sidestepped but wasn't fast enough and her dagger nicked my cheek. IF must've been tired of waiting for me to make a move and was now on a full-on assault, charging and slashing at my vitals. The most that I could do — the only thing that I could do — was dodge and block her attacks.

I don't understand though. Did he say APL abilities? That's not something that's ever come up, so how-

"Allow me to explain since seem pretty lost at the moment. APL abilities are a set of alphabetically ordered abilities an APL obtains as they grow stronger." I could see that they were standing close by once again in the corner of my eye. "Don't worry though, this iteration of APLs don't have access to them… or perhaps they do, and you were just too weak to unlock yours?"

"Grr…!"

I deflected IF's next attack and lunged at them again while she was staggered. "Ai-Aishi-No-Aura!" A ball of purple light formed in my right hand and levitated above it slightly. I would then plunge my hand-

*Sphhhlt*

"Guh…!"

My time in the air was quickly cut short when I felt something sharp followed by an immense weight pull me to the ground, creating a small shockwave that could be heard throughout the city. The ball of light would disappear from my hand and a sense of dizziness washed over me.

The sharp object was pulled out of my back and the heavy weight soon followed after. I lifted my head slowly and saw… that thing standing directly in front of me. Next to him stood IF, who held a Qatar that was dripping a bit of blood.

"You REALLY must stop announcing your attacks in such a fashion." They crossed their arms and shook their head, "There is quite literally no benefit in you doing so."

"Ngh… Shut up," I started to pick myself off the ground, "You've been talking nonsense this entire time… I'm not going to start listening to you now."

"...That's fine, I wouldn't expect you to at this point. To be honest, I wouldn't be talking to you at all if you and this world weren't so… special."

"Holy shit dude…!" I coughed, feeling the taste of iron on my tongue. "I just said I-Ngh!"

My efforts to get up off the ground proved useless as that same force that pushed me away earlier pushed me back onto the floor. I looked up just as they lowered their hand and looked to IF.

"Finish him,"

IF continued her silence streak but nodded her head. She dropped one of her blades and reached into her coat pocket and pulled out a… pistol. She slowly walked over to me and pointed the gun directly at my face.

"IF… please." I tried to get up again but the force was too strong and kept me planted on the floor. "I know… you're in there somewhere. Don't do this, please…"

"...Nn…"

My eyes widened when I heard her make a faint but audible noise. At first glance, it didn't look like anything was off, but since she was practically right in front of me I could see it clearly. IF's eye was twitching and her gun hand was shaking slightly. Her finger was clearly on the trigger too but when she pulled back she couldn't commit to the action fully and released it halfway several times.

"Do it. Kill him."

Their words entered her ears and seemingly reestablished whatever control they had over her that was breaking. IF shook her head and pointed the gun at me once again, this time with the full intent to… kill… ah.

You know… This isn't really how I thought I'd go out. Dying from some monster using my deceased friend as a puppet to do their bidding. I thought it'd be more of a hands-on approach, you know?

But no. This monster will never get their-

-bzzt-

But no. This monster will never get his hands dirty. He'll always resort to using others to do his dirty work and blame them when everything goes wrong and make them suffer the consequences. He's an asshole.

I hate him.

I hate him.

I hate him so-

… No, you're listening aren't you? Like you did earlier; you were somehow listening to my thoughts.

In that case…

I hate you.

I hate you with every fiber of my being.

Fuck you, &%#$&.

BANG*

…

…

…

Playback Ended

Humorous Young Man: "Oh what the fuck! That's it?!"

Inexperienced Young Man: "That's… a horrible way for things to end."

Young Woman with Insecurities: "To make things worse we were only given scraps. I don't think anything we've learned here is helpful in the slightest. Unless I'm missing something?"

Nerdy Kid: "I don't think so. I practically had my eyes glued to that screen and I didn't notice anything substantial. I have some theories but without more information, they're going to sound really dumb."

Shy Girl: "You should give yourself more credit! I think anything is better than nothing…"

Nerdy Kid: "I don't think you want to listen to a theory that involves body snatchers."

Girl with Inferiority Complex: "On second thought? Don't continue that thought."

…

Irresponsible Young Woman: "T?"

"Hm?"

Irresponsible Young Woman: "Ya doing okay? You haven't provided folks with any commentary since we started watching that thing."

Insightful Young Man: "I wouldn't blame him. I think anyone would have a lot on their mind after watching themselves die. Not to mention the countless other questions they might have regarding the events surrounding this…"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little disturbed if I'm being honest but I'll be okay."

… Were you able to find the answers you seek?

Everyone: ?

Loud Girl: "*Uhhh… God?*"

… Were you able to find the answers you seek?

Unconfident Young Woman: "A-Ah, no. We weren't able to find what we were looking for. Who… are you?"

… My deepest apologies. Is there any way I can assist you?

Irresponsible Young Woman: "Heyyyy we can't just let ya gloss over the last bit of her question!"

… Would learning who I am help you find the answers you seek?

Irresponsible Young Woman: "You tell me!"

… I do not know what it is you seek, so I cannot tell you.

Irresponsible Young Woman: "... Ah yeah I guess."

"... We're trying to find a way to destroy the World."

Young Woman with Insecurities: "Wha-?!"

Humorous Young Man: "Dude!"

"Beating around the bush isn't going to get us anywhere. Might as well be upfront about it."

Young Woman with Anger Issues: "Yeah, I agree. Playing several rounds of 20 questions isn't going to get us any closer to what we're looking for."

Girl with an Inferiority Complex: "That might be true but we don't know if we can trust… whatever's talking to us right now. How do we know it's not an enemy?"

… You can trust me.

"Huh…?"

… I hate the World too. I want it destroyed like you.

Everyone: …

… Do you trust me?

Young Woman with Insecurities: "Do we trust you? I can't speak for all of us but I'm sure most of us don't. How do we know you're telling the truth and not just trying to lead us into some trap?

…

"... We want to trust you. We really do but…"

…

"... Trust is something that has to be earned."

…

Irresponsible Young Woman: "With that being said, we trust you to make us trust you! That shouldn't be too hard, right?"

… Very well. I will do my best to make you trust me.

Humorous Young Man: "Eh, good enough. Welcome to the team Outer God that's beyond human comprehension!"

Girl with an Inferiority Complex: "The amount of things you've taken seriously today is still in the single digits."

Gloomy Young Man: "They've never left the single digits…"

Compose Mature Woman: "Like he said we're looking for a way to destroy the World. We were hoping this recording would give us some clues but it ended before it gave us anything meaningful."

Unconfident Young Woman: "Do you have anything that might help us?"

… Yes. There are more recordings located within this console. However, unlike the one you just viewed, they are heavily encrypted.

Humorous Young Man: "Oh is that it? Psh, that's no problem. I can have these babies cracked open in no time!"

"... But?"

… But even if you were to able decrypt those recordings, you would not be able to view them without the appropriate password.

Young Woman with Anger Issues: "There's the catch."

… Yes, they are password locked. I am afraid that attempting to brute force the password is not possible either. If too many incorrect guesses are made, the console will initiate its intruder protocol sequence and put this entire facility on lockdown. The building will then fill with noxious gas that will likely kill you in a matter of minutes

Everyone: …

Relaxed Older Man: "Well, you certainly aren't the one to sugarcoat things, aintcha toots?"

… My apologies.

Composed Mature Woman: "It doesn't shock me in the slightest that this facility has such harsh protocols."

… I, however, know where the passwords are hidden.

Irresponsible Young Woman: "Yeah? Well, don't be afraid to share with the class now. The suspense might just kill us!"

Laidback Tomboy: "That or the deadly gas. We're fine with either really."

Nerdy Boy: "Neither! Neither is fine!"

… The passwords to the recordings… are hidden within your memories…

Loud Girl: "Huh? What's that supposed to mean?"

… The passwords to the recordings are hidden within your memories. Think of it as the equivalent of physically writing down a password and putting it somewhere for safekeeping, only that place is your memories.

Unconfident Young Woman: "Oh goodness. How far back in our memories are they? I can't even remember what I ate for lunch yesterday."

"You never ate lunch yesterday. You were too busy getting everything ready for today."

Unconfident Young Woman: "H-Huh?! No that doesn't sound right. Didn't we go to Type-Sun yesterday?"

Humorous Young Man: "We haven't been to Type-Sun in like, a month."

Unconfident Young Woman: "WHAAAAA-?!"

… The passwords were made hidden and discreet for a reason. You would not know what they were unless you knew what to look for, and even then you would still have trouble I'd assume.

Young Woman with Anger Issues: "You keep saying that they're hidden in our memories but that doesn't mean shit if we don't know WHERE in our memories."

… I know how to help you find the passwords within your memories… However, you may not like what I have to say.

Inexperienced Young Man: "Compared to what we've been through? It can't be that bad."

… To find the passwords within your memories… You need to relive those memories from the very beginning.

Everyone: "..."

Inexperienced Young Man: "Ooh yeah that is pretty bad actually."

… I have a… power… that allows me to reverse the flow of time. With this power, I can send you back to the beginning and you can look for the passwords, along with any additional clues that may assist you in destroying the World.

Relaxed Older Man: "From the way you're putting it, it seems like we're not about to just go back a couple of weeks aren't we? Months maybe?"

Insightful Young Man: "That shouldn't be too much of a problem. We'll have our memories of everything up to this point, which should make things go by faster if we know what's coming."

… I'm sorry to say that this won't be the case.

Insightful Young Man: "Huh?"

… My… power… will Re;Start everything. Every event that has happened on your journey will happen once again. Every action you've made will be undone. Every memory you've made up to this very conversation… will be forgotten.

"Just… how far back are you sending us?"

… November 15th, 20XX

"...God damnit."

Humorous Young Man: "Fuck."

Shy Girl: "...? Did something bad happen on that date?"

Nerdy Boy: "Um…"

Humorous Young Boy: "It's not a big deal, just the worst event in the Tamazaki family history is all."

Shy Girl: "Oh! … Oh…"

Young Woman with Anger Issues: "So… Not only are you trying to send us back in time a little over a decade ago, but we'll lose our memories too… Would you mind telling me what's even the FUCKING POINT of doing this shit then?!"

Irresponsible Young Woman: "Maann I thought we'd be getting some kinda New Game deal. Curse you, modern game developers! Games of today just aren't the same as they were back then!"

Young Woman with Insecurities: "There just so happens to be another person in this room who has taken a concerningly small amount of things seriously today."

Composed Mature Woman: "Their number is also in the single digits."

… I apologize if I gave you the impression that I would Re;Start time and leave you empty-handed. In truth, your hands will be more full when you leave this room than they were when you entered it.

Laid-back Tomboy: "Hmm… Yeah that's way too cryptic for me personally. Some clarification would be nice."

… You used the term 'New Game' earlier, correct? I want you to think of this as a soft version of it. When you are sent back, you will lose everything as I have previously explained and everything will be undone… mostly.

… Despite being sent back to the start, there will be special flags that are triggered that weren't active when you first started your journey. Now that these flags are active, your second journey will likely deviate from your first, which can subsequently lead to an entirely different set of outcomes than what you remember.

"I don't think I'm following what you're saying."

Composed Mature Woman: "Oh! Thinking about it in visual novel terms definitely makes understanding this process simpler."

"I-It does?"

Composed Mature Woman: "By reaching this room and speaking with this mysterious Outer God and agreeing to use their power, we have reached an ending for Route A and have in turn unlocked Route B."

Composed Older Woman: "However like many visual novels there are multiple types of endings: bad endings, normal endings, good endings, and true endings, which sometimes are the same as good endings. I believe we have reached a normal or good ending for Route A."

Humorous Young Man: "But if we wanna reach the true ending for Route A, we gotta find those passwords and activate those triggers in Route B."

… Yes. Once that route is selected, I will be able to handle the rest.

"How exactly would we select that route…?"

… When the time arrives, you will know what you need to do…

"…"

Girl with an Inferiority Complex: "And Handle the rest? What's that supposed to mean?"

… It is my way of thanking you… for trusting me to earn your trust, as silly as that sounds. I will do all that I can to ensure that you find the answers you seek.

Insightful Young Man: "We haven't exactly agreed to do anything this drastic but… We aren't left with many choices are we?"

Unconfident Young Woman: "I don't think we have any other choice. We made quite the racket getting here so it's only a matter of time before we're discovered."

Gloomy Young Man: "After that, it's lights out for real…"

…

…

… I would like to apologize again. I realize that with the method I proposed, I am essentially asking you to not only undo all of your hard work, but to erase the bonds you have with one another and the people of this dimension.

…

Humorous Young Man: "... Nah, it's no big deal. We're just starting from the beginning again right?"

Loud Girl: "Yeah! If we're restarting, then that just means we'll just have to create those bombs-"

Nerdy Boy: "Bonds."

Loud Girl: "-bonds all over again! That's easy!"

Young Woman with Anger Issues: "For you maybe. There's a buncha crap I rather not go through again… but I guess that won't matter if I don't remember any of it so…"

… Does that mean you'll go through with it?

"... Yeah. We're willing to do whatever it takes, even if it means reliving our past again."

Laidback Tomboy: "It probably doesn't mean squat but I'm gonna miss you guys. When we meet next time you better not treat me like some optional party member."

Gloomy Young Man: "I can't promise we won't…"

… Very well. If no one has any objections, I will now begin the countdown.

…10…

Calm Older Man: "You know I'm not quite fond of having to go through years worth of trauma again."

Composed Mature Woman: "Don't worry. Whenever we meet again I'll be sure to include mental health coverage with your employee benefits."

Calm Older Man: "... Nah there's no need. I think getting to punch Kaz and the old man in the face again will be therapeutic enough."

…9…

Laidback Tomboy: "I uh… was serious about what I said you know. You don't gotta treat me like a stranger."

Loud Girl: "It's hard not to treat you like a stranger when you keep acting like one every day!"

Laidback Tomboy: "I don't think that means what you think it means…"

…8…

Inexperienced Young Man: "Wait you guys get employee benefits?"

Gloomy Young Man: "You don't?"

Inexperienced Young Man: "You do?!"

…7…

Young Woman with an Inferiority Complex: "Sis have you… not been giving him any employee benefits?"

Young Woman with Insecurities: "Huh…? Oh, I guess I haven't. I don't know, he kinda got thrust on me out of nowhere and I had a lot of paperwork to do. He never brought them up so I thought-"

Young Woman with an Inferiority Complex: "Sis! He's almost died several times this last month and you haven't given him any employee benefits?!"

…6…

Humorous Young Man: "Okay! I only have a few seconds to think of a banger of a pick-up line to hit you with when we have our first meeting again! Hnnngh!"

Unconfident Young Woman: "Huh? Why would you do that?"

…5…

Humorous Young Man: "First impressions… are important! I'm gonna introduce you… hngh… to the real me from the get-go! Not some… dumb persona I made on the… ngh… spot!"

Unconfident Young Woman: "Is that so? … Wait, how would you even remember it if our memories are going to be erased?"

Humorous Young Man: "By manifesting it… into the universe! It'll find its way back to me when I return!"

…4…

Unconfident Young Woman: "That's sweet… But you don't have to. Your eyes are starting to bug out."

Insightful Young Man: "Ugh to hell with it! I might as well get this out of the way right now!"

Young Woman with Anger Issues: "What are you-hn!"

…3….

Nerdy Boy: "Oh… my God."

Shy Girl: "H-He's really doing it!"

Insightful Young Man: "There! I can leave with no regrets! … Uh, sorry about that."

…2…

Woman with Anger Issues: "B-Buh… H-Huh? H-Hey! What w-was that-?!"

"... So um… Looks like we won't be seeing each other for a bit…"

Irresponsible Young Woman: "Yeep. I don't think it'll be that long with all things considered though."

…1…

"... Yeah…"

"... Hey T?" She took my hand and made direct eye contact with me. "Promise me you won't go for any of the other gals, got it? You'll have a real angry CPU on your hands if you do!"

"There's uh… no need for any of that, hah hah…" I'm laughing but even I don't know what this girl is truly capable of even after all this time, "You don't need to worry…"

…

…

…

"I wouldn't trade you for the world."

…0…

…Re;Start Operation System…

…Activate…