Japan, Tokyo; Minato Ward — Coast Region, Mori International Academy

  A piercing scream ricocheted off the walls of the nigh-empty clubroom, and the figure from whom it had originated thrashed about like a wild beast in human skin—skin that felt like it was being torched and roasted on the grill that was the sun, not quite like it but to the bristling and boiling phantom fat that was quickly evaporated, this did not seem to hold much significance.

  The phrasing “phantom fat” was used in utter seriousness, as there was nothing real or physical that was harmed by any sort of fire.

  Of course; if this was a normal reality, one likened to the previous of mere minutes or hours before the sky split with a phantom star engraved on its face, then this sort of phrasing would be and mean just that—a phantom fat that was burned by illusionary fire, causing phantom pains.

  But reality had long since become fantasy, and so normal rules that should have applied have long since been placed on hold, making the only thing that was truly concrete the emotion or state of being called confusion—or rather delirium.

  The figure, Natasha, had stopped thrashing about, but her hair had long since fallen out of order, and her head was covered in a dense layer of sweat that was difficult to wipe off.

  ‘This type of experience, I never want to be placed under again. I’ll be fighting the Earth Hippo; Miss Time-Loop can try her hand with this monster,' Natasha was near the brink of making up her mind before her phone started vibrating.

  ‘Ugh! What is it now? can’t you see I’m in pain here…’

  Natasha grumbled, temporarily ignoring the buzzing phone and assessing the state of her unworked but sore body. She had never expected pain to transfer over with the time loop, and she couldn’t help but cringe at the fact.

  ‘This is going to make this situation even more perilous.’

  Natasha let the phone vibrate for a few moments more before she tried to turn her head to look for it; a spear of pain immediately shot through her body, and a muffled scream tried to tempt her mouth into letting it out.

  She held, but it didn’t make it pleasant for her at all.

  ‘C’mon, it’s just a little pain. My period cramps are more severe; at least, I think so. No, I know so. I know so; let’s focus on the period pains and not on, whatever dollar store toaster I went through,’ She shivered, subtly acknowledging that this pain was more severe than her own period cramps.

  She slowly turned and found the phone predictably on the floor. Thankfully it hadn’t been damaged, as other models would have been. If it had been, she wouldn’t even know what to do, and it was predicted that this loop would end in failure as well.

  ‘I can see it, sure, but it doesn’t mean reaching it is easy. Damn it, my head hurts; would paracetamol work in this case? The headache doesn’t actually exist though; it’s all illusionary pains.’ Natasha breathed and slowly felt the pain subside but not by much.

  Crawling in an unsightly manner, Natasha finally reached the phone.

  As she grabbed it, she couldn’t help wincing as even flexing her fingers brought her some form of pain a masochist would take pleasure in receiving.

  What greeted her wasn’t any calls but messages—as those vibrations were specially made for her messages, as she excessively daydreamed and monologued, she needed a constant for her to break out of it—and the person who sent them couldn’t be any other than Leon.

  [Future Husband added you to Tessaract.]

  [Future Husband added …]

  Natasha looked down and saw that he added two unknown numbers she could only deduce were Mirai and Yuki; while she was contemplating, her phone vibrated again, and she saw that he had texted her.

  [Future Husband: @Ivanova We got Yuki out of her situation, or let’s say, she did. We’re thinking of going to the auditorium on the West side of campus, somewhat near the middle; are you coming?]

  The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  [Ivanova(You) replying to Future Husband: I’ll get on that; I’ll be on my way.]

  Natasha typed a few words and couldn’t help but think of what they were going to use to get there. Then she remembered that Leon knew how to drive, and her grip on the phone tightened.

  ‘One of those girls are going to be Leon’s passenger princess!’ She gnashed her teeth, jealous.

  While she was checking the newly formed group chat, Natasha hurriedly pushed herself to stand up and grab her things. She didn’t want to stay still like last time.

  She had arrogantly thought that the time loop would start before she could get killed in any way and had suffered a great loss; there was no way she would let anything like that happen again.

  While she was doing this, she couldn’t help but whistle at the name that was picked for the group [Tessaract]. If she remembered correctly, that was the four-dimensional shape that science people go crazy about.

  ‘I still don’t remember if it’s four spatial dimensions or three spatial dimensions and one temporal dimension. I was never really interested in such things…’ Natasha excited the clubroom and stood outside for awhile as if contemplating.

  Should she once again rush for a bike, or should she try to take one of the vehicles?

  Her phone vibrated again, and then she saw Leon post two numbers, which she assumed were Mirai and Yuki, each replying to either one, claiming them.

  Seeing this, Natasha roughly memorized them and looked at the map of campus Leon had screenshotted and sent into the chat. He had also drawn a rough outline, using a red line as a base, of which route they would be taking to get there.

  Natasha’s lips trembled for a moment before she reluctantly changed Leon’s name from [Future Husband] to [Leon].

  It wouldn’t be good if she had to screenshot something or they saw her phone and this was what came up.

  ‘I have to maintain secrecy and not give any clue.’ Natasha rushed forward; she knew she needed a bike and so she cut straight through the area she had ran through in the second loop.

  By doing so, she was sure that she had reduced the distance she had taken by half.

  ‘I have to reach as soon as possible and get out before the Flame Monkey awakens.’

  While she ran, she also typed with extreme dexterity and accuracy, as if the shifting balance and tumultuous speed were nothing to the steadiness of her fingers.

  [Ivanova (You): I’m going to take a bike. I also seem to have gotten faster, so the distance shouldn’t be an issue. I take it that the loops aren’t just going to be 10+ minutes anymore @Mirai]

  [Mirai: No idea, but we won’t know till we try!! Fighting!!]

  [Yuki: In fictional stories, time loops typically function by going back to a specific checkpoint. As for why, how and who sets Mirai’s checkpoints, we have no idea but I heavily suspect it’s just her unconsciously working to save people.]

  [Ivanova(You) replied to @Yuki: So your situation was perilous; I knew your voice sounded weird.]

  [Yuki replied to Ivanova (you): I have no idea how you guessed that (freaky, yikes)but it’s something like that.]

  Natasha’s brows twitched, and she quickly found herself back in the place she had arrived in the second loop. Looking at the time, she had made it in roughly three-quarters of the time from before.

  So a little over 2 minutes.

  She didn’t waste time; she directly went over to it and snatched up a bike that somehow wasn’t chained to the rack. Satisfied, she hopped on board and then swiftly pedaled away.

  When she nearly pedaled away, she stopped and looked toward the buildings near her. She titled her head as if thinking before she nervously cleared her throat and said in a loud voice,

  “There’s going to be something dangerous coming here soon; run now if you don’t want to die!”

  The strange urge in her heart satisfied, she found herself pedaling even faster, not even checking to see if the people she suspected to be there from the second loop were even still there.

  ‘If they kept their memories from the second loop, then they should be able to, but judging by how the rack was still full… It seems like they… haven’t?’

  Confused, she looked to the group chat and spoke a few words after some thought.

  It was a question.

  [Ivanova(You): Hey, do you think other students retin their memories after each loop like Leon?]

  The question sent a little confusion into their mix, as there were many question marks that spawned under her comment. Afterward came the replies…

  [Mirai: Shouldn’t they?]

  ‘Hah… Shoudn’t they indeed…’ Natasha laugehd a little and peddled even faster when a brightlight came into her eyes, but that cold feeling of fear and death was absent so she allowed herself to look back.

  There she saw the air twisting from flames, and satisfied that she wasn’t threatened, she turned away.

  One thought plagued her mind.

  ‘What made Leon so special, other than the fact that he is “Him” as in "that guy", that he remembered the past loops? Is it due to proximity or is it dependant on who Mirai thinks can help her… And are magical girls just immune, or is it due to her immature handling of her powers?'

  With these questions in mind, Natasha made her way to the gymnasium near the midwest of campus.