Yuuta's POV
"Wait… are you even saying what I think you're saying?" I asked, completely shocked, barely holding myself up on my feet.
The figure in front of me—who looked exactly like me—gave a confident smile.
"I know it's confusing, so let me clear things up first," he said, raising one hand. "You are the real Yuuta. The one who grabbed you earlier, that was Shadow Yuuta. He helps you in the shadows. And me? You can call me Crimson Yuuta."
I blinked. "Crimson…?"
"Yup. Now that we've got names, no more confusion." He folded his arms. "Let me break it down: First, you lost Airi in your world. Then, you entered Shadow Yuuta's world... and lost her there too. After that, you entered my world. Here, you saved her."
"So I won…?" I whispered.
"Maybe." Crimson Yuuta's face turned serious. "But the Airi you saved… isn't yours. She's mine. You lost both your Airi and Shadow Yuuta's Airi. And they can't be taken back."
His words hit me like a truck. My chest tightened. "Then… why am I here?"
"Because this is my world. But now it's time for Shadow Yuuta to return to his world… where Airi's already dead. He'll have to live with that despair."
Crimson Yuuta turned to Shadow Yuuta. "It's time."
Shadow Yuuta nodded without a word. He stepped back and disappeared into the dark fog.
I fell to my knees. "It's all my fault… I'm sorry, Shadow Yuuta… I never meant—because of me, you lost her."
Shadow Yuuta didn't turn around. He just stared off into the distance. "...Live better than me."
Gone. Just like that.
Crimson Yuuta looked at me. "It's not your fault. We chose you. Whether you win or lose… it's up to you now. We can't interfere."
I looked up at him with teary eyes. "Then why me?! Why did you choose me?!"
He shrugged. "You won't believe this, but I've heard that question over a hundred times. And the answer is always the same: I don't know. Something about you… draws all of us together. I'm just here to explain a few things."
I stood, still shaking. "Then explain this… every time Airi dies, I jump into another timeline. Why?"
Crimson Yuuta's eyes narrowed. "Because Airi is your trigger point. When she dies, you transfer into another Yuuta's world."
I gasped. "So... Airi's life decides my world?"
"Exactly. But here's the catch—you only jump into timelines that are similar to yours. Same past, same emotional connections. That's why when you died in Shadow Yuuta's world, you came to mine. Our timelines are alike."
"Wait," I raised my hand, "so I have two questions."
"Go ahead," Crimson Yuuta said, crossing his arms.
"First… can I time travel too? Because when I entered your world, I was in your past. I saved Airi from bullies. I fought them. It felt real. But if it was just a memory…"
He smiled. "You can say it's like time travel—but not exactly. When you entered my world, our consciousnesses connected. You were living inside my memories. That's why it felt real."
"But I changed things," I said. "I fought. I protected her."
Crimson Yuuta nodded. "You acted out my memory. We made the same choices because we're the same person. Think of it like... you took a road I already walked."
"...This is giving me a headache," I groaned, rubbing my temples. "I don't want to know anymore."
"Too late," Crimson Yuuta smirked. "Now ask your second question."
I sighed. "Okay. So… I already stopped everything. Saya and Takamura are exposed. Subaru is alive. Airi isn't missing. Everything's fine now. So what's the problem?"
Crimson Yuuta gave a soft laugh. "You still don't get it, do you? You think Saya and Takamura were the main problem?"
"Yeah?" I tilted my head. "They were, right?"
He shook his head. "Yuuta, everything that happens… is someone's choice. But when there are infinite choices, can you really be satisfied with stopping just one?"
I blinked. "Huh?"
"You saw the past… but you didn't understand it. There's more coming. More truth. More pain. And maybe… more you."
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End of Chapter