The twenty-four-hour rule had disappeared. After Yama made her wish, the size of this bubble world expanded, and the clock tower vanished, as if it had become a normal world. What exactly was Yama wish that the Monkey's Paw fulfilled? And where was the Monkey's Paw now?
Lin did not remove his cosplay of a certain person. He went to the side of the house he knew so well and leaned against the wall, listening to the sounds inside. He didn't know if Yama being in this state was good or bad. They should be finding a way to leave the bubble world, but when Lin saw Yama smiling from the bottom of her heart at those people he knew, he silently closed his eyes.
The peace between Yama and him was just an illusion. After leaving the bubble world, she would resume her hunt for him. And her living here... it didn't seem so bad, did it? To be an ordinary person, no longer tormented by the past and the Honkai. This was the life he had dreamed of.
So, Lin was faced with another choice. He seemed to always personally choose the road ahead at these important turning points in life, and this time, the two sides of the choice were himself and others.
Was Yama escaping? She was fleeing her past, no longer wanting to face the future, while Lin held the opposite view. But... was he necessarily correct? What was so bad about a false world? Yama had told him long ago that she had nothing left; her world was empty, destroyed because of her, and she was the one who had decided to carry the guilt. Could he really demand that everyone face the future just as he did? Would he... not become Yama in the future?
"..."
No, Lin believed that the future could be changed, that destiny could not bind the steps of humanity. They were not gods in myths facing prophecies helplessly; they were... mortals. Carving out a path with their own will and walking it unfalteringly... he had always done it this way.
Lin took a deep breath. He decided to find the Monkey's Paw and consume the last wish. If this bubble world was a game with rules, then the Monkey's Paw was the key clear item, and the conditions for clearing were already obvious. The only unknown was who the "you" in the third wish was. Yama? Lin? They were the same person, so could it be either of them? He didn't know, but Lin was willing to try.
As Lin stood up, thinking about where the Monkey's Paw might be and preparing to leave, the window behind him opened.
"You... have nowhere to go?"
"..."
Yama stood at the window, her tone very unfriendly. She had already showered and changed into pajamas after getting home, but she saw Lin still standing at her door through the window, looking lonely and melancholic. Recalling that he had no money for the bus and often saw him at the arcade, Yama thought he might be homeless and wandering about.
Lin looked at her silently. On reflection, he truly had nowhere to go now, but he didn't actually need a place to stay.
"Come in." Yama commanded in a voice fifteen degrees below zero. She paused, then added— "Take off that dress for me."
...
Yama crossed her arms and watched coldly as Lin found a room with practiced ease, as if returning to his own home. She narrowed her eyes at his every move. It wasn't until he took off the little dress and changed into pants that she spoke: "The wig."
"...You didn't say." Lin took off the pink wig as well.
"I have questions to ask you."
Lin knew she had questions, and he had already decided not to deliberately hide things, nor to reveal everything. That is to say... he would answer what she asked, just like they did back then.
"Where did you come from..." Yama sat on the sofa. She instinctively reached for something under the coffee table, then remembered Lin was in the room and withdrew her hand without a trace. "I feel that with your appearance and level of perversion, you shouldn't be unknown."
This person was like he had popped out of thin air. Just based on this face, Lin should be on a magazine cover right now, not playing a pervert in front of her while wearing a little dress. Of course, she was the same, except... except what? Yama couldn't quite remember what measures she had taken to prevent her likeness from being spread everywhere.
"A place that doesn't belong here."
"...Nonsense." Yama changed the question: "What is the reason you're looking for me?"
"Because we know each other."
"You know me?"
"You also know me."
Again, if Yama had seen Lin, she wouldn't have forgotten him. So she felt Lin was lying.
"You have lost your memory now," Lin said calmly and unhurriedly. "We knew each other before."
"...What relationship?"
"..."
Lin truly hadn't thought of how to summarize their relationship. Primarily because the two had so many similarities yet so many differences, and the experiences of Yama and himself led to different views of each other, resulting in different actions and considerations. In short, it was a relationship too complex for words.
Lin thought about the things Yama had done to him so far. He pondered for a moment and felt a certain sentence could describe it: "The kind of relationship where you would bite my tongue off while kissing."
"..." Yama brow twitched a few times. "You and me? Kissing? Why?"
"...That is exactly what I want to ask." Yama temper was similar to his, but there were differences in the small details, so Lin couldn't figure out or guess what she was thinking at that time.
Yama was suddenly left speechless. After sitting on the sofa for a while, she looked up and pointed at Lin: "You, delusional. Me, crazy."
She really felt that taking Lin in was the result of her brain malfunctioning. This guy didn't have a word of truth in his mouth, just a bunch of nonsense. But in her heart, there was a strange feeling.
Don't accept what he says... accept what he says...
A contradictory feeling.
"It's okay if you don't accept it." Lin spread his hands, making the choice for her.
...
"A banquet... why am I here too?"
Chise sat huddled in a chair, looking anxiously at the people nearby. Among the many people who had come to this banquet, she was the only one who wasn't very familiar with everyone else. Why did Lin invite her? ...Did he remember something? No, even if he did, their interaction during high school had only been that one time.
"Oh dear, it's not easy being so popular." At that moment, a playful tone rang out from her side, and Lin slowly walked over. "It's really not easy trying to talk to everyone."
Is he talking to me? A large question mark appeared above Chise's head.