On Toujou Nozomi's side, it wasn't until the distorted figures of Yoshino and Tobiichi Origami completely vanished from the alternate dimension that the giant clock face also disappeared.
"Ugh!?" Just then, Tokisaki Kurumi, who had just used 'The Twelfth Bullet', suddenly felt an indescribable exhaustion appear in her head, leaving her momentarily stunned. Covering her head, her body swayed, and she fell to the ground.
"Kurumi!" The girls, who had just recovered, all exclaimed in surprise as they saw Tokisaki Kurumi collapse weakly to the ground. Just as she was about to hit the floor, the fastest of them, the Yamai sisters, quickly came to her side and supported her from left and right, preventing her from falling. As they breathed a sigh of relief, they noticed that Tokisaki Kurumi's complexion was not very good. She began to pant rapidly in their arms, her eyes showing an uncontrollable fatigue, which made all the girls present start to panic.
"Hey! Are you okay, Kurumi? You didn't say anything about this happening before using 'The Twelfth Bullet'. If you're like this, what will happen to Yoshino, who used 'The Twelfth Bullet' with you?" Seeing such a fatigued Tokisaki Kurumi, everyone couldn't help but worry. But then they thought that Yoshino also used this ability with her, so wouldn't she be completely unable to fight after going back to the past? In that case, what would Tobiichi Origami, who harbored hatred for Spirits, do to her?
"It's just a slight overuse of spiritual power. This level of spiritual power consumption will quickly recover with the help of the contract. So, at most, I'm just a bit tired, and nothing serious will happen." Seeing so many people looking at her with concern, Tokisaki Kurumi felt a touch of emotion. Taking a deep breath, she broke free from the Yamai sisters' embrace and reined in her spiritual power. The next moment, the black and red spirit dress on Tokisaki Kurumi disappeared, reverting to her original casual clothes.
"As for whether Yoshino will experience the same situation as me, I don't think so. After all, she possesses the power of multiple worlds, so even if her spiritual power is overused, she can replenish it through other powers. The energy she received from us will also allow her to recover quickly, so everyone doesn't need to worry about Yoshino's safety."
Upon hearing Tokisaki Kurumi's words, everyone began to examine Tokisaki Kurumi's face, and finding no abnormalities other than fatigue, they relaxed their somewhat tense expressions. They blinked curiously at the spot where the two had disappeared; the idea of traveling through time to the past was still quite fascinating to them. Although Yoshino could travel between worlds, this was something that happened right before their eyes.
"What do you think was the reason Yoshino and Tobiichi Origami went back to the past? I feel like Yoshino wasn't just going to accompany her; it seems like there's something she needed to do," Natsumi said curiously, looking at the spot where Yoshino had disappeared. If it was just to see the killer of her parents, she shouldn't have needed to go herself. So what exactly was her purpose?
"I don't know about that. I only paid a small amount of spiritual power for Tobiichi Origami's bullet energy. If I'm not mistaken, she should be back within ten to fifteen minutes. However, I don't know how much energy Yoshino used on herself with 'The Twelfth Bullet', but she should be back within today." Seeing the puzzled expressions of the girls in the room, Tokisaki Kurumi explained her abilities to them.
"I wonder if Tobiichi Origami will be able to learn the truth of what happened that year. It would be great if she could," Minami Kotori said with some anticipation. Although her parents would ultimately die, at least it would make her understand that the killer wasn't Itsuka Kotori. That way, the matter could be resolved perfectly, and she could also improve her favorability with her.
"I don't think things are that simple," Honjou Nia, sitting on the sofa, spoke up, drawing everyone's attention. They saw Honjou Nia holding her Xinhua Dictionary… *cough! cough!* No! No! It was the All-Knowing Angel Ratziel, with a serious expression on her face.
"What's wrong, Nia? Will something happen to Yoshino?" Minami Kotori asked nervously.
"No, Yoshino is fine. The problem is Tobiichi Origami. I just curiously looked up the truth about the Tengu City fire five years ago and Tobiichi Origami's parents, and I found a somewhat unbelievable truth. It's truly too cruel." And it was incredibly melodramatic! Why would such a plot happen? In her decades of experience in the ACG world, she had never seen anything so clichéd; it was a bit like a Korean drama, really catching one off guard.
Just then, a spiral-shaped ripple appeared in the room's space. As everyone watched, Tobiichi Origami's figure appeared before them. She lay motionless on the ground, and for a moment, everyone thought something had happened to her in the past. So they hurried over to check on the situation.
"Tobiichi-san? Are you okay? What happened in the past? Where's Yoshino?" Toujou Nozomi asked, helping Tobiichi Origami up.
However, Tobiichi Origami did not answer her question. After the dizziness in her head disappeared, she saw Toujou Nozomi holding her. Remembering what had just happened, tears involuntarily flowed again. "It wasn't Itsuka Kotori who killed them, it wasn't anyone else! The real murderer was me! It was me! It was me, who had become a Spirit, who killed my parents!"
"Eh?" Toujou Nozomi was stunned by the words. What was going on? Why would you become the murderer of your parents? This was not what she had imagined.
"That's the truth of what happened back then. God will not allow anyone to rewrite the world; God will retaliate against those who try to do such foolish things," Honjou Nia said, looking at the crying Tobiichi Origami. When she had just searched for information about Tobiichi Origami, she found in the future that Tobiichi Origami, having become a Spirit, killed her parents.
"The predetermined facts in this timeline are directly decided by the sum of all past events. Even using the ability of Time Reversion to go back to the past is merely an effort to contribute to the current predetermined facts. Even if you want to change history, you will ultimately only become a part of history. Even if you go back to the past, history cannot be changed in any way." Tokisaki Kurumi said with a tone that contained an unknown emotion. Her long-held wish was to go back thirty years and kill the First Spirit. Now, Tobiichi Origami's situation told her that history cannot be changed, making her feel very conflicted.
The girls in the living room heard Tokisaki Kurumi's words, and knowing her past, they immediately looked at her with a hint of worry. However, their gazes also startled the somewhat melancholic Tokisaki Kurumi. Looking at the girls around her, who were watching her with concern, Tokisaki Kurumi gave a warm smile to reassure everyone that she was fine.
"But where did Yoshino go? Tobiichi-san is already back, so where is Yoshino?" Minami Kotori said with some concern.
"Nia, can you use your Angel to see Yoshino's current situation?" Toujou Nozomi asked Honjou Nia. Tobiichi Origami's emotions were a bit off right now, so no questions could be asked of her. They could only rely on Honjou Nia, who possessed the All-Knowing Angel.
"I can't see any information about Yoshino. Her future is always shrouded in a mist, preventing my Ratziel from seeing any information. But I can find out what Yoshino told Tobiichi Origami when she left by checking Tobiichi Origami's future." Honjou Nia quickly flipped through the Ratziel in her hand and soon found the content she wanted.
"When Tobiichi Origami learned the truth, Yoshino asked her if she wanted her parents to live, and at the very end, she said she wanted to… to deceive this world," Honjou Nia said with a somewhat serious expression. Although she didn't know what this so-called deception of the world was, she knew it wouldn't be anything good.
"Deceive the world, save Tobiichi Origami's parents? And the fact that the future cannot be changed… Could it be!!!?" Connecting the series of clues, Toujou Nozomi knew the answer she wanted, but could this really succeed?
"Sister Nozomi, what's wrong, meow? What does Yoshino want to do? Tell us quickly, meow!" Hoshizora Rin looked at Toujou Nozomi's solemn expression and knew that Yoshino might have done something dangerous. But she, not being very smart, didn't know what dangerous thing Yoshino was going to do, and in her anxiety, her voice was tinged with a slight cry.
"She wants to save Tobiichi Origami. That's what Yoshino wants to do. Her purpose in deceiving this world is to allow her parents to survive without changing history."
"What!?" *N Upon hearing this, everyone in the living room gasped, and even Tobiichi Origami, who was crying, opened her eyes wide and looked at Toujou Nozomi. Isn't this completely different from what was said before? How can you save your parents without changing history?
"I don't know that either, but this is what Yoshino wants to do. Although I don't know if deceiving the world will be dangerous, for now, we can only wait for Yoshino to come back first." Looking at their questioning gazes, Toujou Nozomi said helplessly. This child, how could she do such a bold thing? What if something unexpected happens!
"Dad! Mom!" Tobiichi Origami murmured, could her parents really be saved?
"Yoshino! You must succeed." *N The adults in the living room began to pray for Yoshino.
Just then, the space in the living room began to distort again.
Yoshino is back!
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