"Sora-kun, don't say such discouraging things..."
Mahiru tilted her pretty face up, her bright eyes glaring affectionately:
"Maybe we'll be able to break the time loop this time."
She said that, but looking at the various shops lining the street, a small glint of anticipation clearly flashed in Angel-sama's eyes.
(If I could taste every stall together with Sora-kun... I would definitely be very happy, right?)
(It seems like it wouldn't be a big deal if time looped a few more times...)
(N-No, I can't think like that!)
(It's better to end the loop as soon as possible, I can't cause trouble for others...)
Ten minutes later.
Sora held the takoyaki, tofu ice cream, and other foods, while Angel-sama held two super large cotton candies in both hands. They sat down together on a bench by the side of the road.
"Mmm, what a wondrous texture."
Angel-sama parted her pink lips and took a small bite of the cotton candy. Her eyes quickly brightened:
"It feels like snowflakes in winter, melting in my mouth all at once."
"It's actually just ordinary caramel." Sora ate a takoyaki ball and gave it a good review. "Takoyaki with a whole octopus inside is indeed super delicious. Want to try one?"
Looking at those clearly visible little octopuses, Mahiru's eyes were full of anticipation. She was just about to quickly finish the cotton candy in her hands to free them up when her gaze suddenly caught sight of a couple not far away.
The boy was feeding the girl takoyaki, completely ignoring the gazes of others around them.
Seeing this, Angel-sama's heartbeat involuntarily accelerated quietly.
(Should I ask Sora-kun to feed me takoyaki?)
Mahiru was startled by her own thought.
But once the thought arose, it was like a spark starting a prairie fire, impossible to extinguish.
(Anyway, time is constantly looping... There shouldn't be any problem asking Sora-kun to feed me, right?)
After being shy for a few seconds, Mahiru quickly took a deep breath, her gaze quietly turning resolute.
"S-Sora-kun..."
Mahiru called out softly, her voice sweet and pleasant.
"What's wrong?"
Sora turned his head to look.
"I want to eat a takoyaki..." Mahiru turned her pretty face away, the tips of her ears and her neck already flushed crimson. Her voice was shy. "But it's inconvenient holding the cotton candy, so..."
Sora didn't process it for a moment:
"So what?"
"Umm..." Mahiru summoned her courage and looked up. Her beautiful caramel-colored eyes were rippling, her voice trembling slightly. Unlike her gentle and polite demeanor at school, her voice now was sweeter, laced with nervousness and anticipation.
"Sora-kun, will you feed me a takoyaki?"
Sora: "..."
Looking at the girl's expectant eyes, resembling a Nara deer, words of refusal simply couldn't leave his mouth!
"...Open up."
Sora was silent for two seconds. He skewered a takoyaki ball with the small fork and brought it to Angel-sama's lips.
"Ah..."
Mahiru slightly tilted her pretty face up and shyly parted her pink lips.
It was dusk.
The evening glow was amber.
Under the golden afterglow, one could clearly see Angel-sama's snow-white teeth and pink mouth... Her appearance as she tilted her pretty face up, waiting to be fed, was the cutest in the world.
Gently biting down on the takoyaki, Angel-sama quickly used the cotton candy to shyly hide her cheeks.
The air fell quietly silent.
A moment later.
Angel-sama's shy voice finally sounded from behind the cotton candy:
"Thank you, Sora-kun..."
"You're welcome."
Sora exhaled softly and brought the tofu ice cream to the girl's lips again:
"Try the tofu ice cream."
"Okay..."
Mahiru parted her pink lips, took a small bite, and her eyes brightened slightly:
"The texture is wonderful, it feels very bouncy."
"Want a bite of the cheese beef pie?"
"Thank you, Sora-kun..."
Angel-sama didn't just wait to be fed the whole time. In return, she lifted the cotton candy in her hand and offered it to Sora. Her pretty face flushed red, her voice gentle:
"Sora-kun, do you want a bite of cotton candy?"
"..."
Time quietly slipped away amidst their mutual feeding.
Buzz buzz.
The gentle vibration of a phone suddenly shattered the tranquility.
"It should be a message from Anna..."
Sora fed the last takoyaki to Angel-sama, then took his phone out of his pocket:
"Perfect timing to ask if another Mahiru appeared in the restroom."
He unlocked the phone.
Several messages popped up on the screen at once:
"Sora, Sora, why haven't you come out yet?"
"Mahiru is missing too. I searched the whole restroom and couldn't find her."
"You guys didn't sneak off, did you?"
"..."
A girl's sixth sense is indeed sharp; she guessed the truth right away.
"It seems there's no need to ask. Anna said she didn't see another Mahiru in the restroom, which proves our guess was correct..."
Sora said softly.
"It really worked." Mahiru's eyes brightened slightly, her spirits lifting.
"The other me didn't appear. We might really be able to break the time loop."
Sora, meanwhile, replied to 'Inmate Eight': "Upset stomach, it's going to be a while before I can come out."
Anna: "It's been a long time. Be careful not to get hemorrhoids, Sora. My dad always sits on the toilet for super long, and that's why he got hemorrhoids."
Hemorrhoids are an adult's disease. Not many high schoolers get hemorrhoids!
"There's not much time left." Sora put away his phone and extended his right hand to Angel-sama beside him.
"Next is verifying whether we can break the loop."
"Sora-kun bought too many things, we really couldn't finish them all..."
Mahiru's tone was slightly distressed. She raised her soft hand and quietly grasped Sora's palm.
Sora said casually:
"It doesn't matter if we can't finish it, a new loop will start soon anyway."
"Sora-kun, don't jinx it." Mahiru glared affectionately. "The second me didn't appear, we will definitely be able to break the time loop."
"Yes, yes."
"..."
The end of the half-hour quietly arrived.
Sora and Angel-sama held hands, waiting silently.
The next second.
A slight wave of dizziness hit. The world before their eyes quietly shifted, and then the familiar cacophony of noises flooded their ears once more.
"Back again, again, again..."
Looking at the roller coaster speeding past in mid-air, Sora let out a soft sigh and silently turned his head to look at Angel-sama behind him.
Their eyes met.
The two looked at each other in silence.
Clearly, even though the other Mahiru hadn't appeared, they still couldn't break the time loop.
In the subsequent loops, Sora and Mahiru continued to search for a way to end the time loop using the control variable method.
The two tried leaving the amusement park together, getting far away from the center of the trouble, but unfortunately, it was useless.
They also tried having the post-rewind Mahiru hide, while Sora accompanied the pre-rewind Mahiru to completely recreate the original scene, but it was still useless.
The two explored the amusement park to see if there was anyone who needed saving, but the amusement park was safe, and no one was in danger.
After various attempts, there was still no way to break the time loop.
Finally, Sora helplessly proposed:
"During the next loop, let's tell Ruri and Anna the truth. We've verified all the possibilities we could think of. Now we need to brainstorm and hear other people's opinions..."