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Originally Posted by Sushi-Y
Sevens Mart is a discount liquor and grocery wholesales store located inside the city.
Keiichi's mom: "What's this, Keiichi? There's so much! You can't just get all the different flavors, you know?!"
I dumped cup noodles of various different colors all into the shopping cart.
Keiichi: "The cup noodles recently are all so fancy, and there are a lot of different types too. I want to try each one out at least once."
I know that this was half a selfish request, but I thought I'd make a challenge just for the heck of it.
Keiichi's dad: "Keiichi. Get the ones they sell in whole boxes, they're cheaper."
The old man's grumbling.
Well, I figured it'd end up like this.
If the old man comes into the play, then it can't be helped.
Keiichi: "But then there's only one flavor! I'll get tired of it!"
I'm resisting only in form.
Inside my mind, I have already given up and is lost over which box of ramen I should buy.
Keiichi's mom: "If you can't decide then Okaasan is going to pick for you."
Even if you rush me, it doesn't help...!
I quickly departed to search for the box of ramen that I want.
Keiichi's mom: "Tonkotsu Ginger flavor, giant cup? Hey Keiichi, can't you get something more normal?"
If I let the old hag pick, there's a good chance it'll be a steady choice like soy sauce or salt flavored.
Keiichi: "Tonkotsu tastes great! I know it's a big serving, but that doesn't mean it's tasteless...!!"
In this reminiscence, I was justifying my choice for the box of ramen that I had picked.
*screen freezes*
There's no way that I could turn around in this world, whose time has already ended, and has been laminated and packaged....
That's why.... the only thing that I can do is to make the eyesight, hearing, and feeling of the me in this time even more sensitive.
No matter where I searched inside my vision...... I can't find Rena.
Let's go back in time and look.
But of course, she's not found anywhere.
*screen blacks out*
Then... was she observing me from a blindspot outside of my vision...?
I go back on my hearing and feelings, and search again.
The presences of other customers.
All of them are mixed up... moving around randomly on their own.
None of them are observing me steadily, nor is there any presence of anyone following behind me.
None. Should be none. Probably none.
No matter how much my guard was down at the time... I would've definitely noticed if someone was following right behind me.
I'm laughing bitterly here for using an ambiguous expression like "probably", and yet using a contradicting adjective like "definitely"....
At that time, the replay of time stopped with a shiver.
.........There was a shadow presence behind me.
It was... a fear that can't be described.
If it was a presence that appeared behind the real me right now, then it's possible for me to turn around and make sure.
However, for the me inside a world whose time has already ended, it's impossible to turn around.
While carrying such a horrifying shadow behind me... I ran around the store happily looking for boxes of cup ramens...?
While making rude remarks about the old hag, I ran around the instant noodle aisle....
But.... behind me, that presence always stuck right onto me. It dangled right after me like a shadow.
Without...... a way to make sure of something, and not realizing it until just now...... is actually such a horrifying and repulsive thing......
I happily ran across...... the world whose time has already ended.
I held onto the cardboard box.
Patapata. (footsteps)
......But, if I listen to those footsteps carefully again...... there was a 'petapeta', something other than my own footsteps was definitely included in there as well.
Patapatapata. Petapetapeta.
Patapata. Petapeta.
Patapatapata. Petapetapeta.
Exactly the same as my running, the 'petapeta' sound of footsteps that sounded like they were made by bare feet followed behind me.
I happily ran across...... the world whose time has already ended.
But that was only because...... I couldn't hear it.
No, it is because I heard it that I'm able to recall it like this.
... I heard it, but I didn't mind it.
That's why I didn't turn around.
That's why, I couldn't turn around...!!!
In the world whose time has already ended, I'm always being chased by a 'petapeta' sound of footsteps.
I can't run any faster and escape either.
For the me whose time has already ended, I can only run at the predetermined speed.
Nor can I turn around.
Since the me whose time has already ended never turned around once.
And then, I arrive back at the sides of my parents, and begin a conversation. While carrying the shadowy presence with me.
Since I'm not moving, the shadow doesn't move either. Therefore there's no sound. That's all.
At the time, I was supposedly conversing with my parents without moving a single step.
I remained standing perfectly still. No doubt about it.
And yet, ......a 'peta' ... sound was made.
That can't be possible.
If I run 3 steps, you follow 3 steps. That was the rule, wasn't it...?
There are no more sounds after that.
At that instant, the entire world had a power outage.... It was a sudden total darkness.
This reminiscence trip is over now.
I want to sleep for today now.
I want to end this.
Somebody turn on the lights.
But my body won't move.
...As if it was sewed onto... this world whose time has already ended.
Peta.
The hairs on my entire body stand up.
No way...?!
You've been breaking the rules since earlier!!
I'm not walking!
So you can't walk either!!
I'm not moving! So you don't move either!! Follow the rules!!!
Peta.
And yet, once more, that sound echoed across the darkness.
The hairs on the back of my head stirs up.
To a distance behind me close enough that I can't tell whether it's touching my hairs or not....... it has come.
Why can't I move like how the presence behind me is moving?!?!
... I soon realized it.
I can move.
...... I just can't turn around because I'm afraid.
Now's the only time I can turn around.
The action was not allowed in the world whose time has already ended.... But...... I have to turn around now......!!
All the cells within my body, as if trying to stop me from doing this forbidden action, begin to claim of pains like needles pricking away at every single pore on my skin....
I'll turn around!
I'll turn around!
It ain't scary at all!!
I'll turn around!
I'll turn around!
It ain't scary at all!!!!
It was a scream without sounds within my chest.
oOoOoOOOOOOOOOOOH!!!!
I turned around.
......And there, .......... I didn't get the meaning of it at first.
Keiichi: ".........Eh, ....................Eh?"
This is..................... Eh?
With the situation placed in front of me, it's like someone who has to take a bite out of an apple and drink it's juice before realizing that it's an apple......... my brain begins to eat the apple.
Munch, munch, it begins to chew on it....
Drinking the juice......... It realized that it's an apple.
In other words......... what's in front of me is,
GYAAAAAaAAaAAaAAaAAAaAAAaAaaA........
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