As the saying goes, a thousand-mile embankment must have water. So, to find someone, of course, you have to go where there are people.
That's what Veliona thought, and that's what she did, without a moment's hesitation.
For some people, taking the first step is incredibly difficult, but for Veliona, it was not a problem at all. She had always possessed excellent drive.
But correspondingly, after bravely taking the first step, she also had her own troubles—what about the second step?
Veliona, wrapped in winter clothes, stood at the entrance of a small town, blinking and looking at the empty street, scratching her head in bewilderment.
To find someone, of course, you have to go to a place where people live. There's no problem with that. The problem is...
"Where do I start looking? Do I knock on every door and ask?"
Veliona annoyedly threw this absurd idea out of her head. That was too stupid, wasn't it?
But what should she do?
Post pictures in the streets and alleys?
No, neither she nor Seele had much artistic skill. And even if they did, if they didn't know what the person they were looking for looked like, they wouldn't be able to draw them, right?
Then go to the police station for help?
No, besides a name, she couldn't provide any useful clues. How could those stupid police officers possibly help her find someone?
...
Veliona kept thinking of various methods but quickly rejected them for the same reason. After going back and forth, the already impatient Veliona finally got angry.
"Damn it, that person made it sound so easy, saying that as long as we find that person named Lin Wei and bring him back, he'll let us return to our original world. But without a single useful clue, how am I supposed to find him? Aren't you afraid I'll bring back someone with the same name?"
Veliona cursed like thunder, her slender knuckles cracking. "How dare you play tricks on your grandma! That person named Lin Wei, you'd better pray I don't find you. Otherwise, I'll settle this score with you, one by one!"
Whether the innocent victim Lin Wei, who knew nothing about this from afar, would suddenly sneeze because of her curses, we don't know. But the other Seele, who had lost control of her body, doubtfully pointed out the contradiction in these words. "My other self, if it's really as you say, then wouldn't that person be even more afraid of us finding him?"
"...So noisy, shut up!" The truth is always a sharp knife. Veliona was a little triggered and said in a huff, "Forget it, in my opinion, it's better to just cause a big scene here, drive everyone out onto the streets, and then ask them their names one by one!"
Veliona made a rather terrifying villainous statement without any psychological barriers. "If he happens to be hiding in some corner here, then we're lucky. If not, then it's a way to eliminate a wrong option as quickly as possible. Then we'll move to another town and repeat the same trick, causing chaos wherever we go until we find that person who's hiding!"
"No, we can't!"
The gentle Seele immediately became anxious. How many people would be hurt if they did that?
"Tch, what, is your kind heart acting up again?" Veliona pouted. "Besides doing this, do you have any other different methods? Don't forget, we don't know when we'll be sent back to the starting point by the looping time. The sooner we eliminate the wrong options, the sooner we can bypass them in the next loop and get closer to the answer we need, bit by bit!"
This was Veliona's real thought. Anyway, time was cyclical. No matter how much she messed around, everything would be reset after the next loop restarted. In that case, why couldn't she be more direct?
She had a short temper. If a problem could be solved with the simplest method, she would definitely not consider more complicated options.
"No, that's absolutely not okay!"
What she said made a lot of sense, was efficient, and highly feasible, but the other Seele still protested loudly, even excitedly wanting to fight her for control of the body.
"I admit, you have a point, my other self. Doing this might really force out the person we're looking for very quickly. But what if time doesn't loop?"
"No loop? Isn't that even better?" Veliona was very dissatisfied with the other Seele's resistance and was also trying hard to resist her struggle, saying plausibly, "That way, we don't have to start from that orphanage over and over again, wasting time walking that same pointless path!"
"But, even if it's really as you say, and we find the person we're looking for, what then?" Seele was rarely stubborn, saying relentlessly, "What about the Seele we leave behind in this world?"
"Hah?" Veliona was stunned by these words.
"You are Seele, and I am Seele. The Seele of this world, whose identity we have replaced, is of course also Seele!" Seele said in a matter-of-fact tone, a sentence that sounded extremely convoluted. "If we really act according to your ideas, we can of course successfully complete the mission, leave this world, and even return to our own world to reunite with the original Bronya-oneechan. But after we leave, the Seele who remains in this world, looking at the mess we've made, facing the people we've hurt, how desperate would she be!"
"You said... is... forget it..." Veliona's brain short-circuited for a moment. She felt as if she had been hit by a heavy blow without realizing it. Even the fiery anger in her heart was instantly suppressed. She forced out an annoyed tone and asked, "Fine, fine, fine. So what do you want to do?"
"Leave the rest to me, my other self."
Hearing Veliona's attitude soften, Seele couldn't help but smile happily and said, "Actually, I don't have any better way either. I can only use the stupidest method, knocking on every door, asking every household..."
"...That's really stupid enough." Veliona couldn't help but facepalm, despairing at Seele's simplicity and stubbornness.
"It doesn't matter if it's a little stupid, as long as we keep at it. If time loops again, as you said before, we'll skip the options we've already eliminated and continue from where we left off." Seele said. "And if time doesn't loop again, then we won't hurt anyone. It'll just be a little slower, a little harder, and take a little longer. But if that's really the case..."
As she spoke, Seele's voice gradually became lower. The certain resolve she had held was quickly deflating like a leaking tire.
"...If that's the case, we'll have to face other troubles, right?"
How could Veliona not know what Seele was thinking? She easily voiced the worries she wanted to say but didn't. "For example, your Bronya-oneechan, and your Mother Cocolia..."
The matter of the orphanage, and that X-10 experiment, was definitely a huge problem.
"Yes, that's right..." Seele nodded, her soft voice carrying a hint of hesitation, even self-blame. "My other self, am I being very selfish? Just now, for a second, I actually hoped that the next loop would really happen, and even happen as soon as possible..."
"Uh... Seele, are you overthinking things a bit?" Veliona was a little lost. What did this have to do with being selfish or not?
"Clearly, being trapped in a loop here should be an extremely painful thing for everyone. But just now, I was actually thinking, if this loop keeps happening, if we're trapped on this day no matter what, I actually felt a sense of relief..." Seele hesitated. Although she felt that these thoughts were a bit despicable, she still bravely spoke her true feelings.
"Because then, I wouldn't have to feel guilty about making Bronya-oneechan so anxious because I left without saying goodbye. I wouldn't have to feel guilty for being gone for so long without a word. I could just focus on my own things with all my heart. Anyway, when I wake up the next morning, everyone will have forgotten all the unpleasantness of the previous day... Am I really... very selfish, very despicable?"
"..." Veliona was speechless. Just for this?
If such a common human thought could be called selfish and despicable, then my plan to cause a big scene regardless of the consequences just now, should it be classified as "demonic" and be punished by a thousand cuts?
Oh, I seem to be a demon already? Then it's fine...
Thinking of this, her original intention to try and comfort her a few words instantly became tasteless. She pouted, gave up control of the body, and returned to that small, dark space, leaving behind an annoyed sentence, "All day long, you get tangled up in these boring thoughts. It's so annoying. If you want to do something as boring and stupid as knocking on every door, then do it yourself. Don't bother me!"
With that, she angrily cut the line, too lazy to bother with her for a while.
"Mm, thank you, my other self..."
The scarlet tinge in the sea-blue eyes quietly receded. Seele, who had regained control of her body, smiled gratefully, not caring about Veliona's bad attitude. She clenched her fist tightly to her chest and cheered herself on in a firm voice, "From now on, Seele will work hard!"
Taking a deep breath and suppressing all the nervousness and timidity in her heart, Seele mustered her courage, turned, and walked to the left side of the road. She knocked on the first door and asked timidly, "H-hello, excuse me... is there a person named Lin Wei here?"
...
A futile effort.
From a god's-eye view, the things Seele was doing with mustered courage were undoubtedly futile, even going in the completely opposite direction, so stupid it was almost laughable.
Even from an insider's perspective, even Seele herself knew that what she was doing was most likely a futile effort. Besides getting negative answers time and time again, having doors slammed in her face time and time again, and even getting one eye-roll after another, she wouldn't get any of the answers she wanted.
But looking for a stranger you've never met in a vast sea of people is like finding a needle in a haystack. So what if it's a futile effort?
Anyway, every time you try a wrong answer, you get a little closer to the right one, right?
Even Seele herself didn't know where she got the courage and perseverance to, after getting one eye-roll after another, still hang a hopeful smile on her face and walk to the next stranger's door to face the next disappointment.
Slowly, even Veliona couldn't stand it anymore. "Hey, Seele, let me teach these arrogant people a lesson!"
Even I'm not willing to give Seele too much of a hard time. What right do you have?
"It's okay. It was me who disturbed them without invitation. It's only natural that some people would feel offended!" Seele, however, showed a very pure and happy smile. "Besides, it's not like I got nothing. I received a lot of gifts! Look, there are candies, chocolates, my pockets are so full I can't even stuff them in, and there's even a hot muffin!"
This wasn't too surprising.
Just like children always get candy on Halloween night, although today was not any festival, when a cute, well-behaved, and graceful girl like Seele knocked on your door in this snowy season and sincerely asked for your help with something that sounded simple but you couldn't help with, some people would always feel guilty and give some small help in other ways—like some insignificant gifts.
Although Seele always insisted on refusing, there were times when it was hard to refuse such kindness, especially with small things like candy that were full of good intentions. Although Seele would only symbolically take one or two, and even feel guilty for it, it added up to be a not-so-small trouble.
It couldn't be helped. A girl who exuded kindness and good behavior from head to toe was just easy to arouse others' goodwill and kindness.
Of course, there was no lack of malice and contempt, but they just never had the chance to release it. Because someone wouldn't give them the chance...
"Heh, Bronya reported to me early in the morning. I thought something big had happened. Turns out it's just some little girl thinking it's Halloween and going door-to-door asking for candy."
The daytime in Siberia is short. Before she knew it, night began to fall.
Just as Seele was happily sharing her harvest with her only companion, Cocolia, in military uniform and boots, walked towards her from the shadows, treading on the thick snow.
She walked up to Seele without rushing, looked down at the girl whose face had instantly stiffened, and asked in a voice that seemed to be devoid of emotion, "Seele, tell me, what are you looking for, leaving without saying goodbye?"