The speaker was careless, but the listener was attentive. Bronya's casual remark was like a deeply buried landmine that exploded in Seele's mind.
"Bronya Oneechan, you... could it be..."
Seele was utterly shocked. Why would Big Sister Bronya say something like that? Could she also know about the time loop?
But, why?
In that instant, countless images and possibilities flashed through Seele's mind like lightning. Soon, an incredible yet heart-pounding possibility rose to the surface, firmly occupying her thoughts.
Could it be...
Seele's heart pounded. Her eyes, filled with a mixture of shock, joy, anticipation, and apprehension, were fixed on the gray-haired, gray-eyed girl before her. Suppressing her excitement, she called out in a trembling, tentative voice, "Bronya... Oneechan?"
The same title, but with a different emotion, a different meaning, a different feeling.
It was as if... the girl sitting in front of her right now was her one and only, true Big Sister Bronya...
Yes, that must be it. Otherwise, how would the Bronya Oneechan who lived in this world bubble know about the "time loop"?
A person who has lived their entire life in a closed cage wouldn't be aware of the cage's existence, because the cage itself is their entire world, whether that cage is one of space or time.
Just as Bronya herself had just said, if you woke up tomorrow having lost today's memories and returned to yesterday, then wasn't "today" just yesterday's tomorrow?
A person can never imagine something beyond their own cognition. A person in a loop would not be aware of the loop's existence unless...
...unless, like her, they could transcend the loop to some extent!
In other words...
Seele grew more and more excited. The theoretically impossible speculation was becoming increasingly real in her mind.
"Yes, that's right. It must be Bronya Oneechan. She really came to find me!"
Realistically, for the Bronya who was still in the original world to meet her, who had long since vanished into quantum form, in a world bubble within the Sea of Quanta was nothing short of a fantasy. Even Seele, who was often lost in her own daydreams, wouldn't have held out any hope for it.
But...
Seele touched her chest. The video she had once received had changed everything.
It was the most precious gift she had ever received, and a profound testament—it told Seele that Bronya had never given up on rescuing her and had been working tirelessly to do so.
"If it's Bronya Oneechan, she can definitely do it!"
Seele firmly believed this, and she eagerly awaited it. Just as she couldn't imagine what methods Bronya had used or what price she had paid to deliver that message to her...
That simple video was like a beam of light illuminating the darkness. Along with her other self who had always been by her side, it had encouraged Seele through that long, lonely time, until that terrifying voice suddenly appeared and threw her into this world bubble...
"Bronya Oneechan said that the man who helped her pass on the message was very dangerous, and that I should be careful of him."
Seele had long since memorized the contents of the video and quickly grasped the "key point."
She must be talking about... that guy who controls our fate, right?
The thought of the power, authority, and indifference conveyed by that voice made both her and Veliona shiver.
"Since Bronya Oneechan was able to contact that person before, it's very possible for her to intervene in the middle of the mission he assigned to me, right?"
Seele thought wishfully...
"Seele, what's wrong with you?"
Bronya, still the Bronya of this world, hadn't expected her careless words to provoke such a strong reaction. It shouldn't have been like this, unless... she too had encountered someone strange.
Bronya's thoughts hadn't been complicated, but when her eyes met Seele's, she froze. What kind of complex emotions were written in those sea-blue eyes?
Seele's expression was so easy to read. Bronya understood in an instant that she was waiting for her answer.
But, what answer? What am I supposed to say?
Doubt filled Bronya. Seele's two calls of "Bronya Oneechan," each with a subtle difference, had reached her ears and pierced her heart like a shard of ancient ice carved from the depths of a snowy mountain. For a moment, she felt a chill that seemed to shake her very soul...
The stories she had heard from Lin Wei, the images she had seen from his memories, all flooded her mind. In that instant, the lightning-fast thoughts flashing through Bronya's mind were no fewer than Seele's. And the more she thought, the colder she felt.
In that moment, she completely understood what answer Seele wanted. She wasn't really waiting for her answer; she was waiting for someone else to answer in her place...
But, who is that person?
The image of the Bronya from the other world appeared in her mind. She was slightly older, her expression as blank as a machine. She, too, had lost her most important little sister...
Could it be...
Bronya's heart trembled. She shot to her feet as if to escape an invisible nightmare. She staggered back two steps, her eyes fixed in disbelief on the frail, wounded, and all-too-familiar girl before her. In a trembling, dry voice, she asked, "You... are not... my... Seele?"
A simple exchange of glances. One thought she had found her long-lost loved one; the other realized she had lost the loved one who had been by her side day and night...
What a cruel twist of fate.
---||---
A few walls away, while one side was experiencing a soul-shaking tremor, the other was undergoing a soul-piercing interrogation.
"Lin Wei, have you not noticed, or has no one ever told you?" Schrödinger's voice was always so calm, rational, and unperturbed. "This kind of behavior and mindset of yours, to a certain extent, can be considered almost identical to Otto's—arrogant."
She paused slightly before the key word, as if worried Lin Wei wouldn't fully grasp her meaning.
"...Is that so? No one's ever said that to me before." Something seemed to stir within Lin Wei. He couldn't help but feel a little taken aback, then he chuckled. "In my memory, there have been... quite a few people who've said I overestimate myself, or even ignored me completely."
"Is that so? Well, you've heard it today." Schrödinger said noncommittally. "Strictly speaking, I'm just a laborer you've temporarily dragged over, but we've known each other for a while, so I'll be blunt. From my observations, among the people you've known, there are probably far more who like you than dislike you. But that still doesn't change my conclusion..."
Here, Schrödinger paused, then said seriously, "Lin Wei, at your core, you and Otto are almost no different."
"Is that so? Thanks for the 'almost.' It means that in the end, there's still a little difference between us." Lin Wei laughed nonchalantly and stood up from the now-empty dining table. "I think, instead of discussing these trivial matters, we should hurry up and investigate this orphanage. After all, we don't know when we'll be sent back, naked, to that icy hell."
Lin Wei had had enough of that suffering after one or two times.
"Trivial matters? Perhaps. At least for now, that is indeed the case," Schrödinger said. "But based on my previous observations of you, after we leave this world bubble, I probably won't accompany you on your journey into the next one. After all, with this personal experience, you now have a basic understanding of the Sea of Quanta. The purpose for which you summoned me here with the beacon has been achieved."
"..."
Lin Wei's steps faltered before he even had a chance to push open the kitchen door. "It seems Dr. Schrödinger is disappointed in me."
He felt a little helpless. Why is there this stupid 'hidden affection' stat?
"Not disappointed. 'Wary' would be more accurate," Schrödinger said. "From that memory, I know why Tesla and Einstein helped you—out of guilt. Not just guilt toward you, but also the guilt and regret they felt for Joyce, which they projected onto you."
Schrödinger's tone was calm. "It's undeniable that you did something remarkable. But you also saw it as your capital and exploited their guilt over the matter."
"You even intended to place that guilt on me as well—when you handed me that feather," Schrödinger said coolly. "Your strategy was very successful, Mr. Lin Wei. It did indeed greatly deepen my understanding of you. But because of that, your condescending, manipulative, cold, and arrogant nature brings back some unpleasant memories."
No one is a true idiot, especially not a genius like Schrödinger who has traveled through countless worlds. She saw through Lin Wei's subtle manipulations almost as if they were under a magnifying glass.
"...Is that so."
Otto, look at the mess you've made. I'm running into your PTSD victims even in the Sea of Quanta!
Lin Wei felt more and more that he had let him off too easily. Why should I take the fall for you?!
"I am not a saint like Welt. Even after being betrayed and hurt so badly, he was still willing to give his life to protect humanity. Nor do I have Otto's ambition to control the entire world."
"If it were really Otto, I wouldn't have wasted a single word on him, nor would I have had any expectations. But you, Lin Wei, I find you terrifying," Schrödinger said. "After gaining Bronya's trust and using her to achieve your goals, you were able to draw a line with her with a clear conscience. I'll admit, you bear no responsibility; this line-drawing was even a silent agreement between you two. But at the same time, it's clear that to you, she doesn't carry the slightest weight."
"...So?"
"Perhaps you do have a good soul. But what I've seen so far is a chilling indifference," Schrödinger said.
"Your sincerity and warmth are just tools you use to gain others' trust. You may have indeed given your true heart, but it's like a layer of snow. Anyone can leave their mark, but after another night of wind and snow, it will be wiped clean without a trace. Even using myself as an example, I just said that after leaving this world bubble, I probably won't join you on the next leg of your journey. But you had no reaction..."
"...What was I supposed to do? Ask you to stay?"
Schrödinger's words were like a handful of coarse sand being roughly stuffed down his collar, making him extremely uncomfortable.
"You said it yourself, you're just a laborer I temporarily dragged over. I'm already very grateful that you've been so dedicated."
As a guide, Schrödinger had been very responsible. Lin Wei had never asked for much.
"...You know, compared to Welt Yang, you're even more like a Herrscher. At least he doesn't build an invisible wall in his heart, keeping everyone at a polite, distant, and even demarcated distance."
Schrödinger's words were deliberate. "And compared to Otto, you seem to be only one step away from falling into complete nothingness. I guess you're aware of this yourself, otherwise you wouldn't hold him in such contempt, even revulsion."
"If you put it that way, wouldn't that guy be laughing in his sleep?" Lin Wei felt his face flush. It wasn't a pleasant feeling to have one's personality analyzed so sharply.
"It's different. For most of us, Otto inspires dislike, disgust, even hatred. But for you, it's more like an almost instinctive repulsion and aversion, like how similar poles repel. As for the rest, they're just reasons you've attached to this conclusion. Because, for another villain, that Cocolia, you don't have the slightest emotional fluctuation."
Lin Wei's expression turned ugly.
As the first and so far only companion to observe him from a completely detached perspective, the viewpoint Schrödinger provided was unprecedented.
To be sure, Lin Wei, who was always good at self-reflection, had already been more or less aware of these things. But admiring and criticizing oneself in the mirror was one thing; being stripped naked and exposed in public was a completely different feeling...
Although he had always claimed he was "not a good person," when someone stood up from an objective and fair standpoint and said, "Yes, you are indeed not a good person, and here are my arguments 1, 2, 3..." it was still a bit hard to take.
If it were a confrontational scenario, like with Otto or Gray Serpent, Lin Wei would naturally laugh it off or even retort. But Schrödinger was different.
As she had said before, if it were Otto, she wouldn't have said anything extra. The fact that she was being so harsh with him probably meant she thought he could still be saved...
...Which made it even more embarrassing.
"One last piece of advice for you, Lin Wei." Perhaps feeling she had said enough, Schrödinger began to wrap up the topic she had started. "Otto was the Overseer of Schicksal for over five hundred years. In his long five-hundred-year life, could there have been a few decades, or a century or two, where he was like you are now, treating people with sincerity, with more people liking him than disliking him?"
"..."
A simple sentence, but it struck Lin Wei like a bolt of lightning.
"That is why I say you and Otto are no different."
At Lin Wei's silence, Schrödinger calmly delivered the final heavy blow, then added, "Almost..."
"...Is that so? Thank you for the consolation."
Lin Wei let out a long sigh and a helpless smile. "Let's talk about those things later. We..."
He was about to say more when the closed door suddenly creaked open. Bronya, her face pale, looked at Lin Wei's equally pale face with a complicated expression. In a voice filled with an indescribable bitterness, she said, "Come with me. Seele... she's looking for you..."