Chapter 209: The Garden of Sinners Episode 5: Paradox Spiral! (Part 7)
As Ryougi Shiki prepared to accompany Enjou Tomoe to the apartment where he lived, every single viewer held their breath.
After all, with all the foreshadowing that had been laid out so far, it was obvious—that apartment was trouble. At the very least, there was something deeply wrong with Enjou's family situation.
For Shiki to just head there without caution—it could only mean danger.
But that was exactly what made the story gripping. After a stretch of slower exposition, the audience was finally leaning forward in anticipation.
"What could be waiting inside that apartment?"
"What if Enjou's parents aren't even human? Maybe they're some kind of monsters in disguise!"
"But if that's true, then why is Enjou himself so… normal?"
"We don't know yet. Maybe the real issue doesn't lie with the Enjou family after all."
"Yeah… I've got a feeling this won't be so straightforward."
"..."
Speculation buzzed among the audience, none daring to look away for even a moment as their eyes stayed glued to the screen.
Far above the ground, in the highest chamber of the Alchemy Tower, a circle of Arch Mages who had been watching the film for some time began whispering among themselves.
"This incident… it's more complicated than we first thought. Whether it's the strange layout of the apartment complex or the eerie dynamics of the Enjou household—it all reeks of something deeply unnatural."
"Indeed. If Enjou's parents really are the issue, then the whole thing becomes even weirder. What parent puts on a show like that in front of their own child?"
"It doesn't add up. There's no logical reason to pretend."
"But if they're not the problem, then nothing makes sense. There's no rational reason for parents to stage their own deaths."
"Wait. Do you remember what Enjou said about that dream? The one where his mother stabs him to death every night, and he's forced to kill her in return? What if… that wasn't a dream at all?"
"What…?"
Silence fell instantly.
If that wasn't just a dream—if Enjou was actually being killed every night by his own mother, only to wake up the next day as if nothing happened—what kind of phenomenon could explain that?
"Reincarnation…"
The voice of Administrator Hohenheim echoed through the chamber, and all the Arch Mages froze in place.
Yes. If everything in that apartment repeated itself day after day, then suddenly… everything started to make sense.
And yet, the idea was too absurd, too unsettling for the Arch Mages to accept without question.
"But… if the apartment resets every day, how is that even possible? Did someone tamper with the flow of time in that place? Are the days looping in some kind of temporal cycle?"
"No. If it were truly a time loop, Enjou wouldn't be able to break free—he wouldn't be able to fight back against his mother."
"Then if it's not time itself being manipulated… what is it? Could it be that the people inside aren't really alive at all, but merely puppets being controlled…?"
Arch Mage Warton trailed off mid-sentence, his face frozen.
The others had the same realization. Their eyes widened as the pieces began to fall into place.
But in the end, it was still all conjecture. Without hard evidence, they could do nothing but hold their tongues and watch the story unfold.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
On screen, in the cold of winter, Ryougi Shiki and Enjou Tomoe arrived at the apartment on what looked like a motorbike fused with alchemical machinery.
The scene cut to an overhead view—a high, sweeping shot that revealed the full structure of the apartment complex for the first time.
It was circular—a strange, unnatural shape.
The East and West wings were nearly identical, standing apart like twin sentinels. Between them was a central structure, connected to both in a bizarre and almost unsettling fashion…
Facing the towering, oddly-shaped apartment complex, many audience members—especially those who had once traveled to the Eastern Territories—let out murmurs of unease. Clearly, something about this building didn't sit right. Its design defied conventional architecture.
Of course, the film only gave a brief glimpse of the structure, so most didn't have time to dwell on it.
"We're here. This is the place."
After dismounting the vehicle, Enjou Tomoe led Ryougi Shiki into the complex. They passed along a path that split the courtyard in two, eventually arriving at an elevator.
Once inside, Enjou pressed the elevator button.
His heart thudded violently.
He closed his eyes tightly.
It was then that Ryougi, standing beside him, spoke in a quiet voice:
"...It's been twisted."
The elevator dinged softly as it reached the fourth floor.
"Room 405 at the end of the hall… that's my home," Enjou said nervously.
Standing before the door, he took a deep breath—but he couldn't bring himself to open it. His fingers trembled above the doorknob. In the end, all he could do was cautiously reach out and press the doorbell.
But—
"Don't ring it. Just go in, Enjou."
Shiki's voice rang out sharply, stopping him mid-motion.
"What are you talking about? We can't just barge in like that."
"It's your home, isn't it? Don't overthink it. Hand me your key—we're going in."
Without waiting for further protest, Shiki unlocked the door and stepped inside.
They walked through a narrow hallway.
And then—they saw it.
Enjou's pupils shrank in horror.
There, seated at the dining table, were his parents—his father and mother—talking with each other in a perfectly normal tone, just like always.
"Hey, isn't Tomoe back yet? It's already eight. Work ended over an hour ago. Seriously, where the hell is he messing around this time?"
"Yeah… what should we do…"
"That brat doesn't even treat us like his family anymore! It's your fault for spoiling him so much. Damn it. If he doesn't hand over the money today, I'll really give him something to cry about. He never gave me a single yen! Does he think he raised himself, that ungrateful bastard?"
"Yeah… what should we do…"
A belligerent, drunken father. A timid, defeated mother. Their behavior was the same as always.
And that—that was what terrified Enjou the most.
Because even though they were talking and moving as if everything were normal… neither of them acknowledged his presence.
They didn't so much as glance at him as he entered the room.
Then Shiki, watching closely, spoke again.
"Enjou, what time do you normally come home?"
"About an hour from now…"
"Then let's wait. Right here."
"What are you saying…?"
"You didn't ring the doorbell. You didn't knock. So, as far as they're concerned, no guest ever arrived. That means right now, your parents are just carrying out their usual routine in a world without interruptions."
Enjou didn't understand. The more Shiki explained, the more confused he became.
But he couldn't bring himself to leave either.
So in the end, he sat down and waited—with her—inside that eerie, unnatural quiet.
Time passed.
They didn't know how long.
Then, suddenly—the front door creaked open.
Enjou's heart nearly stopped.
Because stepping through the entrance was—
Another Enjou Tomoe.
He looked exactly the same. Identical.
And outside the frame, the audience watching this scene were left utterly speechless.
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[1] https://www.patreon.com/collection/162522?view=condensed
[2] https://www.patreon.com/posts/creating-anime-140083067
[3] https://www.patreon.com/posts/138667623?collection=162522
[4] https://www.patreon.com/collection/162522?view=condensed