Not long after she leaned against the railing, she looked back at me again. She truly looked as if she were being illuminated by the moonlight.
"Yuusha, do you believe what I just said?" Iris asked.
"Come on, Iris," I said as I walked toward her, then leaned against the railing right beside her.
"Huh?" Iris uttered, seemingly confused by what I had just said.
She simply looked at me as I leaned beside her after saying that.
"I'll help you. So calm down. Besides... I can't let your dream be destroyed just because of my selfishness," I said.
"...I do believe everything you said earlier. That's why I also want you to believe in me."
(I have indeed said this to Iris before, if it's true that I'm reliving my time again.)
(I will do the same tonight and start thinking about what I should do so that this repetition won't happen again.)
(Even though I know it feels a bit strange since I've already experienced and said the same things, I want to know what is actually happening to me.)
(It's possible that right now I'm being controlled by someone's magic that causes the time around me to keep repeating whenever I fail to obtain something.)
(But from what I've heard before, there is one reason why a person's time can return because of magic.)
Basically, that magic belongs to someone who has met me before, and the recipient may be unaware that they are in the midst of a time-reversing spell.
I still don't know for sure whether that is truly what's happening to me or not, but I still have to be careful about what I'm thinking right now.
The user who bestows this magic upon the recipient can make the victim repeat their time again if the recipient's wish is not fulfilled.
In addition, if the recipient experiences something horrifying or something that puts their life in danger, the magic activates immediately and sends that person back to the past to repeat once more.
Honestly, this magic is not the kind of magic that disturbs others or anything like that.
In fact, if viewed from its fundamental use, I think this magic could actually help people who feel that they want to return to the past from their current time.
I don't know how far back a person can move through time, but I'm sure there must be a limit, or perhaps it depends on when the magic was first used.
If my initial assumption turns out to be wrong, then the cause of my return to the past may be something resembling an object that possesses such an ability.
While thinking about what is happening to me right now, I have to pay attention to everything that happens to me and to everything around me.
I don't want to miss even a single clue that could help me understand what is really going on.
It may feel confusing, but I will do everything I can without making others suspicious.
——
Iris looked at me as I leaned beside her, and she didn't look for long before leaving my side.
I turned my head to see where she was going, and she merely moved to a spot near the balcony door.
When she stopped there, she turned around and began looking at me with a cheerful expression.
I could tell because she was smiling at me as well, and it seemed I knew what Iris was going to say next.
She placed both of her hands behind her back, slightly tilting her body as she looked straight at me.
"Yuusha, I'll do anything that can bring our relationship closer. So, will you allow me to do that?" Iris asked.
I was slightly surprised when I heard her words, because they were completely different from what I had expected.
As far as I remember, before my time shifted, Iris didn't say that.
Well, it's impossible, isn't it, that when I return to the past, everything that happens to me would repeat again in this strange cycle?
I closed my eyes for a moment before answering her question.
"Of course. I'd be very happy if you want to do that. Besides... I know you'll be able to protect the smiles of the people of Riruyo," I said as I smiled broadly at her.
In order to prevent my time from repeating again, I will examine everyone one by one in ways I will think of.
Before anything else, I will change what happens between Iris and me. Maybe that alone can stop my time from looping again.
Iris looked slightly confused when she heard my words, before letting out a small laugh in response.
"Of course, I'll do it as the daughter of the leader of this place!" she said.
She clenched her right hand before raising it up as she spoke that spirited line.
Not long after her burst of enthusiasm, she began covering her mouth as she yawned.
If I remember correctly, Iris also felt sleepy that time and eventually returned to her own room.
"I'll stay here for a few minutes. You should go inside first," I said to Iris.
"Hoam... in that case... see you tomorrow morning, Yuusha..." Iris said in a weaker voice.
She walked over and opened the balcony door, then went inside and closed it.
Iris would surely return to her room soon and fall fast asleep there.
Alright... should I return to my room and think about all the possibilities running through my mind right now?
It seems... I really should.
Tonight was truly extraordinary, but I have to think about the unusual matter in which I am the victim.
No matter what happens next, I want to find out what is causing my time to repeat.
——
I returned to the room and found Luke sleeping soundly on his bed, his blanket in disarray and his posture unchanged.
True enough, during dinner earlier, Luke competed with Loki-san to see who could drink more sake.
Oh, there was also an argument between Hime and Iris—y-yeah... I don't think I want to go through that again.
I placed my sword, still in its sheath, on the small table right beside my bed.
Alright... where should I start in thinking about what I should do?
——
First, I still don't understand my current condition; maybe I only grasp half of it.
Second, I still don't know who or what is causing me to repeat time and making that murder feel like nothing more than a dream.
Third, there's no way I'll do the same thing again.
If I were to do that, the result would surely be the same, and I'd end up repeating time once more.
Hah... should I spend more time with Iris? Maybe I need to get closer to her more often.
A romantic relationship, huh... could it be something like holding hands or something similar?
No, no—not something mature like a kiss. Besides, I've only done that once, and that was with Hime.
Hmm... maybe I should ask her a few things?