Under a sky pouring like a curtain of rain, Tokyo, having endured 1,747 cycles, finally experienced a downpour.
"Ah, so the weather forecast was accurate after all, just with very low probability."
Looking at the rain outside the window, Ryuya put down his phone.
Because he was searching for the person causing the resets, he hadn't gone shopping with Yukino and Eriri many times.
On the other end of the phone was Yukino's voice, saying she and Eriri would be back a bit later due to the heavy rain, and hoping her brother, who had declined her shopping invitation, would make dinner.
"Alright, alright, I'll make your favorite delicious food."
Putting down the phone, Ryuya shifted his gaze to the still-sleeping Kaguya beside him.
"I say, since you're awake, how about opening your eyes? Your maid is quite worried about you."
"Mmm..."
She had actually woken up just seconds ago, but the long experience of death had left Kaguya's spirit extremely fatigued.
Upon opening her eyes, she saw a modest apartment and Hayasaka, also unconscious, nearby.
"Hayasaka..."
"Don't worry, she's just asleep. She was a bit too fierce."
Snapping his fingers to signal Kaguya not to be nervous, after identifying Kaguya as the one causing the resets, Ryuya had placed a simple hypnotic suggestion on the ordinary people nearby.
With his current strength, such a minor task was effortless. He then brought Kaguya and Hayasaka back to his home.
Seeing that Kaguya's spirit had reached a point near collapse, he didn't wake her, simply waiting quietly for her to wake naturally.
Remembering Hayasaka, who, even while restrained by magecraft on the way, kept glaring fiercely at him, Ryuya, not bothering to explain, simply made her fall asleep like Kaguya.
"Just asleep? That's good."
Letting out a long sigh of relief, Kaguya turned to face Ryuya and bowed deeply and respectfully, "I hope Takami-san can help me break free from this bondage of fate."
"You know me?"
Raising an eyebrow, Ryuya thought to himself, 'I recalled I had no interaction with her in previous cycles, nor had I introduced myself, so how did she know my name?'
"I am, after all, the Student Council President of Shuchi'in University. Although I'm not at school much now, I've heard about this year's super freshman, Takami Ryuya."
Smiling, Kaguya showed no intention of hiding her thoughts, "Moreover, Haruno often mentions you during work. She even has your photo in her wallet, so it's hard to forget."
Studying Ryuya seriously, Kaguya, whose mental state had improved considerably, found this man even more captivating than the rumors suggested.
Many people at the academy talked about him, and Haruno constantly praised him. But seeing him in person, Kaguya finally understood phrases like 'bright as the sun and moon entering one's embrace' or 'sublime like a jade mountain about to crumble'.
The man named Ryuya didn't seem like an eighteen-year-old youth at all… instead, he exuded the captivating charm of a king, making it impossible to look away.
"Haruno... I see."
Handing Kaguya a glass of water, Ryuya continued, "Tell me about your experience. If you trust me, that is."
He wasn't keen on using hypnotic suggestion on Kaguya, primarily because he felt this young lady of the Shinomiya Family seemed to have been looking for him as well.
"Oh, it's like this, actually, I..."
Briefly explaining the reason for her deaths, the world-resetting ability, and the various pieces of information obtained from the Gaiuslink Family, Kaguya genuinely showed no intention of hiding anything.
"Revealing all your cards so clearly? Is the Shinomiya young lady always this frank?"
Ryuya looked at Kaguya in surprise and asked proactively.
"You jest, Takami-san. Before an existence like you, hiding information is meaningless."
"The current Shinomiya Kaguya is nothing but a stray dog abandoned by everyone. Either face death or become a pawn in a political marriage. I don't want to accept a fate I cannot control."
Having decided to change her life at all costs, Kaguya would absolutely not give up halfway.
Over a thousand deaths hadn't changed this young lady's heart, nothing else could possibly do so.
Having long decided to stake everything on Ryuya, the exceptionally intelligent Kaguya naturally wouldn't engage in foolish behaviors like hiding her reset ability or keeping trump cards.
After all, her father's mercenary nature, the mages' attitude towards ordinary people, and the countless deaths had matured Kaguya far beyond her years. All she wanted was to make her own choice.
The young lady took a sip of water, slightly easing her tension, then looked at Ryuya.
She was awaiting the man's response.
"Your honesty increases my favorability towards you. Congratulations, Shinomiya-san, I will help you resolve the reset issue."
"Although I'm not particularly interested in the conflicts between mages and Conglomerate, prolonged resets clearly affect my life as well."
A gentle voice sounded. Clearly discerning no lies in Kaguya's words, Ryuya, of course, also wanted to end this endless time loop. He was tired too.
But before that...
"Shinomiya-san, I need to examine your body to determine the cause of the time resets."
"Ah, I understand. As long as you can help me, I have no problem with anything."
Her reply carried a somewhat ambiguous tone. Kaguya had to admit that after countless deaths, besides Hayasaka, she now trusted only Ryuya.
To be precise, she felt a pathological infatuation with Ryuya.
Yes, consider a young lady who grew up in a strict, controlling family, faced kidnapping by mages and being treated as a bargaining chip by her family, then endured countless death cycles.
Forced to climb back from her own corpse, time and again, until she reached the truth, Kaguya was already physically and mentally exhausted.
And Ryuya was the light that saved her from all that. If this man showed her even a little kindness... No, even if Ryuya simply didn't make her feel the despair and lack of choice like Gan'an or the Gaiuslink Family did, then Kaguya would dedicate her everything to Ryuya.
Simply because he was her final, believable, saving hope.