Chapter 261: Information Sharing

I widen my eyes.

"That means... in other words..."

Anticipating my words, the other "me" responds.

"Yes. — It's possible that Renkai Hibiki wasn't originally a 'reincarnated one' at all."

If someone can collect memories from alternate timelines, they could easily pretend to be a reincarnated one.

The other "me," who looks just like me, shakes their head in disagreement.

"Just, I'll squash that possibility right now. Hana-chan is undoubtedly a reincarnated one....Originally, they went by a different name, so I did have some doubts at first."

"Huh?"

"Their goal is... kind of cute, really. They just want to revive 'me'—not 'you,' but 'me' themselves."

"Uhh..."

"No way..."

We're walking slowly across the schoolyard of a peaceful era, with no barricades or defenses against zombies.

The surroundings resemble twilight.

The world of fleeting moments was dyed in an orange hue that brought an odd sense of euphoria.

"Unbelievable... So does that mean I'm not actually finished yet?"

"Yes. Right now, your body is under Hachibana-san's control."

"I see..."

No feelings of anger or sorrow rise up within me.

Well, I was originally planning to just vanish completely, you know.

"How long can I stay like this here?"

"Well, I suppose whenever we both come to an agreement."

"Hmm... Then when will you be satisfied?"

She, truly deserving to be called 'myself,' spoke very clearly, yet in a strangely businesslike way, as if discussing the after-school activity schedule,

"First, we'll share our information... This includes everything we've experienced—the feelings at the time, combat techniques, the truth about this world, the names of traitors, and so on."

"Hmm, hmm."

Huh?

But wouldn't that be more effort for the 'me' from my previous life, who hasn't really lived through much of the 'end times'?

"Then, after that... we'll duel."

"A duel?"

"Yes. A one-on-one, 'self' versus 'self' battle—no grudges, no mercy. The stronger one survives and takes residence in the vessel now resting, this body. Okay?"

"Wait, I mean... even if you ask me if I'm okay with it, I..."

"I could have slain you while you were dormant. But I chose not to. Please understand that resolve."

"If you wish to fight 'me,' then I'll join you."

Something about this 'me' feels like it's starting to fracture into a Geshalt breakdown.

The two people with the same face gradually made their way across the schoolyard and toward the back of the school building, arriving at a cinema on Sunshine Avenue in Ikebukuro where a screening of *The Dark Knight*, which had brought a fifth grader to tears in awe, was playing.

"Since we're in a dream, why don't we check things out in movie form?"

"Can you really do that?"

"Here, anything's possible. You don't know lucid dreaming?"

"I know about it."

"It's just like that."

A dream where you're aware that "this is a dream," is what you mean?

I see, so I'll try it—thinking deeply, humming thoughtfully, and suddenly my body begins to float upward.

"Woah, this is amazing~"

I wish I could stay like this forever.

"Actually, doing that too much can weaken your legs."

"Huh? But it's just a dream!"

"We—rather, I believe we—do not accept easy comfort as a permanent home. We believe that suffering always lurks behind happiness."

"Hmm."

We deliberately line up at the ticket booth, buy two tickets from a faceless woman—equivalent to a student's fare—and pass through a door made of soundproof material, finally settling into one of the two seats right in front of the screen.

The film shown is—no less than, the story of me awakening in the world after "the End." Incidentally, it's told from a first-person perspective.

There's no special opening sequence; the footage begins abruptly.

While silence is customary in a movie theater, we're the only two people here.

So I speak aloud the feelings I had at that moment, without any hesitation.

▼

—Awakening from "the End."

Me (present life): "I was really scared back then."

Me (past life): "You probably were. But I think I was even more shocked. After all, it was my neighbor Tanaka who turned into a zombie and attacked us."

――Meeting Rika-chan.

Me (present life): "Now that I think about it, I treated her terribly."

Me (past life): "Well, in this case, it was unavoidable. I probably did the same thing myself."

――Fighting against Yoku-san.

Me (present life): "Wow, a thrilling battle scene that makes your palms sweat."

Me (past life): "……If you're viewing it from your perspective, you wouldn't see the crucial parts at all."

――Leaving Yakagō together with our companions.

Me (present life): "It's great that we stayed on good terms with Rinne even after the world went completely chaotic."

Me (past life): "That… really was fortunate. I couldn't have helped her…"

――The mess in Akihabara.

Me (present life): "So, what exactly is this 'Hungerman' thing, anyway?"

Me (past life): "That'll come later. In my timeline, it was a mystery that unraveled quite easily."

――Then going to Tsukishima and meeting the 'Guardians'.

Me (present life): "I wish I could've talked to you properly, Mr. Toll."

Me (past life): "Looking at it now, there are quite a few differences. I don't recognize this person at all."

――The death of Kōsuke-kun.

Me (present life): "I don’t really know this person at all."

Me (past life): "Hibiya Kōsuke-kun… I think I remember Isao mentioning him once, somewhere."

――Arriving at the "Unreal Kingdom."

Me (present life): "In the end, what was life like here, I wonder?"

Me (past life): "The one who survived will come to know it."

――Final Assessment.

Me (present life): "It's a bit problematic how much setup is just thrown into the next installment. Thinking about the protagonist's increasingly careless attitude in the second half, it's almost heartbreaking. I'm looking forward to the sequel."

Me (past life): "There were more new characters than I expected, so it took time to get a handle on them. It's frustrating to see allies struggling with information already revealed, but since this is a story set in the past chronologically, it's unavoidable. The protagonist's quick defeat early on is a minus point."

▼

………….

Am I being overly harsh with my evaluation of this (past life)?