how many times have you died (rika furude)

[malewife]

Comments

[syndromed]

Only when it's funny.

[malewife]

Who have you bullied.

[ He's calling it. It's called bullying. ]

[syndromed]

I'm not a bully. That's very mean to say.

[malewife]

[ whispers gaslight girl boss. ]

Are you hurt?

[syndromed]

Yes! My feelings are very delicate. Oh, poor me, poor me.

[malewife]

... I can't imagine this is the extent of your acting.

[syndromed]

My true acting skills only reveal themselves during poker.

[malewife]

Will you be acting your way out of explaining "dying" on your profile?

[syndromed]

[ she pretends not to hear him? ]

[malewife]

It is on mine, too.

[ KEEPS TALKING ABOUT DEATH. ]

[syndromed]

Everyone comes from such scary worlds.

Worlds where Gods turn against them and devils come to Earth.

[malewife]

That's something that can't be changed, but it can be challenged.

[ He knows there are many reasons for keeping secrets, even more so for secrets about dying. ]

I won't ask more about your situation, then.

[syndromed]

[ ... ]

How many times have you died?

[malewife]

… 1,865.

[syndromed]

Do you know why? How?

[malewife]

[ I meant 1864. Slaps my own paw. ]

I know why I die each time and why I live again. It was a choice I made long ago. Did you not get to choose?

[syndromed]

[ she debates answering this, because even if pretending not to hear him was an obvious way of deflecting, actually talking about it is still different.

talking about it was the key to everything in the end.

except, it wasn't the end. so what's the point?

hm. ]

... Sometimes, I'll choose how it happens.

[malewife]

[ To be honest, at this point, he would lay off if she did it again. ]

I've done the same, thinking that it'll be better next time.

[syndromed]

But is it?

[malewife]

… Sometimes better, sometimes worse.

The last regression—it was better. Everyone survived.

[syndromed]

Then is it over?

[malewife]

[ Hm... He hangs his clothes so they can dry now. ]

My companions and I... We had the opportunity to go back and repeat it again.

[ Basically, to die and live the loop. ]

[syndromed]

Why?

If you lived, why is that an 'opportunity'?

[malewife]

... A fool thought to split themselves in half to fulfill a promise and a condition.

For our world to spin on, there must be someone that sits in the seat of a helpless and unreachable god. That was the condition. Then the promise was to return home with us. They did both. One half trapped, the other half living blissfully with us. Memories divided in two.

[ He knows it sounds foolish, but... ]

This unreachable place is accessible at one point in the past.

[syndromed]

So it wasn't a perfect ending, even when you all lived.