Chapter 401: This Feels a Bit Like Final Destination!
"So I'm currently inside the process being pushed forward, right?"
Hearing Luke's question, Edelweiss gently nodded.
"Then what about the result?"
"If the process has already started moving, doesn't that mean the outcome has been decided?"
"No."
This time, Edelweiss directly denied his conclusion.
"If Amane could influence even your final result, then his ability would already surpass Desperado power."
Surpassing a Desperado…
Given Shinomiya Amane's level, Luke did not need Edelweiss to explain why that was impossible.
"The process changes, but the result stays the same?"
"That sounds like something I can ignore… All right, judging by your expression, it clearly isn't that simple."
"You're partly correct."
Edelweiss considered Luke's conclusion before explaining her own view.
"Amane may be unable to change the result directly, but that doesn't mean the result can't change."
"The person who changes it may be you."
"Several incidents already happened today that could have caused you to withdraw. You simply resolved or avoided every one of them."
"The first was the call from White-Robed Knight."
"If you had acted more impulsively, or if the coincidence had become slightly stronger, you might have attacked Amane privately and been disqualified for breaking the rules."
"And then there was… w-what you did earlier."
Remembering what Luke had done, Edelweiss felt the fatigue throughout her body and became embarrassed again.
"No normal person could get out of bed the day after releasing such a large amount. Even if you did manage to make it to the match, you'd be in terrible condition."
Edelweiss suddenly paused.
She gave the still-energetic Luke a strange look from head to toe and muttered,
"I don't know what condition Amane's ability assumed you were in, but it clearly failed to account for that monstrous physique."
Hearing her complaint, Luke helplessly rubbed his forehead.
He could only remain silent on this subject. It was not as though he could do anything about the difference between their endurance.
Seeing through his thoughts, Edelweiss rolled her eyes before continuing.
"As for Sara's appearance, it was probably the next stage created after the previous one failed."
"The goal was still to prevent you from participating in the match."
Luke raised an eyebrow.
He felt slightly underestimated.
After hesitating, he still tried to defend himself.
"Even if Sara had joined us, I think I could've handled—"
Before he could finish, Edelweiss glared at him so fiercely that he silently swallowed the rest.
Perhaps because Luke had behaved well through his actual actions, Edelweiss did not pursue his verbal teasing too far.
She merely pouted and spoke in a slightly unhappy tone.
"That isn't what I meant."
"Think about it. If you had truly tried something with Sara earlier, what would have happened after I stopped you?"
Following Edelweiss's words, Luke easily imagined the situation.
Without question, after Edelweiss stopped him, the two of them would have needed a serious discussion.
At the very least, neither of them would have rested tonight.
Whether Luke convinced Edelweiss or Edelweiss convinced Luke, their moods would probably have worsened and affected tomorrow's condition.
There was also the less likely, but still possible, outcome of Edelweiss becoming genuinely angry.
That alone might have delayed Luke enough to miss the match.
After Stella's earlier incident, the operating committee had become extremely sensitive about lateness.
Disqualification was entirely possible.
At this point, Luke understood what Edelweiss meant.
The result itself could not be controlled, but guiding the process increased the number of choices that might cause Luke to withdraw.
He was not being forced toward the outcome dictated by causality.
Instead, the circumstances made it more likely that Luke would walk toward that outcome himself.
This indirect method increased the chance of success despite being unable to control causality perfectly.
It was something a Desperado's power, which skipped the process and reached the result directly, could not accomplish.
"I see."
Luke now completely understood his current situation.
In simple terms, he himself was not being directly affected.
The things around him were.
By influencing those things, the ability bypassed Luke's resistance and indirectly affected him.
"Interesting. So until tomorrow's match begins, more interference could still happen."
"It seems this fight won't be as boring as I expected."
Luke smiled.
He no longer needed to worry too much.
Understanding the situation was enough.
As long as causality could not forcibly guide him into certain defeat, he was confident he could handle anything Shinomiya Amane attempted.
Judging from Edelweiss's explanation, Falna, a higher power from another world, clearly could not be properly recognized by this world's fate.
Luke did not know whether that was because it came from another world or because of its superior nature.
But if Amane's power was merely capable of anything rather than truly all-powerful, the matter became much simpler.
Thinking this, Luke checked the time.
The day's events and their conversation had left him with little time to rest.
With Luke's current physique and mental state, staying awake for one night meant nothing.
Still, if rest was available, resting was naturally preferable.
So…
Luke looked at Sara and sighed helplessly.
"What should we do with her?"
...
While Luke and Edelweiss discussed the power of causality, Sara sat on the floor as her entire worldview collapsed into chaos.
'Why… does Luke seem to know Edelweiss-sama?'
'Eh??? They're actually talking normally.'
'Edelweiss-sama isn't even trying to hide herself…'
'Did I… learn something I was never supposed to know?!'
'Ah, he's looking at me… He's walking over…'
'Am I going to be silenced?'
Sara stared at Luke as he approached again, unable to stop the thought from appearing.
Then she lost consciousness.
...
The next day, an announcement from the operating committee confirmed Luke and Edelweiss's conclusion.
The tournament schedule had been changed!
…
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