"So you're saying Seele fell into a coma after the X-10 experiment's screening test, only woke up yesterday evening, and then suddenly disappeared this morning?"
Bronya had briefly explained the circumstances of Seele's disappearance to Lin Wei. He listened patiently, then spoke with a thoughtful air.
"In other words, you don't actually have any clues. You aren't even sure if she was really kidnapped. You just came out to investigate because you were worried, right?"
Those few sentences filled in the crucial missing information for Lin Wei, overturning some of his incorrect assumptions and bringing him a great deal closer to the truth. At the same time, the true nature of this world bubble became much clearer.
In a daze, Lin Wei was struck by a strange sensation—it was as if he were playing an open-world RPG. While exploring the wilderness, a Ding! had sounded, and he'd unexpectedly stumbled into the main questline. He now knew that the "main quest" of the "current version" wasn't the "Second Great Eruption."
At the same time, another Ding! went off. A large, fog-covered part of the map had suddenly been unlocked, revealing a "town hub" near his "coordinates" called "Cocolia's Orphanage"...
"Tch, what a crappy game. The user experience is terrible!"
Lin Wei grumbled, pulling the bearskin tighter around himself. He was feeling colder and colder.
Worse, this "main quest" was also a timed one. Failure at any point could mean having to reload his save, which would be even more of a pain.
Bronya, of course, had no idea what he was thinking. She was still lost in self-reproach.
"That's right. I thought it was strange, too. How could Seele have vanished without a sound? If the enemy could really infiltrate the orphanage so flawlessly, why would they only take Seele?"
Perhaps she had snapped out of her frantic worrying, or perhaps the bombshell information from Lin Wei had given her a new way of looking at things. Whatever the reason, Bronya had arrived at a completely different understanding of the situation.
"Seele would never just leave her clothes lying around, which is why I assumed she'd met with an accident. But now that I think about it... maybe she did it on purpose to distract me, so that she could..."
...go and participate in Mother Cocolia's experiment before me and Sin, Bronya thought, filled with regret.
This interpretation was also far from the truth, but it was just as logically self-consistent. She knew that whether or not the parallel world Lin Wei described was real, her Seele was absolutely the kind of girl who would do something so foolish.
Bronya's change of heart was sudden, yet it followed a perfectly natural course. Her hostility toward Lin Wei had stemmed from a bizarre misunderstanding. Now that it was cleared up, the hostility naturally vanished.
At the same time, if she wanted to find and rescue Seele, Lin Wei was the only help available to her. It was only logical that she would make the same choice as her counterpart from that other world...
"Alright, time is short. Let's cut to the chase," Lin Wei said concisely. "Bronya, what's your plan?"
As the 'player who crashed the game,' Lin Wei decided to skip the lengthy cutscenes and fast-forward straight to the dialogue choices.
"I have to go back. Back to the orphanage!"
Bronya shot to her feet.
"I need to ask Mother Cocolia if Seele is with her. If she is, I hope I can convince her to take back her order!"
The only communicator that could reach Cocolia was at the orphanage. She had to return there to contact her.
"If she isn't with Mother Cocolia, then it means Seele really was kidnapped... If that's the case, I hope I can borrow your flying vehicle to search for her farther away!"
Bronya had already considered both possibilities. Her pale gray eyes scanned the area, and her heart began to pound.
"Wait, where is that flying vehicle? Why isn't it here?"
A wave of panic washed over her. Did I hit my head when I jumped from the tree and get my directions wrong?
Just as she began to worry that she might have just missed the culprit who took Seele, Lin Wei waved his hand. The flying vehicle she had glimpsed earlier materialized out of thin air in the nearby snow, dispelling her fears.
"How did you know I had this thing?" Lin Wei asked, a little surprised. Even the Bronya from his own world didn't know about it.
"Because I saw it earlier," Bronya said, looking embarrassed. "It was because this out-of-place flying vehicle was here that I thought you were the one who kidnapped Seele. And on top of that..."
On top of that, I heard you say Seele's name with my own ears. The evidence was irrefutable. I wanted nothing more than to snap your neck on the spot!
The more she had hated him then, the more embarrassed she was now...
"...Is that so? What a coincidence..."
Lin Wei figured out the whole story and couldn't help but feel a little speechless.
"To avoid any more unnecessary misunderstandings, let me ask this clearly—are you asking me to take you back to the orphanage?"
This was a major breakthrough.
Regardless of whether they found Seele this time, if he could pinpoint the exact location of Cocolia's Orphanage, he could start his next loop from there instead of wandering aimlessly through the forest like he was now.
"..."
But at Lin Wei's question, Bronya fell silent.
She was indeed desperate to get back, eager to contact Seele and Mother Cocolia that very second.
But she couldn't help but worry. If she brought him back to the orphanage with her, and it turned out Lin Wei was a meticulous liar... would she be leading the wolf right into her home?
Hmm... is my affinity level not high enough?
Seeing Bronya's hesitation, an even stranger thought popped into Lin Wei's head.
"Miss Bronya, I don't believe we have much time to waste on hesitation and doubt."
Before Lin Wei could speak, Schrödinger's voice chimed in.
"I suggest you take a few more seconds to look at the information contained within the second feather. While the meaning of those images may be difficult for you to accept, it should be the best way to dispel your doubts..."
Lin Wei was slightly taken aback.
Until now, Schrödinger had only ever offered him objective advice. This was the first time she had bypassed him to interfere directly with reality.
"...A feather?"
Only then did Bronya remember that of the two feathers Lin Wei had shown her, she had only looked at one. The information it contained had been such a massive shock that she had completely forgotten about the other.
She started to reach for it, but then, as if remembering something, she pulled her hand back and shook her head.
"I'm not that curious. If it's something difficult to accept, then it's better I don't see it. It's just... never mind."
She was a rational girl. After Schrödinger's interruption, she had already calmed down from her earlier conflicted state.
"You're right, we shouldn't waste any more time. If what you and that lady said is true, if this world really is caught in a 'time loop,' then all my struggles are probably meaningless. So..."
Bronya gritted her teeth.
"For the sake of the 'other Bronya,' please, take Seele away from here—not just from this orphanage, but away from... this cyclical prison!"
When a person living in a cave begins to touch upon the truth of the world, when they realize they are nothing more than a prisoner endlessly repeating a predetermined fate, what would they think? What would they do?
Perhaps... they would send the person most important to them away from this endless blizzard and into the real sunlight...
"..."
Faced with Bronya's plea, Lin Wei was momentarily silent.
From her perspective, as a character trapped in this story, her request wasn't unreasonable. But he couldn't give her a definite yes.
Looking down at the disheveled bearskin he wore, he was just a man stranded here himself. What power did he have to make a promise he likely couldn't keep?
Lin Wei's silence caused the hope in Bronya's heart to slowly curdle into disappointment, finally dissolving into a long sigh. She forced a smile.
"Thank you."
Silence was also an answer. So why was she thanking him?
"Thank you for not lying to me, Lin Wei."
Bronya's smile seemed a little pained, but she was still smiling.
How easy would it be to lie to someone destined to lose their memories?
Even if he couldn't fulfill his promise, she wouldn't remember it anyway. But he hadn't done that.
What a... frustrating guy... Bronya thought with a sigh. But at least, he's definitely trustworthy.
"I'm sorry, Bronya."
Every version of Bronya was a good person. Lin Wei felt a pang of guilt and tried to console her.
"You said Seele woke up yesterday evening. The loops I've experienced also began at that time. If I'm not mistaken, if we can stop Seele from participating in the X-10 experiment, or protect her from whatever accident befalls her, we might be able to break this cycle."
"Is that so? That's good news, then."
Bronya's spirits lifted.
"Perhaps tomorrow's Bronya will return to yesterday, but today's Bronya is willing to be your friend..."
If I am destined to live only in this moment, then I will be the master of this moment!
"...Thank you."
Lin Wei understood implicitly and couldn't help but chuckle.
"Let's hurry. Time to go."
"Okay. I will find Seele."
Whether it was some unspoken understanding or a spiritual resonance with her other-world self, Bronya said, "If we fail this time, remember the orphanage's location. Make sure you arrive earlier tomorrow, preferably before anything happens."
She understood Lin Wei's greatest asset and entrusted him with a task he could definitely accomplish.
"I will," Lin Wei nodded. This time, he didn't remain silent.
"Good."
Bronya nodded. Without a second glance at the gun and dagger lying near her feet, her small, slender frame resolutely hopped onto the strangely shaped flying vehicle. Her little gray twin-drills bobbed as she turned to look at Lin Wei, urging him on without a word.
...When I get back, I'm definitely showing the memories from today to the Bronya from my world.
Lin Wei pulled his "fur coat" tighter, got on, and started criticizing with a curl of his lip, "Let that girl who does nothing but play games all day take a good, long look at this! She could learn a thing or two!"
You hear me?! Get a clue!
"I like to play games, too," Bronya tilted her head, then added, "But I don't dare to use cheats..."
"Well said!"
Lin Wei applauded enthusiastically. In that instant, they were on the same wavelength.
A few words were all that was needed to connect. Now it was time to get down to business. With a shared understanding, they stopped fooling around.
The flying vehicle slowly ascended. Bronya got her bearings and pointed in a certain direction. Lin Wei pushed the control stick, and they drifted off toward her mark.
The distance wasn't great, only a few dozen kilometers as the crow flies. But even so, the frigid wind, mixed with snow and ice, was so excruciatingly cold that both Lin Wei and Bronya were in agony.
"Now I know why you crashed in a place like this..."
The fuzzy coat Bronya wore had once allowed her to lie in wait in the Siberian snow for three days and three nights, but even it couldn't stop the bone-chilling cold that seemed to seep through every fiber. Her teeth chattered as she spoke.
"We're seriously going to die if this keeps up!"
What the hell kind of flying machine was this?! It looked flashy on the outside, but it didn't even have a windshield!
Forget the lack of a windshield and heating... why did it feel like this thing was full of leaks?
"Nothing I can do. Its designer said she likes the feeling of 'riding the wind and breaking the waves'..."
The previous times he'd used the vehicle, it was either in North Africa or Southeast Asia—basically, in tropical regions. Back then, he'd only thought the wind felt nice and cool. Who would've thought it would be this miserable in a different setting?
Lin Wei grit his teeth. "Next time I see her, I'm gonna give her a piece of my mind!"
"...Alright, we can land here."
When the faint yellow lights of the orphanage became visible through the hazy blizzard, Bronya felt an overwhelming sense of relief.
"You wait out here for a bit. I'll go in first and let Sin and the others know, to avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings."
The memory of her fight with Lin Wei was fresh in her mind, and she had no desire for another conflict.
Lin Wei certainly didn't object. Shivering uncontrollably, he gave Bronya a shaky wave to show he understood, too cold to even bother speaking.
Bronya didn't say anything more. She rubbed her frozen little face, vaulted off the flying vehicle, and ran towards the orphanage as fast as she could.
The moment she stepped inside, she was greeted with news that both shocked and enraged her.
"What? Seele's back?!"
That was the shock.
"You're saying she's hurt? Who did it?!"
That was the rage.