[Present Time]

Beep. Beep. Beep

The sound of machines beeping in the background still resonated inside the room.

As the memories faded, Leon slowly opened his eyes.

"Haah... haaah...." Rumi’s head was still pressed against Leon’s.

She looked almost out of energy, even her figure was getting translucent.

"This is..." Rumi’s lips trembled as she spoke, "Madness."

Leon’s eyes didn’t leave hers.

He rose from the chair he was sitting on.

Rubbing his forehead with aching after getting all his memories back, he almost struggled to even stand.

’My strategy failed.’

He now understood why his future self had reversed time and devised this whole strategy.

He had been wrong.

Dreamweaver had descended early before the treaty was even signed.

Leon had miscalculated.

’...shit, I can’t believe I missed something this basic.’

The treaty binding Evana under three Calamity Heads should have been signed before everything that had occurred. Waiting for anymore would just make Dreamweaver act.

He will descend before the treaty would sign and would do the same genocide he did in the previous timeline.

It was the biggest blunder of everything.

But now that he has returned, and the future Leon’s strategy, this would go smoothly.

’Knowing my sister she might have already done the work.’

Good thing she has Time Authority.

According to the memories Leon just got back, his future self had already done all the work in the previous timeline.

The live holographic meeting between Veronica, Anise, and Irene had taken place when Leon was in coma.

They had shared everything with Veronica, of what Leon wanted, why he wanted it, and the full scope of his plan against Dreamweaver.

As the Queen of Evana, Anise had been the one to deliver the request directly to her.

A treaty between the three Calamity Towers, where the Blood Tower, the Frost Tower, and the Moon Tower.

Three of the strongest authorities of this era backing Evana City as a single protected would protect its territory.

If signed and finalized, Evana would become legally untouchable under the Oath of Balance.

Any Calamity who attacked the city would be declaring war on three others at once.

Even Dreamweaver could not afford that kind of confrontation.

That was the plan future Leon had given to Veronica through Anise.

But the question was how Veronica would act on it from the highest reality without raising suspicion.

That was where her Time Authority came in.

Veronica had a skill called [Twin Echo]. It was a passive ability tied to her authority over time.

Once every twenty five years, she could send a single message from her future self to her past self.

Leon had known about it. And had predicted that she would definitely use this skill.

Leon let out a slow breath as he thought out the full picture.

He smiled thinking back to the day he had left the Liora Kingdom.

At the time, Leon didn’t informed about him leaving for Evana, though he had already known that given time she would figured it out soon.

Afterall, Myra would evernually inform her.

Even after that Veronic didn’t tried contating Leon before he left.

But now he understood why?

She had already received the message, and she had already known he would be here at Evana.

’Thats why she didn’t made a move...’

His sister had been three steps ahead of him.

Leon shook his head with a quiet laugh.

’You really are something else, sister.’

That meant the treaty was likely already drafted.

That being said, Leon will have to do the next part, and that too very soon.

He checked his pocket watch.

Five minutes still remained before the reset.

Leon looked back at the two women standing there.

Rumi was still slightly out of breath. She was still processing the bootstrap paradox playing out in real time.

Irene was watching Leon quietly as he slowly returned back to normal, her hands folded against her stomach.

Leon spoke first.

"Since you received the memories. How many loops has it been?"

Irene’s didn’t hide.

"28,489 loops."

Leon did the math in his head.

"Seventy eight years...."

’That long huh..’

She had been preparing for this for seventy eight years.

"I am sorry."

Irene shook her head.

"Do not apologize. It gave me enough time to prepare everything."

"Haru."

Rumi’s voice cut through them.

"I am sorry." She whispered. "I need to go back inside."

Her form was barely holding together.

"Ah, go on." Leon said quietly. "Rest well."

Rumi dissolved into fine light particles the next moment.

Now it was just Leon and Irene in the Akashic Record control room.

"...."

"...."

The silence between them stretched a little longer than it should have.

He did not know what to say to her now.

Maybe he should jut say that ’you did great Irene’ and call it a day....

"Uh—" "Uh—"

Both of them opened their mouths at the same time.

Leon let out a small awkward chuckle and gestured at her.

"You go first."

Irene’s eyes flickered down for a second.

"I was really happy when I saw you in front of my house today.I thought you would never come.... Sometimes I darts to think that you were a dream."

Her fingers slowly clenched the edge of her dress, and she kept looking away.

Leon found her behavior strangely pleasant for some reason.

He could not quite place why, maybe it was the memories from the previous timeline? Or maybe it was the way she was acting now. like she had rehearsed this meeting a thousand times in her head and had still not figured out how to say what she wanted to say.

Irene continued without looking at him.

"I have so much to talk to you about. After you went into the coma, a-and after you... after you—"

She was about to say more but before another word could leave her lips, Leon stepped forward.

He raised his hand and patted her head.

"....?"

Irene blinked.

She had been expecting something else, a hand on her shoulder, or a pull into a hug, or maybe even his arm wrapping around her.

But not a pat.

"Leon?"

Leon saw her eyes twitch slightly.

He scratched his cheek with his free hand and looked away, pretending he had not noticed.

Inside his head, he was actively avoiding looking at her face, because if he did, he would have to deal with whatever expression she was making right now and he had a feeling it was not a happy one.

Honestly, those memories that Irene had given him were legit, he remembered every detail, but he just was not ready to act on any of it.

"The loop is about to reset." Leon said, changing the topic.

Irene tilted her head.

She had known him for seventy eight years.

"...You are not going to hug me?"

"Huh?" Leon didn’t expected her to act this straight forward.

"I want a hug." She flatly said, opening her arms.

Leon hesitated. "Irene, why don’t we talk—"

"Leon Valentine."

"Mhm."

"You owe me a hug."

"...."

Leon kept looking at the screens behind her.

"Alright then." Irene dropped both her hands. "Do not blame me for what happens next then."

"Huh? What—"

As his eyes fell back on her, he saw a bright grin on her face.

Before Leon could react, Irene stepped forward quickly and grabbed the collar of his shirt with both hands.

She pulled him down to her eye level.

"....!"

Leon’s face was now inches from hers.

Her lips curled into a slow, playful smirk. She tucked a strand of her platinum hair behind her ear.

She whispered in his ears.

"I do not mind taking the lead."

"....!!"

His brain almost short circuited.

"Huh...?" Leon thought she was going for a kiss, but instead he felt a wet sensation on his right cheek.

Chu~

Then she pulled back.

Her grin was wider now.

"Pfttt hahahaha." Irene burst into laughter. "Y-you should look at your face!"

She covered her stomach with one hand and pointed at him with the other. A small trail of tears had gathered at the corner of her eyes.

She kept laughing.

"You thought I was going to kiss your lips, right?"

Leon’s expression went blank.

’This girl!’

She really had not changed.

Seventy eight years apparently had not been enough to dull her sense of humor. If anything, it had sharpened it.

She had played him perfectly, and it pains him to admit it, but he had walked right into it.

Leon let out a quiet sigh.

"Hahaha." Irene wiped the corner of her eye.

She took a breath and slowly straightened.

"I told you, Leon. I will not push it, these feelings are mine. And because they are mine, it is also up to me to respect yours."

There was no smirk on her face now.

"You do not have to feel anything you are not ready to feel." Irene said. "And I will not act on anything you are not ready to receive."

She took one small step back.

"I just wanted to see your reaction one time, that is all."

He was not sure if she had grown into someone bolder over the decades, or if this was just who she had always been beneath the shy detective exterior.

Or maybe she was both.

Leon shook his head with a quiet laugh.

"You really are something else."

Irene smiled.

"Mhm. I know."

[10 seconds]

"Alright then." Leon said quietly. He looked at her with a small grin of his own. "I will get the same reaction from you later."

"Wait. What? Same reaction how?"

Leon’s grin widened slightly.

"You will see."

[3 seconds]

Irene’s mouth fell open.

"That is not fair—!"

Everything around them began to fade.

The last thing Leon saw before the loop reset was Irene’s flustered face, and her arms half raised as if she had wanted to grab his sleeve and force the answer out of him.

She did not get it.

The loop resets.