However, once she thought about his former profession, Kisaragi Chiyo could also understand Scotland's caution. She was only on good terms with Matsuda Jinpei and the others, but in the end, he wasn't someone Scotland knew well; his unwillingness to reveal so much was likely because there were still people he wanted to protect, wasn't it? It was precisely because of this that he didn't dare to hand over more trust so easily.
“Matsuda, you're so slow,” Kisaragi Chiyo complained, casually flipping through the newspaper Scotland had just handed over. It seemed to be arranged by date, with the earliest one actually dating back over a decade.
"Perhaps he was held up by something else?" Scotland did not find it surprising; he had stayed at the station for some time and naturally knew that the phenomenon of demons devouring one another existed within the station.
Because they were suffering from the torment of an insatiable hunger, they could only delay this thirst by consuming their own kind.
Scotland knew this feeling, he couldn't help but steal another glance at the young man sitting in the chair, his head bowed as he intently flipped through a newspaper.
At first, he hadn't noticed when he first discovered the other person, but after getting closer, he realized something was wrong with the young man.
He hadn't even noticed the ordinary humans who had fallen into the station before, but facing Kisaragi Chiyo.. Scotland took another subtle step back.
No one had told him that a human with spiritual power would smell like a walking cake!
Scotland was having a minor breakdown, but fortunately, the situation was still within his control.
*
"Scotland." The young man read the news in the yellowed newspaper somewhat absentmindedly. His eyes were cast down, the silver tassel earrings at his ears swayed gently.
"What do you think.." Kisaragi Chiyo thought for a long time before finally deciding to seek advice from one of Hara Kenji's old acquaintances.
It wasn't difficult to judge from Scotland's reaction that his relationship with Hara was quite good, which meant he would be better able to analyze the crux of the matter from a bystander's perspective.
There was someone who was very close to you before losing their memory, someone who couldn't bear to be apart from you for a single day, but once their memory was restored, they became distant. Why do you think that is?
Scotland: ".."
Scotland actually really wanted to ask Kisaragi Chiyo if the person she mentioned and the one she previously said was having a disagreement weren't actually the same person.
After letting the thought circle through his mind, Scotland sighed, ultimately choosing not to ask directly.
"What kind of changes do you mean by 'becoming distant'?" Scotland never imagined that one day he would be acting as an emotional consultant for someone.
"Even though we're still spending time together every day, the way we address each other has changed, she doesn't act spoiled anymore, she doesn't lean against me when we watch movies.. she even moved to the guest room to sleep, she won't even let me pet the puppy anymore." As she spoke the final words, a hint of melancholy appeared on Kisaragi Chiyo's face.
It seemed that not being able to pet the puppy for several days had been quite a blow to him.
Although Scotland didn't understand what the last thing had to do with the previous one, was this what happened when lovers had a falling out—that a child could only choose between their father or their mother?
Shaking off the strange thought, Scotland pondered for a moment and quickly guessed what was on Hara Kenji's mind.
Despite being the one among them with the strongest observation and communication skills, he would still exhibit indecisive emotions regarding his own feelings.
Scotland smiled. Although Kisaragi Chiyo's views on family had shaken his worldview, hearing that his friends were all doing quite well after their deaths still made him feel rather happy.
“Have you ever heard this saying?” Scotland curled his fingers and tapped on the table. “Love breeds sorrow; love breeds fear.”
Because of love, sorrow is born; because of love, fear is born.
Fearing loss and gain, one hesitates to move forward precisely because of excessive concern.
Kisaragi Chiyo fell into complete silence upon hearing this, his eyes cast downward, lost in thought.
*
By the time Matsuda Jinpei found his way over, nearly twenty minutes had passed. Although some minor trouble had occurred during the process, Matsuda ultimately won people over with reason—as for whether that reason was through logic or his fists, it didn't really matter.
"It really is you." After Matsuda Jinpei walked in, he closed the door to the broadcasting room. His gaze first swept over Kisaragi Chiyo, who was sitting in a chair reading a newspaper; seeing that she was safe and sound, Matsuda's heart finally eased.
Only at this moment did he finally shift his attention to the man standing before him.
"You," Matsuda Jinpei frowned, his teal eyes staring fixedly at the bloody hole in Scotland's chest.
"What happened?" Matsuda Jinpei took a few steps forward and grabbed Scotland's arm, preemptively preventing him from retreating.
"Matsuda, you could actually use a little less force." Scotland looked at his friend, who was clearly angry, with a hint of helplessness; he felt that after not seeing him for a while, the other man's strength had increased significantly.
If it were now, it might be difficult for Pramia to escape from their hands again.
Thinking back to the past, Scotland couldn't help but space out for a moment, but Matsuda Jinpei's words quickly caught his attention.
"Aren't you.. didn't that guy say you were in charge of logistics and intelligence work?" Matsuda Jinpei's tone was somewhat biting, he was suddenly overcome by a sudden urge to beat that blond guy senseless.
Aren't you working as an editor? Don't you still have time to raise hamsters? Isn't it just that your health isn't very good?
On one hand, Matsuda Jinpei felt incredibly angry, but on the other hand, he felt remarkably calm.
Just poor health? Matsuda Jinpei let out a cold laugh; it was more than that—he was already stone cold.
Matsuda Jinpei couldn't help but look at the bloodstain on Scotland's chest again, his gaze turning sinister.
"Wait, Matsuda.." Being stared at like this by his friend, Scotland couldn't help but feel a cold sweat breaking out. He tried to shake off Matsuda's hand, but despite several attempts to pull away with force, there was no response.
On the contrary, Kisaragi Chiyo, who was still reading the newspaper, had his attention drawn by the actions of the two men.
"There seems to be an imbalance of information between you two." Kisaragi Chiyo pointed out the issue sharply, reaching out to tap Matsuda Jinpei's direction through the air.
Did someone tell you not long ago that this Mr. Demon is still alive?
Scotland also noticed Matsuda Jinpei's unnatural reaction, but who could make Matsuda one hundred percent believe a piece of false intelligence stating that he was still alive? Scotland thought of a name almost instantly, but he still found it strange. If it were that person, given their personality, they would never spread false information to deceive Matsuda.
His own death had become an unchangeable certainty.
"Actually, I still have one question." Seeing the increasingly solemn expression on Scotland's face, Kisaragi Chiyo felt that the timing was likely right.
"What?" Scotland looked up, looking somewhat confused.
I thought your voice sounded a bit familiar before, Mr. Demon," Kisaragi Chiyo said unhurriedly. "Although I have only had a few calls with the editor, most of them were just exchanging messages.
"Editor?" Scotland blinked, unable to figure out why Kisaragi Chiyo had suddenly brought up something so irrelevant.
"Kisaragi is a supernatural novelist," Matsuda Jinpei added from the side.
"I see.." Scotland nodded thoughtfully.
And then he has an editor.
"So?" Isn't it perfectly normal for a writer to have an editor?
"His editor is Morofushi Hiromitsu." Matsuda Jinpei forced a smile, calmly dropping a bombshell.
Scotland: "!"
Scotland: "!"
"Which Morofushi Hiromitsu?" she asked again, unwilling to let it go.
"Which Morofushi Hiromitsu are you talking about?" Matsuda Jinpei's voice was casual, but the seriousness in his expression caused Scotland.. no, it caused Morofushi Hiromitsu to waver.
"Then what about that person who told you before that I was still alive?" Morofushi Hiromitsu asked cautiously.
"Who else could it be besides that bastard?" Matsuda sneered, deciding that the next time they met, he would give the other man a good beating.
"But I.." Morofushi Hiromitsu pointed to his chest, hesitating to speak.
Morofushi." This was the first time Kisaragi Chiyo had called him by his name. "In the station, are there many more newspapers like this?
Newspapers?" Morofushi Hiromitsu pondered for a moment. "Most of them should be here, though new ones appear randomly every now and then.
"You collected all these newspapers for another purpose, didn't you?" Kisaragi Chiyo looked up, her misty gray eyes staring straight at the blue-eyed Demon.
The Demon let out a light chuckle; seeing Kisaragi Chiyo's reaction, he knew his efforts had not been in vain.
I told you before, there is no distinction between day and night, or between the four seasons, in this station.
Time doesn't pass here.. but I've noticed the dates on these newspapers span many years—over a decade, five or six years, even just a few months.
"Just like Kisaragi Station." Matsuda Jinpei couldn't help but think of this urban legend that had become quite famous back when he was still a student.
"Yes." Morofushi Hiromitsu glanced at Matsuda Jinpei, a smile involuntarily appearing in his eyes; he had not forgotten that the young man had just called him Kisaragi.
A station leading to another world is indeed an apt description.. but there is still something different about this place; it is a place forgotten by time and the world.
"So the reason you say time doesn't pass here is because time itself is distorted in this place." Kisaragi Chiyo paused her hands after flipping through a newspaper.
Matsuda." Kisaragi Chiyo asked in a low voice, "Do you still remember the number of the train we were supposed to take?
"I remember." Matsuda Jinpei recited a string of numbers. Noticing something was wrong with Kisaragi Chiyo's tone, he let go of Morofushi Hiromitsu and walked over.
What's wrong?
"Take a look at this." Kisaragi Chiyo handed one of the newspapers to Matsuda Jinpei.
This is a news report about a bomber seeking revenge on society by planting a bomb on a train to die together with the passengers.
The report stated that the death toll was twenty-three in total.
Matsuda Jinpei's gaze fell upon the date mentioned above. It was exactly today—to be precise, the very day they were currently experiencing—and the events in the newspaper had not yet occurred.
“I felt something was wrong before,” Matsuda Jinpei said, flipping through the report several times. “Japanese trains only ever run late; they never arrive early. We've boarded a death train.”
"It's just a train that has already experienced death," Kisaragi Chiyo added softly.
He and Matsuda Jinpei boarded the train that had already experienced an explosion, while those dark shadows were the passengers who had died in that explosion.
"Time here consists of not only the past, but also the future." Kisaragi Chiyo's words served as a reminder to Matsuda Jinpei.
Morofushi." Matsuda Jinpei suddenly asked Morofushi Hiromitsu with an anxious tone, "Do you know how to leave this place?
I know a way to leave this place.." Morofushi Hiromitsu's expression was very serious, "but there is one thing I must tell you all. The way out I know is only a way to leave this station; it doesn't mean that once you leave the station, you will be able to return to your original point in time.
"What do you mean by that?" Kisaragi Chiyo pondered Morofushi Hiromitsu's words, feeling as though he had managed to grasp some clues.
It's just as I said, time is chaotic, anything can happen. Therefore, I can help you leave the station, but as for how to find the correct point in time afterward, that will have to be up to you.
Outside the station might be the past, or it might be the future.. In short, anything could appear. You must keep trying until you return to your original timeline.
That is exactly what I am worried about." Morofushi Hiromitsu turned his gaze toward Kisaragi Chiyo. "This kind of temporal distortion has little impact on us. But for humans, leaving the station and traveling through timelines that do not belong to them will erode their very sense of existence.
In other words, you might be erased from existence by time before you even have the chance to find the correct point in time.
Kisaragi Chiyo and Matsuda Jinpei fell into a long silence after hearing those words.
Matsuda Jinpei looked at Kisaragi Chiyo, then glanced at his worried friend standing before him.
A hypothesis gradually took shape in his mind.
No, what he said is correct." Matsuda Jinpei stared intently into Morofushi Hiromitsu's eyes. "You really are alive.
"What?" Morofushi Hiromitsu showed a look of surprise, but he didn't think his friend would say such things without reason.
To be precise, Morofushi didn't die, but he can't be considered fully alive either," Kisaragi Chiyo said leisurely. "It's just like Schrödinger's cat; until the box is opened, no one can be certain of the answer.
That's why Morofushi's health is poor and he works from home.. Judging by that guy's reaction, I'm afraid he didn't go to check on Morofushi's situation in person either.
The outcome is uncertain before the box is opened, but once it is opened, there can only be one result.