Reincarnated Into A Dead Woman's Body In Another World-Chapter 139: Arc 3, - 49: Another Reset, Another Chance
"So, we’re going to reset everything?" Hotaru pouted to Jotou. "You better tell us everything again," she smiled.
Jotou could swear she saw a quick wink from the redhead. ’Is she mocking me for having to tell my embarrassing moments again or is it about my working theory? Either way...’
"I wouldn’t dream of doing anything else. Thank you..." Jotou turned to all three of them, feeling her heart sink.
"Hey, this isn’t goodbye. You’ll see me again and I’ll see you," Hotaru picked up the slumping blonde.
"Yeah! You can do it all again Jotou! If anyone can, it’s you!" Asobi cheered.
A small smirk grew on Jotou, "I just hoped that this would be it. But I accepted it wasn’t gonna be easy a while ago. I hate that I have to do this," she shut her eyes, realizing as she did that, the tears welling up in her eyes were about to overflow.
"Hey, hey," Hotaru pulled her into a hug, wary of the sword she held. She patted her back, "Come on, next time, okay?"
Jotou nodded the best she could, "Okay."
Asobi walked forward, "You’ll be okay Jotou. Please tell me all the tricks I can do again. I looked forward to showing them to you, but this chance has slipped by," she joined in the hug.
They turned to the brunette who glared at the whole scene. "You realize we have little time and we’re all gonna be back together without even realizing, right? Come on, let’s go."
Jotou snickered, "Keep being arrogant and keep being smug detective. I’m getting better at deciphering your words."
Fumeko leered further before taking a deep breath, "Since only you’ll remember anyway," she blinked forward, grabbing together the other three into a hug, as much as her arms could fit them all.
"I really, really appreciate all of you and couldn’t be happier that I found all of you. Thank you for everything," Fumeko hid her face in the clothes of the other three.
"Aww, Meko," Asobi patted her head.
"That’s the sweetest thing you’ve ever said. I appreciate you too Fumeko," Hotaru ruffled her hair, "Maybe you shouldn’t hide all your emotions all the time."
"Piss off," Fumeko’s nose wrinkled, "The entire point is none of you are gonna remember this, including me; Jotou already knows how I feel."
Hotaru laughed, her tail wagging behind her.
"Wouldn’t it be funny if we didn’t reset this time?" Jotou shifted her eyes away.
Fumeko’s eyes bubbled, "Don’t, you, dare, not reset this..."
"I’m not scared of you detective."
"Out of curiosity, what did she tell you Jotou?" Hotaru grinned.
"Ooo! Ooo! I wanna know too!"
"Wouldn’t you all like to know. Shut it Jotou," Fumeko glared, "You’re lucky I controlled myself from screaming right now."
"The bare minimum—I’m proud of you," Jotou shook her head, "Come on, we got a town to save and new memories to make."
_
The corpses of soldiers were being packed away into body bags, the enemy soldiers took their breathers and looted through the resources left behind.
Muskets around their shoulders, some with black powder still lingering at the mouth of. Blood seeped into the sand if it were not already solid.
Sand stuck to fallen bodies; there were smiling faces from victory whilst some mourned the losses of their comrades. "Don’t lose concentration Sobi," Jotou whispered.
"I won’t," Asobi shook her head, holding her wand up like a candle with both hands as an umbrella of invisibility shielded them walking forward.
"Keep moving, I’ll clear the footsteps behind us," Fumeko shuffled her feet to cover their tracks. They moved cautiously, tucking in their shoulders and eyes in a swivel.
Heartbeats ran like trains, sounds of breathing controlled by agape mouths. Jotou pointed a little, "Frye’s all the way in that tent."
"That’s a long walk," Hotaru squinted.
"Thanks Captain Obvious," Fumeko shuffled the sand.
"Not now Meko; Asobi, one step at a time," Jotou hushed.
"Got it."
Taking the path of least people, they made their way past the blown up covers—barricades were being taken down. ’So, if we’re not here, Hartamat doesn’t win. How did an extra two hundred people even join in?’
The tent that Jotou remembered was in sight. ’BLAST!’ Every gunshot from a rifle from here rang in her head. Jotou calmed her breath and took a glance around.
A few soldiers were making their ways about, but none were going in or out of this tent; some carried bottles of champagne whilst others pushed what little prisoners they had into other tents. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦
Amongst the prisoners, Jotou spotted brown hair, broad shoulders and tanned skin with a light beard. First Lieutenant Cayson Knox bruised by the eye and neck, being pushed in.
Jotou shook her head; the coast was clear for them to pull up the flaps of the tent. ’I’ll see you all again. I’m sorry this couldn’t be the one.’
Jotou leaned past Asobi’s shoulder while she still held the wand up. Her fingers gingerly grabbed the tent entrance and peeked inside as Asobi’s invisible dome extended into the interior.
A rifle leaning on a table—two figures. Brown leathers, metallic pauldron on his left shoulder—tanned skin and spiky black hair and a black goatee to match.
It was set with tables and various lab equipment. "So," Lieutenant Frye pulled out a golden egg from his belt and placed it on the table, "Five times," he uttered the number visualized in a little white box at the side of it.
An old man in a lab coat, slouched with bits of grey hair atop his head—large goggles looked to the golden egg, made out of some sort of polished metal. Small white rings were indented into the egg, humming at the tip with energy.
"That’s all it took!?"
"You madman, five times is plenty enough."
The professor sneered in response.
"Intel I left behind told us we were dealing with the Thundering Blade. I wonder why she didn’t show up this time. We must have executed the perfect plan after all these tries. We should still be cautious of her.
Not to mention, the illusionist who apparently destroyed us all the fourth time. Now that we have the proper outcome, how do we turn it off?" Frye checked the egg—two buttons like bolts on either side of the number.
’That’s the device that’s doing all the time shenanigans? That’s it?’ "Let’s go in, one by one," Jotou mimed with her finger, only moving her lips with no voice; the others nodded.
Slowly, they shifted the tent flaps while Frye faced the professor; Asobi brought her invisibility through. "That’s the exciting part; we don’t!"
"What!? Why would you make this device without an off switch!?"
The professor hit himself in the head, "Because it can’t be used again! It records and reverts; it reverts as many times as it needs. The only way to turn it off is to destroy it."
"This thing can’t be reused? How many have you made!?"
"Only this one! We’ll just make more. The idea’s all up here," the professor pointed to his head.
"That’s the damn problem... The fate of this operation is in that mess," Frye shook his head, "Alright, experiment success, we’ll move on to invade Hartamat. Let’s destroy this quickly then. Wait..."
Frye furrowed his brows and looked behind him. There seemed to be nothing, but an odd feeling made him, unnerved. He walked ahead for his rifle.
"Now!" Jotou had unsheathed her sword as she lunged it into Frye’s throat, crimson spurting out like confetti as Jotou shoved it till it hit some bone.
Fumeko covered in shadow blinked forward with her dagger as she appeared behind the professor and—"Stab!"—into his back as the professor let out an old grunt.
"Jotou!" Hotaru yelled.
"Hehehehee... HAHA!" the professor clicked the left button as the white rings at the tip of the egg resonated. "Beep!"
"Well, that works!" Jotou yelled as the professor frowned to the comment. "I’ll see you all again!"
"Bye Jotou!" Asobi waved.
"Good luck!" Hotaru wished.
"Stay safe idiot!" as Fumeko’s words hit her ears the white flash took over her vision.
