[R1999] Short Stories' Collection

Vertin x Schneider: No title

Song: Monochrome - suisoh

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The first loop ended in the unexpected encounter of the Storm.

The second loop failed when they were about to reach the safe zone.

In the third loop, they managed to enter the nearest shelter, but an armed group of Manus Vindictae had waited inside.

Holding memories of the past three loops, in an unstable state of mind, the gray-haired girl immediately grabbed that girl's hand and both of them ran under the heavy rain without the notice of anyone. No sound could be heard but the sound of rain falling, no clear image entered her gray eyes but the dancing red of that girl.

And then, the fifth loop, which was also the final one, took its turn.

Vertin opened her eyes again and what she saw was the same beginning scene of the previous loops.

At 10 a.m as the rain was pouring harder outside, a person would walk into this coffee shop with her wet leather coat. She would brush the rain off her short, wavy hair, order a cup of iced black coffee and take a quick look around the shop.

Next, her ruby eyes would meet her gray eyes and a slight smile would appear on the previous one's lips. Then the stranger would bring her coffee to her table, sit down naturally as if they were acquainted with each other and began to flirt.

'.....'

Oh, why couldn't she remember any of that girl's words?

Trying to recall further, her vision became blurred, her nose started bleeding.

'They're the sequelae of those loops...'

As thought passed by her head, a stroke of red came into her sight, bringing along the strong odor of coffee.

"Red definitely didn't suit you at all."

There were whispers beside her ears, tender and warm.

In this monochrome world where everything returned to the scales of black and white, the coffee in that girl's cup was a warm one.

So were the color of her dress and her ruby eyes.

The headache reached its peak, causing Vertin's body to fall by inertia and into someone's thin arms.

"No matter which choice you make, the result will remain the same."

The truth was, she knew that unchanged fact from the beginning, yet she pretended to know nothing. Since once she admitted it, no more loop would continue to restart.

"Therefore, let me choose what to do with this final chance." said that girl, while gently using her slender fingers to caress from her forehead to her chapped lips.

Vertin guessed that girl might have a familiar sorry smile on her face as the past four loops.

She left Vertin lying on the couch with her dry coat put under her head and entered that seemed-to-be never ending rain curtain without looking back.

Vertin felt so tired, so dizzy and above all, so painful as hell.

That girl knew her fear of making another wrong choice as well as the growing doubt of herself after many continuous failures.

In the end, she took Vertin's place to make that final and cruel decision.

'Why didn't you give me a parting hug or at least, say that we would meet again...'

If that girl had done anything above, Vertin would have an excuse to trick her own mind one more time for another new loop. So that she could try to save her countless times from death's hands, to have a chance to succeed in bringing her back one and for all.

The sound of rain falling gradually grew fainter and fainter, the rays of sunshine finally find their way through the glass wall of the coffee shop.

As the wall clock behind the bartender bar showed that it was 10 a.m, a person just came inside the coffee shop. That person ordered a takeaway cup of hot drink, neither taking a quick look around the shop nor meeting her gray eyes and smiling.

Vertin opened her tired eyes again, stood up and left the coffee shop.

One step, two steps, three steps...

She began running under the bright daylight.

As she ran, her vague memories came back one after another.

["How was you day?"

"Not very well."

"Mine too, suck as hell."

"So, what's your name?"

"It's Vertin."

"A nice name. I'm Schneider."

"Nice to meet you, my Lord."]