The taxi sped through the dimly lit streets. The rhythmic hum of the engine filled the silence inside the car, a contrast to the chaos Connie had just escaped.

  She could still hear her own pulse pounding in her ears.

  Her hands were trembling.

  Not from fear. Not from exhaustion.

  But from pure disbelief.

  This was the first time.

  The first time she had succeeded after the second loop. The first time she succeeded intentionally, instead of getting help from others, or getting saved by pure luck.

  Takeshi hadn't died. And she was still here. Still moving forward.

  This was real.

  She turned to look at Takeshi.

  He was slumped against the seat, his breath shallow, his skin unnaturally pale. His fingers twitched slightly as if trying to grip onto something that wasn't there.

  He was alive—but he wasn't safe yet.

  She had to get him to the hospital before it was too late.

  The taxi driver eyed them through the rearview mirror.

  "You two okay?"

  Connie's breath hitched.

  She had almost forgotten they looked like everything but normal people right now.

  Takeshi looked like he was barely conscious, and Connie was still sweating from sprinting for her life.

  She forced herself to sound normal.

  "He's sick," she said quickly. "I'm getting him to the hospital."

  The driver grunted, but didn't push further.

  The city lights flickered past them, neon signs reflecting off the taxi windows.

  Connie kept her gaze locked forward, watching every street, every turn.

  She was still paranoid.

  Still waiting for something to go wrong.

  But—

  Nothing did.

  The taxi pulled up to the hospital entrance.

  The bright, sterile lights of the emergency room cast a white glow over the pavement.

  Connie didn't waste a second.

  She threw the door open and dragged Takeshi out with her, his weight heavier than before. His body swayed unsteadily, his breath coming in weak, uneven gasps.

  But he was alive.

  They had made it.

  She half-carried, half-dragged him through the sliding doors, the sterile scent of disinfectant hitting her the moment they stepped inside. The fluorescent lights overhead were too bright, too harsh, making the world feel unreal.

  A nurse at the front desk looked up.

  "Help," Connie gasped, her voice raw. "He's been poisoned!"

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  The nurse's face changed in an instant.

  A second later, people in white coats rushed forward, pulling Takeshi from her arms.

  She took a step forward, but someone held out a hand.

  "You need to wait here, miss."

  She hated this part.

  The moment she couldn't do anything. The moment when everything was out of control.

  She watched as they wheeled him away, disappearing behind a pair of swinging doors.

  And just like that—

  He was gone.

  She stayed standing in the middle of the emergency room, waiting.

  For something.

  For anything.

  Her hands curled into fists as she took a shaky breath.

  Would it happen?

  Would she reset?

  Or—

  Would she win?

  Seconds passed.

  Then minutes.

  Nothing.

  Her heart pounded in her ears, too loud, too fast.

  She knew better than to hope.

  She had been fooled before.

  Her fingers twitched—instinctively reaching for her phone.

  But it wasn't there.

  Right.

  She had purposely let it fall during the chase, so that the calm man would catch it.

  She had made such a move willingly. She had a clear objective in mind.

  She gritted her teeth. How was she supposed to know if the System would send a message now?

  Her stomach churned.

  She would have to wait.

  She glanced at the wall clock behind the front desk.

  After what felt like an eternity, a nurse finally approached her.

  "His condition is stable."

  Connie exhaled sharply.

  The words felt too good to be true.

  "He's still weak, but he should be fully recovered in a week or two. We will later call you to ask you some questions."

  One week. Less than last time.

  She had managed to change the outcome for the better.

  That meant—

  It had worked.

  She had won.

  Her legs felt weak. She managed to sit down in one of the plastic chairs near the waiting area.

  But her relief was short-lived.

  Because in the next instant—

  Her vision blurred.

  No—

  Her phone wasn't here.

  But the message—

  It still appeared.

  Directly in her mind.

  Like the words were being etched into her brain.

  It was a really disorienting feeling.

  [Death Flag Resolved. Points: 29.]

  Her breath caught.

  She had twenty-two points before.

  Which meant—

  She had gained seven.

  Just like the second loop.

  She had suffered through so many failures. So many loops.

  This flag had been more difficult to resolve than any of the flags she encountered before. More complicated.

  And yet—

  A cold realization crept over her.

  The points she gained in the previous timelines were erased.

  The System only counted successful loops.

  There was a second death flag.

  One that could kill her at any moment.

  If she had failed again—

  She would have been sent back to the café.

  A chill ran down her spine.

  This time, she had barely won.

  What if next time, she wasn't so lucky?

  What if she ran into something impossible to escape?

  What if—

  She never made it out again?

  Her body felt cold.

  She would lose all her progress again.

  She would wake up back in the café.

  Back before Takeshi was even saved.

  She wouldn't do this again.

  She couldn't do this again.

  Her fingers clenched against her arms.

  She had to figure it out.

  She had to find the other death flag before it was too late.

  The waiting room was silent, but Connie's mind wasn't.

  What could the other death flag be?

  The answer had to be connected to Takeshi's poisoning.

  That was the only thing that made sense.

  She had been forced into fighting the Organization.

  Something—some unseen force—had made her cross paths with them.

  As if she had been meant to.

  Her eyes darkened.

  She had failed more than just a few times to know that she had to fight them.

  That wasn't a coincidence.

  She took a shaky breath.

  What was the connection?

  Why would a fight be necessary to break a death flag?

  Unless—

  The Organization itself was the flag.

  Her heart started pounding.

  It made too much sense.

  She had only succeeded in saving Takeshi when she encountered them.

  She had only stopped looping back when she fought them.

  The death flag wasn't just his poisoning.

  It was the fact that they wanted him dead.

  And they wouldn't stop trying to kill him.

  Even now—

  They were still out there.

  Still looking for Takeshi.

  And now, looking for her too.

  She had just delayed them.

  They weren't gone.

  They weren't defeated.

  And as long as they were still a threat—

  The death flag wouldn't end.

  Her fingers dug into her sleeves.

  This wasn't over.

  Not by a long shot.

  That meant—

  If she reset again—

  She was going all the way back to the café.

  But one question still remained.

  How was she supposed to win?

  She had no idea what the conditions were.

  What counted as stopping the Organization?

  Did she have to escape from them until they gave up?

  Did she have to make them stop targeting Takeshi?

  Or worse.. Did she have to kill them?

  A shiver ran through her.

  The System wouldn't tell her.

  She had to figure it out herself.

  And she had no time to lose.

  She needed answers.

  And she only had one person to ask.

  Her eyes narrowed.

  Takeshi.

  She had already stopped herself from asking about his ability this whole time.

  If anyone knew why they were after him—

  It was him.

  And she was going to get those answers.

  No matter what.