chapter~4

The sun was high in the sky.

"I should get something to eat before I go take a look around the area." I headed to the kitchen after casting one last glance at the clear blue sky.

There was curry on one of the stoves. I grabbed a spoon from the drawer and tasted the curry. "It's delicious!"

Surprisingly, it was still warm, as if it had just come off the fire about 30 minutes ago. "How can this be?"

How could it remain warm all night?

The more I thought about the situation, the more I considered the possibility of time being paused. However, I couldn't believe that time had stopped. One clear indication was that day and night were still changing as usual, indicating time was moving.

Yet, everyone in my classroom appeared to be frozen in time. Networks and electricity still worked, but I wasn't sure about gas and water.

The warm curry, which hadn't cooled down at all, made me question whether time had truly paused. My thoughts were becoming increasingly convoluted.

"Let's just eat," I decided, talking to the air. I turned on the stove to heat the curry. "See, it works too."

I heated the curry until it was boiling hot; spicier foods were more delicious when piping hot.

After eating, I contemplated checking if the water still worked. I turned on the faucet in the kitchen after placing the dishes in the sink, and the water flowed freely. Since I was already there, I decided to do the dishes.

Upon opening the cabinet to return the dishes, I noticed there was no space for them. The same bizarre occurrence that happened with the bag had now taken place with the dishes. It was as though I'd never removed them from the cabinet.

Just as I was about to finally calm my thoughts, I screamed in my head. I slowly extended my hand toward the replica dish, touching the smooth surface of the plate. I sighed with relief; it was just a normal plate. However, when I attempted to pick it up, my hand passed through it as if it were a hologram. I couldn't pick it up, although I could clearly touch it.

I tried a few more times, and each time, the same thing happened. I could touch it, but I couldn't move it; it behaved like a hologram.

I picked up a mug but quickly returned it. After waiting for about ten minutes, I reopened the cabinet and found no duplicates.

In my experiments, I learned a lot. "Who knew I would find so much in my own kitchen," I chuckled. If I moved an object even slightly, it would either return to its original position or be replaced, depending on the circumstances. The outcome depended on how far the item was moved.

The process occurred regardless of whether someone was watching. If the object was replaced within 3 to 7 seconds, it would not duplicate. However, I couldn't pinpoint the exact time because I typically noticed the change a little late, regardless of how focused I was.

Furthermore, the time for replacement seemed to vary for objects with different properties, and it also depended on their size.

If everything I picked up or moved was replaced, what about gas, water, and electricity? I couldn't experiment with gas and electricity due to the inherent danger. However, if water was subject to the same rules, then gas and electricity likely were as well.

Despite this bizarre situation, I believed there had to be some underlying laws governing these phenomena.

I carefully noted the water level in the tank and made a mark so I wouldn't forget.

I decided to take a long, relaxing shower, although not a very lengthy one.

After my shower, I checked the water level in the tank, and it appeared to be the same. No water had been consumed, at least to my knowledge. It seemed that every displaced object would be duplicated, with the copy remaining in its original location.

"This makes life convenient," I mused while gazing at the sky, which was now turning the darkest shade of blue.

Sighing, I looked at the empty main road and said, "I really wanted to explore, but there's always tomorrow."

As I considered my options and pondered my next steps, I started heading toward the stairs to descend.

Maybe I should visit the academy to inspect everything there, despite the risks and the eerie memories from yesterday. I couldn't help but wonder why everyone in the classroom hadn't disappeared before I woke up or while I was looking. Was it a mere coincidence? It seemed unlikely.

There had to be a reason, but in any case, I didn't intend to stay in this city for long. I had seen too many people make the same mistake in anime, and it usually didn't end well.

I had descended only two or three steps when I spotted something in my peripheral vision: someone standing near the tank with one hand resting on it. All I could discern was that it was a girl or a guy with long hair in a ponytail.

I quickly turned to face the tank, but there was no one there. "Did I just imagine it?" I muttered, picking up the pace as I descended the stairs. "Maybe it was just a play of shadows or something. I remember reading about this once."

Before heading to bed, I wanted to check my phone.

I unplugged my phone from the charger; it had 97% battery remaining. I examined the phone thoroughly, but there was nothing unusual.

I sighed and glanced at the battery percentage one last time, still at 97%. "Well, whatever."

As I was about to turn the phone off, I noticed a green dot next to the battery percentage.

Maybe my eyes were seeing things due to staring at the screen for so long, especially since it was almost dark. I closed my eyes for a moment before reopening them.

The green dot was still there, so I lightly touched it, thinking there might be something stuck on the screen. To my surprise, a new window appeared; it was completely black with "360:04:47" written in white.

I tried clicking on it, but nothing happened. I clicked randomly all over the screen, but it remained unchanged. I exited the window screen before placing the phone down.