Part 6: The System’s Hand

Connie stepped through the school gates, her body moving automatically, her mind somewhere else.

Everything looked normal.

Students were chatting, some laughing, some groaning about the upcoming chemistry quiz. Cars passed by the entrance. A few people on bicycles rolled past her.

And yet—

She had already watched some of these people die today.

Her stomach twisted.

They didn't know.

To them, the world had simply moved forward. But to her, it had rewound twice to keep them alive.

Her grip tightened on her bag strap. Because to them, it never happened.

To her, it had happened three times.

She was starting to wonder if this was how insanity began.

She had spent her whole life thinking fate was something random. Something unknowable.

But now?

Now, she could see the strings.

And worse—

She wasn't the one holding them.

The System had only reset things because she was there. If she hadn't been near the bus stop, those people would have died, and time would have kept moving.

How many people had died in other places that the System didn't bother to rewind?

How many more had she missed?

She checked her phone again.

[Death Flag Resolved. Points: 13.]

A chill ran through her.

Cold.

The System didn't care about emotions, relief, or even explanations.

It only kept track of numbers.

Like a scoreboard.

She exhaled slowly, trying to steady herself.

She needed to think.

She needed to figure out what kind of rules this System played by.

Class was a blur.

Connie sat at her desk, staring at her notebook, the words swimming in front of her.

The teacher droned on about equations. Someone near the back yawned. Ayaka nudged her elbow once, whispering something about parfaits.

Connie barely responded.

Because she could feel it again.

The sensation of being watched.

Not by her classmates. Not by the teacher.

Something else.

Something unseen.

Her heart pounded. The System had never spoken to her. It had never explained itself.

But she had a horrible feeling that it was watching her decisions—evaluating them.

Not just tracking what she did.

But tracking what she chose not to do.

Connie needed proof.

So, she started small.

At lunch, she left her bento unfinished.

Nothing happened.

She wrote the wrong answer on a problem she had already seen before.

Still, nothing.

Then, she did something bigger.

She ignored Ayaka completely.

Her best friend blinked at her from across the table, confused. "Hey, you okay? You haven't said a word since this morning."

Connie forced a smile. "Just tired."

Ayaka studied her for a second longer before shrugging. "At least eat something. You look like a dead corpse."

A strange chill ran through Connie's spine.

If Ayaka knew just how literal that statement was…

She didn't let her thoughts show on her face. "I'll be fine."

Ayaka didn't look convinced.

"You know, I was serious about that parfait. Let's go after school."

Connie paused.

A normal invitation. A normal moment.

But after everything, she hesitated.

What if going with Ayaka triggered another death flag?

Was she allowed to do normal things anymore?

She forced a small smile. "I'll let you know."

It was the safest response she could give.

In the end, she couldn't ignore Ayaka completely.

She had too much presence.

But…

The System still didn't reset.

Which meant it didn't react to small social changes.

Only to major events, like death flags.

Classes had ended for the day, and it was time to go back home.

Connie's mind was still spinning with possibilities when she left school.

That's when she had an idea.

What if she took a different path home? One that she never used nor needed to use before?

She needed to know how far the System's reach extended.

Her legs carried her through an unfamiliar part of the city—one she had never had a reason to walk through.

The whole time, her pulse was slow but heavy.

Would this trigger a reset? Would she get another message?

Was she allowed to do something unplanned?

Her heart pounded as she took another turn.

Nothing happened.

It was just her and the quiet hum of the city.

A slow breath escaped her lips.

She kept walking, relaxing slightly. Maybe she was overthinking things.

Maybe the System wasn't as omnipresent as she thought—

Then she noticed the streetlights.

They were flickering.

Not randomly.

They were flickering in perfect intervals.

Like a pattern.

Connie's chest tightened.

She turned slowly, scanning the street.

It was a normal road. Normal buildings. Nothing out of place.

And yet—

The moment she turned to look, the flickering stopped.

Like it had been reacting to her.

Her hands clenched into fists.

This wasn't just some city malfunction. This was intentional.

Right at that moment, the sky turned dark. It wasn't an exaggeration to describe it as a pitch black void.

The streetlights had already turned on.

That wasn't right.

The sun shouldn't be setting this early.

She glanced at her phone. 4:32 PM.

Her fingers tightened around her phone.

A second later, the sky brightened back to normal.

The sun snapped back into place, as if someone had adjusted it like a setting on a screen.

Her breath hitched.

The System had corrected something.

And then, her phone vibrated.

A new message.

[Go Home, Connie.]

Her stomach dropped.

Not "Death Flag Resolved." Not "Points Earned."

Just a direct message.

The first time the System had ever addressed her by name.

And it wasn't a suggestion.

It was an instruction.

Connie's feet carried her forward faster than she intended.

She needed to go home.

But just as she reached the street leading toward her apartment—

A wave of unease crashed over her.

Her entire body tensed.

A new death flag was forming.

Where?

Her eyes scanned the area. Pedestrians. Cars. The intersection ahead.

Then—

She saw him.

An elderly man walking toward the crosswalk.

And a speeding car approaching.

It wasn't slowing down.

Her heart lurched.

It's going to hit him.

The same realization as with the bus incident. The same terrible certainty that if she didn't act right now, she would see another death happen before her eyes.

Move.

Her legs kicked into action.

She sprinted forward, waving her arms. "Wait! Stop—!"

The old man turned, confused.

The car—

The world blinked.

Connie gasped.

She was back.

The sky was unchanged. The street was the same.

She had just turned onto this road.

And the old man was stepping toward the crosswalk again.

Her body moved before she could even think.

She sprinted forward.

The car was still coming.

"Sir! Move back—!!"

The man startled, taking a step back—but too late.

The car hit the old man. Again.

The impact—

The world blinked.

Connie's lungs burned.

She had to be faster.

She had to stop it before he even stepped off the sidewalk.

As soon as the world reset, she ran forward immediately.

The elderly man barely had time to react before she grabbed his sleeve and yanked him back.

The car rushed past.

The old man gasped, his face paling. "Oh—dear me! I didn't even see that car!"

Connie barely heard him.

Her pulse roared in her ears.

She had prevented the flag.

Her phone vibrated.

[Death Flag Resolved. Points: 16.]

She exhaled shakily.

But the weight in her chest didn't ease.

Because this time, the death flag hadn't been about her.

It had been about someone else.

And yet, the System still forced her into the loop.

Which meant—

If there were deaths happening elsewhere…

Deaths that she didn't see…

Would the System ever reset for them?

Or had she already failed to save people just because she wasn't looking?

Her stomach churned.

How many had she already missed?

And how many more were coming?