Part 14: Ten Minutes to Save a Life

The mysterious hooded man just stood there, silently.

Ayaka shifted beside Connie. "…Who the hell is this guy?"

No answer.

Takeshi was unresponsive. He wasn't moving a finger.

He wasn't dead since his muscles were still tensed. It was as if he was 'suspended' in that moment.

As if someone had pressed the pause button on a remote.

Then—

The man finally spoke.

His voice broke the silence.

"You should've run farther. You were almost caught."

His tone was calm.

Not threatening. Not mocking.

Just stating a fact.

Like he had already decided how this would end.

Connie's pulse spiked.

She didn't like this.

The two men from before—they had been dangerous.

But they had been human.

Predictable.

This man wasn't.

He felt like something completely different.

A presence that shouldn't exist.

Two tiny cyan lights flickered inside his hood.

Ayaka exhaled sharply. "Alright, seriously, who—"

Then she stopped.

Her phone screen glitched.

A high-pitched noise screeched from the speakers—static, distorted beeping.

Ayaka flinched. "What the hell?!"

She yanked her phone out of her pocket.

The screen flashed violently—random numbers, unreadable symbols.

Then—

It died.

She stared at it. "What—"

She looked back up.

The hooded man hadn't moved.

Didn't react.

Didn't acknowledge it at all.

Connie's stomach dropped.

Because she understood.

That was him.

It had to be.

Connie forced herself to speak.

"What do you want?"

The hooded man didn't answer immediately.

Then, in a tone too casual for the moment—

"Good question."

Her fingers twitched at her sides.

He was playing with them.

Not in a cruel way.

Not in a way that suggested he wanted to hurt them.

But in a way that said—

He was watching.

Testing.

Studying.

Like this was entertaining.

She didn't like that.

Ayaka's patience finally snapped.

"Okay, I've had enough of this cryptic bullshit."

She stepped forward, arms crossed.

"What is your deal? Who even are you? And what the hell do you want from us?"

The hooded man didn't move.

Didn't react.

Just stood there, letting her rant.

Ayaka let out a sharp breath. "Fine. You wanna act like some mysterious background character? Be my guest. But unless you plan on actually helping, I'm done playing this game."

Connie exhaled.

She already knew this wouldn't work.

Because the hooded man wasn't here to argue.

He wasn't even here to talk.

He was here to watch.

But Ayaka had caught his attention.

For the first time, he actually acknowledged her.

Or at least, Connie thought he did.

It was hard to tell.

Because he had no face.

And yet, somehow—

She could feel it.

The moment those glowing cyan lights shifted slightly toward Ayaka.

"…You're interesting." he said.

Ayaka froze.

She hadn't expected a response.

And now, the weight of his presence finally hit her.

Connie inhaled sharply. "Stop messing with her."

The hooded man didn't argue.

Didn't even hesitate.

Just tilted his head again.

"Alright."

Then, as if that was all he came for, he turned slightly, taking a step toward the alley exit.

Like he was already done here.

Like he had already seen what he wanted to see.

And for some reason—

That made Connie's chest tighten.

Like she had just missed something important.

Like he had just confirmed something for himself.

She couldn't let him leave.

"Wait."

The hooded man paused.

Didn't turn around.

Just waited.

Her throat felt dry.

"…Why did you help us at the station?"

Connie had connected the dots.

She saw him watching them from a distance at the station. Then a commotion happened right when she was about to get caught.

That was no mere coincidence. This man had helped her escape.

He knew she was going to get caught. And the exact moment too.

The hooded man met her question with silence.

Then—

A faint hum.

"…Good question."

He stepped forward—

And then, in the blink of an eye—

He was gone.

The moment the hooded man left, the alley felt different.

Less suffocating.

Less… wrong.

That inexplicable feeling had left too. Everything returned to normal.

If it could even be called that.

But Connie couldn't shake the feeling that he hadn't really left.

Not completely.

Maybe it was just her own paranoia, but it was better to be careful.

Takeshi let out a shaky breath from where he was slumped against the wall. His eyes fluttered half-open, but he still wasn't all there.

He wasn't 'paused' anymore.

Connie forced herself to move.

She kneeled beside him, pressing the back of her hand to his forehead.

Still too hot.

Still too weak.

He probably wouldn't even last 5 minutes now.

Heck, it was a miracle he lasted this long, considering how he died so fast before she had looped.

They needed a real solution.

Now.

---------------------

Ayaka hadn't moved.

She was still staring at the empty space where the hooded man had been standing seconds ago.

"…What the actual hell was that?" she muttered.

Connie didn't answer.

Because she didn't know.

Ayaka finally turned to her, eyes narrowing.

"Connie," she said slowly, too controlled. "I am this close to losing my mind right now, so I need you to tell me—"

She pointed to where the hooded man had disappeared.

"What the hell was that?"

Connie exhaled sharply. "I have no idea."

Wrong answer.

Ayaka's hands curled into fists.

"You—" She let out a frustrated breath. "You don't know? Seriously?"

"I don't!" Connie shot back. "You think I planned for any of this?!"

Ayaka took a step forward.

"Then tell me, what do you know?

When we were in the café, you suddenly stood up to chat with a classmate you barely know, and when I tried to ask you what was going on, you ignored me and rushed off with him!

You didn't even read my messages, and ten minutes later you asked me for help without any explanation. You know I could hear you running and panting on the call right? Were you being chased by someone??

Do you even have any idea how worried I was while coming here?! I thought something had happened to you..." Ayaka looked really sad for a moment. "And now? Now we just met a guy with no face who literally disappeared into thin air?!

So no, Connie, I don't believe you when you say you 'don't know anything.'"

Connie's chest tightened.

Everything Ayaka said was true.

She had been running on pure survival instinct for so long, she hadn't even stopped to process it.

But now?

Now it was hitting her all at once.

She wanted to scream.

She wanted to collapse.

She wanted to wake up and realize this was all a nightmare—

But she wasn't going to wake up.

Because this was real.

She felt Ayaka's frustration.

And for once—she couldn't blame her.

She sucked in a breath.

"Fine," Connie muttered, insecurely. "I'll tell you what I know."

Ayaka crossed her arms. "Finally."

But before Connie could even begin to explain—

Takeshi collapsed.

"Takeshi?!"

Connie and Ayaka both moved at once.

His body slumped to the side, his breathing shallow.

His skin was burning.

Connie's pulse skyrocketed.

No. No, no, no—

They had spent too much time standing here—wasting time.

If he died—

She wasn't ready for another reset.

Not now.

Not when she had gotten this far.

Ayaka cursed. "Okay, screw the weird hoodie guy, we need to get him to a hospital first."

Connie's stomach dropped.

A hospital.

A normal person's solution.

And maybe—

Maybe that should've been the right answer.

But Connie knew better.

She had spent too long in this nightmare already.

And she knew—it wouldn't be that easy.

Takeshi's condition was unnatural.

The poison—it wasn't normal.

The people after them—they weren't normal.

And if she tried to take him to a hospital?

If she involved normal people in this?

Would the system even allow it?

Or would it just—

Reset everything?

Wiping away any progress she had made?

The thought made her dizzy.

She didn't know.

She hated not knowing.

She wanted to fix this herself, but she had no way to.

She had spent too much time standing here.

Too much time wasting time.

If he died now—

For a split second, Connie's mind went blank.

The System. The resets. The rules.

None of that mattered anymore.

Takeshi was dying.

And right now—

The only thing she could do was save him.

The normal way.

No tricks.

No overthinking.

A hospital.

That was the only answer her mind could come up with.

Connie steeled herself.

"Let's go." She said sharply.

Ayaka nodded.

No more debating.

No more hesitation.

They were running out of time.

They quickly got out of the alley while supporting Takeshi on their shoulders.

Since she couldn't use the phone to call for an ambulance, she had thought of using a taxi to get there.

Connie looked around. No taxis. Not even normal cars.

How could it be?

Connie's heart dropped.

It was over.

She had failed—

"Look, there!" Ayaka suddenly shouted while pointing somewhere.

Connie instantly followed her gaze. She spotted a taxi hidden in the distance.

They hurriedly waved their arms to flag it down.

The taxi pulled up to the curb, and Connie quickly opened the back door.

With Ayaka's help, they lifted Takeshi into the backseat.

She climbed in next to Takeshi while Ayaka took the front passenger seat.

As they climbed into the taxi, the driver cast a confused glance at the group of teenagers.

Takeshi was slumped against the seat, looking pale and unnaturally still.

Ayaka sat in the front, watching Connie closely.

She caught the driver's questioning look and tried to offer a reassuring smile.

"Hospital. Quickly, please." her voice steady despite the adrenaline coursing through her veins.

The driver hesitated for a moment, then nodded and pulled away from the curb.

The taxi sped through the streets, passing by the twinkling city lights.

The driver kept stealing glances at the rearview mirror, trying to understand the situation unfolding in his backseat.

Ayaka remained quiet, her gaze fixed on the road ahead.

The taxi's tires screeched against the pavement as it turned sharply.

Connie's pulse pounded with every second that passed.

She barely registered the city lights flashing by, the hum of traffic, the blur of pedestrians on the sidewalks.

Nothing mattered except the boy slumped in the car seat.

Takeshi's breathing was shallow.

Too shallow.

His body was unnaturally warm, but his fingers felt cold.

Her hands shook.

She pressed her fingers on his neck to check his pulse.

It was weak, so weak it wouldn't be strange if he died right this moment.

But the System hadn't reset yet.

He was still breathing.

He was still alive.

Barely.

Ayaka's voice snapped her out of it.

"How much longer?!" Ayaka demanded, her voice sharp.

The taxi driver shot her a glance. "Three minutes, maybe four—"

"Faster!" Connie snapped.

The driver flinched. "I'm already pushing it, kid—"

Three minutes.

Would that be enough?

She turned back to Takeshi.

His head tilted forward, looking down, his dark hair falling over his face.

His eyes were barely open, but his lips moved slightly.

She leaned in, straining to hear him.

"…I-I'm…" He didn't finish his sentence.

Her breath hitched.

"I'm here," she whispered. "You're okay. We're almost there."

He had no reaction, or at least, he showed none.

A sick feeling curled in her stomach.

This was too close.

Her mind kept circling back to one thought—

What if the System doesn't let this work?

She didn't know how it worked.

She didn't know what the limits were.

Would it actually let her save Takeshi like this?

Or would it decide that this was the wrong answer and rewind time again?

Her fingers dug into her palm.

No.

Not this time.

She refused to let this end in another reset.

The taxi sped past a red light, barely missing a crossing pedestrian.

Ayaka turned in her seat, eyes sharp.

"You're telling me what's going on after this," she muttered, her voice low, demanding.

Connie didn't respond.

Ayaka wasn't asking.

She was telling.

And honestly?

She had every right to.

But right now, it didn't matter.

All that mattered was getting there in time.

Connie looked back at Takeshi.

Hold on.

Please, hold on.

The hospital entrance came into view.

A massive white building, glowing under bright fluorescent lights.

The taxi swerved into the emergency lane, stopping just short of the ambulance bay.

Connie threw the door open.

"Ayaka—help me!"

Ayaka was already moving.

Between the two of them, they pulled Takeshi out of the car.

His legs buckled instantly.

A nurse near the entrance turned. Her eyes widened.

"We need help!" Ayaka shouted.

The nurse was already grabbing a wheelchair.

Within seconds, hospital staff were swarming.

A stretcher. Oxygen masks. Medical jargon Connie didn't understand.

Takeshi was whisked away.

Just like that—

He was gone.

Connie and Ayaka stood frozen in the emergency lobby.

Neither of them moved.

Neither of them breathed.

The taxi was already driving away.

The hospital noise blurred into static.

It was over.

They got him here in time.

So why wasn't the System saying anything?

No confirmation.

No reset.

Just…

Silence.

Connie swallowed hard.

Ayaka turned to her, face unreadable.

"…He's gonna be okay, right?"

Connie opened her mouth.

Then closed it.

Because for once—

She had no idea.