“I don’t mind,” Akari nodded, then let go of my arm.
“Okay. So basically, I’m from the future.”
I told her all about the Rollback phenomenon in as much detail as I could.
“So, do you understand now?” I asked.
“How am I supposed to believe any of that…?” Akari groaned, holding her head in her hands as if she had a migraine. I couldn’t really blame her; I remembered having a tough time digesting her explanation of how the Rollback worked at first. It wasn’t until I experienced the phenomenon for myself that I started believing all the things she was telling me. How was I supposed to explain all this in a way that would make Akari believe me, if she would never experience the phenomenon herself? Maybe by making some sort of “prediction” about the future? The only major event I had to predict was Akito’s death, and that was one I was trying to prevent. I’d watched a little bit of TV and seen a little bit of news on my phone over the past few days, but I couldn’t remember anything substantial enough to leave an impact. I checked the time again. It was now 10:30 p.m. We needed to get going.
“C’mon, let’s just go,” I said. “I can tell you more on the way there. Maybe then you’ll start to believe me.”
“But…” she protested, gripping the sleeves of her oversized sweater as she hung her head. It didn’t seem like I’d convince her anytime soon. I didn’t have much of a choice—I’d have to drag her along with me, as boorish as that was. I reached out a hand to grab hers, but this clearly startled her, as she reflexively backed away and tripped over the slight ridge in the doorway where the floor height rose. She lost her balance and fell backwards onto her butt.
“Ow, owww…”
“Oh man, I’m so sorry! A-are you all right?” I panicked, kneeling down beside her as she groaned in pain. “God, that was really stupid of me. I shouldn’t have just reached out like that without saying something first.”
“No, it’s…it’s fine,” she said, rubbing her lower back as she pushed herself back up to her feet. She looked a little embarrassed.
“Are you sure? You didn’t land on your bad hip, did you?”
“…My bad hip?” she asked, puzzled.
“Yeah, you injured your lower back recently, didn’t you? You mentioned it the other day. Said it still hurts from time to time.”
“Wait, when was this?” she blinked, her confusion now turning into genuine surprise.
“The night we broke into Sodeshima High.”
“But we never did that.”
“Sure we did. It was your idea! You showed me how to break in through the janky window in the girls’ bathroom and everything. Just gotta give it a little elbow grease, and the lock pops right open.”
“Wh-whoa, whoa, whoa. How do you know about that? That’s something only me and a few of the other girls at school should know how to do…”
“Like I said, I learned from a pro. Namely, your future self.”
Akari thought this over with eyes downcast; from what I could tell, she still had her doubts, but she was getting just that little bit closer to believing me. Maybe now she would be more willing to listen to what I had to say about Akito.
“Listen, Akari. Like I was trying to tell you before, I’ve come back here from a few days in the future. I know what’s going to happen over the next few days and when,” I explained. She looked back up at me and, after a long pause, gave a little nod, so I continued. “That’s why I need you to believe me when I tell you that sometime tonight, between midnight and 2 a.m., Akito is going to die of acute alcohol poisoning. Unless I run over to the bar right now and stop him, that is.”
“So…you’re trying to save my brother’s life…?”
“You got it.”
That Akito was in grave danger seemed to resonate with her at last, as her expression changed to one of befuddled horror. Her lips trembled as though she desperately wished to say something but couldn’t bring herself to force the words through.
“Anyway, sorry, but I really can’t afford to dawdle much longer. Do you still wanna come with me, or no?”
“Y-yeah… I’ll go…” she answered meekly.
“Cool. Let’s get going, then.”
We walked out of Akari’s apartment and made our way down the stairs. Braving the frigid night air, we stole away through the empty streets of the sleepy town. I led the way, with Akari following close behind. Neither of us said a word as we rushed across the island to our destination.
The goal I’d worked toward over these past few days was almost within reach. As soon as we reached the bar, I’d waltz right in there and drag Akito out myself if I had to. If he tried to resist, or was already showing signs of alcohol poisoning, I could just call the police or an ambulance. As long as I could get there and confront him, I should be able to change the future and prevent his death from ever happening.
It had been a hell of a week, but it would soon be coming to an end. There were a few things about this whole Rollback process I was still a little hazy on…but they probably weren’t worth dwelling on at this point. As long as I could save Akito, that was all that—