The door to my hospital room creaked open, and the person I was speaking with this entire time revealed himself. "Hello, Noria. Now that I've confirmed who you are, we should get out of here before they find us."131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzwbm34jFbZ
"Who are you talking about?"131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLz3twGhn9j
"I'll explain it, but only after you see it for yourself."131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkNaw0jIM5x
Null was much taller than myself, and wore clothing that looked like something straight out of a fantasy world. His skin was as clear as a ghost, like he never felt the sun in years.131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVSTmp2YGWw
I followed him outside of the building, only to see the true meaning of loneliness. "There is no one, not a single person on the street, where did they go?"131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaR7NEZet7J
"To another world." Null answered bluntly. "A world safe from the invaders."131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAKoH0AgnyN
"Invaders?"131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrEPOqKtTK8
"Yes, invaders. This world is trapped within a paradox. After the festival three years ago, alien lifeforms invaded this planet. At that moment a set of metaphorical dice was rolled..."131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHIb3tlD1p8
"Three years?"131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvxC2nIrLn0
"...that roll caused the month of the celebration to loop, and until that dice stops rolling, time will not move forward. The only one who can stop the dice is the person who rolled it, but the person who rolled it has no memory of it existing."131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEcmD1lxGLI
"W-What? You're serious?"131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDRHssP7keO
"Of course I am. It's called 'The Merchant's Dice Paradox'. There were only a few people left on the planet when the dice was rolled. That list so far includes the two of us, the invaders, and the orphans on top of the hill."131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwi6sK32nAp
"Melonia Falls Orphanage?"131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvZQ298sRbp
"Yes, but do you remember what the celebration was about?"131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvQzrVQv1MY
"It was the renaming ceremony of Melonia Falls. They were planning on changing the city to just Melonia. The mayor didn't want the orphanage to be considered a part of the city anymore."131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk5QDMWEkr9
"Correct. Now, for the question you were about to ask. Yes, I meant three years. That's how long this loop has been going on for."131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmAIDRF3Xa0
─━━━━━━⊱✿⊰━━━━━━─131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡczr6yr2hzX
I had a long time to think as we walked around the city. "So, the aliens are after us? How do you plan on fighting them off?"131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmyJuw4u7xs
"That's the thing, I can easily take them on, but that could only happen if I knew you and the orphans were somewhere safe. The few of you just happened to get dragged into something you shouldn't have. It's just another inconvenience I guess."131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiuUpnZehgM
I just saw it as a stupid amount of overconfidence. He held the door open for me as I stepped inside a small restaurant. "Great place, but who is going to cook the food?"131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkskcxhQYQ7
"I will. According to your hospital schedule, it should be time for your lunch."131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡocQWlBBU71
"The more stuff you know, the more I start to think you're a creepy stalker."131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyAbsstrFRD
As I saw him cooking a short distance away, I still didn't know anything about the orphans. "Hey Null, have you ever talked to the orphans before?"131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUURxE11noC
"Yes, but I only talked to one of them. That was just before the dice got rolled... huh, what is this switch?"131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcJq5e5lOLl
A radio turned on... somewhere. "This isn't the type of stuff I would expect in a place like this." Null said softly. "I guess I'll leave it on for now. Do you have any other questions?"131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMgCTE9N7Tu
"No, not at the moment anyway." Null laid a cup of coffee in front of me. "I always wanted to work at a cafe, on a not-so-busy day somewhere in the summer. I guess this will have to do."131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4z9MJQrYGT
As he finished making my lunch. I noticed that he didn't make anything for himself. "Aren't you hungry?"131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDtQhoKxknw
"A little bit... but I'd rather wait. I don't like eating around others."131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFualkAHGtU
"I'm not going to judge you."131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyPTNhfHq06
I couldn't change his mind. His gaze wasn't focused towards me, it was staring through the window. He was already lost in thought, his mind traveling through another universe.131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbLlEaA0avM
"You know..." he started. "I find something so euphoric about being alone in a world. No one can control you, no one can judge you, and most importantly... no one will need to cry when the time comes. It's only you, and the million miles of absolutely nothing. It gives you all the room in the world to think."131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUQx5agaQTJ
What was he evening saying? I wasn't expecting any of this from a person who was cooking so cheerfully a moment ago. "Don't misunderstand, I'm not ill in any way, shape, or form. I'm just someone who is naturally fond of being alone."131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡosxk2SKg9o
"I don't know how. I almost went insane when I was inside that hospital room."131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7xO89a93IM
"Or you might've been approaching a psychological breakthrough. I once reached a point when I 'needed' someone, but with nobody around I realized what I had was..."131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ05vK8beCBt
"...nothing and everything at the same time."131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3oGbEXFnRN
He was ill in some way, he had to be. It might be hopeless to convince him otherwise, so I stayed silent. If I questioned his way of thinking, I would only end up driving him away. "What were your parents like, Null? Did you get along with them?"131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhMWFcYv9Xh
"Of course. I'm just too busy to visit them anymore. Once I get out of this loop or whatever it is, they'll be the first stop on my list."131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0b7A6l1oMl
Was he lying to me? It felt like a lie for some reason. Now that I think about it, how did he find me? How can I trust this alien crap, or this constant nagging thought that he might be the actual problem. I...131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJEP9QTObRY
He wasn't even looking at me, but he somehow knew what I was thinking, chuckling under his breath. "Feeling stressed? It's the same thing I felt when I first woke up. You can call me an alien if you like. I was only born this year; however, I've been conscious for more than twenty."131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbHXZ6QlQod
It was honest, but to believe such a thing... would make me crazy. "You know what I'm saying is true. You can feel it, you can feel the Melari-Sha."131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnUSUgwNXmK
"M-Melari... -Sha?"131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA5cKIFyyF4
"Yes, it's an emotion that emanates from me. When I tell a truth or a lie, Melari-Sha points out which one it is. If it's a lie, it creates hatred. If it's a truth, it creates sympathy."131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6NFqYd2bW3
"W-What the hell even are you?"131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtkE2Q9gD1m
"I... don't know how to answer that. I was born from a fleshy bubble, in a very dark place... until I was finally cut out, free to explore the universes around me. I wouldn't worry too much though. I'm not that different from you, or any other creature."131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTWgpFMKFjE
I stared down at my coffee, scared to take another sip. This was all true, I could feel it, but everything about this man scared me. He showed no sign of hostility, no sign of sin, almost like a... messiah? No, he probably wasn't that either. I took a deep breath, gathered my thoughts, and smiled back at him.131Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3wztvZD6DU
