Kaito turned from the window, the dusty sunlight illuminating the blue mission screen still hanging in the air. The hollow peace of his apartment had been filled by the familiar hum of an impending problem.
"Excellent decision, Chosen One! The System applauds your proactive approach!"
Kaito ignored her, sitting cross-legged on the floor. "Start talking," he said, pointing at the notification. "Mechanics. Triggers. Fail conditions. Give me the full report."
"Immediately!" Fia gave an energetic salute and, noticing Kaito staring, sat awkwardly on the floor across from him. "The target, Tomoe Koga, is a first-year student at your school. Her paradox is a 'Temporal Refuge Loop.' She is repeating the same day, June 27th, continuously."
"Why?"
"Social Status!" Fia explained, gesturing with her hands in a way that was clearly more restrained than usual. "Koga-san is part of a popular friend group, but her position is precarious. At the end of June 27th, one of the group's members, an older boy, asks her out. She fears that if she refuses, she'll be kicked out of the group. But she doesn't want to accept. To avoid the decision, her desire to maintain the status quo manifested as a loop, resetting the day every time it approaches the moment of confession."
Kaito processed the information. It was high school drama so cliché it was offensive. "So, I have to convince her to say 'yes' or 'no' to some guy. How troublesome."
"Exactly!" Fia exclaimed, a bit of her usual sparkle returning. Her eyes lit up. "You understand! You must intervene, earn her trust, help her navigate the turbulent waters of first love, and..."
Kaito didn't hesitate.
He stood in one fluid motion, took two steps to where she was sitting, and, with the TV guide that was already conveniently in his hand, he hit her.
THWACK.
The sound was crisp, solid, and unmistakable. It was the sound of rolled-up paper hitting a skull.
Fia let out a high-pitched yelp and threw her hands to the top of her head, rocking back and forth from the impact. "Ow! Ow! Ow! That really hurt! You actually hit me!"
"Yes," Kaito said, returning to his spot and sitting down. "Your feelings are irrelevant. My mission is not about romantic feelings. New rule, Fia. Romantic Error Protocol. You mention 'love,' 'romance,' 'date,' 'passion,' or any other troublesome synonym in relation to my mission, and you get swatted. Consider it a debugging feature for your faulty programming."
Fia stared at him, eyes welling with tears, holding her head. The understanding of this new, terrible physical reality spread across her face.
"Now," Kaito continued, as if nothing had happened, "to break the loop, I need to be aware of it. To be aware, I need to interact with her within a cycle. What's the insertion plan?"
"Ah, about that..." Fia looked momentarily smug. "I checked the System's logs for 'high-affinity' or 'emotional impact' events between you and the target. A strong memory anchor is required for you to be pulled into the loop."
She paused for dramatic effect. "The insertion has already been made."
Kaito blinked. "...What?"
"Event: 'Unjustified Public Aggression'," Fia read from an invisible screen. "Date: Approximately one week ago. Emotional Impact Level (for the target): Extreme, consisting of Shame and Guilt. Physical Contact: Yes, high-velocity kick to the Chosen's tailbone. Witnesses: Multiple. Status: Indelible memory anchor established. Congratulations, Chosen! Your public humiliation has secured your ticket to the next paradox!"
Kaito fell silent. The memory of the sharp pain and the sheer humiliation returned with full force. The event he had categorized as a random annoyance was, in fact, the hook that had tethered him to his next assignment. His attempt to avoid a 'plot hook' had made him the very protagonist of the 'plot hook'. It was the height of problematic irony.
"So I'm already in, then," he mumbled, a profound sense of defeat washing over him.
"Right. Today is June 26th," Kaito said, rising to his feet. "Let's go to school."
He grabbed his backpack. "And Fia. Field Rules."
With a groan, Fia's physical body flickered and dissolved. Her grumpy voice echoed in Kaito's head. "Ethereal Form' Directive activated. This is tyranny."
The school was in its normal end-of-day rhythm. Clubs were active, students chatted in the halls. Kaito walked through the first-year corridors, his eyes scanning the crowd.
Kaito spotted Koga from a distance. She was laughing with a group of girls and some older boys. She looked perfectly happy, perfectly integrated. A functional lie. He watched the group for a minute. They were deciding to go to karaoke. Koga looked reluctant but was swept along by the crowd.
"Okay, Fia. What does your stupid System suggest I do tomorrow, when the loop starts?" Kaito asked mentally, already knowing the answer.
Fia hesitated. Kaito could feel her hesitation, the internal war between her protocol and her newfound fear of physical pain. But the programming was stronger.
"The... the ideal protocol would be a 'Fateful Introduction'," she said, her voice cautious. "You could 'accidentally' bump into her, knocking her books over. Your eyes would meet over the scattered notebooks... it would be the beginning of a beautiful..."
The word got stuck in her throat. She knew what was coming. But she couldn't stop it.
"...a beautiful and complicated romance."
Kaito was in the middle of the hallway. He didn't stop walking. He didn't break his stride.
He simply raised his right hand to the height of his temple and swatted the empty air next to his own head.
THWACK.
The sound was identical. Crisp. And it came from nowhere.
"AAAAAAAAIIIEEE!"
Fia's scream echoed directly inside his skull, a shockwave of pure pain and surprise. The shriek was so high-pitched that Kaito flinched.
"BUT HOW?!" she shrieked in his mind, her voice full of panic and agony. "I'M NOT PHYSICAL! YOU CAN'T TOUCH ME! HOW DID YOU DO THAT?!"
"I didn't," Kaito thought back, turning a corner. "The universe did. It agrees your protocols are irritating."
He kept walking, leaving the echo of Fia's mental scream behind. He had confirmed two things. First, the rule was absolute, transcending planes of existence. Second, Tomoe Koga was exactly the kind of problem that would require a public, humiliating solution.
He turned and started walking home.
"But what's the plan?!" Fia asked, her voice sounding like she had a divine migraine. "What are you going to do tomorrow?!"
Kaito kept walking. He didn't answer. But a plan, annoying and high-effort, was already forming in his mind. It involved public humiliation.
Not his, this time.
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