One moment passed.
Then the next.
And the one after that.
Each moment passed one after another, drilling deeply into Aion's skull, but not truly reaching anything.
Like a dull pain from some sort of discomfort, Aion found himself frozen.
And then, he seemed to awake again.
Again in that cold world.
But was he always there? Was he not?
But that sense of bewilderment at the strange wave of confusion was soon replaced by a torrent of chaos.
A myriad of thoughts rushed through Aion's head as he felt his headache growing worse as the speed of his thoughts only increased.
"Are you okay, sir?" Aira looked at Aion's pale face with a look of concern.
"Yeah…" Aion mumbled as he scanned the scene quickly, Esme still present.
She was busy smiling and laughing with Alphonse like there was nothing to worry about—like her death had all been a fantasy to begin with.
"You really don't look okay. Weren't you supposed to leave if you weren't feeling well?"
Did I ever mention that? Aion thought, but he only received a sharp pain in his head.
"Fuck…" Aion held his head and gritted his teeth.
This was fine.
While he hadn't thought too much about the chances of differences, it wasn't as if they were enough to completely cripple the resolve Aion had developed since the first loop.
Still, it was unpleasant. And apparently, Aira noticed his shift in emotion; perhaps it was because he was being obvious with it. But Aion couldn't say. His face was a mystery—a mystery that he sometimes had no way of figuring out.
In the past, he'd been told several times that he doesn't give away much through his expressions. And by others he's been told he's like an open book. It was a strange but actualized reality he lived within. A reality where he knew not how much his expressions showed the world.
Ultimately, Aion chose to believe that it was both. In some situations he displayed his emotions freely, while in other situations he hid them behind a mask of apathy. But even with that, it wasn't as if he could determine what he was doing in each scenario.
"Um…sir…?" Aira asked, tilting her head with a tiny bit of concern swimming through her eyes.
"I'm fine, really…" Aion managed to say with a smile.
Aira stared at Aion for a couple of seconds before nodding with nothing more added.
The details of the original loop's case had changed.
It was a fact he would have to adapt to.
If anything, wasn't this a good thing?
After all, he had more time to prepare and he even would get the opportunity to do—
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" A scream pierced through the lively atmosphere—skewering every bit of hope Aion had of doing anything.
Quickly, several people turned toward the source of the scream—Dorothy.
"What's wrong, Miss Dorothy!?" Sebastian rushed over, probably out of concern for his colleague.
"The—the madam—she's—!" Dorothy struggled to spit words out.
Madam Magnatium was in her chair, her eyes rolled back, vomit staining part of her dress, some of it still dripping from her mouth.
"Poison…" Aion said aloud, startling both Sebastian and Dorothy.
"Huh?" Sebastian looked at Aion in bewilderment. "You are…"
"Ah…" Sam rushed over when he noticed Aion's sudden appearance at the scene. "He's my guest, Aion Belial."
"Mister Belial, you said…poison? What's that?" Sebastian calmly asked.
Aion looked closely at the woman's body, observing that the color was mostly the same, the hair seemed healthy enough, and there were no obvious signs of injection upon a cursory investigation.
"What happened?" The head of the Magnatium family, probably realizing that the situation was serious, rushed out of his seat and immediately grimaced seeing his wife's state.
Aion held his hand in front of the lady's mouth, ignoring the Magnatium head. He didn't feel anything. Then he grabbed her wrist, which caused his hand to be slapped away by a glaring Dorothy.
"Commoner, don't touch the lady like that!" Dorothy growled.
"I'm checking for a pulse. If there is none, CPR needs to be performed and stabilization needs to be undergone immediately. Hey, Agarus, what are you doing!? She's been poisoned!" Aion turned to glare at Agarus, who flinched from the look.
"CPR…?" Dorothy muttered.
He quickly rushed over and began checking for a pulse.
"She doesn't have one…" Agarus said in defeat.
Despite that, all he did was stare with a complicated expression on his face.
"Then start doing your miracles or whatever," Aion said, a little annoyed at Agarus' behavior.
"What am I supposed to do? The lady is already dead!"
Aion gritted his teeth and then let out a sigh; he supposed that meant CPR wasn't a thing in this place. He would've guessed Alexander would introduce it.
But if he didn't…would that not make him even more suspect? Aion thought.
He stored the thought in the back of his mind as he started watching the chaos unfold.
The Magnatium head slumped to the floor with a wail of agony.
Alphonse stood there shellshocked.
Several guests had looks of horror on their faces.
And Dorothy was sobbing even more violently than the Magnatium head.
"Mr. Belial, this CPR, can you not do it?" Agarus asked, a desperate look on his face.
Aion's lips tightened into a thin, straight line, and he said, "I…don't think I can…"
Agarus' eyes flickered with several emotions, and he said, "In cases of death with vomiting involved, I have no way of saving her…"
"Hm?" Aion looked over, a little surprised. "What would you normally do then?"
"Chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth if necessary."
Aion's mouth fell a little open.
He felt a pang of guilt in his heart for having suspected Alexander like that so quickly over such a minor thing. While it was strange it didn't go by CPR, Aion could understand that more than likely medical jargon didn't exist in Magna since it was pointless.
In medical settings, all the abbreviations and jargon existed as a means to communicate with other medical staff quickly and efficiently (at least, that's Aion's interpretation), so with only one doctor, such a thing would ultimately be pointless.
"So why isn't it possible?"
"She's been poisoned. Even if she's brought back, treating her would be superfluous if she fell victim once more. It would just be cruel at that point."
"..."
"So, as the Magna doctor, I have to declare her deceased."
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Dorothy screeched at the words, causing Aion to flinch in pain.
"Anna…she's dead…?" The Magnatium head asked, a distant look in his eyes.
Despite having released a wail of agony earlier, it appeared he hadn't quite accepted the truth.
"Anna Magnatium has died from poison," Aion said for the doctor. "Furthermore, poison means she must've been murdered."
"I still don't get what you're saying, but murder? Seriously!?" Dorothy glared at Aion. "Who would dare go against the madam like that? Who!?"
"No clue," Aion said as he turned toward the crowd, gauging each of their reactions.
It was a mix of bewilderment, sorrow, and shock; in other words, nothing stood out.
The situation was as follows: One dead, twenty-four alive, and twenty-three suspects, twenty-one if Aion eliminated Sam and Aira.
"Now, as this night has been struck with tragedy, we should all come to a rational and quick agreement on what we should do moving forward," Aion declared as such, his voice unusually cool for the situation.
Such coolness—it seemed to put a few attendees at unease.
"And why should we listen to you!?" William spat, stepping forward as the spokesperson.
"Ah, William, is there a problem with me taking charge? Do you wish to go instead?"
"How dare you call me by my name! Know your place, commoner!" William got in Aion's face and glared down on him, his height creating a domineering presence in comparison to Aion's inconsequential presence.
"You didn't answer my question."
William clicked his tongue and said, "Should Alphonse not lead the charge? Or perhaps the head of the Magnatiums himself—wouldn't that be best suited?"
"Perhaps, but is either in a state to do so? They lost someone very precious to them; it wouldn't be unnatural to wish for time to grieve instead of leading, no?"
William smirked and said, "As the leaders and crowning achievements of Magna, that shouldn't be a problem, right?"
He cast his gaze toward the silent Alphonse.
Smiling, Alphonse said, "Of course, I'm more than willing to lead."
Aion's lips tightened a bit before saying with a smile, "That's great. If anyone can handle it, then Alphonse most certainly can."
"...Right, I suppose it'd be as simple as leaving the party, so you are all dismissed."
Alphonse's words were quick and direct, causing a momentary lapse in understanding by many of the attendees. But soon, several people started talking over one another, probably out of confusion or perhaps fear; Aion couldn't quite say.
"Look, if there is a killer amongst us, it's best to leave," Alphonse continued. "So, no matter what, it's best we all remain calm and safely return home. I will personally handle the murder, punishing whoever would dare do such a thing."
Aion couldn't help but be taken aback by Alphonse's behavior. It was in stark contrast to his behavior from the last loop.
Several people were already leaving the room, while Aion brought his hand over his mouth to think some more.
Aion wasn't a fan of poisoning cases in mystery or detective fiction. Oftentimes the opportunity to strike is far more flexible, offering a much more difficult experience to narrow times down.
Take for instance that Anna Magnatium was poisoned by something she ate. This meant she could've been poisoned during the meal preparation. In other words, there wasn't a specific target. Or there's a servant simply poisoning it while bringing it to someone of her standing. Then there's also the possibility of a guest going over to the numerous dishes and secretly injecting the poison. And finally, what if the very ingredients were poisoned? Of course, in this situation, it would only be a small portion.
Basically, it didn't matter if Aion could narrow down several factors; there would always be more to consider in the case of poisoning.
Hell, Aion thought, she could've been poisoned way before the party too. Without any way to perform a professional autopsy, the time of poisoning would be completely obscured, meaning trying to solve a case like this was impossible, wouldn't it?
Aion bit his lip. Despite his motivation from earlier, he already felt himself faltering once again.
His will was weak—but his heart still didn't wish to give in. It was a strange and distressing thing he was feeling.
"Hm? Aion, you don't look so good." Alphonse noticed Aion's pale face and slightly shallow breathing.
"Death is scary, isn't it?" Aion said with a smile.
"Well, I can't argue with that. Especially for a non-believer."
"Exactly, I'm just a little worked up. I mean, I've never seen someone murdered before," Aion said, laughing awkwardly.
"...Yes, I suppose that would be quite strange to have seen before," Alphonse said indifferently. "You seem at least somewhat interested in the case. Are you perhaps wanting to try and solve it?"
"What makes you say that?"
"Well, it's not like I know definitively. But your examination of the corpse and earlier attempt to lead—is that not an indication that you wish to solve the case?"
"I suppose that's fair. To answer your question, I was interested, but since you got involved, I don't need to do so anymore. I'm sure you are more than capable of solving the case."
Alphonse smiled and let out an "oh?"
Soon, the guests who'd attempted to leave came rushing back in.
"What is the meaning of this, Alphonse!?" William was the first to raise a complaint as he marched over to Alphonse with an irritated expression warping his face.
"What's wrong?" Alphosne asked.
"This place is completely locked down!"
Alphonse's mouth fell open and he said, "Is that so?"
"That's it!?"
"What do you want me to do? It's not like I can magically open this place."
"You!"
Aion decided to make sure there wasn't anything strange happening, so he surveyed the crowd of people, checking them off one by one. And of course, no missing people had arisen quite yet. Even the chef was out and about.
Hanging out toward the back, Sam looked a little pale as his fists clenched.
"Sam," Aion said as he walked up to him. "You good?"
"Ah…Aion…I—I'm so sorry!" Sam said, apologizing with a guilty expression on his face.
"Huh? Why are you apologizing?"
"I invited you here, and well, now you're in danger…"
"It's fine. I just have to avoid drinking or eating anything and I'll be fine. The killer relied on poison after all."
"But…what if they decide to go with another method?"
"Perhaps they will, but it's no use worrying about that. If anything, it'll only make things worse."
"I should've let you stay home since you aren't feeling good!" Sam let out a pained expression.
"Sam, it's fine. I won't die so easily. I plan to live my life out fully, with nothing standing in the way of that."
"Ah…but…"
"There's no way I'd give up on life so easily, after all, we only live once, right?"
"..." Sam went quiet.
Aion smiled and patted Sam on the shoulder, saying, "So if anything, I should be saying this: I will make sure you don't die—no matter what."
"Ah…" Sam's gaze fell to Aion's hand, his attention clearly shattered.
"So, just trust me, okay? And trust Alphonse too."
Sam only nodded in silence, his face's color still not returning.
Now then… Aion thought as he went over to Aira, who was with Aria.
"Aira, you sure you're okay?" Aria asked with a concerned expression.
"I am. There is no need to worry about me, sister," Aira replied softly.
"You keep saying that…"
"You keep asking me the same thing, so I'm answering the same."
"Ah…Yeah, that makes sense," Aria said and laughed.
"Ah, sir…" Aira noticed Aion's approach and quickly bowed.
"Aion, it's been a while, huh?" Aria asked with a smile.
"Yeah, it has been. Thank you for allowing your sister to take care of me while I stay."
"Ah! No, I wasn't the one that did that."
"You must've approved of it, though. Am I wrong?"
"Ah…well…"
"Sister had no choice in the matter. It was simply a matter of following orders."
"Ah, my bad then."
Aion apologized, but he didn't care all that much; he more said it out of courtesy than anything else.
"Well, still, I'm glad you didn't do anything to Aira. I'd have to teach you a personal lesson in misery if you did something to her."
"Is that so?"
"Of course!" Aria smiled proudly.
Aira averted her gaze and said, "So, you came over here for a reason, right?"
"Yes, I did. Alphonse is going to be trying to solve the murder, but I figured I'd help in the background."
"Huh?" Aira looked up, a little surprised. "But why? That doesn't seem like something you'd care about."
"What kind of impression do you have of me?"
"Ah, nothing…"
"...But to answer your question, perhaps you are right. It's not like I knew the woman personally. However, at the very least I'd like to prevent more from happening."
"I see."
"So you can trust in me."
"..."
Aria looked back and forth between Aira and Aion before gasping and saying, "It can't be! Do you like Aira!?"
"No," Aion said.
"Absolutely not, that would never happen," Aira said.
"Wow, that's quite harsh," Aria said, laughing.
"He is from outside of town; developing feelings for someone like that would only end in heartbreak."
"Such cold logic…"
"It's something I personally agree with, though," Aion said.
"Is my sister not good enough for you!?" Aria asked.
"Huh? No, that's not what that means at all!"
Aria laughed and said, "Sorry, sorry, I always wanted to say something like that."
"Really?"
"Yeah, it's something that's just kind of existed in me for a while."
Aion raised an eyebrow but said nothing more.
"Regardless of that, why are you telling me this?" Aira asked with a serious expression on her face.
"It's just my way of repaying you and Sam for everything you've done."
"..."
"So with that out of the way, I'll be on my way."
Aion didn't wait for a response. He had only one thing in mind now: protect Sam and Aira.