Roar!!! Eris Betelgeuse
Rooooar!!! Eris Betelgeuse. In the game lore, she's 17 years old, just 150cm tall with a flat chest, and golden hair cascading down her back—a real pint-sized powerhouse. But don't let her small frame fool you; her magic prowess was nothing to scoff at. As one of the three main heroines, her specs were top-tier, by design.
She's even stronger than the protagonist up through Episode 3, early-game.
Eris Betelgeuse was one of the rare pioneers in the Doomsday Loop world who could commune with the constellations. A mage who had awakened to the star power of Orion, and disciple to a grand archmage to boot. The only one among the heroine trio who could jump straight into the fray as immediate combat-ready manpower.
I'd made heavy use of her myself to bulldoze the early episodes, all the way through those 100 bad-end loops.
She takes the longest to fully awaken, so I dropped her later on. But right now? She's excellent.
Whether she had enough beauty to attract followers was debatable, but her skill as a mage? Undeniable. At just seventeen, this level of talent was downright impressive.
And as such a gifted mage, had she sensed something off about what just happened?
"......You just......huh?"
Eris Betelgeuse tilted her head, her face scrunching up in confusion. It seemed she'd caught on to something, but not with full certainty. She'd likely picked up on the vague shift in energy flows rather than seeing my movements with the naked eye.
No wonder she was puzzled.
Time slowed for a split second—how do you even explain that?
Personal time is fickle by nature. It crawls like a slug during boring tasks but races faster than a bullet train when you're enjoying yourself. Try closing your eyes and counting to ten minutes—good luck nailing it exactly. Sometimes the world feels like it's dragging when you turn your head. Or the guy down the hall suddenly seems closer. Sensations most people chalk up to tricks of the mind—and usually, they are.
But the blonde shrimp in front of me was a particularly suspicious mage among the curious bunch. Her eyes narrowed into slits as she glared at me.
"What did you just do?"
This wasn't good. I'd just performed a heroic rescue, and now I was under interrogation? Felt more like an injustice than anything, really—a tightness in my chest. Shrugging it off, I replied.
"What do you mean? Our classmate looked like she was about to trip, so I dashed over and caught her. Thought it was gonna be a disaster—scared me half to death."
"......You didn't look scared at all. Come on, spill it. Are you one of ours......?"
"Urgh."
The blonde mage Eris cut her grilling short at the sudden groan. With her tension easing, the pain must've hit—the girl clutched her ankle and whimpered. She'd apparently twisted it good while descending the stairs, staring at the back of that bright yellow head.
Her lackeys, who seemed to know her well, made a huge fuss.
"Oh no, Sawako! You okay?"
"Miss Sawako, does it hurt bad?"
"Aigoo, so careless...... Shouldn't you at least hit the nurse's office for a patch?"
"......No, I'm fine."
Lucky for her, it wasn't serious. Grimacing, she gripped the stair rail and steadied herself. Then she bowed deeply to me.
"Thank you so much. I zoned out for a second...... But thanks to you, it was just a sprained ankle. Really, thank you."
Goodness, what a polite young lady. From here on, I decided to think of her not as some mere lackey, but as 'Sawako'.
I waved it off. "Come on, why say that? Helping a fellow student is just what you do."
"Still......"
"If it really bothers you, just give me a friendly greeting next time we cross paths."
"Ah."
At that, her pain seemed to vanish—she flashed a bright smile. I brushed off my own lingering grievance and drew a gentle grin on my face.
Once the mood warms up like this, it's hard to keep interrogating someone.
"......Hmph."
The blonde mage and boss of the lackeys, Eris, eyed the scene for a moment before clearing her throat with a discreet cough and bowing her head slightly to me.
"......Thanks for saving our Sawako."
"Haha, no problem at all."
Finally, order was restored. Nodding in satisfaction, I graciously accepted her thanks.
Nicely defused.
I already had that pink-haired yandere clinging to me for some reason. Dealing with just Sawamura Cento was enough headache for now—adding Eris's suspicions to the mix would've been trouble. Good thing Sawako's timely assist got me out of that pinch.
Hotaru's the only one with zero doubts, huh.
In that case, at least with the Fire Shrine Maiden, Ichinose Hotaru—I had to make doubly sure not even the tiniest secret slipped.
Lunch ended, and we returned to class. I sat beside Cento for lessons, chatting with Kenichi and Hotaru right in front of me during breaks. Surprisingly, the ever-looming Sawamura Cento behaved herself through class without any drama.
"Ah, sorry. My eraser fell over there...... Could you grab it?"
"Haha, if my desk mate needs help, of course I'll fetch it!"
"Oh, and that pen that rolled nearby."
"Ha, my desk mate sure drops things a lot!"
"Oops, again."
She kept tossing excuses on the floor, probably dying to chat with me. But aside from that, nothing else went down—thank goodness.
Worried something might blow up, but all clear.
The ancient weapon, Sawamura Cento. Her powers weren't purely willful; too many unpredictable variables made her a hazard. Like a nuke that could detonate anywhere, anytime. I'd unwittingly lit her fuse without realizing, so constant vigilance was key.
After the protagonist awakens, she doesn't help much with episodes for a while......
Better to stay one step ahead than trust the protagonist—who could trigger a bad end any second (lol).
"Whoops, dropped another one."
Sawamura Cento, serial offender of stationery crimes. She bore watching.
"Still, the real priority's this side."
Maybe we'd bonded decently over the day. After school, I walked home with front-seaters Kenichi and Hotaru. Our paths diverged eventually, but...
"Shiki! See ya tomorrow!"
"Ichimaru-kun! Catch you at school tomorrow!"
Protagonist Kitagawa Kenichi and Fire Shrine Maiden Ichinose Hotaru. Bathed in the sunset's shadow, they waved cheerfully with bright smiles.
I waved back overhead, smirking slyly. "Sure thing—see you tomorrow, everyone!"
No matter how underwhelming, they were the original game's protagonist and his childhood friend. Key players in a world on the brink of doom.
I'd pondered it endlessly in my head, but with no rehearsals in this trash game, I'd been inwardly anxious.
"Truly a relief."
First days with strangers have limits to bonding, but this? Solid success. Shared lunch, walked home together—we're friends now, right? Worth celebrating.
"As a reward for my hard work, shall I treat myself to some cake?"
Feeling chipper, I headed to the bakery on the way to my home—well, my hideout. With my savings, a little splurge was fine.
"Whipped cream......no, chocolate cake? Or cheesecake?"
Mid-blissful deliberation, a sharp instinct prickled—an unpleasant presence dawning nearby.
"Hm."
Lifting my gaze, I saw the sun dipping away, painting the sky in fading twilight. Evening and night were when ghosts and yokai ran rampant. At least in this world.
"Looks like I've got business."
Disappearances in my neighborhood would keep me up with unease. No choice—I selfishly dove into the alley to sort it out. Into shadows too dim for even sunset rays.
The deeper I plunged into the dark, the thicker the killing intent grew. A normal citizen would've choked on the pressure, breathless. But no one noticed.
"As expected—perception realms, huh."
In the Doomsday Loop world, ghosts and yokai were real, but ordinary folk couldn't sense them. Only those innately attuned to spiritual energy or awakened 'insiders' spotted the monsters. Makes sense—crowded streets full of panic would ruin the game's flow. As a gamer, convenient setup.
"Win-win for me, at least—makes cleanup easy."
If anything, I was stuck shouldering this world's salvation solo. Whatever. These perilous moments were pure thrill right now.
"Still, can't keep the landlady waiting up. Better wrap this quick."
Drawing a small knife from my pocket, I advanced toward the beast in the alley depths. Nearby spots packed with tonkatsu and yakiniku joints—maybe a grudge from beef remnants? A monster with a cow's head—Minotaur vibes, roughly.
It spotted me and bellowed right away.
─Rooooar!!!