In a new cycle, Tiran got up from the beach as usual, brushing off the sand from her clothes with practiced ease.

"Indeed." Tiran clenched her fists, feeling the weariness of countless previous cycles fade away as determination surged within her once more.

Though she had not escaped the fate of destruction by thunderclouds in the last cycle, this time she was certain she had found a breakthrough.

Apart from the loops where she played around with various quirky methods and explored neighboring towns, she still focused her time on the town closest to where she woke up.

After turning the entire town inside out to no avail, Tiran refocused on two crucial clues she had found earlier.

Sneaking into the Tairaeda Manor to observe Ayako practicing the Sacred Dance and the "time interruption" triggered by this condition.

Upon further contemplation, she made a new discovery.

Realizing that her inability to keep accurate time meant the moment she arrived at the Tairaeda Manor was not fixed, she tried visiting at different times and eventually succeeded in triggering the event of "time interruption" in the alley.

By making multiple visits, Tiran overheard a conversation between Ayako and her father from which she gathered a vital piece of information: Ayako seemed to often go out alone.

For an ordinary child, going out to play may not be significant, but Princess Ayako, with whom she had become quite familiar through multiple cycles, felt that things were not as straightforward.

Similar to the impression she had gathered from Sayo and the guards, Ayako was indeed a gentle and conscientious girl.

While usually dismissive, Tiran had witnessed Ayako practice the Sacred Dance repeatedly, struggling due to her lack of talent. With the Sacred Dance festival approaching in a few days, sneaking out to play at this time did not seem like something she would do.

Moreover...

"Why didn't I think of this before?"

The princess rubbed her head, gazed up at the sky, "Sacred Dance..."

It dawned on her that every time she complained to Sayo about Ayako's deplorable Sacred Dance practice and then was amazed by her stunning performance at the festival, it seemed incongruous, albeit insignificant.

Just like a demure girl like Ayako sneaking out to play without her father's knowledge, and the sudden appearance of the "time interruption."

In this utterly normal world, a few things that seemed illogical should logically be connected, shouldn't they?

With this notion in mind, Tiran walked once more along the beach in the direction she had traversed countless times. This time, upon hearing the girl's singing, Tiran did not immediately reveal herself but stealthily concealed herself behind a clump of bushes about ten meters away from Ayako.

Practicing songs and the Sacred Dance could easily be done in her own backyard. If Ayako merely wanted a secluded spot to avoid being noticed, the Tairaeda Manor had guards and offered a far better setting than this place—after all, not everyone was as idle and combat-skilled as a princess.

Recalling how each time she greeted Ayako outside, the girl would appear flustered, it made sense to attribute it to shyness over being caught practicing singing. But couldn't it also be explained as fear of someone discovering her little secret?

"Girl, let me tear down your final defense line... Hm, why does this sound a bit like something a villain would say..."

Hiding behind the bushes, Tiran began to patiently wait for Ayako to make a move. Two hours later...

After sitting motionless for two hours, battling the buzzing mosquitoes, the princess was starting to lose her patience. Two hours, huh? You really practiced singing and performing the sacred dance there for two long hours?

Just as Tiran was deeply contemplating whether to go refresh herself at Seabreath before continuing the chase, Ayako finally made a move.

"That direction... not towards Seabreath. Bingo!"

Peeking out from behind the bushes and seeing Ayako leaving, Tiran finally saw a glimpse of victory. With a swift slap, she eliminated a mosquito that had been resting on her left arm for quite a while, and stealthily followed Ayako.

Ayako emerged from the forest and began to run further along the beach. Tiran, who had never thoroughly explored this direction because of the rocky terrain surrounded by hills, murmured to herself, "No wonder I've never noticed this place before."

Peering from behind a protruding rock on the beach, Tiran watched Ayako skipping between the reefs and entering a cave beneath the cliff, prompting a subtle click of disapproval.

A cave formed by the relentless erosion of the sea... and from the looks of it, it seemed devoid of any human presence. It was difficult to fathom why someone like Ayako, a noble lady, would come to such a place.

What? This lady is of royal descent too? Ahem, well, that's unavoidable, right!

Although she didn't particularly enjoy the damp and gloomy atmosphere, since Tiran had come this far, she had no choice but to venture into the cave. Today, she would unravel the secret of this world's seven-day cycle!

—Even though she wasn't entirely certain if Ayako had any connection to the world's cycle, Tiran could only speculate. If she was wrong, she might as well indulge herself and treat this world as an open map meant for seven-day resurrections.

Carefully treading on the slippery rocks barefoot, Tiran gradually advanced into the cave by the seashore.

The interior of the cave was dimly lit, but Tiran could see clearly, especially as Ayako had brought along a small candle for faint illumination, allowing Tiran to stealthily track her movements.

"I'm definitely not coming to such a place ever again..."

Shaking off a clump of seaweed that had probably been swept in during high tide with her right foot, Tiran displayed a look of disdain. She truly despised these damp caves; stepping on that clump of seaweed just now, she had thought she had touched something disgusting, the feeling of which was indescribable.

In such a damp cave by the seashore, encountering strange creatures wouldn't be surprising, but Tiran was one of those who weren't afraid of large monsters but dreaded all sorts of odd little creatures.

For instance, if a spider or any other insect were to fall on her head right now, even if it didn't cause harm, the princess would immediately smash them along with the rock she was hiding behind without a second thought about the risk of getting caught.

Speaking of insects... it's quite odd.

In a damp cave full of stagnant water formed from the condensation of water vapor, theoretically, it should be an environment attractive to various small insects, yet so far, apart from the clump of waterweed that drifted in earlier, Tiran hadn't even spotted any life forms.

Even the mosquito that had been chasing me is nowhere to be seen, the slippery feeling on the rocks was purely caused by water, without any moss growing on them.

At this moment, the faint flicker of light from Ayako's torch in front of me disappeared.

"Has it arrived? That seems to be... fluorescence? Or something else?" Tiran cautiously observed from behind the rocks.

Ayako extinguished the light not due to any accident, but because she had reached her destination and no longer needed the illumination. A faint blue light seeped from the small opening, not strong, but enough for even an ordinary person like Ayako to see the way.

"Komi, I'm here."

Komi? Whose name is that? Is that Ayako's secret? A pet hidden in the mysterious cave?

"Ayako? Is that Ayako, sister?" a timid voice.

Holy crap, a little girl? Is it a person?!

In an instant, Tiran's mind speculated a lot of scenarios, such as a seemingly innocent noble young lady turning out to be a hidden sadist who deceives and tortures country folks who just entered the city...

Of course, speculations are just speculations, and such things need confirmation. Taking a deep breath, adopting the breathing technique he learned from Professor Sayo, Tiran stepped cautiously towards the fluorescent-lit small opening.

Despite his current condition, even if he mastered the breathing technique, if he encountered an opponent of super-standard caliber, it would be futile, but it's better to be prepared than not at all.

The moment he stepped into the opening, Tiran already had a guess as to what lay ahead.

The answer.

"It seems I haven't come to the wrong place."

Regardless of what that answer may be, at least he could finally end this darn loop.

There seemed to be a barrier in his ears, making the surroundings blurry and surreal, both in sound and light, a feeling he had experienced before.

A pocket of fragmented time.

Ahead was a vast hall made of translucent crystals, and Ayako, who had stepped in before him, stood there, completely frozen, like a lifelike statue.

Time stood still, yet there were still those who could move in this suspended world.

Aside from Tiran, there was the figure of a person that Ayako was walking towards.

"My name is Meirin, welcome, human."