To everyone's surprise, Gelman declared that the timeline he had laid out hadn't given him any answers, then told everyone to go about their business.
Though they still had doubts, everyone had no choice but to disperse for now.
They began to circle around the campfire, each moving along their own orbit like planets.
Gelman circled around the fire and came to a large tree where the yellow light met the darkness. There, he found Shizuku crouching.
Shizuku wrapped her arms around her knees, raised her head, and looked at Gelman expressionlessly.
Gelman could tell something was bothering her, so he asked, "What's wrong?"
"I..." Shizuku faltered for a long while, adjusted her Black-rimmed Glasses, and said, "Are there really four 'fake people' among us?"
"Yes. You heard us discuss it just now. I never brought more than three people to the Rainforest Swamp, yet there are eight people here. There's definitely something wrong."
Gelman gave Shizuku a suspicious once-over and asked, "Do you have some kind of clue?"
Shizuku shook her head. After a moment's hesitation, she asked, "Do you think there's a chance I'm one of the 'fake people'?"
Hm?
Gelman couldn't help but pause when he heard that.
He hadn't expected anyone to doubt their own existence, but considering it was Shizuku, it did make sense.
"Why would you think that?"
"Think about it. I have a terrible memory, don't I? Everyone's always teasing me about it..."
Shizuku lightly tapped her own head with a fist.
"Maybe I'm a 'fake person' who slipped in, but I forgot about it... That's the kind of thing I could do, right?"
She usually wouldn't admit it, but every now and then, she could be quite self-aware.
Gelman couldn't help smiling. "Don't worry, Shizuku. You're not a 'fake person.'"
Shizuku's eyes