Do You Believe Me Now?

My Life in a Time Loop Across Anime Worlds, I Can Do Whatever I Want

Author: Lin Sanjiu

Synopsis:

Fushimi Makoto was a high school student who had crossed over into another world. Not only had he landed in a world of anime, he'd also become trapped in a time loop.

He'd spent who knew how many years reliving the same day. Yukinoshita, Kasumigaoka, the Nakano Quintuplets... He'd tried using the time loop to win over every two-dimensional beauty he could find.

Just as he began to grow restless and numb, the time loop suddenly ended—and a system showed up right on cue.

[Intern System 4399 reporting in. I finally found you, my host.]

[Time anomaly detected. Oh no, how have you spent decades in this world, host?]

[System mission forcibly updated. Now the intern system can't graduate. How sad.]

Fushimi Makoto: "Don't panic. I have a plan. Since things have already come to this, I'll help you finish your internship, and you help me rake in the rewards. We both win."

System: Please elaborate.

[System mission issued: The host is already acquainted with Yukinoshita Yukino. Given that you've lived several decades longer than everyone else, become the elder she likes most.]

Fushimi Makoto: "Easy. I'll handle Mrs. Yukinoshita."

System: ?

(A proactive, womanizing male lead. Please don't flame if you dislike that.)

Volume One

Do You Believe Me Now?

"So, you're saying you're trapped in a time loop, and every morning at six, you wake up to the same day—April 9?"

In the school hallway, Yukinoshita Yukino stood with her arms folded, the fingers of her right hand resting against her fair chin. Her lovely eyes fixed on the handsome boy in front of her, making no effort to hide the look of concern one might give an idiot.

School had let out. She stood straight, her slender, graceful figure poised and elegant. Her shapely legs, encased in black knee-high socks, had a lovely curve.

"To be precise, even if I stay awake all night until six, time resets and it's still today—April 9."

Fushimi Makoto seemed completely unfazed.

The beautiful girl in front of him had already made it clear with her eyes: I have neither the interest nor the patience to listen to you tell science fiction stories.

"Oh."

Yukino nodded, her tone even colder. "Is there anything else, Fushimi?"

Instead, Fushimi Makoto asked, "You're going to see Teacher Hiratsuka next, aren't you?"

Yukino frowned slightly.

Before she could speak, he continued, "You want to talk to Teacher Hiratsuka about the club, right?"

Her expression finally changed. "How did you know?"

Fushimi Makoto remained as calm as ever. "The answer's in the question."

"The time loop?"

Yukino's delicate brows drew together even more.

She thought he was talking complete nonsense.

And yet she really was planning to talk to Hiratsuka Shizuka about the club.

"I know you still don't believe me. Come on, I'll go with you to the faculty office. Though Teacher Hiratsuka's already gone home." Fushimi Makoto spoke up first.

Yukino blinked. "Gone home?"

"You can call her now. She'll tell you, 'Sorry, I have something really important to do today.'"

After saying that, Fushimi Makoto added, "The important thing she has to do is go on a blind date. But her date will stand her up, and she'll end up drinking beer alone in a park."

Yukino: "..."

For a moment, she didn't know what to say.

Fushimi Makoto had acted so naturally the entire time that even her keen powers of observation couldn't detect a hint of pretense.

That meant he was telling the truth.

But...

How could that be possible?

After a long silence, Yukino said coolly, "I'll verify it right now."

Fushimi Makoto followed her.

Yukino didn't object.

When they reached the faculty office, just as Fushimi Makoto had said, the other teachers told them that Hiratsuka Shizuka had gone home early.

Yukino glanced unconsciously at Fushimi Makoto, who raised a hand and gestured, "Go ahead."

She understood. He wanted her to call and check for herself.

Without another word, she took her phone from her pocket and dialed Hiratsuka Shizuka's number.

When she said she needed to talk to Hiratsuka Shizuka, the response was exactly as Fushimi Makoto had predicted.

"Sorry, Yukino. I have something really important to do today. Is it urgent? If not, how about you get in touch tonight, when I'm free?"

Hearing Hiratsuka Shizuka's gentle voice, Yukino's chest rose and fell slowly. She did her best to stay calm as she answered, "All right."

After hanging up, Yukino's lovely eyes returned to Fushimi Makoto.

This time, her gaze flickered, and her voice no longer sounded natural. "Why?"

"Because I've had this conversation with you countless times."

Yukino seized on the key words. "So you've often come to see me during the time loop?"

"I've tried to win you over plenty of times, too."

"???"

Yukino was nearly at a loss for words.

Her beautiful face turned cold. "If what you're saying is true, then why me?"

Fushimi Makoto was as composed as ever. "Because unlike you, everyone else just took it as a joke—whether it was my upperclassman Utaha or the famous quintuplets at this school."

Yukino fell silent again.

Her feelings were complicated.

Her mother had told her that the quintuplets' father was someone worth cultivating a relationship with, which was why Yukino had been placed at this school.

As a first-year student, she'd joined less than a week ago.

Her beauty had already made her a celebrity, on par with Kasumigaoka Utaha, a second-year student.

Thanks to their good looks, Fushimi Makoto and Hayato Hayama were currently the two most famous boys at school.

Before today, Yukino and Fushimi Makoto had never spoken.

Their only interaction had been a brief nod when they crossed paths in the hallway.

"Want to go for a walk with me?" Fushimi Makoto asked.

Yukino asked without thinking, "Where?"

"To find you more chances to verify what I've told you."

At that, Yukino said nothing. She simply followed at his side.

They left the school building together. Fushimi Makoto suddenly said, "Someone from the Soccer Club has sprained his ankle. The kindhearted Hayama will help him to the infirmary."

Yukino's steps faltered, and she instinctively turned around.

Less than ten seconds later, she really did see Hayato Hayama supporting another student as they passed by.

"Let's go." Fushimi Makoto started walking again.

Yukino took a deep breath, her breathing quietly growing quicker.

She felt nervous, but excited, too.

All sorts of emotions kept bursting to life inside her.

They hadn't gone far after leaving school when Fushimi Makoto stopped again.

This time, he didn't speak right away. He took out his phone and, with Yukino watching, opened the alarm screen.

He set an alarm for one minute later.

When he was done, he handed the phone to Yukino.

She looked down, puzzled. "What does this mean?"

"Hold this and stay right here," Fushimi Makoto said simply.

Yukino took the phone, utterly confused.

Then she watched Fushimi Makoto walk across the road.

Thirty seconds before the alarm was due to ring, a mother and her child approached from the other side.

Fushimi Makoto deliberately slowed his pace, and the two groups met in the road.

Twenty seconds before the alarm was due to ring, Yukino saw Fushimi Makoto push the mother and child forward without a word.

"Hey! What are you doing?"

As the mother and child stared at him in confusion, Fushimi Makoto steadily pushed them onward.

With ten seconds left before the alarm rang, Yukino suddenly heard the shrill roar of an engine.

She barely had time to raise her head and look toward the sound.

A black car came roaring toward them at high speed, as if the driver had floored the accelerator.

At the same time, Fushimi Makoto pushed the mother and child to the side of the road. The speeding car passed right through the spot where they had just been standing.

The timing was perfect.

From the moment he pushed the mother and child out of the way to the moment they narrowly avoided the speeding car, Fushimi Makoto had moved with unhurried ease.

Yukino didn't even have time to react before the car crashed headfirst into a shop by the roadside.

With a deafening crash, countless shards of glass and debris flew through the air, spinning and tumbling before scattering all over the ground.

The car fell completely still. The people nearby who had witnessed the scene went weak at the knees; some rushed over at once.

Yukino stood there, frozen.

At the same time, the phone rang. Its default, gentle alarm chime echoed again and again in her ears.

The alarm wasn't loud, but to Yukino, it sounded deafening.

It was as if every other sound around her had vanished in that instant, leaving only the gentle alarm ringing in her ears.

The moment the crash happened, the alarm rang.

The timing was exact.

Yukino held Fushimi Makoto's phone, utterly shaken. She stared blankly across the road at him.

Fushimi Makoto was looking at her, too. He mouthed something without a sound.

Although she couldn't hear him, Yukino understood.

"Do you believe me now?"

That was what Fushimi Makoto had said.

Yukino's heart pounded wildly.

Her lips parted stiffly, and she murmured, "Why?"