Reviving Shiori Itsuka
Higashino Makoto stood in the center of the ruins, his arms crossed, his golden eyes sweeping over Beast Tohka in the distance, Tokisaki Kurumi beside him, and this world that had already died.
"Alright, I understand."
Kurumi looked at him.
"You have a plan?"
"Certainly."
Higashino Makoto held up one finger.
"The first step is to revive Shiori Itsuka."
Kurumi's right eye widened slightly.
"Resurrected? She's already dead, her body severed from her head, her corpse long ago—"
"I know."
Higashino Makoto interrupted her.
"But for me, as long as the soul remains, the dead can come back to life. If the soul is gone, then I can turn back time to before she died, and she can come back to life no matter what."
Kurumi remained silent for a moment, a glint of expectation mixed with disbelief flashing in her right eye.
That's the look in the eyes of someone who has been in despair for too long and suddenly sees hope—a look of disbelief mixed with an inability to stop believing.
"Can you really do it?"
"Yes, in the world I lived in before, resurrection was a very common thing."
Higashino Makoto took out a short staff inlaid with a pale gold crystal from his backpack.
A magical item used for resurrection.
Although he could use Resurrection Magic, his collecting habit meant he carried many items in his backpack, even those he didn't need.
This came in handy, saving him the trouble of asking the guardians to search the treasure vault.
Where is Shiori Itsuka's body?
"I've left her body at my house, I'll take you there now!"
Higashino Makoto nodded, turned around, and strode towards the direction of Kurumi.
Kurumi followed behind him.
Beast Tohka didn't move, still standing in the same spot. Her long, silvery-white hair gleamed dimly in the dark red light of the sky, and her blood-red eyes stared blankly at the sky, like a statue forgotten by time.
Kurumi turned around and walked in another direction from the ruins.
Higashino Makoto followed behind her, and the two walked through piles of gray-white ashes, through the ruins of collapsed buildings, and through streets whose original forms were no longer recognizable.
Kurumi stopped in front of a villa.
The villa is better preserved than the surrounding buildings; there are cracks in the walls and a corner of the roof has collapsed, but the overall structure remains intact.
"This is the old house of the Itsuka family. After Shiori Itsuka died, I brought her body here and hid it in the basement."
Higashino Makoto followed her into the villa.
Furniture fragments were scattered in the lobby on the first floor, and the picture frames hanging on the wall were crooked, with broken glass and faded photos.
Kurumi didn't stop and walked straight to a door at the end of the corridor.
Behind the door was a staircase that extended downwards and disappeared into the darkness.
The two walked down the stairs, their footsteps echoing in the narrow space.
The basement is small, about twenty square meters.
In the very center was a crystal coffin, the lid of which was transparent, allowing one to see a person lying inside.
Higashino Makoto walked to the crystal coffin and looked down at the girl inside. She had long, dark blue hair, pale skin, bloodless lips, and a clear suture mark on her neck.
She was wearing a white dress, her hands clasped together on her stomach, her posture peaceful, as if she were simply asleep.
"Shiori Itsuka."
Higashino Makoto murmured the name.
Although I had heard Kurumi mention it before, seeing her appearance still felt a bit strange.
Although I had heard rumors that the author originally intended to write a yuri story, but changed it to a male protagonist due to market pressure.
Unexpectedly...
Kurumi stood behind him, her right eye fixed on the crystal coffin, her expression calm, her fingers trembling slightly.
"Can you bring her back to life?"
"Can."
Higashino Makoto raised his hand, and a short staff with a pale golden light appeared in his hand.
He had used Resurrection Magic many times before, resurrecting witches in the Re: Zero world and even Keno's parents who had become immortals. He was already used to it.
Death is not the end; as long as the body is well preserved and the soul has not completely dissipated, it can be brought back.
However, this was the first time I'd used an item to revive someone.
He pressed his short staff against the crystal coffin, and pale golden light seeped into the coffin lid, into Shiori Itsuka's body, and into every cell of her body.
Light gathered at her chest, transforming into a pulsating sphere of light.
The ball of light jumped faster and brighter, then exploded, turning into countless points of light that flowed to her limbs and bones.
Shiori Itsuka's eyelashes fluttered.
Then came the fingers; the index finger of the left hand bent slightly, as if to confirm that it was still alive.
Her mouth opened, and she let out a weak, hoarse sigh.
His eyes slowly opened, and in his brown pupils reflected the transparent lid of the crystal coffin and Higashino Makoto's upside-down face.
Kurumi simply stood there, tears welling up in her right eye.
"Shiori Itsuka..."
Shiori Itsuka turned her head and looked at Kurumi.
A weak smile appeared on her lips.
"Kurumi... why are you crying?"
Kurumi wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, but the tears just wouldn't stop; the more she wiped, the more tears came.
"It's nothing, I'm just so happy."
Higashino Makoto opened the crystal coffin and reached out to help Shiori Itsuka out of it.
Her legs were still a little weak, and she leaned against the edge of the coffin for a while before she could steady herself.
She looked at Higashino Makoto, her deep blue eyes filled with confusion.
"Who are you?"
"Higashino Makoto, kind passerby."
Shiori Itsuka then looked at Kurumi.
Kurumi had wiped away her tears and regained her composure, but her right eye was still red.
"He's here to help."
Shiori Itsuka nodded without asking any further questions.
Her mind is still a complete mess, and she doesn't have the energy to think too much.
Although the short staff can revive, it is only a "resurrection" after all, and the effect is not as good as the "True Resurrection" that Higashino Makoto often uses. Shiori Itsuka looks somewhat weak.
Higashino Makoto walked to a corner of the basement, quietly unfolded a small world, and transformed his race into Time Devourer and Time-Eating Insect.
His dual racial transformation amplified his time perception to a terrifying degree.
He opened his eyes and looked at Kurumi and Shiori Itsuka.
Both of them seemed to be wrapped in threads of time, densely packed, extending into the void like a spider web.
The talent bonuses from two races that are equally adept at the power of time, as well as the insights and skills gained from the "pure probability. time" within the Akari in the previous world.
Higashino Makoto had a feeling that even without Tokisaki Kurumi and the others' help, he could turn back time and go back to the past.
Well, although for now we can only go back to a very short period of the past.