Compatibility and extinction, and even despair.

[Omni-Competent]: “Affinity. Do you know the setting between us?”

Reg was momentarily stunned by the question. He didn’t understand what the other party meant. Just as he was about to share memories,

[Omni-Competent]: “Stop trying to share memories. You’ll eventually be assimilated by a higher-level self. We must maintain independent consciousness.”

Reg halted the thought of sharing.

[Ordinary Person]: “What is Affinity?”

[Omni-Competent]: “Affinity is like the role-playing character panel; you should be familiar with that. Essentially, if you want to draw strength from me, your Affinity must be high.”

[Omni-Competent]: “Let me put it this way: unless you are desperate to a certain degree, I absolutely will not lend you power. Only in absolute despair can our Affinity reach 100%. The same goes for other Regs; this is related to the fundamental code.”

[Omni-Competent]: “Right now, your Affinity with me is 0%. I am an existence born from death, so you must experience countless deaths to share.”

[Omni-Competent]: “Therefore, the most powerful ability I can lend you—evasion—is already the ultimate limit. The previous Reg—the one with Tomie’s traits—who came here had nearly 80% similar experiences to yours before he arrived, so his Affinity was almost 60%, allowing him to gain his traits.”

[Ordinary Person]: “Ah… why are you suddenly telling me about this setting?”

[Omni-Competent]: “Because I have seen extensive death events. Although things on the surface still appear calm, some people are already extinct. Even if you solved the human-head balloon incident… in the process, people have already begun to wither.”

[Ordinary Person]: “What’s going on? Another riddler? This is terrible!”

Reg’s head began to ache. If it weren’t for the fact that sharing memories with himself resulted in a mountain of chaotic and utterly unmanageable memories, he might have instantly figured it out. The main issue was that he had to experience all the memories, not just organize the current ones. This was incredibly troublesome for him; the vast expanse of memories was something his current 18 years of life couldn’t possibly sort through.

After gaining the evasion ability, Reg easily resolved the human-head balloon incident. Grabbing a human-head balloon with one hand, the extreme grip easily captured the balloon, which only had ordinary flying ability. He slowly sealed the human-head balloons in a contained space. He was surprised to find that once his own curse was removed, if he kept a distance from the human-head balloons, the shared damage ability would not manifest on him.

Medicine, being a doll, didn’t deflate like a human, and the terrifying Youkai power in her body could easily bypass this rule, though she couldn’t protect others.

After secretly destroying the balloons, Medicine and Reg returned to their daily routine. The chill of the Beast Road still lingered in his bones. Reg drove his rattling, weather-beaten mobile workshop, bouncing along the path leading to the Hakurei Shrine. Sunlight filtered through the sparse leaves, dappling the potholed road. The air was filled with the unique dampness of the mountain forest and a sense of… ominous tranquility.

“Reimu would actually actively pay someone to work?” Reg muttered, clutching a crumpled note scrawled with a crude drawing of a donation box. The note haphazardly read, “Come quickly, paying!” with the signature a flourish of the character for ‘Dream.’ This was practically the eighth wonder of Gensokyo! Although the note had been thrown into his car window by a noisy crow, nearly hitting the frog wood carving he was working on.

Inside the workshop, Medicine sat steadily on a small wooden platform, swinging her little legs. “Reg, does that poor Shrine Maiden really have money to pay? Don’t tell me it’s a trap!”

“I hope not… she said the donation box was ‘killed’ and she desperately needs a new one.” Reg sighed. “I guess… on the grounds that she occasionally gives me some money.” Reg didn’t usually dwell on Reimu’s petty attempts to fleece him. More importantly, he naively hoped the Shrine might slightly suppress his damned bad luck.

The Shrine’s torii gate was now in sight, exuding its usual dilapidated yet stubborn aura. Hakurei Reimu was sitting cross-legged on the porch, holding a cup of tea, staring blankly at the empty base where the donation box used to be. The spot was now littered with a few charred wood pieces and twisted metal parts, as if hit by a small magic cannon.

“Yo, you’re here?” Reimu didn’t even lift an eyelid, her voice lazy. “Hurry up. The old one was hit by Cirno’s freezing wave, and Marisa’s Mini-Hakkero finished the job. It’s completely dust. Life without a donation box is a desecration of the Hakurei Shrine Maiden’s dignity!” She ground out the last sentence through clenched teeth, as if genuinely heartbroken.

As if she had money… Reg twitched the corner of his mouth. Great, those two live wires again.

“Materials? Lumber, metal parts…” He parked the workshop and took out his toolbox, glancing around. He realized Reimu seemed to have forgotten something—no materials, yet he was supposed to start working?

“None.” Reimu answered curtly. “The Shrine is poor, you know that. Use the materials in your car. I’ll deduct it from your pay.” She finally lifted her eyes, her gaze accurately landing on the good quality oak planks and spare copper sheets piled in Reg’s carriage.

Reg immediately stood protectively in front of them. These were precious materials. Reimu’s meager pay couldn’t possibly cover them! He had only come personally out of consideration for their friendship.

“If you don’t let me use them, I’ll sneak into your room at night. That’s a Shrine Maiden’s privilege.” Reimu said this calmly. Reg’s ears instantly turned red.

“How can you be so shameless?”

Resigned, he hauled the materials and tools out of the carriage and began to work. Reimu supervised from the side, her gaze as sharp as if she were watching a five-yen coin that might run away. Medicine hovered nearby curiously.

Sawing wood, planing, joining the box structure… Reg’s craftsmanship was excellent, his movements swift and precise. Reimu’s expression softened slightly as the donation box prototype emerged. She even poured Reg a cup of cold tea. The teacup was cracked, only holding a small amount of tea, but it seemed to have been kissed by a girl’s lips.

“This part needs to be thickened to prevent Cirno from freezing and cracking it,” Reg said, pointing to the joint of the box, not noticing the strangeness of the teacup. He drank the tea down, only then realizing his lip had been cut. He paid no mind to it, simply focusing on his work.

“We need a slanted top here, so Marisa doesn’t constantly climb on it to rummage…” Reimu suggested.

“And add a small clasp? Although it won’t stop Yukari…” Reimu suggested again.

“Forget it, that’s too much trouble for you.” Reimu quickly rescinded the idea.

Reg picked up his hammer. He almost struck Reimu’s head, but only thought about it.

Just as he was about to nail the final reinforcing copper corner, an anomaly suddenly occurred!

A blinding flash of light streaked across the sky above the Shrine without warning! A burning meteor, as if precisely guided, plummeted straight towards… the hammer in his hand!

“Not again?! Are you kidding me?” Reg was terrified and instinctively wanted to throw the hammer away.

“Reg! That meteor is dangerous!” Reimu was faster than he was.

With a flash of red and white, Reimu lunged with incredible speed, tackling Reg and the half-finished donation box. Simultaneously, a talisman in her hand instantly activated!

“Fantasy Seal – Flash!”

A soft yet powerful spiritual barrier instantly unfurled, like an inverted bowl, just barely covering Reimu and Reg beneath her.

BOOM!!!

The meteor slammed onto the boundary wall, exploding! Scorching fragments and shockwaves scattered everywhere!

Reg struggled frantically, trying to rush out of the barrier to protect Medicine.

“Medicine! She’s outside! Don’t do this!” Reg watched helplessly as scorching fragments of the meteor rained down towards Medicine’s location. The entire Shrine began to burn.

He completely ignored Reimu’s barrier and the Shrine Maiden on top of him, using all his strength to shove Reimu aside and burst out of the light wall. The scorching air blast and splashing stones immediately hit him, stinging his body.

His eyes were only focused on the center of the explosion, the place where that small figure might have been engulfed.

Reimu stumbled as he pushed her, the light of the barrier flickering. She stared in shock as Reg recklessly charged into the dangerous area, her eyebrows furrowed tightly. “Idiot! Do you have a death wish!”

Reg heard nothing. He threw himself into the mess where smoke and sparks billowed, frantically digging through the hot dirt and wood chips with both hands. “Medicine! Answer me! Where are you?”

The smoke choked him, making him cough violently. He didn’t even notice the blisters forming on his hands from the scorching fragments. Fear was tightening its grip on his heart.

No, it shouldn’t be like this! My fate only targets me!

Just as despair was about to drown him, a weak, tearful little voice came from beneath a small, fallen piece of the Shrine’s wood.

“Wuu… Reg… it’s hot…”

Reg’s heart leaped. Medicine’s small body was curled up in the relatively intact shadow underneath. Her normally clean white clothes were covered in black ash. One arm seemed to have been grazed by a flying fragment; the edge was charred and curled, emitting a faint wisp of smoke. Her entire body was shaking, and her slightly crooked eye was filled with tears as she looked up in terror.

The immense relief of surviving the disaster left Reg almost paralyzed. Thank goodness… it’s not over… there’s still hope.

He carefully scooped up Medicine, his voice trembling. “It’s okay! You’re okay, Medicine… I’m sorry… I’m sorry… I scared you…” He anxiously examined her charred arm. Thankfully, it looked like only the outer fabric was damaged; the doll itself didn’t seem seriously broken.

Reimu instantly unleashed all her spiritual power. The powerful waves extinguished all the fires throughout the Shrine. The areas that had begun to burn were erased as if wiped clean.

Reg lowered his head, carefully blowing on the charred edges of Medicine’s arm, trying to soothe the discomfort caused by the tiny burn marks. The small doll clutched the lapel of his shirt tightly, her tiny body still trembling slightly, her recently fixed eye filled with tears, her terror unspent.

Reimu stood amid the wreckage. The Shrine’s path was marred by a shallow crater from the meteor. Although the scattered sparks had been promptly suppressed by her spiritual power, the air was still thick with the smell of charring and smoke.

She looked at Reg—his expression of distress and lingering fear, only focused on comforting the doll—and an inexplicable fire surged from her heart, making her chest feel tight. She rushed over in a few steps, grabbing Reg’s collar and forcing him to look at her.

Her voice was sharp and cold. “Idiot!” Reimu almost screamed. “What was that just now? Were you trying to get yourself killed?! Throwing away your life for a broken doll?! Do you know what the consequences would have been if that rock hit you?! If I hadn’t intercepted it, you’d be a pile of ash on the ground right now!”

Her red eyes burned with obvious fury, but deeper down, more complex, irritating emotions were churning. It was a fierce discomfort and bitterness that surged up when she saw Reg so utterly reckless for something else. This feeling made her words even more scathing.

“Who do you think you are? A savior? A jinx who can’t even protect himself, yet you think about protecting others? That’s a huge joke!” Her gaze swept over the trembling Medicine in Reg’s arms, an undisguised rejection and a subtle jealousy in her eyes. “All for this… this Tsukumogami who can’t even control her own power? Is she worth exchanging your life for?! Is your life so worthless?!”

Reg, choked by the grip on his collar, his face smeared with ash, managed to gasp, “Life is a miracle! I think it needs tolerance!”

“That kind of thing is purely the result of your bleeding heart! Utterly insignificant!”

Listening to Reimu’s sharp accusations, feeling the almost overflowing transference of anger towards Medicine and the contempt for his overestimation of himself, Reg felt a mix of guilt and helplessness.

“I’m sorry, Reimu… I know you saved me, but I brought her out. I can’t just watch her…”

“Can’t just watch?” Reimu interrupted him with a cold laugh, tightening her grip, as if trying to press all that unvented irritation into his collar. “Then you can just watch yourself get smashed into meat paste?! Your ‘can’t just watch’ means throwing yourself into the most dangerous place?! Isn’t your bad luck only hurting yourself enough? Do you also want others to watch you seek death?!”

Her last sentence echoed in the now-silent Shrine grounds, carrying a hint of self-shocked loss of control. She abruptly let go, shoving Reg so he stumbled.

She turned away, refusing to look at Reg and the doll in his arms, her chest heaving as she struggled to calm her tumultuous emotions. She looked at the fresh craters on the ground, overwhelmed by a wave of fatigue and irritation. She had only called him here to build a new donation box. Now, the box wasn’t fixed, the Shrine nearly burned down, and he almost died… all for that little thing.

It’s truly awful… is this the last time? I didn’t expect it to hurt this much.

Reimu took a deep breath, the air catching in her throat, feeling stifled. The last lingering light of the spiritual power maintaining the barrier completely extinguished on her fingertips, leaving only the faint smell of charring residue disturbed by the meteor hanging in the air. She remained silent, her posture stiff as she stood with her back to Reg and Medicine.

“I’m sorry… Reimu… this really was caused by my bad luck…” Reg didn’t know what to say. He silently returned to his workshop and placed a large sum of money on the ground.

“Get out! Who wants your money?! Don’t be so self-important!” Reimu cried out furiously, her body trembling for some unknown reason, as if out of control.

“I’m too emotional… why am I this agitated? Ha~ Ah, I was possessed, wasn’t I… couldn’t the barrier stop it? Honestly, a meteor even had to fall during our last meeting? I’m sorry, Reg, for not protecting everyone.” Finally, she began to murmur.

After watching Reg leave, Reimu seemed to smile radiantly. Eventually, a massive amount of spiritual power enveloped her. She ultimately self-destructed, leaving only her head resting on the un-repaired donation box. “This is my last gift… I’m so happy… but so desperate…”

Reimu didn’t know, only feeling that she had become transparent to everything. All paths had been paved for her death. Don’t you understand? Marisa died. Most people died… Am I the Shrine Maiden of Despair? Bringing hope to others? No, I haven’t.

Reg held the gently trembling Medicine and silently left the wreckage of the Shrine. Reimu’s final furious command to “get out” still echoed in his ears, but he couldn’t dwell on it now. He just wanted to hurry back to his mobile workshop, that tiny, mobile nest that could temporarily shield them from the outside storm.

Back inside the workshop, with the door closed, the world seemed to quiet down a bit. The familiar scent of wood and oil permeated the air. He carefully placed Medicine on the worktable, which was covered with a soft cloth, and lit the dimly glowing oil lamp.

“Let me see your arm, Medicine.” Reg’s voice was very soft.

Medicine didn’t speak, just obediently held out the arm with the charred, curled edge towards him. Beneath the burnt fabric, the fine stitching looked somewhat dull. Fortunately, the doll itself didn’t have any major cracks, but the heat and impact had clearly terrified her.

Reg found a small piece of clean, soft cloth, dampened a corner with clean water, and carefully wiped away the soot around the burn marks. His movements were slow and gentle, afraid of hurting her.

Medicine watched him, concentrating on his task. The terror in her recently fixed eye was gradually replaced by a complex emotion: lingering fear, a sense of grievance, and a touch of peace.

“Does it still hurt?” Reg wiped away the soot and then leaned in to carefully examine the depth of the charring.

Medicine shook her head, her voice tiny. “Not… not much anymore…” She paused, her small hand gripping the finger Reg was using to examine her arm. “Reg… I’m sorry… I held you back… If it weren’t for me…”

Reg immediately interrupted her, gently tapping her little head with his finger. “Idiot, don’t say such silly things. Today’s incident has nothing to do with you. It was my bad luck that summoned the meteor. Besides, how could I just stand by when you were in danger? You’re my important family.” He tried to keep his tone light. “If anyone should apologize, it’s me, for taking you out and letting you encounter such danger.”

He picked up a small roll of clean, plain cloth strips nearby and began carefully wrapping them around the charred area of Medicine’s arm, a simple bandage and reinforcement. His actions were clumsy but exceptionally serious.

Medicine watched him wrap the cloth strips around her small arm again and again. Although it looked a bit bulky, she felt like the burning sensation was genuinely being buffered somewhat. The sour feeling in her heart intensified.

“Reimu… she seemed very angry…” she murmured quietly, lowering her head.

Reg’s hands paused for a moment, and he sighed. “Yeah… she was worried, I think, but her way of expressing it is a bit… peculiar.” He recalled Reimu grabbing his collar and yelling, and her final “get out” filled with complex emotions. “Messing up the Shrine like that, and making her divert her attention to save us… her being angry is understandable.” He shook his head helplessly. “I couldn’t give her the money, and I used up materials… I’m a victim too… forget it, I’ll compensate her later when I get a chance. The important thing is that you’re okay.”

After finishing the wrapping, he gently patted Medicine’s head. “There, that should be more comfortable. You were scared today, right? Get some rest early. I’ll go look for suitable materials tomorrow.” He placed Medicine back on her usual small soft cushion.

Medicine nestled in the cushion, wrapped in the bandage Reg had just applied, only her small face and uninjured eye visible as she watched Reg. In the dim lamplight, Reg’s face looked exhausted, smudged with ash from the Shrine, and his hair was messy.

“Reg…” Medicine called softly again.

“Hmm?”

“…” She seemed to want to say something but finally just burrowed her small face into the cushion. “It’s nothing. You should also go to sleep early, Reg.” If Reg died because of his bad luck… Medicine didn’t know what she would do… She had personally seen Reg encounter a vast number of unconventional incidents over the past few months.

“No more monsters will come tonight, right?”

Outside the workshop, the night wind rustled through the trees. Inside, the only sound was the faint crackle of the oil lamp burning.

Reg tidied up the scattered tools and bandages, blew out the oil lamp, and lay down tiredly on his narrow bed. Darkness enveloped him. The danger at the Shrine, Reimu’s anger, Medicine’s frightened face… various images churned in his mind. The combination of physical exhaustion and mental tension made him feel exceptionally heavy.

He turned his head, using the weak moonlight outside the window to make out Medicine’s quiet outline on the small soft cushion on the worktable. The small figure was curled up there, seemingly asleep. This made his tightly strung heart relax slightly. At least, they were safe at this moment.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled, trying to suppress the chaotic emotions. Tomorrow… what kind of day will tomorrow be? Carrying his anxiety about the unknown, he gradually drifted into a restless sleep amid the workshop’s slight creaking.

Death, death… it had begun to fill him with intense fear. Death was painful, and the sense of loss it brought was also painful. What did time reversal matter? It was only constantly approaching pain. He had no power, nothing. Running away… constantly running away… where could he possibly run to? As long as he was alive, he was a walking disaster, constantly facing various bizarre rules and death that could arrive at any moment.

Reg felt a little despair, yet held a glimmer of hope. Death reversal was both a blessing and a curse. As long as the save point wasn’t fixed on the death of someone else, Reg had infinite chances to correct his mistakes. And with each death reversal, he could grow stronger.

“Extra! Extra! A head was found standing on the donation box! Based on clues, it can be identified as Hakurei Reimu, the guardian of the barrier. Marisa, the self-proclaimed specialist in solving incidents, mysteriously died in her home. Massive death events in Gensokyo. Youkai are disappearing and killing each other without a trace… The Great Tengu asserts that this is Gensokyo’s demise. zcvetgxfgxdbb… The devil is watching you. Embrace fusion… If you die, you can achieve eternity and enjoy happiness. What exactly happened here? Please do not embrace death! Youkai coexist forever! Please maintain this belief! Please be extremely cautious of spiritual contamination and enemies hidden in the dark. After reading this newspaper, please destroy this information using physical means. —The Unknown Reporter’s Dispatch”

This piece of news deepened Reg’s despair. He gripped the newspaper sent by the Tengu, a wave of hopelessness washing over him. He tore the newspaper to shreds and quickly burned it with fire. He felt a profound exhaustion.

“So that’s why Reimu was so agitated… I missed a lot of news recently! Damn it, what exactly happened?”