The Rewinding Clock (before battle)

Tsk, retreat!

Hey, participation trophy.

<Participation... trophy...? Is he talking to me?>

How on earth did you do that earlier? Tick-tock tick-tock and voilà, it seemed to me that you rewound the time and un-wounded your friends. I've never seen a tech that could rewind time like that.

<Well, that's...>

Trade secret. Ask and you shall receive... pain.

Fascinating... Aren't you terrified of 'time'?

As far as I am aware, there is practically no way to 'rewind' time for a singular entity that exists in an open, unenclosed area. Either that, or my study didn't reach as far as I thought it did. Wait, no. That's actually a very serious problem, then. I was very desperate, you know. It's very unlikely that I missed anything.

Ya know what else is a serious problem? The fact that we're wasting our time chatting about inane stuff while they're all getting away! C'mon, Dante!

Hold on, 'inane stuff'? This is extremely serious! Its importance is absolutely incomparable to what amounts to arresting a few small-fry revolutionaries. Mm... if it were a true resurrection, then the Head would've been after your heads already, so I doubt that's what this is. Then it must have something to do with time manipulation, I'm certain of it...

Maybe it works with the same mechanisms as the TT2 Protocol under the hood - nope, that works only within an isolated enclosure; it can't rewind the time of a singular individual.

Perhaps they are drawing time from elsewhere to inject it into their timestreams? Mm... ah, that seems a tad more plausible. If you're actually 'rewinding' their time, then the visual elements of that process would manifest in a vastly different manner. I suppose this means that you can't really 'rewind' or 'skip' time either, am I right?

<You can't just say all that gibberish and expect me to be able to - >

The process also seemed to involve a great degree of pain... Oh well. It seems to be in bad taste to say that it's good news, but I suppose I can say that what I'm about to tell you is somewhat auspicious. I was going to get into the nitty-gritty only if we had to venture into one of the more dangerous places like the Backstreets, but here we go. Check the other side of your badges; there should be a small clockwork knob attached to your badges in there. Mind rotating it for me?

The Class 5 Staff member jabbered on endlessly, zapping between numerous subjects within a matter of seconds, before reaching out and pointing at the badges we were wearing.

Not all Fixers specializing in investigations are strong enough to defend themselves in emergencies. That is why these Special Investigator Badges are all equipped with the same special function that goes into suits that higher-ranking staff members of T Corp wear.

It's called 'Golden Time'. If you keep the clockwork wound, it will automatically speed up the body's natural regeneration process as soon as it detects that its wearer is at risk of death. It's nothing compared to what you're capable of... but it's quite something, isn't it?

<So... I don't actually have to turn the clock myself?>

Of course, it takes some time for it to refill once its charge is spent. If you ever run out of its uses, then... I suppose it all comes down to you, participation trophy! You'll have to take one for the team and bring them all back yourself.

You're willing to do that, but not willing to help us before we get torn to shreds, huh?

I... prefer that. Good. Hoo.

Ready? Let's go after them, then!

Some time later...

<Haah, haah... Where... did they run off to...?>

I'm pretty sure they came this way...

Tsk, no more tracks. We wasted too much time on his boring lectures.

Heya, Assistant. Are you sure it's okay for you to just... saunter behind us like you're out on a picnic?

Why would I run? I hate running.

It's literally your job to arrest the Yurodiviye, isn't it?

Is it, though? But my job at this precise moment is to keep my eyes on you and your investigation regarding the Case of Timekilling Time, not making Yurodiviye arrests.

But you're a T Corp. employee!

Okay, fine. Let's say that I decided to run instead of walk and helped you capture those Yurodiviye rascals. What then? Will T Corp. suddenly stop having problems just because they're gone? Will this place suddenly transform into some kind of humanitarian paradise? Not to mention that, as long as their leader runs free, they'll be back before you know it.

Excuses. Then K.T.A.

If we do kill them all, that only opens up room for a worse Syndicate to take their place. If that happens... that Collector friend from earlier might end up suffering from something much, much worse than having to stop-and-search random passers-by. Not to mention that I'll be getting muscle cramps from all the running.

That's...

Besides, isn't your friend one of them? Weird, I thought you wouldn't want me to arrest them.

Right? I thought Rodya would be a bit happier to be reunited with the Yurodiviye.

<W-well, since it looks like the trail's gone cold, let's go back to the stop-and-search lady and ask if she noticed anything suspicious since we left.>

... Fine.

The T Corp. employee we met earlier was still standing completely inert, not moving a muscle.

Poor woman! I can't believe she's still on duty at such a late hour.

Such is the life of a laborer.

... No.

They got her. I can't even hear her breathing.

That's the Time Ripper's M.O.!

<The Time Ripper got to her that fast...?>

She's in a state of absolute stillness.

A deathlike state achieved without a thimble of blood on their hands.

What a mysophobic art.

Though she may be in a state of stasis to those of us watching from the outside...

... for her, this must be as brief as a blink of an eye.

What do you think the culprit's trying to do with all that time?

<Guys, this is a crime scene. Let's try to not touch the body... I mean, the victim...>

Woah, look! There must be some sort of spatio-temporal displacement superposition phenomenon going on here. She is entirely incorporeal.

Is this seriously the time to -

<Rodya, there! Up ahead!>

I whipped around, noticing the now-familiar sensation of a Distortion, and caught a brief glimpse of a suspicious figure slowly slipping into the fog.

You, stop!

<Ryōshū, think you can catch up?>

I'm not your hunting dog... but sure. I'll entertain you, just this once.

Ooh, she's pretty fast.

Ryōshū sure moves fast when she finds something interesting.

It's been a while since I've seen people like you - the kind who sprint forward with their eyes fixed on the horizon.

Here, everyone only ever looks down, their necks bent and gaze locked to the ground. Watching their own feet take their halting steps.

I suppose they only ever look up to check the time on the Clock Towers.

But there must have been a time when everyone walked tall...

I think I know why that is.

It's because they all learned helplessness.

Because they realized that, even if they ran 'till their lungs burst... nothing will change. That it doesn't matter.

Yeah, not everyone can run like Meursault. Learning to maintain a stable breathing rhythm is not easy!

Aha ha ha... That's not what I'm talking about.

<Wait, take a closer look at her face.>

<Remember? It's the same face she was making earlier when she shouted "It's a stop-and-search!">

Yeah... maybe she saw someone suspicious, approached them for a stop-and-search, and got ambushed... We should ask her when she recovers.

But we don't know when she'll... recover.

Some time later...

Catch.

…….

<... Are you sure you captured him alive?>

Hey, Ryōshū, doesn't he kinda look...

... a bit different from the mysterious person that got away? He's clearly wearing something different.

Besides, he's one of the Yurodiviye we already ran into.

Clothes are just husks that can be cast off at any moment.

He started running as soon as our eyes met.

Hey. Rise and shine.

U...ugh… How am I the suspicious one…? Anyone would run if someone like you started sprinting after them… with that big sword in your hands…

Haah... I have many, many ways to crush the truth out of you.

First.

<No dismembering.>

... Hm.

This is the Yurodiviye's turf. You'll soon regret dragging me down here.

Heh... I prepared this secret weapon just for this occasion...

<W-watch out!>

... But nothing happened.

<... What was that?>

One of the five greatest inventions of the Yurodiviye T Corp. Branch, the PortableAdjustableFrequencyPeriodicalLightingApparatusAttachmentSoundwave Generator! This will call every single Yurodivy in its range to this exact location!

There, see what I mean? You see the problem prevalent amongst inventors: they never know when to stop when it comes to naming their inventions.

You'll pay dearly for smacking me in the back of my noggin!