Rewind and Zhu

Jon and his friend find themselves in a challenging situation where they must distinguish one odd toy from a group of eight within a limited time frame of thirty minutes. As they begin their task, Fuya introduces an intriguing rule that makes it increasingly difficult for them to remember the message hidden within each toy. Adding to their challenge, the message is distorted and stammered, making it nearly impossible to comprehend without careful attention.

As they proceed with their task, they face an additional obstacle during the third round. If they successfully hit the target, they can see the symbol on the toy's head for thirty minutes along with the message. However, the catch is that if they attempt to listen to the message, the symbol becomes invisible. This creates a dilemma, and they must choose between hearing the message or seeing the symbol.

Despite these difficulties, Jon remains focused and determined to succeed. He diligently questions each person about the order in which they encountered the toys, attempting to gauge their recollection abilities. The clock is ticking, and every second counts as they try to overcome these obstacles and so they can progress to the next stage.

"Germon, what did you hear when you went to shoot?" Jon asked.

Germon shook his head. "I don't remember anything," he replied.

Jon frowned, deep in thought. "I also don't remember anything," he said, "but I did see a ray of incandescent inside the shadow symbol on the head of that toy."

Germon perked up at Jon's words. "That could be a big lead, if you remember the symbol. Just in case we got some message that would be great," he said.

Kyora chimed in confidently. "Yeah! I heard and remember it."

Jon turned to Kyora. "What did you hear?" he asked.

Kyora stood up straight, ready to share her findings. "I heard—I'm Sei. When someone falls. I get up but no one can see me, even though I'm here," she recited.

"Okay, that's good to know, but still not useful to find out the answer," Germon said.

Ashya spoke up next. "Don't ask me, I didn't listen because that bitch added a new rule due to that," she said with a hint of frustration. "Two toys start rumbling their voice inside of my head. So I couldn't remember it."

"We know that, Ashya," Germon said, trying to keep the conversation on track. "Okay! I was next. So at the time I heard but couldn't see the symbol. The message was - 'I'm Ka! I am not evident but still I'm everywhere.'"

Jon nodded. "Okay. After that was me, but I missed," he said, disappointment evident in his voice. "That was the seventh round."

As the group continued their discussion, they moved on to round eight where Kyora had missed the target. "I guess that one's a wash," Jon commented.

The next round was the ninth, and Ashya had hit the target and heard the message loud and clear. "I heard and saw well. It says I'm Chi! If I break, you'll lose your balance and everything will sink in. The symbol was like a crack in the ground," Ashya said proudly.

Germon's eyes widened as he realized the significance of Ashya's message. "An Earth Element!" he exclaimed. "Oh! I get it too, toys representing the basic elements, right, Germon?" Jon said, his own realization dawning on him.

Germon paused to think for a moment before speaking. "Yeah! Let's skip the part where we missed the target. Now I'll ask in my own way, is that okay with you, Jon?" Germon asked.

Jon waved his hand dismissively. "Never mind!" he replied.

Jon proceeded to give his own account of the rounds he had participated in, hitting all the targets except for rounds 2, 10, 14, and 18. He only remembered the messages from rounds 6 and 14. "I am Hi. If you touch me you will get hurt but only Mi can save you from me," Jon recited, and Germon quickly recognized it as the element of fire.

"Next is you, Ashya. Tell us about your rounds," Germon said, turning to her.

Ashya took a deep breath and began recounting her experiences. "Okay! So I already gave you information about my first round which I missed due to my naivety, the fifth which was unexpected because of that bitch, and the ninth you all already know," she said. "After that I heard the message on both the remaining rounds. The first was - 'I'm Hika! Kura in me and I'm in Kura.' The second was - 'I'm Kura! Hika in me and I'm in Hika.'"

"Hika and Kura. They're like light and darkness, if I'm not mistaken," Jon mused.

"Your guess is right, Jon! They are light and dark," Germon replied with a nod and a smile.

Kyora beamed at her friends. "You are all wonderful, guys!"

Germon turned to Kyora. "You're next, Kyora-sis. What do you remember?"

Kyora closed her eyes and thought for a moment. "Yeah! So I only remember the fourth, twelfth and sixteenth rounds. I already told you the fourth. On the twelfth, I was able to see the symbol and hear the message. They were - 'I'm Mi! And I will put down Hi for you,' and the symbol was like a wave flowing. And in the sixteenth round, I heard, 'I am Kami! I can be treacherous. If I fall on you!'"

Kyora paused for a moment before continuing. "That symbol and the message match is the water element. And that sixteenth, I am not saying by the message, but if I match the name with the message. Then it sounded like thunder."

Germon raised his eyebrows. "Interesting. What about the other rounds?"

Kyora shook her head. "I can't remember the others."

Jon spoke up. "Okay! I'm the last one. So I hit the target in the remaining three, but I only remember two. One of them was a multiple of three. So I'll start with that. It also says and gives symbols which are 'I'm Ka! I am not evident but I'm everywhere,' and the symbol was like a flow of three horizontal lines. 'I'm Sei! When someone falls, I get up but no one can see me, even though I'm here.' That was the last one's message."

Jon paused and looked at his friends. "I don't get the last one, but the first one is the air element, no doubt about it."

Ashya nodded in agreement. "You're right, Jon. If I remember the basic elements, the last one I think is Spirit, and I get it too, which is an odd one."

Before Germon could reply, Fuya's voice interrupted them. "Hey innocent kids! Time's up, where was your attention?"

Ashya looked at her watch. "There's still five minutes left, bitch!"

Fuya cackled. "Oh! I think you forgot my nature. Between games, I changed the thirty-minute rule to twenty-five minutes. I was screaming from here to tell you, but you didn't listen to me. Now you all suffer!"

As Fuya snaps her fingers, Germon watches as everyone around him starts disappearing. It felt like the end of everything, but suddenly, a girl appeared inside his mind. "If you want to save yourself and your friend, I can help you," she said, introducing herself as Zhu. Germon was confused, but intrigued by her offer to turn back time and send him back ten minutes earlier.

"Who are you?" he asked, trying to make sense of the situation. Zhu simply replied, "Don't worry, Boy. I will be in your mind because there is something only you can do. So, I will tell you about me later."

Germon was still hesitant, so he asked, "Why would you do this?"

Zhu's response was cold and to the point, "Do you really think you have time to ask me so many questions? If you don't answer, you and your friend will disappear."

With no other option, Germon agreed, "Okay! Do it."

Zhu then turned back time and sent everyone back ten minutes earlier, but Germon was the only one who knew about it. As they continued their discussion about the elements, Germon already knew the answer. He raised his hand confidently and answered, "It is thunder. Of all the elements, it is not one of the basics from fire, water, earth, air, light, darkness, and spirit."

Fuya was stunned, and everyone around Germon was surprised as well. Even Jon asked, "How did you know the answer, Germon?"

"It's a long story," Germon replied with a smile, "I'll tell you later."

Ashya's eyes narrowed as she demanded, "What are you hiding, spit it out already?" Germon's behavior was strange, he hesitated before replying, "I said I'll tell you later."

Ashya let out a small sigh, her curiosity piqued. "Okay, but that was really amazing, Germon," she praised.

Kyora nodded in agreement. "Yes, Germon, that was amazing. You didn't even ask me about my message, yet you still got the answer."

Zhu remained silent but his thoughts were anything but. "I'm the one who did all this work and you're getting compliments," he grumbled inside Germon's mind.

"Shut up!" Germon thought back, frustrated by Zhu's arrogance.

Ashya furrowed her brows, thinking she had heard something from Germon. "Did you say anything?" she asked.

Germon shook his head. "No," he replied, hoping to divert Ashya's attention away from his inner dialogue with Zhu.

As the group walked towards their sixth stage and second checkpoint in the sixteenth compartment, Germon planned to tell them about Zhu's involvement later. However, something was waiting for them between the seventeenth and sixteenth compartments.

Despite their attempts to force Germon to reveal his secret, they were getting closer to their destination. The group was growing restless as they approached the checkpoint, eager to uncover the mystery that Germon seemed determined to keep hidden.

As the group approached the seventeenth compartment, they saw a girl lying unconscious at the entrance of another compartment. Concerned, everyone rushed towards her.

Ashya asked, "Who is she?"

"We don't have time for that," Jon replied urgently. "Germon, carry her on your back and let's get inside for now."

"Okay, I got it," Germon nodded, hoisting the girl onto his back.

With the girl in tow, they all entered the compartment. However, little did they know that something was brewing in the East Japan Railway Company.

Three days later, the chairman returned to the secret room, determined to complete the story and find a way to save the trapped passengers. "Today, I will definitely find a way," Chairman Ryochi Sougo declared with conviction.