Die and Reset

(A/N: I don't anything from this franchise only this meager fic of mine in this site. I just watched Summer Time Rendering and quickly fell in love with its premise and setting. I love the suspense and supernatural vibe in it. Also, Shinpei looks like Eren from AOT season 4 with heterochromatic eyes. What is it with me and my fascination towards time travelling books and shows? This anime sort of reminds me of Happy Death Day with more gore and supernatural horror. So, I tried searching for some fics and was somewhat disappointed that there's none so I will have to do it myself. Moreover, I'm just really fascinated with Shinpei and Hizuru/Nagumo's dynamic and it kinda reminds me of partnership between Takemichi and Chifuyu in Tokyo Revengers where they teamed up in defeating the baddies together. Hence, the main inspiration for this one shot. Hope you enjoy this as much as I did when I wrote it).

Shinpei swallowed thickly as he watched the events unfold in front of him with perfectly feigned ignorance and innocence.

But his insides were squirming out uncomfortably upon seeing Mio and Sou looking fine, breathing, and alive when he just witnessed on how they were slaughtered like helpless pigs in a pen by the Shadows.

'Don't lose control now Shinpei. Keep it together. You need it the most when Shiori was now overtaken by a Shadow together with her parents.' Shinpei chastised himself inwardly and struggled not to throw up at the mere thought that there were practically 3 Shadows now looming inside the funeral of Ushio.

He needed to keep his shit together if he wanted to save Mio and everyone from this kind of madness.

Especially now that he gained an unlikely ally in the mysterious form of Miss Nagumo Ryuunosuke. Their chance meeting was not an ideal one if he will go back to the prior events in his previous deaths and looping back of smashing his face accidentally into her well-endowed chest. But that was the least of his concerns when everything in this island was so fucked up and he could only be stupefied on how Nagumo was all taking it in stride and managed to even annihilate one of the Shadows with her skills and knowledge about them.

She was still as a leaf perching on a branch.

Deathly quiet when needed to be.

Sharp as a glistening knife in the kitchen.

And with an intelligence that she can turn into a simple discussion into an erudite conversation if needed to be.

Her dark, purple eyes alone could make him freeze in his stance as if she was investigating the deepest part of his mind and soul.

It's as if you could never lie to her with that expression alone.

But despite of her intimidating stance and sometimes cold demeanor, Shinpei had a weird feeling spreading within him.

A feeling that he could trust her fully and be one of his most helpful allies in this clusterfuck of an event that he was trying to prevent from happening in the future.

When he died previously at the hands of Mio's shadow, all he could feel was a numb sensation of nothingness and falling into an abyss of hopelessness.

He tried to save them...

...but some shit always happened and he was always outsmarted by the enemy.

Seeing his friends died in different ways before dying himself was a kind of despair that festered like a curse within him.

But it felt different now.

The way Nagumo shot him to his own death wasn't like his death at all.

It felt like being reborn once again with a clear path and plan on his mind.

"If you can really go back, then find me and say your name. I swear I'll save you." Those were the last few words uttered by Nagumo before pulling the trigger and let the bullet pierced right through his chest and reset the time once again.

Shinpei could feel death crawling upon his body and robbing him of his breath slowly. But he never felt more hopeful and lighter as a feather upon hearing those words that he needed to hear in this situation.

And seeing those familiar analytical yet understanding amethyst eyes clashing against his heterochromatic eyes once again felt liberating that Shinpei wanted jump and scream in joy.

But all he could do was settle for a hopeful gaze and watery smile at her direction.

Lord Byron once said, "Truth is stranger than fiction."

Nagumo's calm and steady voice brought him back to the present and stared at the book he gave her to sign on.

Shinpei listened silently as Nagumo calmly recounted the events and logically came to the correct conclusion about his existence.

"This isn't the first time you've experienced today – July 22nd. One could say you repeated it multiple times. Which means you must be a time traveler." She pushed up her glasses calmly into the bridge of her nose and locked her eyes with him.

Shinpei couldn't help the small sniffle and tears escaped from his eyes as he looked at her with quiet desperation and hopefulness from his abject misery and situation.

With her help, they can defeat the Shadows from killing off the people into this island and seizing their existence.

"Yes."

(A/N: Reviews are amusing so let me hear them from you).