“Alright! So the best plan of action would be to look for the annex door right?” Leon asked, “Maybe that’s where Chero and the others ended up? We still have hope.”
“We’ll definitely find them…” Tsukino said.
“Yes. Normally I advise against this…but…Let’s split up into two groups,” Hime said.
Hime looked at her three other group members; Leon, Tsukino, and Danni.
Hime was surprised that Danni did not go with Dante and asked her why.
“Cause I want to be in the cool kids search party! Plus…I wanted to show Dante how strong I am!” Danni explained, “Besides…”
Danni looked up at the sky, “All the cool stuff happens to Hime’s group. It’s like the author is making her the main character. I want a piece of the spotlight!”
“Whatever you say, Danni.” Hime laughed, “You’re so strange”
“Let’s get going…I want to find my sister fast,” Tsukino said.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Chero sat on the floor of the piano room snuggling with Dino. She was just happy to be near him. She slipped out of his arms and stood up.
“I think…we have waited long enough. Everyone should be back together by now. We better head out,” Chero said.
“Got it. By the way…since this is the second time loop…does that mean that Jenny and everyone else is going to get killed?” Dino asked, as Chero helped him to his feet.
“Yeah…Jenny, Kiki and Mocha…I’d like to help them, but we can’t,” Chero sighed.
“Right. And we still need to find the journal as well. We will look for it too.”
“That’s right! We have to find it before the other do. The journal sent us here…I am sure if we find it we can go back,” Chero explained.
“Bene! Let’s get going, bella.”
“Hai!”
Chero and Dino made their way down to the second floor. They looked throw two rooms and the bookshelves there.
“The journal’s not here either…”Chero sighed.
“Don’t worry, amore. It is bound to be somewhere in the mansion. Let’s hurry though,” Dino repiled.
The pair were about to round the corner to go look in the fireplace room when they heard voices.
“They’re right over there! Hide, Dino!” Chero cried.
“??? Is there some kind of trouble? They’re being very loud…” Dino said.
Chero peeked her head around to try and hear better, but still not be spotted.
“Chero is…dead?” Dante questioned what Hime had just told his group.
Mocha wiped her eyes, “You better not look…Jenny is preparing the room now, but…it looks pretty bad…”
Jenny walked out, tears streaming down her cheeks, “I-I….I took care of the room and…her…wounds…too…sort of…Francis is holding up pretty well…But…Dino…Dino…is still very disoriented….”
Chero stared at the scene wide eyed, “I’m…Dead?!”
“Well you told me this was the second time loop, but maybe you were mistake?” Dino asked.
Chero crossed her arms and shook her head, “No way. I’m sure this is the second time loop!”
“We need to lower our voices…they might hear us,” Dino said.
“Ah…Gomen ne…Now that I think about it…Hime and Jenny did say that I died in the second time loop. Maybe…that’s it?”
Chero frowned, “But wait…then the one I know is…”
“Chero Letizia Caffarelli Aoyama…” Kiki said, reading a journal, “The name of this journal’s owner. No…hold on…This looks more like a contract sign. Let’s see what is written inside…”
Kiki read over it and her eyes went wide, “W-What the hell?! Ruse to go back in time?”
“Ah…they are talking about your journal,” Dino said.
“Yeah…If I died…that means there is no one to go back in time, right? I wonder what that means?” Chero asked.
“DADDY!! WAIT!! LISTEN TO ME!” Danni shouted.
Dino came out of the room where dead Chero was. He looked around.
“D-Dino!” Hime exclaimed.
Dino looked around more and then walked over to Hime, “Hime…Do you know…where Chero is?”
Hime’s eyes went wide and she tried to keep a calm expression.
“Danni told me that Chero is gone…You…You know it’s not true, right?” Dino practically begged.
Hime looked at the floor, avoiding Dino’s eyes, “Ah…she’s….she’s…”
Danni walked out and looked at Dante, worried about Dino. Dante nodded.
“Let’s go to another room. We have other things to do. We have to find out the meaning of that journal--” Dante started to say.
“Why?!” Dino interrupted, “We still have to look for Chero. Are you saying she does not matter?!”
Francis slipped out of the room and hugged Jenny close.
“No. That’s not what I meant. I know you are having a hard time accepting this. I know you do not want to accept this, but if you don’t accept that she is dead, how much time do you think we’re going to waste—“ Dante continued.
Dino grabbed ahold of Dante’s shirt and got in his face.
“Don’t you DARE say the same thing as Danni!!” Dino shouted.
“D-Dante!” Danni squeaked.
Dante looked over at his girlfriend and smiled.
“It’s ok. I can handle this better.”
He removed his shirt from Dino’s hand and looked him in the eye.
“I’ll be blunt. She is dead. If you have nothing better to do than stand there, then you should find a way to escape from here as quickly as possible. She’s NOT coming back!” Dante said, his voice raising with every word.
“Figlio di Cagna!” Dino shouted back.
“That’s enough Dino!” Hime said slapping him, “Are you numb?! You’re misjudging an accurate decision!”
“You’re not the only one who’s grieving!” Danni sobbed.
Dante pulled Danni into a hug.
“Let’s go…we better go to another room to investigate the journal,” Kiki said.
Hime looked at Dino, “We will be waiting for you…”
Everyone went up the stairs leaving Dino behind to think to himself.
