Chapter 191: Change and... Departing from Linear Time?

The school at night was quiet and desolate.

The empty, deserted playground, the pitch-black, deathly silent teaching building, coldly standing in the night wind, without any movement.

By all rights, an ordinary junior high school girl would absolutely not want to come to the school alone at this time, but Haruhi Suzumiya was different. Not only did she dare to come alone, she went straight to the sports equipment warehouse at the corner of the playground with a clear target.

In the secluded corner behind the warehouse were hidden handcarts, line marking machines, and several bags of lime powder.

I don't know if it was the negligence of the school staff, or if she had premeditated it long ago.

But it should be the latter.

"Hey, are you planning to just stand there like that?"

After laboriously moving the fully prepared tools one by one to the side of the playground, Miss Haruhi gently exhaled, then wiped the sweat beads that did not exist on her forehead. She thought for a moment, turned her head to look at a certain someone standing with hands behind his back watching, only to see the other party had a completely nonchalant expression.

This made Miss Haruhi inexplicably feel a bit unconvinced, just like before, so she decisively called out.

——Could it be that he doesn't want to know what he's preparing to do at all?

——Could it be that he isn't a bit curious?

"Oh, I see, wait a moment——" Hearing Miss Haruhi's call, a certain magic user who was lowering his head thinking about something raised his eyes to look over, then nodded, and walked over very casually.

"Hmph, do you have something you want to ask... eh?"

The junior high school girl hugged her arms with some tsundere, head held high and chest out, but she didn't expect the other party to walk past her side directly, very neatly pushing the line marking machine, and then briskly walking on the playground, with a series of white, obvious lines appearing on the ground she passed.

Haruhi Suzumiya was stunned for a moment, subconsciously widening her eyes to watch this scene.

——What is this situation?

——Shouldn't he ask what I want to do first?

——How can he not even ask, and just push the line marking machine and start operating it himself?!

Xia Zhi's speed was very fast, as if he didn't need to think at all, directly pushing the line marking machine back and forth on the playground. And whether walking a straight line, or an arc, or suddenly turning to change the angle, it was very decisive, without a bit of hesitation.

At first glance it looked like randomly drawing without any pattern, but in reality it was not so.

Looking at the whole process, one could discover that he obviously had a plan, as if referencing a certain real example, drawing it all in one breath.

"......"

"......"

Haruhi Suzumiya stuttered, unable to speak. When she came back to her senses, the youth had already finished the whole work, nonchalantly pushing the line marking machine back to the side of the playground, and stopped beside it.

"Alright, done."

He spoke lightheartedly, patting his palms.

Presented on the playground was a huge and abstract graffiti, strange patterns like the Nazca Lines geoglyphs, one look and you could tell it was definitely going to be news tomorrow.

In fact it indeed was so, after all it was the famous "Campus Graffiti Incident".

When Xia Zhi investigated Haruhi Suzumiya's intelligence, he naturally investigated this matter too, so after seeing the current junior high school student Miss Haruhi's actions, he already understood what her plan was... so there was nothing to fuss over, he directly copied and pasted that pattern.

Three years later, he knew what that graffiti should look like.

And now, through memory, he copied that graffiti to three years ago.

Thinking about it this way, things suddenly became very interesting, because this means once this fact is acknowledged, this history is preserved, then it shows——

When Xia Zhi investigated three years later, he saw the graffiti he left three years ago.

And the graffiti he left three years ago, was what he saw when he investigated three years later.

When the Time Snake bit its own tail, the paradox undoubtedly appeared. Upon careful exploration, one would find that although it seemed like a reasonable cycle, his change to history became part of history itself, but in fact, the truly strange thing lay in the origin of that graffiti.

How did the Information Subject appear?

Surely it didn't appear out of thin air in time?

This was of course impossible, after all even information is conserved. Therefore this graffiti could only be Miss Haruhi's own creation, the embodiment of her own will. If Xia Zhi's side didn't directly act, then next Miss Haruhi should also command him to draw such graffiti.

It's just that he chose to act directly, changing the trajectory of history that should have been...

Now it depends on whether Miss Haruhi is willing to acknowledge this history, making the world line process complete coverage.

As long as she acknowledges it, then the so-called paradox perhaps doesn't count for anything. In the end it's just seeing how Miss Haruhi chooses this history, just like how she decides the form of the world's existence.

After being stunned for a good while, the Team Leader adult who is currently a junior high school girl finally came back to her senses. She suddenly became excited: "You... how did you know I wanted exactly this! How did you know!" Her eyes sparkled with little stars, excitedly grabbing his sleeve tightly.

This can't be denied, right!

The previous things could still have some explanation, such as she misread, actually he was very close at that time, so he could catch her so quickly; or such as one-sidedly knowing her, so he could call out her name in one breath, and so on.

These reasons, although somewhat far-fetched, could be reluctantly accepted by pinching one's nose.

However, this time, how should it be explained?

Haruhi Suzumiya's inner heart was very certain that the appearance of this graffiti work indeed matched her imagination exactly. But before this, it only existed in her own mind. At this moment, she simply could not describe the wonderful feeling in her heart.

Her heartbeat was accelerating!

As if finally encountering fate!

This is surreal, right! This must be the surreal she wanted to witness, right!

"You guess?"

The Magician looked at the graffiti results on the playground, and smiled slightly.

"I don't want to guess! You tell me now!" The Small Account Team Leader adult grabbed him tightly, afraid that if she let go he would disappear like an unreal dream, her tone also carrying a hint of urgency, "Are you really a Wizard? Or a Time Traveler? Right?"

"......"

"......"

"...... All of them."

Xia Zhi blinked his eyes, and said calmly.

This time he didn't deny or brush it off again, but directly chose to admit it.

The previous conversation, the discussion about whether the Anti-Divine made a mistake when creating the world, was just a preliminary probe, wanting to see if it was so, and also wanting to see this suspected Kami adult's reaction... it could be seen that Miss Haruhi was somewhat wavering.

Although she didn't have that awareness on the surface, her subconscious seemed to be somewhat conflicted.

Xia Zhi naturally wouldn't be arrogant enough to think all this was caused by his own words; one could only say Team Leader's heart was already in chaos. She was originally very conflicted inside, always in a tug-of-war state, like a scale swaying left and right.

And he merely placed a slight weight on one side of this scale swaying uncertainly left and right.

Only, this still wasn't enough...

Although Team Leader had begun leaning toward the other side of the scale, she still hadn't truly broken free of the conflict, hadn't truly made up her mind.

"All of them?!" At Xia Zhi's suddenly honest answer, Miss Haruhi's voice abruptly rose.

Her expression first showed some disbelief, then immediately turned a bit suspicious, staring at him strangely like that, hesitating for a moment, as if wanting to confirm something, tentatively asking again: "Th-then... are you an alien?"

"Yes, I'm also an alien."

"Then are you still an otherworlder?" Miss Haruhi's expression began turning subtle.

"You could also say that, I am indeed also an otherworlder." Xia Zhi calmly nodded, likewise admitting this guess.

After all, in terms of the basic nature of existence, he indeed simultaneously possessed several such attribute labels; in a certain sense one could also say he was... the so-called "moé point"? — Anyway they're all the type Team Leader likes, probably also because of this that he appeared here.

Only, despite his straightforward answers, however—

Team Leader instead didn't believe it so much.

Her little face fell at once, glaring at him both angry and annoyed: "I'm serious! Don't always treat me like a child!"

Whatever I ask, he directly admits it all in one breath! What's the difference from not admitting it, he's definitely treating me like a child and fobbing me off!

"I know, I'm also serious, actually—"

The youth sighed, just about to continue saying something, but suddenly stopped speaking. He felt that at this moment, a powerful correction force was acting on him, beginning to erase his existence in this spacetime, like using an eraser to wipe pencil marks off paper.

Only because he could actively confirm his own existence karma, he could still stand here steadily at this moment, not immediately expelled.

However...

The correction force likewise wasn't stable, and was rapidly increasing in scale, output growing stronger and stronger.

In merely a few short seconds, the feeling to him had already become huge to an indescribable degree, as if the whole world was pressing down on him.

To forcibly resist would require paying a greater price, there didn't seem to be any necessity.

Bet wrong?

She ultimately wasn't willing to make a choice in a dilemma?

The Magician understood, also lightly exhaled, no longer resisting that rapidly strengthening correction force, his figure's outline beginning to faintly fade. The previous conversation was still within the other party's acceptable range, but his intention to now directly speak the truth ultimately still crossed the line.

If not for this, he should have been able to stay in this spacetime longer.

But this can't be helped, after all he bet wrong, Team Leader didn't intend to make a decision just because he gave a push.

Simultaneously—

On the other side—

"How can this make people believe you're serious!" Miss Haruhi didn't notice someone was disappearing, only grumbling in dissatisfaction, while also unable to help repeatedly scanning the huge graffiti on the playground, increasingly feeling this was exactly the scene she wanted to see in her heart.

"..."

"..."

"Hey, why aren't you speaking?" Miss Haruhi not getting a response for a long time, pouted and asked displeasedly, she withdrew her gaze, angrily glaring in that person's direction.

However, what met her eyes was only the pitch-black track under the night.

Empty, not half a person's shadow.

"..."

"..."

The girl obviously blanked for a moment, then immediately turned around in a fluster, looking around in all directions. No matter how she searched, she didn't see that tall straight figure again, as if it had never appeared at all.

Miss Haruhi stood dazed in place, spacing out blankly in the night wind.

A moment later, her seemingly frozen petite body finally moved slightly, turned her head to look at those lines on the playground, then looked at the machine, lime powder and other things nearby.

What on earth is going on? Am I really dreaming?

Come to think of it.

It seems I didn't even ask his name clearly.

————————

————————

Vision blurred.

Xia Zhi discovered the surrounding scenery had completely changed.

No longer the playground, track and teaching building under the night sky, but turned into his own Workshop's scenery, the spacious surrounding space and various magecraft tools, rows of bookshelves, even he himself was still standing right in front of the bookshelves, seemingly selecting reading material.

What situation?

Even if I returned, shouldn't I appear next to that intersection?

He lightly frowned, for a moment couldn't figure out what situation this was, and just at this time, light knocking sounds came from the distant room door.

Open the door.

Nagato Yuki stood outside the door, expressionlessly calmly said: "Haruhi Suzumiya is downstairs, just called in saying she wants to find you."

"Find me? At this time? Then I'll go see"

The youth glanced at the time, he rapidly thought for a bit, then nodded, directly striding past the Literary Girl toward outside the door. Behind him, Nagato Yuki quietly watched, behind her glasses' lenses faint light flashed in the depths of her eyes, as if exchanging data with some place.

The World seems to have undergone some change.

She is applying to the Information Integration Thought Entity to download the information portion about the change for comparison.

The other side—

Xia Zhi rapidly went from the 7th Floor down to downstairs, then saw Haruhi Suzumiya at this time segment outside the apartment, she was pacing back and forth at the intercom by the entrance.

And she seems to have run all the way here, little face somewhat red, also panting slightly, don't know if from excitement or from intense exercise, but more likely both, creating her current extremely excited appearance.

Hearing footsteps, the girl immediately turned around, saw his figure appear in her vision.

Her pupils suddenly flared, she bit her lips hard, sizing up the young man before her from top to bottom, looking more and more excited.

"Suzumiya-san?" Xia Zhi was a little unaccustomed to her burning gaze, tentatively asking, "You... is something the matter?"

"Three years ago!"

Haruhi Suzumiya spoke directly, but still stared at him fixedly, looking stubborn: "I actually saw you before... three years at Dongguo Middle School! Do you still remember?!"

"..."

"..."

So that's how it was!

Xia Zhi pulled the corner of his mouth, suddenly understanding in his heart that it wasn't his judgment that was wrong and he had bet wrong.

But rather that the Team Leader back then hadn't truly made preparations, or perhaps her inner heart didn't wish to change what had been happening since that time. So trying to directly persuade her at that "three years ago" node was meaningless.

But the seed had ultimately been planted, beginning to sprout after three years...

Or rather, she had chosen it.

"Why aren't you speaking? You wouldn't not want to admit it, right?" Seeing his strange expression, the Team Leader clearly still misunderstood, she stepped forward directly, pointing at him with great momentum, "I remember! I already remember, you don't think you can fool me this time!"

"You're definitely a time traveler! Right?"

She simply made such a categorical assertion with absolute certainty, forming an extremely sharp contrast with her previous contradictory performance of believing yet suspecting.

And as the girl's voice fell, Xia Zhi felt something abruptly invade his mind—some image.

Like a memory flashback, yet also like being able to see the future.

Time seemed to have become something touchable.

Past, present, and future were placed side by side.

As if light had completed all calculations from the moment of departure, he realized that at this moment, he had truly received cross-timeline information transmission from himself, and precisely understood those information... regardless of form, when the same intelligence could travel back and forth, time had opened for him.

Memory synchronization technology was happening.

Human thinking absolutely cannot imagine this kind of change and experience.

Because human thinking is linear thinking, humans are accustomed to using causality to explain this world... for example one event triggers another event, for example one cause leads to one result, in short things all develop from past states to future states.

Humans are accustomed to using linear time to describe things, past, present, future, the three cannot exchange positions, the past brings about the present, the present will change the future.

However for Xia Zhi, from this moment on it was no longer like that, he could comprehensively, holistically, and integrally understand and grasp events.

He no longer lived in a linear time flow.

(Chapter End)