Director Edward

Chapter 210: Episode 5 · Paradox Spiral! (8)

"What's going on? Why are there two Enjou Tomoe?"

"Are his parents dead or alive? What's the situation here?"

"I'm so confused. What on earth is happening?"

"..."

In an instant, all the viewers were left in a state of shock.

Whether it was the nobles in the duke's mansion, the commoners gathered in taverns watching the broadcast, or the mages at the Imperial Mage Academy, everyone who saw the scene on the screen was overcome with profound confusion.

After all, no one had expected Enjou Tomoe's home to be such a bizarre scene, let alone that another Enjou Tomoe could exist in this world.

"I knew it! This movie doesn't make any sense!"

"Exactly! If Enjou Tomoe's family situation was this strange, how could he not have noticed it before?"

"Right! So many details in this movie don't hold up at all!"

"This is terrible! How did they dare to screen something like this for so many people? It's a joke!"

"..."

The nobles, as always, wasted no time harshly criticizing the film, dragging it through the mud.

However, unlike the nobles, who were quick to insult, most of the audience remained calm, trying to piece together the clues and understand why such a strange situation was unfolding.

Among them were a few who, through various details, began to grasp the truth of the entire incident.

"I see now. I didn't expect the story to have a twist like this."

The True Ancestor Arcueid spoke thoughtfully. She had been paying close attention to the film's details and now seemed to have unraveled the mystery behind the bizarre events on screen.

Of course, to avoid ruining the experience for others, she deliberately refrained from saying more.

However, her restraint only deepened the curiosity of those around her.

...

In the film, the other Enjou Tomoe returned home, completely ignoring Ryougi Shiki and the original Enjou Tomoe standing nearby.

He walked straight to his room, prepared his bed, and went to sleep without a word.

Shortly after, driven by the visible anxiety of the original Enjou Tomoe, a fierce argument broke out between his parents in the living room.

First, his father began verbally abusing and physically assaulting his mother, grabbing her by the hair, throwing her to the ground, and stomping on her repeatedly.

Then, as if nothing had happened, he coldly returned to his seat and continued giving her orders.

During this time, Enjou's mother seemingly walked nonchalantly into the kitchen, but when she returned, she was holding a kitchen knife.

Without hesitation, she brutally drove the knife into Enjou's father, piercing his body with merciless precision.

Yet, during this entire scene, not a single drop of blood spilled from Enjou's father's body.

However, Enjou's mother appeared completely unaware of this anomaly. She slowly turned, gripping the knife, and began making her way toward Enjou Tomoe's room.

"…Don't."

Instinctively, Enjou Tomoe, filled with urgency, tried to intervene, but Ryougi Shiki stepped in to block his path.

At the same time, inside the room, Enjou Tomoe, unable to react in time, was stabbed by his mother.

"Tomoe, die."

Tears streaming down her face, the woman plunged the knife into her son's body.

Even though no blood flowed from the wound, the scene was both horrifying and cruel.

Clang!

Clang!

Clang! …

After a series of sharp, violent sounds, Enjou's mother slit her own throat with the knife.

In that moment, it was as if the gears of a machine had suddenly stopped turning.

The entire room fell into a still and eerie silence.

"Why—?"

Watching his nightmare unfold before him, Enjou Tomoe froze, utterly stunned.

In contrast, Ryougi Shiki, with a look of calm as if she had anticipated this outcome, spoke coldly:

"I understand now. Let's go. There's nothing left to do here."

"Nothing left? Why? I… I clearly died here!"

"What are you talking about? Look closely. There's not a single drop of blood coming from the body, right? By morning, everything will reset. This is just another 'cycle' of life and death."

"Wha—?"

Unable to comprehend Ryougi's words, Enjou Tomoe instinctively followed her out of the room.

Meanwhile, Ryougi spoke with an air of indifference:

"In any case, there's nothing more to be done here. Let's move on to the next place."

"The next place? What other place do we need to go to, Ryougi?"

"Isn't it obvious? To your real home, Enjou."

Ryougi's words echoed sharply, leaving Enjou Tomoe visibly confused—and plunging the audience into a profound state of bewilderment as well.

...

"What is Ryougi Shiki talking about? Weren't they just in Enjou Tomoe's home?"

"Does Enjou Tomoe have another place to live?"

"No idea. I just want to know what's going on with this apartment. Why does Enjou's family live so mechanically, like lifeless dolls?"

"Honestly, this is starting to creep me out."

"What kind of cursed place is this apartment, anyway?"

"…"

Various discussions broke out among the audience.

At this moment, everyone felt a chilling unease from the bizarre storyline. Though the scenes on-screen lacked any overtly horrifying elements, they still left the viewers instinctively unsettled, as if an icy hand had brushed against their hearts.

...

The film continued.

Ryougi Shiki led Enjou Tomoe to the center of the building, but this time, she didn't head toward the elevator. Instead, she turned and walked to the back of it.

At this point, Enjou Tomoe felt a strange sense of unfamiliarity. Even though he had lived in this building for so long, it was as if he was only now noticing this other side of it.

In stark contrast to the brightly lit East Wing, the West Wing was completely dark. In the pitch-black night, the only way to see the path ahead was by the faint light of the moon.

Step by step, they climbed the stairs to the far end of the West Wing, arriving at Room 410—mirroring the layout of Room 405 at the end of the East Wing.

"I've been wondering about this from the beginning. Didn't you say you live in Room 405? Yet he read your name out last, which is unusual for someone so methodical. He wouldn't change the order without reason. If the Enjou family wasn't living in the last room on the fourth floor—the West Wing's Room 410—that would be far too strange."

"What are you saying?"

"To put it simply, Enjou Tomoe, your true residence isn't at the end of the East Wing in Room 405. It's here, at the end of the West Wing in Room 410. The building's administrators used a clever design involving the central elevator to obscure the truth, ensuring that residents remain unaware of their actual living arrangements."

As Ryougi spoke, she gestured toward the tightly shut door in front of them.

"So here we are, standing before the place you haven't returned to in six months—your real home. Are you feeling excited, Enjou?"

Ryougi's words left both Enjou Tomoe and the audience utterly stunned.

In that moment, every viewer wore the same expression as Enjou Tomoe: wide-eyed and slack-jawed, completely taken aback by the eerie twists in the film's narrative.

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