Minerva was on the verge of tears, watching Flugel tread in dangerous waters, for now he was peeling 'tatoes.

After he told Echidna that he would become her Instigator, she led the trio to her kitchen, where they would have to make their own food.

Echidna was now using a fire crystal to heat a stove, which would boil the 'tatoes that Flugel was currently peeling. She was in a dreamy state, probably because she finally found the answer to her hopes and seemingly impossible dreams.

This new situation created an odd atmosphere for Flugel. In the past, he had made 'tatoes with Rem and Ram, in a time when everything was still simple.

Now, he was making a very similar meal with Echidna and Minerva, and he didn't know how he should be feeling.

Should he hold on to his past and hope to return to the future, or should he accept his new present and live happily with the two women who he was beginning to grow close to?

Thinking back, he still had to kill Pandora, and he still had to live out his life with... umm...

Who? Who was that person that always came to the edge of his mind, but never came into view? There was definitely somebody who he cared about deeply, but Flugel could not remember her.

Should he go back to his time and find out? Should he go back to the life that he had fought so hard for? 

Even if he chose yes, how?

How can he travel forward in time?

Or on a similar note, how can he travel back in time, when he was still in the future?

His hands stopped peeling the 'tatoes as a phrase came into mind. This was an evil phrase, but one that he had come to know well.

Return by Death.

This ability allowed him to go back to a specific point in time when he died, meaning that he could potentially die and then go back to a point before his confrontation with Pandora.

If this theory was correct, then he had to kill himself as soon as possible to get back. 

In the midst of these thoughts, Flugel resumed his peeling and looked at the two Witches who stood near him. 

Minerva looked at him with worry, not wanting him to cut himself with the knife.

Echidna glanced back at him and gave a warm smile, radiating gratitude for his dedication to becoming her Instigator.

This sight was one that would be painful to get rid of, but would it be worse than potentially giving up the only chance to return to his rightful place?

He didn't know.

There was a chance that his death would only send him back to a time after he arrived here, and even worse was the chance that his ability didn't work in this new time.

Time was a very complex thing, so he didn't know how it translated to Return by Death.

Would it act like he never got it? Would it still apply to him? Would it automatically send him back to a time after he got it (which would be in the future)? Would it 'refresh' and send him back sometime in the last day and a half?

Flugel didn't know the right answer, and he couldn't make up his mind. As a result, he needed to secure a way to kill himself in the case that he decided to follow through with his desperate plan.

Next to Flugel's hand was a cup that held several knives, and he 'accidentally' knocked it over, spilling a few knives on the floor.

"Whoops!" he exclaimed while jumping away, making sure to be careful of every knife. While Minerva and Echidna were still processing what happened, Subaru crouched down and began picking the knives up.

As he grabbed them, he held them close to his pockets. With precise handling, Flugel slipped one of the smaller knives into his pocket, making sure that it would not stab him while still not being noticeable.

This was the best plan that he could come up with, as he couldn't use magic, and he certainly couldn't ask Echidna to kill him. Additionally, he couldn't ask or search for poison because that was also suspicious. On top of that, suffocating was even worse than stabbing himself.

At this time, the two Witches had finally come to their senses, and Minerva came to Flugel's side as Echidna looked on with worry.

"I knew that something was going to happen! You need to be more careful!" Minerva exclaimed. She had been worried that the teenage boy would cut himself while peeling the 'tatoes, but now he had narrowly avoided getting stabbed after several knives had fallen towards his feet.

She had been too shocked to cry, so there were no tears as the Witch of Wrath helped Flugel pick up the remaining knives.

"Sorry for making you worry," he nervously chuckled as he and Minerva returned the knives to their cup.

"Hmph!" Minerva said with her lips pursed. "At least you weren't hurt."

"I agree," stated Echidna. "Make sure to place those knives in a less strikable location, so that you will not be in harm's way."

Trying to push the thought of the knife in his pocket away, Flugel said, "Sure thing. But first, we have to clean these. Do you happen to have a sink around here?"

Echidna stopped supervising the boiling pot to question Flugel. "Why would they need to be washed? I see no dirt on those knives."

The Japanese teenager wagged his finger. "Actually, there's this thing called bacteria that's everywhere, but you can't see it! That's why people get sick. The bacteria gets in their bodies and make them less healthy."

The Witch of Greed's mind was blown from this information. "I expect no less from my Instigator! You hold information that not even my book had told me, and this knowledge that you have imparted with us can be revolutionary in healing others! How exhilarating! Now allow me to wash those!"

With enthusiasm, Echidna took the knives to a sink, where she excitedly chanted, "Huma!"

Instead of the usual form of Huma, which is a water, this one came out as a stream of water that rinsed the knives.

In the span of a relatively uneventful half an hour, the 'tatoes were peeled and boiled, which meant that they were ready to be eaten.

Minerva was the first to grab a steaming 'tatoe, and she shoved it in her mouth as she handed Flugel one.

"Hot!" 

Echidna suppressed a chuckle and Flugel laughed as Minerva teared up not because of anger, but because she had been a little too excited to eat the piping hot 'tatoes.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Not long after the meal, Flugel sat down in the large bathing room, his clothes still on. 

Reaching a hand into his front pocket, he pulled out the knife that he had hidden inside of it earlier.

He stared at his faint reflection in the blade and watched it disappear as the knife fogged up from the steam that arose from the bath.

Should he make himself disappear from this moment, just as his reflection had ceased to exist?

Should he try to go back, right now, to the time that he didn't want to part from?

Should he undo everything that had happened with Minerva and Echidna?

Should he stay and hope to get back?

Should he stay here until he died naturally?

Flugel gripped the handle with enough pressure to make his hand go numb. He didn't want to die, but he also didn't want to give up the chance of seeing Beatrice, Rem, Ram, Garfiel, Patrasche, Otto, and everyone else again.

He hadn't been given enough time to come to peace with his new reality, so he was left in a confused and indecisive state as he pondered his next action.

If he didn't end it right here, he would definitely not be able to go back through Return by Death, but there was still a chance that Echidna would find a way to help him.

But what was his goal? 

Fugel's eyes began to water from frustration. There were so many things that he couldn't decide.

Did he want to try to go back right now?

Did he want to stay for a while and hope to get back?

Did he want to stay permanently?

Did he want to risk an irreversible death?

Slowly, he held the knife out, the blade pointed towards his throat. He couldn't rationalize a decision, but perhaps his body could act on its own. He did not know the right answers to his questions, so maybe he should act without thinking before it was too late.

Suicide was not something that should be considered, but Flugel was in a state that could be described as demented - he was about to act irrationally due to his exploding emotions.

Flugel's hands began to shake as he raised his chin, making his neck wide-open for stabbing. He still didn't know if he was going to go through with his death, but he still went through the preparatory actions. He could stop this at any time, so it was up to his arms to stop before the knife pierced his throat.

Flugel closed his eyes as tears finally began to flow. "I'm sorry," he apologized. There was no specific person he was apologizing to. More accurately, he was apologizing to everyone with no target in mind.

He wanted to apologize to Echidna and Minerva for erasing the precious time that they had spent together.

He wanted to apologize to everyone to whom he promised that he wouldn't hurt himself anymore.

He wanted to apologize to everyone who had gotten him this far.

And he wanted to apologize to himself for being so pathetic.

His hands came closer to his throat, and Flugel was almost certain that he would die now.

If he didn't come back... then he hoped that he had been a positive impact on at least one person's life. If he was able to help someone, all the way up to their own death, then he was happy.

Well, partially. He wished that he could have lived his life out to the fullest, and if that wasn't going to happen, then that would be his biggest regret.

He didn't want to die, but his hands didn't stop moving.

When the tip of the knife touched his neck, Flugel froze. This was his final chance to keep on living in this timeline. 

What was he going to do?

"Flugel! Don't do it!"

Minerva bursted into the bathing room and lunged toward Flugel.

Flugel opened his eyes and pulled the knife away as he unexpectedly heard Minerva call out his name. "Wha-"

"Don't kill yourself!" Minerva cried as she batted the knife out of Flugel's hand. Grabbing the collar of his shirt, she yelled, "What were you thinking?! After everything that we did together, why were you about to kill yourself?!"

Flugel wept from relief and grief as Minerva held him.

He wasn't going to die, but that closed a door that had possibly been open. He was now being forced to remain here, until he returned to his original time or until he officially died.

"I... don't know..." Flugel whispered. "I don't want to die, but I... but..."

With a level of anger that Flugel had not witnessed before, Minerva head-butted him before setting him back down.

"You don't know?! If you don't know, then it's obvious! Don't kill yourself! Love yourself and don't hurt your body!" Minerva was trying to wipe away her tears, but they just kept on coming. "If I didn't come to save you, then were you really going to kill yourself without knowing why?"

"I-I..." Flugel took a deep breath to compose himself a little more before answering. "Yes. There's a good chance that I would've ended everything if you didn't step in." Before Minerva could reply, he asked, "But how did you even know what I was doing?

Minerva crossed her arms. "When I saw you walking here, there was a look on your face that I knew that I saw somewhere! And then I thought about it, and it was the look on people's faces when they were trying to kill themselves! Trying to find peace! It sounds weird, but I've seen it! And I've seen it a lot! When I realized that you looked like that, I opened up the door a little and saw you holding a knife to your throat, so I stopped you! I don't want anybody to get hurt or die!"

After explaining herself, Minerva began to cry even more, and then moved into an embrace with Flugel. "Don't scare me like that ever again!" she demanded.

"I-I'm sorry," Flugel stuttered to the woman who was hugging him. "I want to love myself, but I just can't... I can't come to peace with... things."

Minerva looked him straight in the eyes, her face very close to his now. "Then I'll have to teach you! I'll help you love yourself, so don't worry! Just promise to stay alive!"

"But how will you-"

Flugel was interrupted and his eyes widened as Minerva closed the distance between their faces and kissed him.

This kiss was simple; lips were lightly touching lips. Minerva's lips were impossibly soft, and they were comforting. Flugel felt as if he was now on top of the world, and all of his confusion, guilt, stress, and anxiety melted away as Minerva became the most present thing in his mind. He was being saved by her.

After what seemed to be too short of a time, Minerva leaned back, ending the contact. With a pure smile, she told the surprised boy, "Just like that! I'll love you, so learn from me!"

Flugel touched his lips, right where Minerva's had been moments ago. 

A warmth spread through his chest, and a smile broke through all of his vanishing negative emotions.

He found it - a reason to stay here.

Love.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Natsuki Subaru... or I suppose his name is Flugel now," a platinum-haired girl remarked. "How intriguing... it seems as if you will be quite the influencer in this time."

Pandora smirked as she thought about this curious boy. "I am sure to have fun with you now in the picture."

She adopted a grin on her face and thought, "It's about time that this world had a new variable. I feel as if I have been missing something in my life. Make my world interesting, Flugel!" 

 ̶T̶h̶e̶ ̶E̶n̶d̶

Welp... this was the original ending to this story, but after popular demand, I have continued writing this book! 

At first, I thought that it would be pretty hard to continue a story that I hadn't planned to be more than 10,000 words, but after some brainstorming, I've actually come up with a pretty lengthy story, and I already have most of the plot figured out!

Of course, this book won't be nearly as long as my other one, but I hope that I can update it a little more frequently since the chapters won't be nearly as long. With that said, I can't make any guarantees because this upcoming part of the year always gets crazy-

Wait, speaking of the upcoming year... Happy New Year! I've got another chapter coming right after this one, so you won't have to wait soon to see me again!