"Yeah, I'm calling in sick. So what? I'm sick. Oh, I don't sound sick? Ahaha, that's funny. I'm pretty sure I sound as sick as you always do when you call in."

Karma paused to listen to his employee, then laughed. "Eh? That's low? Wow, you're making such good jokes today. You know, I haven't actually verified all of your sick days yet. Would you - oh, you found someone to cover for me? Thanks man!" Karma closed his phone, grinning.

Then his good mood was ruined when he accidentally glanced at the room he had been keeping Nagisa's corpse in. He'd done it thinking maybe it'd help if he got to see some… proof that what had happened had happened. However, when Karma had woken up in the morning, the bed was empty. Though it was rumpled, and unmade. Karma chose to take this as a sign that Nagisa had definitely been there.

"What is this?" Karma muttered, covering his face with one hand. After getting the day off, he had made it a point to check the calendar date. Time wasn't repeating itself - this anomaly was solely centered around Nagisa. So what was causing it? He looked at the bed again, then reached out, plucking something he'd missed before off of the sheet.

It was a withered… tentacle? If it weren't crumbling to ash in his fingers, it would have been a bright azure color.

"Karma! I've been trying to call you. I…"

"Is that so?" Karma said in a disinterested tone. "So what do you want?"

A brief moment of silence, then Nagisa said, "Ah… about that, I need some help."

Karma heard the shakiness in his former classmate's tone.

"Alright," Karma said. "I know where you are - I'll meet you there."

He ended the call, wondering whether at the moment Nagisa was baffled or resigned. Did Nagisa remember or not?

Then Karma shrugged. He would find out, if Nagisa didn't run.

"I'm here," Karma said, the words feeling old in his mouth. The fourth time he had said them, wasn't it? Nagisa looked up at Karma. "Hey… Karma. I'm… I'm sorry… For making you do this…"

Karma tilted his head. Nagisa was still smiling, albeit slightly sadly. "Are you aware of how many times I have been forced to watch you die?" Karma said bluntly.

Nagisa nodded without missing a beat. He held out the knife. "So will you please kill me again?" his former classmate asked.

In a tone that one would associate a question such as, "Will we walk together again?"

Karma stepped closer, taking the weapon. He turned it over, considering. The thought of killing Nagisa again was nearly unbearable. "Why?" he asked.

Nagisa blinked. His face looked thoughtful as he started to speak, "Well… I meant to kill you. But somehow, I can't. I instead, I die every day." Tears began to stream down his face, but his expression didn't change. "You know, everyone else… I… already killed them. You were the last."