Esper Harem in the Apocalypse

Rudy left the house and headed to the market to gather the ingredients Jessica needed. Once he had everything on the shopping list, Rudy considered going home directly to assist Jessica with dinner. However, Jessica had mentioned that she would work on her project and resume cooking once Rebecca returned, giving Rudy an hour to himself.

Instead of taking the direct route home, Rudy decided to take a detour through the town's various alleys and corners. Most things appeared as he remembered them, and he enjoyed the familiar sights. As he strolled through the town, he eventually reached the end where the way to the next city was blocked by a mountain.

Standing at this dead end, Rudy experienced a sudden flash in his vision. Instead of the mountain, he saw a tunnel. He rubbed his eyes, trying to make sense of what he had just witnessed.

'What was that?' he wondered.

Suddenly, a surge of pain shot through his head, as if it were about to explode. The shopping bag slipped from his hands, and he found himself on his knees, gripping his head in agony.

Struggling to keep his eyes open, Rudy's vision continued to shift, showing him the tunnel instead of the mountain. The pain intensified, and after a few seconds, he began to vomit a black liquid. It poured out of him like an abyss, leaving Rudy bewildered and disoriented.

The black liquid continued to pour out of Rudy's mouth, an impossible volume for any human to produce. The sheer quantity of the dark substance would have filled several dozen buckets. As the liquid bathed him, Rudy's body began to lose its color, turning an eerie pale shade, as if all the blood had drained from his veins. Then, an unsettling transformation began to unfold—his body started to take on a shadowy form, starting from his fingertips and gradually spreading across his entire being.

Rudy, barely conscious and completely bewildered, felt a gentle tap on his shoulder. He managed to lift his gaze to see an old man standing beside him, bicycle in tow with various items loaded on the back. The old man expressed concern, asking if Rudy was okay, but Rudy, struggling to form words, could only muster a feeble response before slipping into unconsciousness.

The old man, seemingly unfazed, scooped Rudy up and carefully placed him on a nearby bench. With a snap of his fingers, the old man underwent a startling transformation, morphing into the kid who bore a striking resemblance to Rudy.

The young look-alike gazed at the unconscious Rudy and muttered to himself, "This shouldn't be happening." The mystery surrounding Rudy's strange experience deepened, leaving both Rudy and the kid in a state of perplexity.

The kid stood there, struggling to comprehend why Rudy's transformation had begun, especially considering that it has only been a few hours since the worldline was last reset.

"He hasn't even used his powers or realized that he has them. So why is his shadow transformation already beginning? He clearly doesn't remember anything; if he did, I would have known it."

After careful consideration, the kid arrived at the conclusion that some external factor was influencing Rudy.

"The world was reset, so Rudy shouldn't have any lingering effects from eating the blue moon fruit. But this occurrence is undoubtedly linked to the blue moon fruit. There's only one explanation—Rudy's soul has been corrupted by the blue moon fruit.

Honestly, though, I'm not surprised. His soul has undergone so many resets that it grew vulnerable. It's like resetting a device won't fix a hardware issue. This means we can no longer reset the worldline.

This is the last reset. One more reset, and Rudy's soul will shatter into billions of particles. This is his final chance to make everything right. Even if things go south, there's nothing he can do.

Rudy is already undergoing the shadow transformation, and a reset is impossible. At this rate, reality will be destroyed in three days. I need to do something to stop his shadow transformation."

The urgency in the kid's voice echoed the gravity of the impending crisis weighed heavily on the kid's shoulders as he contemplated the limited options available to save Rudy and prevent the impending catastrophe.

The kid summoned a glowing white orb in his hand, scrutinizing it with a thoughtful expression.

"This can reverse his shadow transformation, but it's not a permanent solution either. And giving this orb to him would cause bigger trouble. I can't give him this... not yet. It would be like installing advanced software on incompatible hardware. It would do more harm than good."

After careful consideration, he muttered, "Perhaps, if I reconfigure the orb and create certain trigger points... it could work. It's risky, but worth a try. I don't have any other options."

A few minutes later, the kid raised the glowing white orb in his hand and pushed it into Rudy's chest. Rudy's body absorbed the orb, and the shadowy transformation vanished.

"With this, Rudy has the memories, but they are sealed. They will be unlocked when he kisses the girls of his harem. He will remember everything about them from the past worldline. He has already met five of his harem members, and based on the data from all the past worldlines, on average, Rudy takes about 10 days to kiss a girl he meets." The kid's plan was set in motion, hoping that this unconventional method would unlock Rudy's memories while avoiding the potential risks of direct intervention.

Rudy woke up on the bench, his hand instinctively reaching for his head. He scanned the surroundings, trying to remember what had transpired and searching for the old man.

Recollection dawned, and he remembered his hands turning shadowy. A sense of relief washed over him as he inspected his hands, finding them back to normal. He attributed the unusual occurrence to fatigue, realizing he hadn't taken a proper rest since time-traveling back to the past.

"Damn time-travel."

Grabbing the shopping bag, he decided to head straight home. The plan was simple: a good, long sleep after dinner, leaving everything for tomorrow.