How did things end up like this…?

I found myself wishing I had never seen the GMHS announcement. Then, like CP31, it would have remained a simple regret instead of becoming something painful. I knew what the right priorities were. I had already considered the possible conflict of coming to Shanghai on Sunday. So why did I immediately say yes to Q?

Wishful thinking, perhaps… If nobody had reminded me, I might genuinely have stopped gathering with them.

Sigh… There is so little time left before I leave for university abroad. The chance to meet a puzzle-hunt teammate should have been a blessing, and I had looked forward to it as intensely as my first Puzzle Association recruitment event. Q introduced me to the world of puzzle hunts and was the reliable teammate beside me for TMMT 2025’s final meta, “Reactor.” Those two roles made him feel like both a senior student and a professional mentor. And what did I do?

All I can say is that I am truly sorry… I cannot stop thinking about it. He agreed to share a hostel room with me, even though I chose it simply because it was cheap. He matched wits with scalpers on Xianyu over a movie ticket. He specially prepared things to bring me. By acting this way, did I let him down?

If only… I had thought more carefully at the beginning.