New Present

SPOILER WARNING
This article contains major spoilers! Proceed at your own risk.

“

Because the Past changed, we now inhabit a Brand-New Present.

See? The First Day of the School Festival is drawing to a close.

In this "Present", none of the students will turn into monsters, and time won't come to a standstill.

The Incident that shook the school..."Never Happened".

That was the Clock Keeper's Goal.

”

— Aoi Akane explaining to Minamoto Teru the reason why Kako and Mirai had to create the New Present, Chapter 112.

“

We're going back to the school...To turn back the hands of the Big Clock and Undo This World!

”

— Akane Aoi telling the other members of Teru's Team his firm resolve and their final goal, having realized that the New Present is not what it should have been, Chapter 120.

The New Present is the current iteration of the Jibaku Shounen Hanako-Kun Main Series' timeline as a result of the Clock Keeper Kako and Mirai's changes to the past, particularly in the erasure of the Yugi Family's Murder-Suicide that happened in 1968, and the possible removal of the "Root of the Problem" from the timeline. This resulted in a "Brand-New Present" where the lives, relationships and fates of almost every character were changed, as well as the circumstances of the world itself.

The New Present is the main subject of the Alteration Arc, and reversing the one change that Kako and Mirai did so that the Original Timeline will be restored is the main objective of Teru's Team.

Overview[]

“

The Butterfly Effect...you know what that is, don't you?.

The theory that the tiniest flap of a butterfly's wings could cause a tornado to form miles away.

Same thing goes for the past and the future.

The tiniest change to the past, can cause a great ripple effect into the future.

”

— Aoi Akane describing the Butterfly Effect to Minamoto Teru and how the actions of both Kako and Mirai led to a similar effect that changes the very chronological state of the future.

The New Present is the changed timeline of the Original Timeline of the Main Series. However as almost all of the characters' histories and futures have been changed, they are now wholly different versions of their original selves, and would rightfully be considered Variants.

However, the changing of the past that led to this New Future isn't as complicated as it sounds, as all that Kako and Mirai had to do was remove a single "Root" from the timeline. This however caused a Butterfly Effect of Chronological proportions that drastically altered the lives of everyone in the timeline, generally for the better with some of the deceased characters such as Mitsuba Sousuke, Shijima Mei, Yugi Amane and the Minamoto Siblings' Mother.

As a result of these changes, the very memories of the characters are altered, with different friendships, relationships, circumstances and other experiences. However, some of the altered inhabitants of the New Present can retain the memories of their previous iterations, as is evident with Minamoto Teru, Aoi Akane and Yashiro Nene. It is also present to a limited extent in some other characters, such as Akane Aoi, Minamoto Kou and Mitsuba Sousuke. But according to Akane, said memories will only last about three days before the newer, altered memories of the characters eventually take over, thus completing Kako and Mirai's resetting of the timeline and cutting off the old timeline permanently. During those three days, certain memories will start to emerge in certain peoples in the form of dreams, and if continued, will eventually manifest a shadow of their original iterations that will urge them to remember and regain those said memories, as it is being done to both Kou and Mitsuba.

Additionally, during the time that the original memories are retained, the New Present iteration's memories are suppressed, potentially leading the ones holding the original memories to make mistakes with certain circumstances if they are unaware of them, such as Teru telling Aoi that his mother died, even though in the New Present, she is very much alive. This naturally leads to Aoi getting shocked and asking what had happened to his mother, as she had bumped into her 2 days prior.

The Supernatural State of things[]

As Teru deducted from what Aoi had told him regarding their arranged marriage, it is possible that the Seven Mysteries as a whole do not exist, and instead, the traditional sacrifices are still the method to appease the gods and supernaturals in the New Present. However, certain ghosts and supernaturals with rumors still exist, such as Yugi Tsukasa, whose name is chanted two times as an incantation for the Ritual of the Spirit Gate.

Overall, the supernatural state of things in the New Present seems to be more chaotic than before, presumably because instead of a group of supernaturals maintaining order between the Near and Far Shores, it is sacrifices that keep them at bay. Additionally, the aforementioned Yugi Tsukasa might actually not be an iteration of the original, as Akane has his suspicions that he may NOT BE the Tsukasa of the New Present after all, hinting that the very Root of the Problem that Kako and Mirai dealt with was never truly uprooted after all.

This is further exacerbated by the fact that the Red House still exists in the New Present, and furthermore, is now inhabited by a supernatural Yugi Amane and a whole host of ghosts that he had possibly kidnapped when they entered the house, and thus became ghosts inside.

The New Present's nature[]

“

Oh, so that's the kind of world we're in...

”

— Minamoto Teru concluding that the New Present is a world wherein many deaths and regrets are reversed and nullified.

After finding out that his mother is alive in the New Present, Teru deducted that the New Present is that kind of world, implying that it is a world where the deaths of many people close to the characters are reversed and the regrets within nullified, which generally leads to a happier and more wholesome world. However as mentioned above, far darker truths still lie ahead.

These darker truths began to manifest themselves through the actions of Yugi Tsukasa, who had somehow remained as s supernatural and a particularly dangerous one at that, and of Yugi Amane, who despite having lived out his original future as a teacher, ended up becoming a supernatural like his brother that resided at the Red House.

History[]

Prelude to the Change[]

During the Trial of the Clock Keepers, Kako notices that there was something within Yugi Tsukasa that caused Hanako to angrily remark that his brother is an impostor. Finding out that "it" was the ultimate cause of a string of events that led to the School Festival Incident and the subsequent Destruction of the Big Clock that led to the stopping of time, Kako resolved to fix the timeline by removing the "Root of the problem".

While fixing Mirai and restoring her to "working condition" at his workshop deep within the Clock Keepers' Boundary, Kako asks Aoi Akane as to what had happened that led to the mess they are in. Akane answered that he had to take care of the guy that caused the destruction of the Big Clock. But Kako told Akane that he misunderstood, as removing the Big Clock's destroyer will not ensure a new present, but only in the removal of the "Root of the problem". Then Kako explained to him the very nature of the Mysterious Entity that is both connected to the Akane Kannagi sacrifices, and the subsequent murder-suicide of the entire Yugi Family in the Red House. And to that end, he conducted the Trial of the Clock Keepers to expose the Root of the problem in the open.

After Kako finishes fixing Mirai, he takes her along to a large grandfather clock within their boundary, and from there, Kako gives Akane some parting words:

“

This is where we part ways.

The two of us are going to travel to the past.

There, we will alter the course of events.

And remain dormant in this clock until a new present is certain.

Do you know what you must do?.

(Akane responds: Review the New Present that was born after you altered the past,

See to any problems that may arise,

And try not to die until you two wake up.)

Kako responds: Very Good.

Then shall we go and create a New Present?

I leave the rest...to the lowest-ranked Clock Keeper, the Guardian of the Present.

”

— Kako describing to Akane what he and Mirai would do to the past and reminding Akane what he must do, then Akane responds by saying that he will review the future, deal with any problems that might arise, and not get killed until Kako and Mirai come back. Kako reaffirms and entrusts the New Present to Akane.

Afterwards, both Kako and Mirai used the large grandfather clock to go back in time (Seemingly to the year 1968), and remove the Root of the Problem. Subsequentially, they succeeded in doing so, and as a result, the present was changed to one in which the School Festival went on without incident, and several characters' fates were altered to better outcomes.

Despite that, some characters have retained the memories of their previous iterations, among them, a certain Yashiro Nene, albeit faint (That is until she gained complete recollection after shouting Hanako's name).

The Allegory of the Plant in the Flower Pot[]

At the changing of the Original Timeline into the New Present, Nene started having dreams in which she is holding a trowel in one hand, and a sprinkler in the other hand, and is staring at a small flower pot that hasn't been given a plant yet.

As it turned out, the flower pot is an allegorical form of symbolism of Yashiro's own problems, which first starts with the plant sprouting that represents her encounter with Hanako in the first chapter. Then as the plant grows, a caterpillar starts munching on it, which represents the twisting of the Seven Mysteries' rumors by the Broadcasting Club. Yashiro slaps the caterpillar out of the plant, only for everything to be blown apart in a devastating wind. This represents the realization that she has little time to live.

Then as the storm increases in power and terror, Yashiro hides in a box, which represents her being trapped in the Picture Perfect World of the Fourth Mystery. Next, we see Yashiro wandering in a desert with the hot sun burning down on her, which represents both the sacrifice of Akane Aoi by Shinigami-Sama that led to the Severance, and the attack on Kamome Gakuen by the multiple plant-like supernaturals caused by the Broadcasting Club. Then ultimately, the winds pick up again and drag her away to wherever it goes, which represent her final two problems: The dilemna whether to remove the Yorishiro or not, and the Academy's time being frozen.

After all that, the plant within the flower pot has only grown to a typical shrub despite Yashiro's efforts. And worse, it has never bloomed a single flower. Then as she pondered on how to make the plant grow, both the Clock Keepers Kako and Mirai appear, with Kako picking up the flower pot. As she is surprised by their appearance, Kako tells her that the roots of the plant have died, thereby no matter what she does, it will never bloom a single flower as a result of it.

Then Kako tells Yashiro to "try this", as Mirai gave her another pot with a plant that has bloomed flowers. He tells her that while the plant now presented to her came from the same seed, it grew up strong and healthy, without any disease, implying that the timeline has now been changed to remove the "root of the problem" that Kako mentioned to Aoi Akane about in the previous chapter.

As they parts ways with Yashiro, Mirai asks her if "the prettier version of something is always better, right?". And as the both of them depart, this leaves Yashiro dumbstruck, and then she soon realizes what Kako and Mirai had actually done. She gets up and screams at them to give back what was important to her.

Unfortunately for her, it was all a dream, and she (As her New Present-Self) is brought back to the now-altered present, with the School Festival about to begin.

A Brand-New Present[]

Her last actions ended up happening in the real world, as Akane Aoi asked her what's wrong, if she was sick, or if she was out of it. Yashiro answers her that she's fine and that she's sorry to bother her. Yashiro then tells Aoi that she has this weird dream (The allegory that happened earlier) that was bothering her since the morning. Aoi askes what kind of dream it was, to which she was about to answer, but then she ultimately forgot what it was. Aoi responds by calling her "Typical Nene-Chan".

Then as they strolled around the School Festival, Aoi remarks that while Yashiro is with her, her head is up in the clouds, and laments that she was looking forward to having Yashiro all to herself at the School Festival. This makes Yashiro shocked, and it made her heart beat, but then she apologizes for her actions, and tells her that they can go wherever they want to go, to which Aoi cheers happily.

Then they go throughout the different spots of the School Festival. Firstly, they both go to a 3D Trick Art Booth, where they have their pictures taken. Next they initially want to go to a Fortune-Telling booth, however the wait line seemed to be long. They suddenly set their eyes upon Class 3-B's Timeless Haunted House (An indicator that the present was changed, as Class 3-B initially had a Maid and Butler Cafe exhibit). They go inside the Haunted House, which leads to Yashiro getting spooked. But overall, they both had fun.

Next, the girls are out searching for more booths to go through (And seemingly pass by a grown-up and healthy Shijima Mei, who is passing by a guy with a sign to the aforementioned Fortune-Telling Parlor). They see an art exhibit and Aoi remarks that the artists are talented, to which Yashiro agrees.

Then as they continue their way through, they encounter Minamoto Kou, who is promoting his class' Takoyaki Stand. Yashiro sees him, and wonders who he was again. Kou then looks at her, and seemingly bows down in front of her, as if to confess, only to give her a "1 free Takoyaki" ticket. But before Yashiro could ask Kou, someone calls him, and he tells her that he has to go. The unnamed voice asks him if he's a flirt, to which he answers that he isn't. Afterwards, Aoi tells Yashiro that he is Minamoto Teru's brother. She then asks him if she knows him, to which Yashiro doesn't answer as she sees both Kou and Mitsuba Sousuke, who is alive and well, and a member of the Photography Club. Unfortunately, Yashiro answers that she doesn't know him.

Then they pass by posters for the Wizard of Oz Play. In there, Aoi remarks that Yashiro is so popular, and in addition to that, who would expect less, as she is also the Star of the Wizard of Oz Play. Yashiro ponders on the word but quickly realizes that she has to be there at the practice for the Wizard of Oz Play.

At that moment, she reminscies to herself as she goes through the play and it ends with a resounding success. Then as she and her classmates bow down at the conclusion of their play, she suddenly sees a hallucination of Hanako clapping her admits the numerous spectators clapping for them. He is the one person that she remembers, and he is the most important person to her. And so she screams his name loudly:

“	HA-HANAKO KUN!!!	”
— Yashiro Nene shouts Hanako's name while bowing at the conclusion of the School Play

This shocks everyone at the Sealed Auditorium, as both her co-performers and possibly the audience look right at her.

Meanwhile at the Student Council office room, Minamoto Teru locks up the office, and Aoi Akane called him. But instead of saying anything, Teru punched Akane straight in the face, and he hit with such force that sent Akane flying towards a table, breaking it and letting the papers fly off in the process. Teru then approached him, and tells her that he didn't bring in Yashiro, as before that, he would decide whether Akane is a Supernatural or a Human Being. He then approaches Akane, holds him by his tie, and interrogates him as to what he had actually done. He then concludes by saying that Akane had let him down.

Akane tries to defend himself and he was about to scream his defense, but then he stopped, and then answered Teru that it was probably the "Butterfly Effect". He then describes it as akin to the Butterfly Effect, wherein a single change to the past leads to massive changes in the Present.

And after hearing all that, Teru asked for clarification, Akane answered him that because the past changed, they now inhabit the New Present, and one of its benefits is that the events that ruined the School Festival in the Original Timeline never happnened, and the School Festival's first day came to a close.

Reacting with disbelief, Teru asks Akane if he should just throw away their old present just to live in the new one, then Akane explains that while some of the people retain the memories of the old world, it will all be erased and replaced by the new memories in three days' time. Akane continues that as per Kako's plan, everything has gone off without a hitch, and that some people would prefer this present over the original one. Akane also notes that Teru could be one those who will prefer the new present, as well as Yashiro herself.

Character' Reactions[]

Differences[]

What makes this "New Present" different from the original one are as follows:

Several Classes of Kamome Gakuen had vastly different booths, stands or exhibits from the ones they initially did in the original timeline. For example, Kou's Class 3-1 had a Takoyaki Stand instead of a Haunted House. Likewise, Minami and her friend's Class 3-B had a Haunted House Exhibit instead of a Maid and Butler Cafe. The only group that didn't change their activity from the original present was Class 1-A, which was still the class performing the School Play, and whose subject was still the Wizard of Oz.
- The main difference between their performance in the original present and in the New Present was that Yashiro Nene was the character portraying Dorothy instead of Hanazashi, and more importantly, they were able to perform the play as it is, instead of being interrupted by the School Festival Attack, and thus the play not happening in the original present.
Several characters that were originally deceased or were supernaturals in the original timeline are now alive and well in the New Present. The three most prominent examples were Mitsuba Sousuke living on and becoming Minamoto Kou's classmate in their class, as well as a member of the Photography Club, Shijima Mei either overcoming her medical condition or not having one in the first place, and thus was able to attend the School Festival as a woman in her 30s, and most importantly, Yugi Amane growing up without having murdered his brother and committing suicide, and in time, becoming a teacher at Kamome Gakuen and a fellow colleague of Tsuchigomori.
- Sadly, it seems to have been averted in Amane's case, as he is now a supernatural like his younger twin brother that haunts the Red House and kidnaps anyone who goes there, turning them into faceless ghosts in the process.
Several characters have different relationships than that of their original counterparts. For example, Akane Aoi in the Original Timeline is Aoi Akane's childhood friend and after the events of Chapter 69, somewhat develops a mutual understanding with him, but in the New Present, she is instead Minamoto Teru's childhood friend and even fiancée, having been arranged to be married by both their parents.
- This also extends to familial relationships, as Aoi's father cheated on her mother and had 2 other daughters, which was not explicitly stated to be the case in the Original Timeline so far.
There seems to be no Seven Mysteries at Kamome Gakuen, as hinted by Teru in Chapter 114, and seemingly confirmed a chapter later when Nene visits the different rooms associated with them and finding them gone. While supernaturals still exist, not all of them are from the original timeline (As noted with the absences of Yako and Kodama, as well as Tsuchigomori being a full human, in addition to those who were revived), and instead different types of supernaturals exists. Mokke are still present, given that they are simply everywhere.
- The only major exception is Yugi Tsukasa, who is still a supernatural in the New Present, albeit now as a supernatural summoned by an incantation instead of a supernatural with no rumor.
The Red House behaves much differently. While in the Original Timeline, the Red House acted as an extension of The Entity's abilities and changed form and layout according to its own whims, in the New Present, it is home to Yugi Amane and countless ghosts that he had possibly kidnapped while they were alive, and thus, seemingly remains mostly intact and unchanging.