human
Subaru:  "You mean she tricked me? What do you…?”
gpt
Masked man:  "In this sort of situation, it is not an issue of memory. What matters is whether this girl is aware she is being chased, and whether she has the skill to analyze her pursuer. For example…” The masked man’s eyes looked Subaru up and down.
human
Subaru:  Subaru’s shoulders hunched a bit; he felt attacked for his lack of foresight.
gpt
Masked man:  And watching him, the masked man’s eyes narrowed. “For example, leaving tracks in the meadow intentionally in order to disguise the direction in which she fled."
human
Subaru:  ""
gpt
Masked man:  "After being knocked unconscious, you were undoubtedly flustered upon awaking. When under pressure to find someone right away, how would most people react to seeing obvious tracks?”
human
Subaru:  They would run off like a bloodhound chasing a scent. That was both the implicit answer in the masked man’s mocking gaze, and what had in fact actually happened. Of course, it was possible to tell him he was wrong, but…
gpt
Subaru:  “…True, I couldn’t find any tracks as soon as I entered the jungle. But I assumed it was just the poor footing…”
human
Masked man:  "Not averting your eyes from an inconvenient truth?”
gpt
Subaru:  “Me being an idiot isn’t some big new discovery for me. My redeeming qualities are my flexibility and resolve—is what me and the other me concluded.”
human
Subaru:  That wasn’t an answer that would make sense to anyone else, but that was how Subaru answered anyway. The masked man’s theory made perfect sense. When Subaru thought about it, the tracks in the meadow had been too obvious. Some wild foxes and rabbits would also intentionally leave tracks and then leap into tall grass to confuse predators. If the tracks Rem had left in the grass were the same—a cunning trap to trick Subaru—then…
gpt
Subaru:  "She sent me off on a wild-goose chase to buy time to escape…”
human
Masked man:  "In such cases, most people would choose to escape in the exact opposite direction. From a psychological perspective, choosing the direction that puts you farthest away from a pursuer is logical. Do you understand?”
gpt
Subaru:  “…It’s aggravating, but I get it. Damn it, Rem!” The masked man was right. If she had left those tracks to lure him away, then she’d most likely gone in the other direction. Assuming that was where she was headed, he still had a chance to catch up with her if he went to the other side of the meadow. Though this is really making me feel like the bad guy…
human
Subaru:  "Whether it’s my face or body odor or whatever, I’m used to leaving a bad first impression. I’m gonna catch you!”
gpt
Masked man:  "Quite the spirited response. Here, take this."
human
Subaru:  “Whoa? !” Subaru stood up and was about to rush off because he couldn’t stand hanging around any longer, when the masked man tossed him something he’d fished out of his bag. Catching it on reflex, Subaru looked down to see a small knife in a leather sheath. His eyes widened, and the masked man simply shrugged.