This paper extends the Essence–World Interface (EWI) model developed in Evaluating Without Evaluating (2026) and Freezing Memories and Dynamic Contingencies (2026) by examining how temporal conditions shape narrative mediation. Through a comparative analysis of Haruki Murakami's Kafka on the Shore and Tatsuki Fujimoto's Chainsaw Man—which concluded its Part 2 on March 25, 2026 with no continuation announced—the study identifies four structural temporal conditions: open, closed, interrupted, and stolen time. While Kafka on the Shore demonstrates how interface figures stabilize experience across temporal disruptions, Chainsaw Man presents a world dominated by "stolen time," where the subject's future is structurally deprived. Incorporating insights from the series' final chapter, the paper argues that even under stolen time, a fragile form of "borrowed time" can emerge when mediation shifts from internal essence to external recognition.
Setsu KONO (Wed,) studied this question.