The bell rang, signaling the start of another school day. Kaito and Koji entered the school together, a rare occurrence in itself. They weren't late, and that alone made the morning feel different. Kaito couldn't shake the feeling that today would be unlike any other. The air seemed heavier, the sky just a little too gray. It was as though something was lurking in the distance, waiting for its moment.
As they walked toward the classroom, Koji's gaze lingered on Kaito. There was something about his expression—something Koji had never seen before. Kaito's eyes weren't filled with their usual calm indifference. Today, there was a flicker of something darker.
"Let's go, Koji," Kaito said, breaking the silence.
Koji nodded, though his confusion was palpable. They parted ways as they reached their respective classrooms—Kaito heading into Class A, while Koji veered to Class B.
"See you later, Kaito," Koji called out, his voice laced with an uncertainty Kaito didn't catch.
Kaito gave a small nod, his usual cool demeanor firmly in place, though his mind wasn't truly there. He passed through the door of Class A and settled into his seat, the familiar classroom noise swirling around him. He had barely noticed the time—just another hour ticking by in his monotonous life.
He sat quietly, waiting for the teacher to arrive. The minutes crawled by as his mind wandered, flickering with fragmented thoughts. Sayuri's face kept appearing in his mind's eye—her smiling face, then her bloodied form, lying motionless in the dark. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to push the memory back into the recesses of his mind.
The image of her lifeless body flashed again, but this time, Kaito felt it. The cold steel of the floor beneath her, the metallic scent of blood thick in the air, the heaviness pressing against his chest as he stood frozen. His heart skipped a beat as the memory tugged him under—no longer just a vision, but a suffocating weight.
The teacher finally entered, and the lesson began, but Kaito's attention wavered. He was there physically, but mentally, he was lost in a haze, that image of Sayuri haunting him more vividly than ever before.
The bell for break rang, and the noise in the classroom grew. Kaito stood, mechanically slipping his hand into his pocket. He found a 500-yen coin, just enough for something simple. Bread and water. Enough to get through the break.
He moved through the crowded hallways, the chatter of students around him barely registering. The canteen was a blur—he grabbed his bread and water, feeling disconnected from everything. As he returned to the classroom, something shifted within him. He sat down, his thoughts turning darker, more erratic.
Suddenly, a flash of memory hit him like a physical blow. His mind reeled with the image of Sayuri—her body sprawled on the ground, blood pooling around her. She was calling his name, but he was frozen, unable to move, unable to help.
"Kaito..." The word echoed in his head, a desperate cry, but it wasn't real—was it?
"What was that?" Kaito muttered to himself, his heart pounding harder than ever before.
The noise of the classroom faded away, and he could hear only his own heartbeat and the disjointed sound of his breath. Then, Sayuri's face appeared before him, as if she had stepped out of his mind into reality. She was there, standing in front of him, looking confused.
"Fujimori-san?" Kaito asked, his voice cracking with a strange uncertainty.
Sayuri tilted her head, a little smile on her lips, but there was something strange about the way she looked at him. Her eyes were filled with concern, but also something else—something almost foreign.
Kaito blinked, disoriented. Why did she look so familiar? Why did it feel like he should know her in a way he didn't?
Her voice broke through his confusion. "Kaito?"
The word felt like a gentle pull on his soul, but Kaito could barely grasp it. He shook his head as though to clear the fog in his brain. "How long have you been standing here?"
"About a minute," Sayuri replied, her voice light, but there was a slight pout on her lips. "You're spacing out again."
Kaito's heart skipped a beat. He had heard that voice before, but this felt different—like he was hearing it for the first time. His mind raced with a jumble of images, some clear, some fading.
"Anyway, Kaito..." Sayuri continued, her cheeks flushing as she fidgeted with the hem of her sleeve. "Can we meet on the rooftop after school?"
Kaito's confusion deepened. Why was she acting like this? Why did her voice tremble slightly, her words stumbling over each other?
The memory of her bloody form on the ground echoed in his mind, and the words that followed—"Help me"—rang louder in his ears.
Sayuri noticed his blank stare. Her voice cracked slightly, her tone sharp. "KAITO!"
His eyes snapped back into focus, and he finally saw her frustration. Sayuri was leaning in, her brow furrowed. "You're zoning out again! Pay attention!"
Before Kaito could react, she reached up and punched him lightly on the cheek, her expression a mix of irritation and concern. "Stupid Kaito."
Kaito recoiled slightly, rubbing the spot where she had struck him, a small laugh escaping his lips despite the tension in the air. "Hey, that hurt."
Sayuri didn't respond. She simply turned, muttering under her breath, and sat back down in her seat. Kaito watched her for a moment, lost in the inexplicable feelings that were building inside him. His thoughts were racing faster than he could catch up with, each fragment of memory crashing into the next.
The rest of the class dragged on in a blur. His thoughts kept returning to the rooftop. He had promised to meet Sayuri, but something told him he was running out of time.
When the bell finally rang to signal the end of the day, Kaito left the classroom with his mind in turmoil. He was early, arriving on the rooftop twenty minutes ahead of schedule.
His heart raced as he stood alone, looking out over the school grounds. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was about to happen, something inevitable—and yet, he couldn't understand what.
His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps. Sayuri appeared at the door to the rooftop, running toward him with tears in her eyes. She was holding a love letter tightly in her hands, her face flushed, as if she was carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders.
"Kaito!" she called, her voice trembling with emotion.
Kaito froze. Her words struck him in the chest like a hammer. "What?" he asked, his heart racing.
"I love you!" Sayuri shouted, her voice breaking as she confessed her feelings, tears slipping down her cheeks.
Kaito stood there, stunned, his mind reeling with conflicting emotions. But before he could respond, a shadow appeared at the edge of the rooftop. A figure, tall and cloaked in black, approached from the side. Kaito barely had time to react before the figure shoved Sayuri with a brutal force.
Sayuri fell, her body tumbling over the edge of the rooftop.
Everything went silent for a moment. Time seemed to stop. Kaito's legs moved before his mind could catch up, but it was too late. He reached out as if he could stop her fall with sheer will. But it was too late. She was already gone, falling into the abyss below.
Kaito's heart tore itself apart as he watched her scream. The world seemed to stretch out into an endless void, the seconds dragging on forever. He couldn't move fast enough, couldn't stop what was happening.
A crowd had gathered at the base of the building, but Kaito couldn't tear his eyes away from the horrifying scene. He glanced up, his heart in his throat, and saw the man—the man who had pushed her. His face was hidden in shadow, but Kaito could feel his mocking smile, even from this distance.
Kaito didn't waste another second. He ran to the edge, his heart pounding as he reached out, desperately hoping for a miracle.
He knelt beside Sayuri's broken body, cradling her gently in his arms. The world around him faded away. Her pulse was faint, but it was there. Her heart was still beating.
"Please," Kaito whispered, his voice raw with panic. "Please don't leave me."
"Call an ambulance!" he screamed, his voice cracking. "Now! Please, someone help!"
A few teachers heard his frantic cries and rushed to call for help. An ambulance arrived within minutes, but Kaito knew in his heart it was too late. The paramedics worked desperately, performing CPR, but it was futile. Sayuri's heart had already stopped.
One of the nurses finally looked up, her face grave. "Her heart... it's not beating anymore."
Kaito froze, the world spinning around him. He knelt beside her lifeless body, unable to speak, unable to think. His tears fell in silence as the crowd stood around him, their hushed whispers nothing more than a distant hum in his ears.
Sayuri was gone.
And Kaito knew he would never be the same.