There is no applause. No lights. Just silence.
And then the slow, shallow gasp of a boy bleeding out alone behind the theater.
Aqua Hoshino closed his eyes for the final time, body numb. The truth had been revealed. Hikaru Kamiki was exposed, confronted, and—perhaps—killed.
But so was Aqua.
He had burned himself out in pursuit of revenge.
Not just metaphorically.
> Maybe it was suicide.
Maybe Hikaru had struck back.
Maybe it didn't matter anymore.
All Aqua could think as his heart slowed was:
> "I'm sorry, Ruby."
And then—darkness.
---
Somewhere between death and rebirth, a pale light shimmered.
He felt himself floating in still water without a body.
A presence stirred nearby.
A woman, draped in celestial white silk, walked barefoot across the surface of the void. Her long silver hair shimmered like moonlight on snow, and her expression was neither cruel nor kind.
Her voice was soft, eternal.
> "Aquamarine Hoshino. Your name still echoes in the night sky."
Aqua opened his eyes—not physically, but from within. He tried to speak, but only a sigh escaped.
"…Am I dead?"
> "Yes. And no," she said. "Your body has passed, but your soul remains unresolved."
She stepped forward.
> "I am Tsukuyomi, the Goddess of the Moon. Guardian of Regret. When a soul breaks itself trying to rewrite fate… I hear its voice."
"…You came for me?"
> "I came because you died with more regret than peace."
> "You reached your goal. Hikaru Kamiki is gone. The truth was told. But tell me—was your heart satisfied?"
Aqua clenched his fists.
Ai's death. Ruby's trauma. Kana's tears. Akane's silence. His own emptiness.
"…No," he whispered.
> "Then I offer you one path," Tsukuyomi said. "A single moment in time you may return to—one choice you may rewrite."
> "You will wake on the day you confronted Hikaru Kamiki. The last time you could still walk away. The last time you still had people who loved you."
> "You may carry your memories. But you may choose only one future."
Her eyes met his.
> "One path. One person. Or none."
Aqua stood silent for a moment in the void.
"…What if I fail again?"
> "Then you will remember. But the world will not. The stars will carry your sorrow… and nothing more."
She extended her hand.
> "Will you walk again, Aquamarine? Not to destroy… but to choose?"
He looked at her.
And he nodded.
"…Send me back."
---
The Past Returns
Aqua gasped—his eyes shooting open.
The rain was falling. He was standing in the alley behind the theater.
The confrontation hadn't happened yet.
Hikaru Kamiki was walking toward him, smiling.
And Aqua—now with the memories of both death and a goddess—stood still.
He looked at his phone.
At the photo of Ruby.
At the message Akane sent.
At the trail Kana left him to follow.
At the face of the man who had broken his world.
> "This time," Aqua whispered, "I'm going to choose something else."
From this moment, the story splits into multiple character-based routes.
Each choice leads to a different emotional journey and ending.
Ruby Route – "The Promise We Never Made"
Kana Route – "The Girl Who Waited"
Akane Route – "Reflection of Genius"
Ai Legacy Route – "Smile Again"
Goddess Route – "The Moon Never Forgets"
Other routes may be added in the future.