The sky above Sirius Line Studio rippled unnaturally, colors bleeding into each other like spilled ink on paper. Void-like distortions swirled through the streets, warping buildings, twisting sound, devouring time itself.
And at the center of it all—
Aqua Hoshino lay motionless in Kana Arima's lap, his blood painting her skirt in tragic crimson.
Time had broken.
And above it all, unseen by the people below, she watched.
Tsukuyomi, the goddess who governs the moon and memory, stood in the liminal space between time and dream.
She spoke—not to the characters—but to us.
"This is the consequence," she said, voice ethereal and calm. "A loop must be closed. A door opened must be shut."
"Aqua Hoshino defied fate. He took knowledge meant for gods and bent it with human hands. And for that, the world begins to collapse."
"But in all timelines… in all stories… love is the variable that even gods struggle to predict."
Her glowing eyes turned toward Akane.
"Perhaps the loop will be broken. Not by logic. Not by sacrifice. But by the courage to love… again."
"Aqua... no... please..." Kana sobbed, holding him tightly, rocking back and forth like a mother clutching her child. Her trembling fingers brushed his blood-matted hair from his face.
His eyes would never open again.
Akane stood nearby, her breath shallow, Aqua's phone still clutched in her hand.
The screen glowed faintly in the growing void.
Her eyes shifted from the screen to Aqua's lifeless face.
"I know what I have to do," she whispered.
Her fingers tapped rapidly. She didn't hesitate.
Timer set: The day Aqua met Hikaru on the cliff.
She scanned his contact list.
Kana Arima.
She called.
Elsewhere, in another time—
Kana stood backstage at Tokyo Dome, bathed in golden light, surrounded by the buzz of crew and fans. Her final idol performance was just minutes away.
Her phone rang.
"An unknown number...?" she murmured.
Who would call now?
She hesitated—then answered.
"Hello?"
A voice, urgent and familiar, came through.
"Aqua is going to get killed by his father."
Kana's heart skipped. "Wait—Akane? Is that you?"
"No. And you don't have time for this," the voice insisted. "I know you love him. If you don't go, you'll lose him forever."
Kana's breath caught in her throat. Her hands trembled.
The voice continued, "Now listen carefully. I'm telling you their exact location—"
[Scene: Back at the cliff, in the past—]
Aqua Hoshino stood facing Hikaru Kamiki. In his hand was a blade, gleaming under the dark sky.
"I'll kill you," Aqua said, his voice calm, cold. "But I won't let the world call Ruby the sister of a murderer. There's only one way to fix this."
He turned the blade toward his own abdomen.
A sharp breath.
His knees bent.
He was about to plunge it in—
"WAIT! STOP, AQUA!!"
A familiar voice rang through the air.
Kana.
Aqua froze.
With a cold, unwavering look, he threw his knife forward. Hikaru shifted his body just in time, and the blade clattered against the rocks before disappearing into the sea below.
Kana ran toward him, eyes wide with desperation.
"Someone told me... that you'll die if I don't come... I don't want that!"
She reached him, throwing her arms around him, holding him as if he'd vanish otherwise.
Hikaru stared, stunned.
"What the hell is going on...?"
Sirens wailed.
Akane appeared at the cliff's edge with Miyako and Ichigo, flanked by police officers.
"There," she said, pointing. "That's him."
Miyako's voice trembled as she called out, "Aqua! Please tell me you're okay!"
Ichigo said with concern, "He didn't hurt you, did he, Aqua-kun?"
The officers stormed forward.
"W-What are you doing?!" Hikaru protested as handcuffs clicked around his wrists. "What have I done?!"
One officer recited, "We have evidence of your involvement in multiple suspicious deaths—Ryusuke Sugano, Yura Katayose, Gorou Amamiya."
Hikaru's eyes went wide. His mask of confidence cracked into fear.
Akane turned to Aqua.
"I got a call. Someone told me how to find the evidence. But... the weird part? The voice sounded exactly like mine."
She held up the phone.
"And the number couldn't be traced. It was like... it never existed."
Aqua watched Hikaru being taken away in silence.
Miyako stepped forward and wrapped both Aqua and Kana in a tight, trembling hug.
She whispered softly, "I'm glad you both are alright."
[Scene: Flashback, in Akane's apartment—]
Aqua sat on the couch beside her, phone in hand.
He typed in the exact date and time—right before his past self met Hikaru on the cliff.
The screen shimmered.
A voice answered from the other end.
"Hello?"
Aqua took a breath. "Listen to me. I'm you. From the future."
A beat of silence.
"What do you mean?"
"Exactly what you heard. Now listen closely. It's a long story."
[Scene: Back in the present, at the cliff]
Aqua stood beside Miyako and Kana as Hikaru was led away.
He thought to himself:
It was hard to believe at first. That the person calling me... was me. But then I remembered—Ruby and I are reincarnations. Of Gorou and Sarina. So maybe... just maybe... there really is a god guiding all of this.
Before the call ended... he told me: 'Go exactly as planned. Don't deviate. Only stop if someone tries to stop you.
When I heard Kana's voice… I stopped.
And then I did what he told me to.
Kana hugged him tightly, burying her face into his shoulder. "I'm so glad you're safe."
Akane watched them from a few feet away, smiling softly.
[Scene: Tokyo Dome – Backstage]
"Did you find her?" Mem-Cho asked, slightly out of breath.
Ruby shook her head. "No... she's not here."
Both of them hurried through the narrow backstage corridors, the faint roar of the audience echoing beyond the walls.
"Why would she leave now?" Ruby muttered, her voice trembling. "It's her last idol performance... why would she just disappear at this moment?"
"Let's inform the others," Mem-Cho said. "It might be something serious—"
"Hey, wait for me! I'm back!"
A familiar voice called out from behind. Both Ruby and Mem-Cho turned around.
Kana stood there, catching her breath, followed by Aqua, Miyako, Ichigo, and Akane.
"Kana-chan!" Ruby exclaimed. "What's going on?"
Miyako placed a comforting hand on Ruby's shoulder and smiled. "We'll talk about it later. For now, just focus on the performance, okay? It's Kana-chan's last stage. All of you girls—give it your best."
"Sure!" Ruby and Mem-Cho replied in unison, their spirits lifting.
Kana glanced toward Aqua.
He smiled softly. "All the best."
"Thanks..." Kana replied, her voice quiet but warm, a blush rising on her cheeks.
---
The Performance Begins
The lights dimmed. The crowd roared in anticipation.
And then, the moment everyone had been waiting for—
Kana, Ruby, and Mem-Cho's final idol performance—
began.
Music burst through the Dome like a wave. The three idols appeared on stage, shining brighter than ever. Every step, every move, every lyric overflowed with energy and joy.
Kana sang with all her heart. This was her farewell, her story's final stage.
For a moment, she felt a flutter of nervousness, her voice trembling just slightly.
But then, in the middle of her dance, her eyes caught someone in the audience.
It was Aqua.
He was doing the idol fan dance—awkwardly, yet sincerely. The glow from the stage lights reflected in his eyes.
Kana's chest tightened. A soft smile formed on her lips.
She turned back to the crowd, her voice trembling slightly but shining with emotion.
At that moment, she gave everything—every drop of her energy, every unspoken feeling—into the performance.
---
When the final note faded, the Dome erupted with applause.
The performance was over.
But this time, it wasn't just the end of a concert—it was a new beginning.
Because in that light, on that stage,
they had finally rewritten their fate.
The crowd's cheers filled the air, echoing long after the curtains fell.
And for the first time in a long while—
they all felt it.
True happiness.
Later that night—
A faint scatter of stars stretched above the glowing city.
The two of them stood on a quiet rooftop overlooking the glowing city.
Below, the lights of Tokyo Dome shimmered like reflections on a distant sea. The night air was soft, the moon bright above them.
For a moment, the noise of the world faded—only the wind, and the gentle hum of the city remained.
It felt like a place outside of time.
Aqua and Kana stood side by side, staring up.
Kana hesitated.
"Aqua... I l—"
He gently placed a hand over her mouth.
"I love you, Kana."
Her face flushed deep red. "Aqua...?"
Aqua smiled.
He told me... to choose my happiness, if things ended well. But if that plan worked... then he's already gone. Ceased to exist.
Kana leaned in and embraced him tightly.
"You know... sometimes, I hear a voice," she whispered. "Like in dreams. It feels like yours... but a little different. Like... someone who went through unbearable pain."
Aqua's eyes widened.
Kana continued, "That voice... told me to find happiness. It's gone now. But I think... that voice brought me here. To you."
Aqua gently took her hand.
"I think so too. Maybe... it was a god."
Love like that... it transcends time. Worlds. Even dreams.
Kana looked up at the moon.
"If that's true... I want to thank that god."
She turned to Aqua.
They stepped closer.
Their lips met, under the light of the stars and the gentle moonlight.
And in the sky above—
A single star shined brighter than all the rest.
In its glow, a faint image appeared.
A young man with soft eyes, watching from beyond time.
Aqua Hoshino.
Smiling.
Please... find happiness.
To be continued…
Next Chapter: "Kana Route – Special Chapter"