Ryūta stood frozen in front of his desk, the bloodstained letter trembling in his hand. His legs felt weak, nearly giving out beneath him. He tried to convince himself that it was just a bad joke, that the red substance on the paper was only paint. But the fact that someone had broken into his home and the occasional whiff of what smelled unmistakably like blood kept dragging him back to reality.
Suddenly, in a near panic, he flung the letter aside and dashed into the kitchen. He yanked open a drawer and grabbed the largest knife he could find.
Feeling slightly more in control, he began checking the apartment, room by room. He searched every corner, opened every closet, and even looked under the bed. He wanted to be absolutely sure that no one else was in the apartment, and only after confirming that did he finally exhale. Then he closed the window in his room, the one he'd deliberately left open during the search as a potential escape route.
Since the window could only be opened from the inside, it was now clear to him that the intruder had entered through the front door, so he blocked it off with a small dresser. That took care of the immediate danger, but the unease remained.
As for his usual evening routine, he got nowhere. Studying was out of the question. He had no appetite. He didn't even dare to shower. Still, despite his anxiety, the world outside remained calm and quiet, so he decided to lie down and at least try to rest, hoping that morning would come faster that way. But he didn't sleep a single minute.
By dawn, Ryūta was already dressed and ready to go. Despite the sleepless night, he didn't feel tired. In fact, his outlook had shifted slightly, even leaning toward hopeful.
"It'll work out... somehow," he told himself as he slipped the letter into his bag, pushed the dresser back into place, and stepped outside.
As he walked farther from home and saw the streets coming to life with people, he found it easier to let himself sink into the rhythm of an ordinary day. By the time he reached school, his mood had lifted, almost to the point of feeling cheerful, and that feeling only grew when he spotted Sanae by the front gate.
"Good morning," he greeted her with a smile.
"Good morning," she replied flatly, and Ryūta felt a flicker of unease, especially when she continued, "You're Kagayaki-kun, right? Is there something I can help you with?"
Ryūta dropped his bag.
"This… is just a joke… right?" he hoped, but the fear was already written all over his face when Sanae suddenly bowed her head and pleaded:
"I'm sorry!"
"Huh?" Ryūta stared at her, baffled.
"I just wanted to tease you. I didn't think you'd take it so seriously. Please don't be mad at me!"
"Seriously… don't scare me like that," Ryūta sighed, just as Shinji came strolling up.
"Good morning, you two!"
"Morning, Shinji!"
"Good morning, Takeda-kun!" they answered in unison.
"Well, you both seem lively today! Did you manage to make up?" Shinji asked.
"It's not like we had a fight. But I think I may have ruined everything just now…" Sanae muttered, looking downcast.
"Why? Did something happen?"
"Nothing at all," Ryūta replied quickly with a smile in Shinji's direction, but his eyes flicked to Sanae, making it clear that his words were meant for both of them.
"I see. That's a relief. Then I won't keep you. I've still got a few things to take care of. Talk to you later."
"Sure!" they both replied, and once Shinji had walked off, Ryūta turned his full attention back to Sanae.
"Alright, let's head in."
But the girl didn't move. She was already several steps behind him by the time he looked over his shoulder.
"What's wrong?"
"You're really not mad?" Sanae asked, eyes wide like a puppy's, so much so that Ryūta almost laughed. "What? I'm being serious!"
"I'm sure," he said with a soft smile. "It'll take more than a prank to make me angry."
Sanae pressed a hand to her chest and let out a relieved sigh.
"Thank goodness..."
"Come on, let's go before we're late."
As they stepped into the building and walked down the nearly empty hallway, the student council president came approaching from the opposite direction. Sanae quickened her pace and cheerfully waved.
"Good morning, Naonon!"
"Naonon?" Ryūta echoed, raising a brow at the unusually friendly nickname. He barely had time to smirk before Nao shot him a glare sharp enough to pierce steel.
"Good morning, Kagayaki-kun."
"Good morning, President..." he muttered back, matching her sharp tone with one of his own.
"Um... did I miss something?" Sanae asked hesitantly. "The air just got really tense."
But she had no time to investigate. Her two friends were already trying to steer her away from the frontline.
"Sanae, why don't you go review a bit before class starts?" Nao suggested briskly.
"I second that idea," Ryūta added, nodding.
"No way! There's no chance I'm leaving you two alone like this!"
"Don't worry, we won't rip each other's throats out," he said. "But this is between the two of us."
It took a bit of effort, but he finally managed to convince her.
"Alright…," she muttered reluctantly, then cast a worried glance back at them as she walked toward the classroom, leaving the two face to face.
"It seems my warning wasn't clear enough," Nao said coolly.
"Sorry, I have a hard time interpreting letters written in blood," Ryūta replied with biting sarcasm.
She didn't react. In fact, she didn't seem to know what he was talking about, and that only made his irritation spike.
"Oh, come on. Don't tell me it doesn't ring a bell," he snapped, pulling the aforementioned paper from his bag and holding it up in front of her face.
Nao stared at the crumpled letter in silence. For a moment, her expression was unreadable. Then, despite her efforts to stay composed, a flicker of unease crossed her face.
"So?" Ryūta asked. "Nothing to say about this?"
"Damn it... They've noticed you. I told you this might happen."
"What? Who?"
Her reaction caught Ryūta completely off guard. He just stood there, staring at her, confused.
"Listen to me," she said urgently. "Right after school, go straight home and lock yourself in. It might not be too late. If they see you took the warning seriously, maybe they'll back off."
"Wait... You mean you didn't write this?"
"Of course not! Even I wouldn't go that far."
Ryūta swallowed hard. "Then who did?"
"I don't know. But if they know where you live, you're probably not safe anywhere."
He stood frozen for a moment, his mind reeling, until Nao let out a sigh that pulled him back to the present.
"I'm sorry. It's my fault things got this far. I wanted to give you a chance, because I know you're different from the others. You actually care about Sanae. But that doesn't change the fact that she's way more than you can handle."
"So what, I'm just supposed to take that pill and forget everything?"
"Normally, I'd be the one forcing it down your throat," she said flatly. "But now... I'm afraid even that wouldn't help. I don't have the right to stop you anymore."
Her words might have sounded harsh, but Ryūta didn't take them that way. This time, he could hear something else in her voice, a mix of regret, empathy, and above all, gratitude. He still didn't fully understand the reason for the last one, but one thing was certain. He could no longer see her as an enemy. All his doubts were gone.
This time, it was his sigh that broke the silence. When he finally spoke, his voice was calm, but carried an unshakable determination.
"Let's stop dancing around and lay all the cards on the table. You keep preaching about danger and 'chance', but you still haven't told me who exactly these people are, or why they've taken an interest in me. Is this really just about Sanae? I admit she's special. Maybe too special. But I know there's more to this than what you're saying, so cut the nonsense and let me in on the truth."
"If I do, there's no turning back. Once you know, you won't be able to walk away."
"Not like I have much of a choice anyway, right?"
"Alright... Then meet me behind the main building at exactly three this afternoon, and tell me Sanae's life means more to you than your own. If I believe you, I promise to answer every question you have honestly."
With that, Nao turned on her heel and walked away, leaving him alone.
Ryūta drifted into the classroom, lost in thought, and sank into his seat without sparing a glance at anyone. He even skipped the customary bow to the teacher, which he managed to get away with thanks to the classmate standing in front of him. And so it went, class after class, until at last fatigue crept up on him and his eyelids began to droop.
The sun blazed high in the sky. Children dashed from one attraction to the next, doing their best to squeeze the last drops of fun out of summer break. Long lines stretched out in front of the ice cream and crêpe stands, just like in front of the Ferris wheel. Everyone wanted to see Yokohama from above, except for one boy who was sprawled out on a bench, trying to recover from the day's fatigue.
He wore black shorts, a light gray T-shirt, and a slightly darker button-down left fully open, its sleeves rolled up to his elbows.
"I'm done for… Honestly, it's a miracle that ice cream I just had isn't making a return trip…" he muttered to himself, just as a girl appeared in front of him.
The girl wore a sky-blue summer dress and a straw hat, holding a drink with a straw in each hand. She handed one of them to her friend.
"Here you go," she said, then sat down beside him on the bench.
"Thanks…" he muttered lifelessly, still staring up at the sky.
"Seriously… your face looks like a dead fish," she commented, prompting him to contort his features into a dramatic grimace.
"Just so you know, that's exactly how I feel! Thanks to that carousel and the insane roller coaster you dragged me onto right after it!"
"You could've just told me you can't handle that stuff!" she shot back, unknowingly hitting the mark.
"I did…"
"Really? Didn't hear you," she said with a playful laugh.
"Well, maybe I said it too quietly, because I was worried that if I opened my mouth, something other than sound would come out…" he grumbled, but she ignored him completely.
"Ryūta, let's go ride the Ferris wheel now!" she said excitedly, grabbing his arm and trying to pull him to his feet.
"Hime, are you even listening to me?" the boy asked flatly, no longer expecting any kind of positive response.
"Of course I'm listening…" she said with a sigh, then added with disappointment, "Fine, if you really don't want to, we can skip the Ferris wheel."
"Well, I mean… it's not like it's going to kill me, so if you really want–" Ryūta began, but didn't get the chance to finish.
"Let's go bungee jumping!" Himeko declared, already bouncing with enthusiasm.
The boy didn't even bother to respond. He just looked at her with wide, pleading eyes.
"Kidding. There's no bungee jumping here," she said with a mischievous grin.
"Thank goodness…" Ryūta breathed in relief.
And with that, both of them burst into laughter.
However, the joy didn't last long, because something strange caught Ryūta's attention. A single tear slid down his cheek, tickling his skin. He had no idea where it had come from.
"What is this? Why am I crying when I should be happy?" he muttered, wiping it away in confusion.
But the answer came quickly.
"The doctor said I have about two weeks left," Himeko said quietly and a heartbeat later, everything went dark.
Ryūta's body froze. His stomach twisted into a knot. Even breathing felt impossible as the world around them was swallowed by endless, pitch-black shadow.
"You never let go of me… did you?" the girl asked with a sad smile.
Ryūta swallowed the ache rising in his throat and forced himself to lift his head.
"No. You meant everything to me."
"It's nice to hear that. But I've already made peace with my fate."
"I haven't. Not until I find your body and make sure you're finally at rest."
"If it's a corpse you're looking for, you won't find me," Himeko said softly, almost cryptically. Then she added, "Besides, it's not time yet."
"What do you mean? Why isn't it time?"
The girl didn't answer. Instead, she turned her gaze to the side. Ryūta followed it and saw a figure with long white hair standing in the distance. Just like always, the face was obscured, but even so, he knew exactly who it was.
"Mafuyu…?"
"She's the key to your fate," Himeko said at last. "But it's the copy that turns the lock."
Ryūta's eyes darted between her and the figure, confusion tightening his chest.
"Key…? Copy…? What are you even talking about? What about you?"
"You have to go now. If you stay with me any longer, you'll be trapped here forever. It's time to wake up."
"Wait! There's still so much I want to say!" Ryūta pleaded, tears spilling from his eyes.
But it was too late. Though his feet didn't move, he suddenly began to drift away, as if pulled backward by some unseen force.
"Don't worry! We'll still have plenty of time together," Himeko said with a now joyful smile. Then, just a moment later, she vanished into the distant darkness.
"Please, wait!"
Ryūta jolted upright and opened his eyes, only to find himself in the middle of math class. Every student was staring at him, shocked by his outburst. Even the teacher at the board paused and turned to face him.
"Well, I'm waiting," he said calmly. "Where did I lose you?"
Realizing the situation he'd just created again, Ryūta lowered his head and muttered:
"From the very beginning."
"Oh dear... That was almost half an hour ago. That's a bit too much for a bonus round," the older man replied, which sent the whole class into laughter. "But don't be discouraged. We'll go over this formula again. I'm sure you'll get it in time for the test."
Although Ryūta appreciated the teacher's kind words, he didn't respond. As soon as the commotion died down, he slipped back into thought, as usual, but this time, something was different. He had made a decision.
"What I just saw was nothing but a dream. There's no point in overanalyzing or trying to read into it. But I have to admit one thing. No matter how much I want to, there's nothing I can do for Hime right now. Not that I have any better ideas for Sanae, but at least I have a starting point. I feel like the president is slowly beginning to trust me. And more importantly, I made a promise to Sanae. I can't take that back. Alright, it's settled. I'm going to that meeting and whatever happens, I'll see it through."
With his mind made up, the rest of the day passed much more quickly. He was finally able to focus in class, and despite the sleepless night and dry lectures, he didn't doze off even once.
He barely noticed, but the end of the school day had already arrived. As the students began gathering their things and heading home or off to their after-school activities, Ryūta also started packing up.
"About this afternoon…" Shinji stepped up to him, but Ryūta beat him to it.
"Sorry! I have a meeting with someone, so I won't be able to go with you today," he said, raising a hand apologetically.
"Oh, great! Actually, something came up with the student council, so I've got things to take care of too. This way, I don't have to feel bad about it," Shinji laughed, visibly relieved.
"Sorry again. We'll make it up next time. See you!" Ryūta called as he rushed out the door with his bag in hand.
The meeting time was drawing dangerously close, so he immediately headed toward the designated location. As he left the building, he walked tight against the wall, trying to take the shortest path possible.
That's partly why he was caught off guard when, turning the second corner, he ran into three punks instead of the student council president.
Appearance-wise, they were almost identical, except for the one in the middle, who stood out due to his height and muscular build. He was likely the leader.
Although Ryūta hoped the encounter was just a coincidence and that these were just a few random delinquents, he was disappointed to find otherwise. The moment the leader spotted him, he called out:
"Well, well, look who's here! Our guy finally showed up!"
"About time! I was starting to get bored," added the second one.
The third didn't say a word, just smirked mockingly.
"What do you want? I'm supposed to meet someone here," Ryūta said, to which the big one turned to one of his companions.
"Hey, remind me, what role's she playing again?"
"She's acting as the student council president," the other replied.
Ryūta tried to hide his nerves behind a sharp glare. Still holding out some hope, he asked:
"Where is she?"
This time, even the leader's lips curled into a smile as he answered:
"Unfortunately, she's too busy right now. But don't worry, we're here to play with you instead."