Toshi stopped screaming.
Not because he wasn't scared—
But because it didn't help anymore.
Morning came again, but it didn't feel real.
Nothing did.
He stood in front of the mirror, staring at his reflection.
Same face. Same eyes.
But something felt… disconnected.
"…That's me, right?"
The question slipped out quietly.
He blinked.
The reflection blinked back.
Normal.
Perfect.
Still—
He didn't trust it.
At school, things got worse.
Voices felt delayed.
Like people spoke a second too late.
Or too early.
When someone laughed, it sounded stretched… unnatural.
Like the sound didn't belong to their face.
Toshi kept his head down.
Avoided eye contact.
Avoided everything.
"Oi."
He flinched.
His friend sat beside him again.
"You've been acting weird for days now."
"…I'm fine."
"No, you're not."
Toshi didn't respond.
His friend leaned closer. "Did something happen?"
Toshi hesitated.
For a second—
He almost said everything.
The dreams.
The paralysis.
Her.
But then—
"Nothing," he said.
His friend stared at him for a moment.
Then sighed. "Suit yourself."
The class went quiet.
The teacher was writing on the board.
Everything normal.
Too normal.
Toshi looked up slowly.
And that's when he saw it.
A student across the room.
Staring directly at him.
Not blinking.
Not moving.
Just… staring.
Toshi froze.
"…What are you looking at…?"
The student didn't respond.
Didn't move.
Then—
Slowly—
His head tilted.
Not naturally.
Not like curiosity.
Too far.
Too stiff.
Toshi's chest tightened instantly.
"No…"
The world around him felt distant.
Muted.
The student kept staring.
Then suddenly—
He blinked.
Sat normally.
Looked away.
Like nothing happened.
"…What the hell…"
Toshi's breathing became uneven.
He looked around.
No one else reacted.
No one noticed.
Everything was normal.
Except it wasn't.
Lunch break.
Toshi sat alone again.
Food untouched.
Hands shaking slightly.
"…This isn't real…"
He whispered it over and over.
Trying to ground himself.
Trying to stay sane.
But then—
He noticed something.
People.
Around him.
Some were smiling.
Not laughing.
Not talking.
Just smiling.
At him.
Wide.
Still.
Unnatural.
Toshi's vision blurred slightly.
"Stop…"
He stood up quickly.
Chair scraping loudly.
Everyone turned.
And just like that—
The smiles were gone.
Normal faces.
Confused looks.
"Bro, what's wrong with you?" someone muttered.
Toshi backed away slowly.
"…Nothing…"
But his voice was shaking.
Everything felt wrong.
Everyone felt wrong.
That evening, he didn't go straight home.
He went to the river.
The bench.
The only place that used to feel calm.
He sat down heavily.
Head in his hands.
"…What's happening to me…"
The river was silent.
Still.
Too still.
Then—
A ripple.
Toshi looked up.
The water moved.
But not outward.
Inward.
Like something was pulling it from below.
He stared.
Frozen.
And for a brief moment—
He saw it.
A reflection.
Not his.
Standing behind him.
White.
Still.
Toshi turned instantly.
Nothing.
Empty road.
Silence.
When he looked back at the water—
The reflection was gone.
"…She's following me…"
This time—
He didn't question it.
He knew.