Chapter 5: Too many butterfly effects

When Hayato's eyes fluttered open again, he found himself in an endless abyss of darkness.

"Where... am I?" he wondered, his expression unmistakably painted with confusion.

He glanced around, but no matter where he looked, all he could see was an endless expanse of darkness. Feeling a twinge of unease, he cautiously took a step forward. In an instant, a path illuminated before him, cutting through the void.

"This might be the way out!" he thought, a wave of relief washing over his face as he took another step forward. Suddenly, a shard materialized, floating silently beside him. Startled, he turned to look at it, only to see a vivid replay of the moment he first arrived in this world reflected on its surface.

He took another step, and another shard appeared, this one showing what happened next. With each step forward, more shards materialized, each revealing fragments of his journey. They floated around him, forming a fragmented timeline, until he finally reached the moment right before he witnessed the explosion.

For some inexplicable reason, his body refused to move beyond that point, as if an invisible force was holding him back. He tried to push forward, but his legs wouldn't respond. Strangely enough, he found he could step back freely, though never beyond the spot where he began.

"Am I trapped here?" he wondered.

Then his eyes fell on a shard displaying the moment he parted ways with Yuka. An inexplicable urge stirred within him, compelling him to reach out. Before he realized it, his fingers brushed against the shard, as if guided by instinct.

The shard began to vibrate violently, emitting an intense, blinding light. Instinctively, Hayato shielded his eyes with both arms. When the glow finally dimmed, he lowered them, only for his eyes to widen in horrified shock.

He now stood at the exact spot where he had parted ways with Yuka, her figure still visible in the distance, walking away. His body suddenly felt weak, as if all his strength had been drained in an instant. Unable to bear the weight, he collapsed to the ground, his knees and hands sinking into the dirt.

Huff!

Huff!

He panted heavily, struggling to catch his breath, his face slick with sweat. "What the hell is going on?" he thought, his mind racing. "Did I just… see a glimpse of the future?"

He couldn't be certain if that was truly the case, but the only way to find out was to go to the place where the explosion had occurred. If what he saw was real, he had to stop it at all costs.

"It should be around here," Hayato muttered, scanning the area. He wasn't sure of the exact location of the explosion, having seen it from a distance, but he still had some clues to piece together. If the explosion had originated from someone's house, he'd be powerless to act—he couldn't just break into a stranger's home, and telling anyone about it would only make him seem insane, especially without knowing the cause. His frustration grew, but if the source was something out in the open, on the street, he could at least warn people to run.

Hayato rushed through the area, his steps quick and purposeful as he searched for any clue. There were no patrol pumps or gas stations—nothing that would typically cause such an explosion. His heart began to race as he unknowingly neared the Mizuya market. The moment he spotted it, a wave of unease washed over him, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. Something felt off.

His thoughts were abruptly interrupted by the sharp honk of a small truck. Hayato quickly stepped aside, making way for it to pass. "Trucks in these narrow streets? They're out of their mind," he muttered under his breath, shaking his head in disbelief.

He watched as the truck sped off into the distance, in such a short time. With a heavy sigh, Hayato reminded himself that he didn't have time to worry about it. But just as he was about to take a step in the direction the truck had gone, his eyes widened in shock. The truck suddenly swerved sharply to the side, as if it had struck something, crashing into an electric pole. The pole toppled, crashing onto a nearby house.

In that instant, right before his eyes, the same explosion he'd seen earlier erupted, but this time, its impact on him was far more intense. The blast reverberated through his body, its weight pressing down on him like a physical force.

Thump!

Emidietly, before he could process anything, his heart raced violently, and the same excruciating pain surged through his body, overwhelming him. He collapsed to the ground, breathless and powerless, as if the very essence of his being was being torn apart. His vision blurred, and his consciousness began to slip away, fading into darkness once more.

When Hayato opened his eyes, he found himself in that same dark place once again. Though his mind was still reeling from the explosion's impact, here, in this strange void, he felt nothing. There was no pain, no fear—only an eerie calmness, a profound peace that seemed to shield him from any negative forces or emotions. It was as if the very atmosphere of this place nullified anything that could disturb him.

"I see, I get it now," Hayato murmured to himself, a sense of clarity settling in. Two truths had finally become clear to him. The first was the meaning behind what people often say, "Death is the greatest peace and freedom." Now, he understood it. Judging from the serenity he felt in this place, that saying rang true. This strange void was something he could only enter after dying, does this apply to everyone? we aren't sure about that.

As for the second realization: what he had witnessed earlier was not a glimpse of the future, but the past, a memory that had already occurred. This place, he now understood, was like a progress saver, a space where he could select his starting point and, perhaps, alter the course of events to change the outcome.

However, this realization only gave rise to more questions in his mind. He chose to set aside the matter of how he had gained this power for now, knowing deep down that he would likely never get an answer. One thing was certain, though: the previous Hayato hadn't possessed this ability from the start. If he had, his existence wouldn't have vanished in the anime.

Aside from that, one pressing question lingered in his mind: if the condition to enter this place was his death, then how had he died? He distinctly remembered standing at a safe distance from the explosion. Could it be that he'd suffered a heart attack from witnessing it? Was his heart that fragile? He doesn't think so.

Something else must have happened, and there is only one way to find out. Fortunately, he now knew the exact location of the explosion, and this time, he is sure to prevent it.

Hah! Hah!

After touching that same memory shard, Hayato was pulled back to where he had previously started. The flood of emotions from before crashed into him all at once—the fear, the confusion, the pain—but he endured them. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to his feet. There was no time to waste. Without hesitation, he sprinted toward the destined location, determined to change the outcome this time.

Hayato arrived at the location early, his mind racing as he carefully observed the area, waiting in the corner for the truck to appear. "From what I remember, the truck hit something before crashing into the pole, or something made it steer toward the pole," he thought, his eyes fixed on the pole in question. "So, if I can just stop the truck from veering off course, it won't crash into the pole, and I can prevent the accident entirely."

He focused, strategizing the best way to intervene without putting anyone in denger.

After waiting for a couple more minutes, Hayato's eyes shifted to another direction. In the distance, he noticed a girl approaching, her figure strikingly familiar.

His heart skipped a beat as he realized who it was—Yuka. "What the hell are you doing here?!" He shouted inwardly, he hadn't expected her to be anywhere near this place.

On the other hand, Hayato could see the truck approaching from the direction it was supposed to, its engine roaring as it grew closer. Sweat began to bead on his forehead as the reality of the situation hit him. "Don't tell me…" he muttered, his voice filled with disbelief.

He took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. He now understood what was happening, but there were still too many unanswered questions. Why was this happening? There was no accident like this in the anime. Was it because he saved Yuka? But Yuka wasn't supposed to die in the anime either. Then why? Was it because it wasn't the protagonist who saved her? The uncertainty flooded his mind, hundreds of questions that he couldn't answer. Despite the chaos in his thoughts, he remained outwardly calm, watching as Yuka drew closer to the dangerous path.

Her steps were hurried, and she was about to walk past him without even glancing his way. But just as she did, Hayato suddenly reached out and grabbed her hand. "Watch out," he said, his voice calm and steady.

Yuka was startled at first by his sudden action, but as she processed the situation, her eyes widened. The truck had just passed by, its massive body brushing dangerously close to her. Her heart skipped a beat as the reality of how close she had come to disaster hit her.

Hayato was tense the entire time the truck passed, his eyes locked on it as it barreled by. His grip on Yuka's hand tightened unconsciously, his body bracing for any sudden disaster. But as the truck finally passed and nothing happened, a wave of relief flooded through him. He had done it. He had actually prevented the explosion. More importantly, he had saved Yuka once again. His breath, which he hadn't realized he was holding, escaped in a soft exhale, and for a brief moment, he allowed himself to savor the victory.

"Hello... I really thank you for saving me, but... my hand... it's hurting," Yuka's slightly pained voice pulled Hayato out of his daze. He quickly realized that he was still holding onto her hand, and worse, he had been gripping it tightly. His face turned bright red as he immediately let go and stumbled backward.

"Wha—... I am sorry!" he stammered, his words coming out in a flurry, his embarrassment growing. He had just held a girl's hand—although it was to save her, it still felt so... Nice.

As he stumbled backward, Hayato failed to notice the empty can of juice lying on the ground. His foot landed on it, causing him to lose his balance. "EH?" The word slipped from his mouth in disbelief as he fell, his head colliding with the corner of the vending machine placed outside the convenience store.

He hit the ground with a sickening thud, bright red blood quickly pooling around his head. Dazed, he saw Yuka running toward him, her face filled with worry and panic. But before he could make sense of it all, his vision was blocked by the vending machine, which came crashing down onto his head.

Once again, Hayato found himself in that same dark place. This time, there was no doubt about it—he had clearly died.

Hayato chose the same shard again, his body filling with sensations as everything around him became vivid once more. The crushing pain in his head returned with haunting clarity, making him drop to the ground, clutching his head tightly. The memory of the vending machine smashing into him was still raw, and the agony of his final moments clung to him like a nightmare.

This time, he couldn't immediately get back up. The pain was too intense, too overwhelming. He remained on the ground, his breathing labored, and it took several minutes for the sharpness of the memory to fade enough for him to start regaining some composure.

But this time, Hayato wouldn't allow any mistakes. He gritted his teeth, forcing himself to stand despite the phantom pain that lingered in his head. The memory of his gruesome death was still fresh, but it served as a grim reminder of what was at stake.

"I'll end this... for good," he muttered, his voice steady with determination.