Chapter 6: Finally

"Alright... Let's not try to be some genius and create my own theories," Hayato muttered to himself, finding himself once again trapped in the same dark, unfamiliar place.

This time, he did everything right. He saved Yuka, prevented the explosion, and even avoided stepping on the empty can. Yuka thanked him sincerely, and they parted ways safely once more. Yet, as he neared his house, that same violent heartbeat surged through his chest—and now, here he was again.

If his theory was correct, based on everything he had seen and experienced, the sudden, violent heartbeat only struck him when Yuka died. The time he was crushed by the vending machine, he hadn't felt it at all. It was clear now—his life was inexplicably tied to Yuka's. If she died, he would be forcibly dragged to his end as well, succumbing to a sudden heart attack.

There were too many things he couldn't make sense of, and he had long given up trying. Regardless, he had no intention of doing anything differently anymore. From what he observed, the moment he strayed from the original accident, a chain of unexpected events began unfolding—almost as if the world itself was bending and twisting, determined to recreate a similar incident involving Yuka.

On top of that, Hayato had no idea how many times he could repeat this time loop. If there was a limit to how many times he could rewind, any failure could very well be his last.

He began walking along the illuminated path, his footsteps echoing in the void. He only came to a halt when his eyes fell upon the memory shard he had been searching for.

Ding! Dong! Ding!

The sound of a bell ringing echoed in Hayato's ears as he opened his eyes, finding himself back in his classroom.

"Alright, everyone, let's wrap up here for today," the teacher announced, gathering his notes. "We'll continue discussing today's lesson in tomorrow's class."

With that, he walked out of the room. Around him, his classmates began packing up their belongings, chatting and laughing as they prepared to head home or hang out with their friends.

'Alright', Hayato thought, relieved to see he had successfully returned to the moment he intended. His eyes fell on Yuka, who was gathering her belongings, preparing to leave.

This time, he wasn't going to stop her or delay her. Instead, he would mimic what the protagonist had done and try to resolve the accident once and for all.

'Hopefully, it works out this time', he thought, his resolve firm yet fragile. The constant resets and the weight of everything that had happened so far were taking a heavy toll on his mind. He knew he couldn't endure this much longer.

He followed her again, silently keeping a safe distance. Before he knew it, he had arrived at the site.

Just as he expected, construction work was in progress beside the road. Looking up, Hayato spotted a massive crane hoisting an enormous concrete pipe high above the ground.

Then, right before his eyes, the cable securing the pipe snapped.

'Now's my chance', Hayato thought, his heart racing as he sprinted toward Yuka. His goal was simple: push both him and her out of the way, just like the protagonist had done.

And he almost succeeded, almost because, at the last possible moment, he managed to shove Yuka forward, sending her tumbling to safety. But in that crucial instant, his foot caught on his own leg, making him stumbling forward.

He fell hard to the ground, and the massive concrete pipe crashed down on him, its weight crushing half of his body in an instant.

'Shit! Not again!' Hayato cursed inwardly, but no words escaped his mouth. Only a torrent of blood poured from his lips as his body lay broken beneath the crushing weight of the pipe. His consciousness began to fade, darkness creeping in at the edges of his vision.

The last thing he saw was Yuka, her face filled with panic, rushing toward him along with several others.

'As I thought... the worried expression... looks kinda nice on her face from up close', was his final, fleeting thought before he died.

Ding! Dong! Ding!

"Ahhh!" Hayato screamed as he jolted back to reality, finding himself once again in his classroom. His face was pale, and his eyes were slightly unfocused, the vivid memory of the agonizing pain from his lower body being completely crushed still fresh in his mind.

"Amane, what happened?" the teacher asked, his voice filled with concern as he glanced at him worriedly.

The classroom fell into an awkward silence, everyone staring at him with puzzled expressions. But Hayato barely registered any of it. His mind was still trapped in the vivid memory of his death, the crushing pain, the fleeting thoughts... everything that had happened before.

"N-Nothing, I j-just remembered a bad memory," Hayato stammered, forcing the words out while trying to steady his shaky voice.

He hoped his vague response would be enough to brush the topic aside.

Like before, Hayato followed Yuka silently, keeping his distance. When the cable snapped and the pipe began to fall, he broke into a sprint, his body moving on instinct.

But this time, exhaustion weighed heavily on his mind, dulling his reflexes. His timing was off. Before he could reach her, the massive pipe crashed down, crushing Yuka completely.

He froze, mere inches away from saving her. Blood sprayed across his face as the horrific scene unfolded before his eyes. The vivid image burned into his mind, leaving him paralyzed in disbelief and despair.

"Ah, Ahh! I can't do it anymore!" Hayato screamed in despair, his voice cracking as tears streamed down his face. He collapsed to his knees, his hands trembling uncontrollably.

No matter how many times he tried, he couldn't succeed. The weight of his repeated failures crushed him, more suffocating than the pipe itself. By now, he already understood the cruel truth—until he save Yuka, he was trapped, doomed to relive this same moment over and over again.

Thump!

He found himself back in that dark, silent place once again. Unlike before, this time, he felt reluctant to leave. The calm and peaceful stillness of the domain was tempting—a reprieve from the pain, failure, and despair that awaited him outside.

But by now, he also knew another grim truth. The longer he stayed here, the more his body began to turn transparent, as if his very existence was slowly fading away.

He clenched his fists, he had no choice. No matter how much he wanted to stay in this tranquil void, he had to keep trying. To save her. To escape this endless nightmare.

"Hey, are you okay?" Misaki asked after the school ended, her voice laced with concern as she looked at Hayato.

His face was visibly pale, his eyes distant and hazy, as if lost in a world of his own. Even his movements seemed off—sluggish and uncoordinated, as though he wasn't paying attention to anything he was doing.

"Hmm? Oh, I'm alright," Hayato replied vaguely, forcing a smile that came out weak and unconvincing.

Misaki stared at him for a moment, her brows furrowing slightly. "That doesn't seem to be the case to me," she said, crossing her arms. "Anyway, you shouldn't let Takahashi's rejection get to you this much. If you like her, don't lose hope and keep fighting."

Her words hung in the air, but Hayato barely registered them. The weight of his real struggles overshadowed her attempt to console him.

Yet, her words helped him slightly regain his composure, pulling him back from the haze clouding his mind. When he realized Yuka had already left, a sense of urgency overtook him.

"Thank you," he said to Misaki, his voice hurried yet sincere, before dashing out of the classroom in pursuit of Yuka.

He slapped both his cheeks hard, the sharp sound echoing through the crowded hallway.

"Come to your senses, you idiot. This is the path you chose—don't regret it now," he muttered to himself, his voice firm despite the lingering tremor of doubt.

With renewed determination, he steadied his breathing and pushed forward. There was no turning back anymore.

Hayato focused intently, his heart pounding as he saw the pipe teetering dangerously, almost about to fall.

'You can do it,' he encouraged himself, and with that thought, he sprang into action, sprinting toward Yuka.

In that moment, everything seemed to slow down around him. His gaze was fixed solely on her, ignoring everything else. As he reached her, he grabbed her from behind, feeling a slight resistance—most likely an instinctive reaction from Yuka.

Without thinking, he leapt forward, holding onto her tightly. In midair, his body twisted sub consciously, and he landed on his back, cushioning Yuka as she stayed closely on top of him.

The massive pipe hit the ground with a deafening crash, shaking everything around them. Dust swirled in the air, and a few moments of stunned silence followed before people began to rush over, their voices rising in a flurry of concern.

"Are you two alright?" they asked, pulling Hayato and Yuka up, checking them for any signs of injury.

The manager in charge of the construction site came running, his face pale with panic. When he reached them, he bowed repeatedly, his voice shaky with remorse. "I-I'm so sorry! Please, forgive us! We never expected something like this to happen..." he stammered, his apologies flowing like a torrent.

On the other hand, Hayato barely registered any of the chaos around him. His mind was elsewhere, lost in disbelief.

'I did it?' That was the only thought racing through his head.

He couldn't quite comprehend it. After so many failed attempts, so many moments of failure, he had finally done it. He had saved Yuka. He didn't have to repeat this moment again. A mix of relief and disbelief washing through him as he stood there, unable to fully grasp that he had truly succeeded this time.

"Umm... thank you for saving me," Yuka said, her voice filled with deep gratitude. "If you weren't here, I wouldn't be here either."

She paused, her eyes scanning him with concern. "Are you hurt anywhere by any chance?" she asked, her gaze soft yet full of worry, as she carefully examined him for any visible injuries.

Edward snapped out of his daze, blinking a few times as he looked at Yuka. "Ah, no, it's okay," he said, forcing a smile that came out awkwardly. He quickly examined his own body, as if to reassure her. "I just have some small scratches here and there, nothing serious."

He gave a small, unconvincing chuckle, trying to mask the exhaustion and relief that was slowly taking over him.

"No, that's not good," Yuka insisted, her expression serious yet caring. "Come with me, my house is nearby. Let me at least treat your injuries as thanks."

She looked at him with determination, and it was clear from her gaze that she wasn't going to take no for an answer. Her gratitude towards him was genuine, and she wasn't going to let him walk away without doing something in return.

Hayato nodded, following her as they walked together.

"By the way, what were you doing there?" Yuka asked, her voice curious as they put distance between themselves and the scene. "Do you live somewhere around here?"

Her question seemed innocent enough, but Hayato flinched slightly. He couldn't admit that he had been following her, knowing something like that was going to happen. He quickly wracked his brain for an excuse.

"Yes, right," he said, his voice steady despite the lie. "I followed you to return your handkerchief. I found it near your desk."

He took out the same blue handkerchief he had showed her previously, holding it out to her with a small, nonchalant smile.

Yuka glanced at the handkerchief for a second. "That's... not mine," she said, her tone apologetic.

The walk to Yuka's house was enveloped in silence. She wasn't the type to talk much, and Hayato knew that all too well. Given his current state, he wasn't in any mood to start a conversation either. The quiet between them wasn't uncomfortable, but it was heavy with unspoken thoughts.

Soon enough, they arrived at Yuka's house. Hayato recognized it immediately, having seen its depiction many times in the anime. It was a two-story building with a wide first floor. The front part of the house served as their family restaurant, a cozy spot known for its traditional Japanese comfort foods.

The savory aroma of udon, ramen, takoyaki, yakisoba, and katsudon wafted faintly from the building, even from outside.

Hayato noticed a steady flow of people entering and leaving through the front, the restaurant clearly bustling with activity. However, they didn't head for the main entrance, avoiding the crowd of customers. Instead, Yuka led him through a narrow alley beside the house, the walls almost brushing against their shoulders.

At the end of the alley, they reached a modest backdoor. Yuka pulled out a key from her bag, unlocked the door with practiced ease, and pushed it open.

"Please, come in," she said softly, stepping inside first. Her tone was polite, but there was a subtle warmth in her invitation that made Hayato feel less like a guest and more like someone she trusted.

"I'm home," Yuka called out as she entered the kitchen, where the familiar clatter of cooking filled the air.

Her mother, a woman in her mid-forties was busy chopping vegetables. Though her hands didn't pause their work, her attention immediately shifted to her daughter. She turned slightly, concern etched on her face.

"Why are you late, Yuka? Did something happen?" she asked, her tone full of worry. Yuka wasn't the type to wander aimlessly after school, and she was always diligent about coming home to help with the family business.

Her mother's gaze then shifted to Hayato, standing awkwardly behind Yuka.

"And who is this boy?" She added.

Yuka paused, realizing she didn't actually know his name. She turned slightly, her gaze hinting him to say something.

Understanding her unspoken cue, Hayato straightened awkwardly and gave a small, polite smile. "My name is Amane Hayato," he said, bowing his head slightly. "I'm her classmate."

Yuka began recounting everything that had happened, her tone calm but the weight of the events clear in her words. Her mother listened intently, her hands slowly coming to rest on the counter as Yuka's story unfolded.