Chapter 5: Brother

He nods quickly, grabbing a pancake and stuffing it into his mouth as he heads out the door. The morning sun greets him like an old friend, and as he steps onto the front porch, the weight of his predicament settles heavily on his shoulders.

This isn't just a second chance—it's a test. And Jiko has no idea if he's ready for it.

But then, as Jiko steps outside into the warm embrace of the morning sun, a cold realization grips him. His brother Tito and Julie's love story hasn't even begun yet. The thought sends a jolt through his system, more intense than any caffeine could muster.

Julie—the bride who had been the focus of Tito's joy and Jiko's recent reconciliatory efforts—is nowhere in this timeline. She's not part of their lives yet. She's still just a stranger somewhere out in the world, living her life without any idea that one day she'd cross paths with Tito and change everything.

Jiko pauses mid-step, the weight of the situation sinking in like a heavy stone dropped into the depths of his mind. This isn't just about him navigating his teenage years again or fixing his own regrets. This timeline is fragile, every moment laced with the potential for unintended consequences.

What happens if he messes it up?

The question gnaws at him as he recalls the whirlwind of events that led to Tito and Julie falling in love. Tito's awkward yet heartfelt confession at the college fair, Julie's hesitant but genuine smile as she agreed to a first date, the shared laughter over late-night coffee runs, the arguments that made them stronger—all of it a series of delicate dominoes that had to fall in just the right order.

And now, Jiko is a wildcard in that sequence.

The responsibility feels suffocating. What if his actions in this timeline somehow prevent them from meeting? What if Tito's life veers off course because Jiko intervenes where he shouldn't? Or worse, what if Jiko's meddling creates a rift between them before they even have a chance to connect?

He rubbed his temples, but the warm morning sun couldn't shake the chill he felt inside. "This is crazy," he mumbled to himself. "How am I supposed to live like this? Knowing what I know about the future?"

The faint sound of the school bus coming closer snapped him out of his thoughts. Tito rushed out of the house, throwing his backpack over his shoulder and grinning at Jiko.

"Come on, slowpoke!" Tito yelled. "Don't wanna be late on the first day of the new year, do ya?"

Jiko forced a smile and ran to catch up. As they start walking, he looked at Tito, who had no idea what Jiko was going through. This was Tito *before* he became so confident, *before* he met Julie and fell in love. This was Tito *before* everything.

He's stuck in the past, walking a tightrope between preserving the timeline and improving it. One wrong step could shatter Tito and Julie's future, and Jiko isn't sure he could live with himself if that happens.

For now, there's only one thing he knows for sure: he has to tread carefully. Very carefully.

"…and if it works, it's gonna totally blow Mr. Emon's mind," Tito said, grinning from ear to ear. "I mean, who else would think of using a soda can as a mini power generator?"

Jiko nodded, a small smile appearing on his face. He'd heard bits and pieces of these stories before, but only through other people or in quick conversations much later. Now, hearing Tito tell them with so much enthusiasm, Jiko felt a little sad about how distant they'd been back then. He'd been so caught up in his own stuff—school problems, feeling insecure, daydreaming—that he hadn't really paid attention to Tito.

When they got close to the school gates, a wave of memories hit Jiko so hard he almost stopped walking. Seeing the old brick building, the windows shining in the morning sun, and all the students milling around felt like stepping into a memory he could almost touch.

He could smell the freshly cut grass mixed with the faint smell of food from the cafeteria. The sound of lockers banging shut and friends laughing and talking after the weekend made a noisy mix of sounds that Jiko had forgotten he used to hear every single day.

He took it all in, his heart beating a little faster. It felt good to be back in this familiar place—the heavy backpacks, the school jackets, the way groups of kids formed and moved around like fish in the ocean. But he also felt a little uneasy, remembering how awkward and unsure of himself he'd been back then.

"Hey, Jiko, you good?" Tito asks, nudging him with an elbow.

Jiko snaps out of his reverie, realizing he's been standing there a second too long. "Yeah, just… weird being here again, you know?"

Tito raises an eyebrow but shrugs it off. "Whatever, man. Let's go. I wanna grab a good seat before math starts. Can't be stuck in the back again."

They pass through the gates of the park that leads up to their school and Tito's Varsity which was not that far from Jiko's school, the hum of teenage energy surrounding them. Jiko keeps his gaze forward, avoiding the groups of students chatting in clusters, but his ears catch snippets of conversations that make his heart race.

"…did you see the game on Friday?"

"…she totally likes you, dude. Just ask her out already!"

"…can you believe Mrs. Chadni gave us another essay? It's, like, torture."

The voices are fragments of a world Jiko thought he'd left behind, and yet here he is, thrust back into the middle of it. Every sound, every smell, every flicker of movement feels like a direct portal to his younger self—the awkward kid who tried to blend into the background, who wrestled with self-doubt and barely had the courage to speak up in class.

Just as Jiko about to asked something to his brother, a sudden, piercing scream ripped through the air, making him jump. He looked up and immediately saw Julie—she was running down the path, her backpack bouncing wildly as she sprinted as fast as she could. Chasing her, with its teeth bared, was a wild-looking dog, running with a fierce, hungry look in its eyes. Its eyes looked mean, and the way it snapped at the air made Jiko's stomach churn.