there's no point outrunning fate
The spring night felt frozen in time. Aside from the occasional murmur of passing vehicles and the soft whir of a cyclist's pedals, the neighborhood of Aotocho lay quiet and calm, wrapped in peace. Even so, the weight of the day had finally begun to settle on Okamura's shoulders.
He and Koyori slowly walked side by side along the silent sidewalk. He glanced over at her—her emerald eyes shimmering beneath the soft glow of the streetlights, and her warm, unguarded smile stirred something deep within him. Before he knew it, a faint smile of his own tugged at his lips.
"I'm glad we got to spend the day together. Even with others tagging along... I really enjoyed it, nonetheless."
The words came out in a murmur, clearly meant for her. But were they how he truly felt—or just something he said to reassure her?
"We haven't had a day like this in a long time."
Bags in hand, she paused mid-step. "Don't tell Father I said this, but... I'd rather be here with you than anywhere else, Kintarō."
"That's not what you said earlier," he replied, not realizing she had stopped walking.
"You know what I mean," she murmured, gripping the bag a little tighter. "When I'm with you, all I can think about is you. It's like all my troubles vanish away into the night."
Okamura came to a halt, caught off guard. He turned around to face her, his eyes locking onto hers—captivated by her quiet, youthful beauty.
Her eyes shimmered beneath the moonlight, the soft sheen of lip gloss catching the faint glow of the streetlamps. The slightly oversized dress draped over her petite frame added to her gentle charm.
Even the way a few stray stands of hair swayed against her forehead—it all felt surreal, like a dream come true.
"You know I'm not the best with words... So I hope you still understand."
Okamura's breath caught in his throat.
He wasn't sure if it was the way she look at him or the sincerity in her voice that reached into something buried deep inside him.
"I understand, Koyori. More than you think."
He stepped closer, just enough that their shadows blended beneath the streetlight.
Just then, as he opened his mouth to speak—something shifted.
No, everything shifted.
His vision blurred, the edges of the world warping around him.
The air became thick and unbreathable.
His limbs grew impossibly heavy, as if gravity itself had doubled.
The warmth he'd just felt a few moments ago was gone—replaced by an unnerving dread.
Then silence.
Total, unnatural silence.
No rustling trees. No distant cars. Not even the gust of the spring night breeze.
The world had stopped.
His heart began pounding violently against his chest—so loud, it felt like the only thing keeping him company.
«Αυτό το συναίσθημα είναι οδυνηρά οικείο, έτσι δεν είναι;»
He knew this sensation.
«Πονάει, έτσι δεν είναι;»
He had felt it before.
«Μια φορά γλίτωσες τον θάνατο…»
That same suffocating presence—cold and inescapable—was here again.
It had followed him into this peaceful night...
And now, it no longer wished to remain in the shadows.
«Εγγυώμαι ότι δεν θα ξανασυμβεί ποτέ».
Lurking in the distance, behind Koyori, was a familiar spin-chilling figure, shrouded in pitch-blackness, staring at her with pure contempt.
Okamura felt the malevolence and pure evil that radiated off it, despite the distance between he and Koyori and it.
«Θα σε γκρεμίσω, σιγά-σιγά, κομμάτι κομμάτι μέχρι να σπάσεις».
Its words were incomprehensible, but the malice behind them seeped into his skin, nonetheless.
He blinked.
Or at least, he though he did.
But when his eyes opened again, the pitch-black figure was there—right in front of him.
It stood mere inches away, yet its form defied all comprehension.
His eyes couldn't make out a single detail.
He was within arm's reach of death, literally.
Despite its appareance, its soft, divine hands cupped his cheeks. His body surrendered instantly, overtaken by an overwhelming, almost god-like sensation that left him powerless—completely at its mercy.
«Δεν μπορείς καν να καταλάβεις τι σου έχω συνταγογραφήσει.»
His eyes shut again.
And when they reopened, the street was gone.
Koyori was gone.
The figure was gone.
The suffocating weight that held him down—gone.
In its place, a thick white haze blanketed the sky, diffusing the faint light filtering through. Everything felt muffled, dreamlike.
"Sakata, is that you?"
He turned sharply, his heart pounding as the haze deepened. The unfamiliar voice pierced the stillness like a thread of light in an endless void.
"Sakata, is that you?" the voice repeated, clearer this time.
In the distance stood a young girl—no older than eight. She had straight blonde hair falling neatly to her shoulders, pale blue eyes that gleaming through the mist, and a small black mole just beneath her right eye.
'Chi—haya?'
Before he could respond, she sprinted toward him and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist.
"Kintarō? I promise... I will protect you from her."
And then—just like that—she vanished, fading into the haze as if she had never been there at all.
Suddenly, the vision shifted—this time, more violently.
The light became unbearably bright.
A sharp, ear rupturing sound came through, like the fabric of existence was being ripped apart. He stumbled backward.
And then—
He was back.
Back on the sidewalk in Aotocho.
Koyori's voice broke through the fog in his mind, panicked and trembling. "Say something?!"
The sound jolted him.
His eyes met hers—tears streaming down her cheeks. Her emerald eyes shimmered beneath the streetlights.
"What... happened, Koyori? What's the matter? Are you hurt?"
"Are you serious, Kintaro? After everything you just told me, your gonna pretend like nothing happen?!"
"I'm serious," he pleaded. "What happened? I... spaced out."
Koyori stared at him in disbelief.
"I can't believe this," she whispered.
Then, without another word, she turned and bolted down the street, dropping her bags.
"Wait—!"
He realised something.
He couldn't move.
It felt like a vice clamped around his chest, anchoring him in place.
All he could do was shout her name as she vanished into the night.
"What... the fuck is happening to me?"
「あなたが嫌いです.」