Again And Again

Shina, Lia, and Ehito left, leaving the man behind. However, Ehito had sent a message to Tilan, who was already aware and on his way. Ehito knew Tilan was good, and he truly believed it. As the three of them headed towards Ehito's house, he was having quite an amusing evening. He arrived and saw his parents' car. He thought, "Oh, they're home. It's been a long time. Well, for me, it feels like hundreds of thousands of days. But I won't dwell on the past. Let's move on."

As they entered, Ehito's parents welcomed him with open arms. Ehito did the same and introduced Shina. Even his father, who had significant roles in the company, didn't know her. Once the introductions were done, Ehito went to his room and played on the console. It had been a while since he had played with someone. As he reminisced, memories of earlier times came flooding back — times when he wasn't angry, anxious, alone, shy, or abandoned. These memories almost brought a tear to his eye. He nearly lost the game, but he quickly recovered and won. He smiled at Shina and Lia, who were complaining about losing for the tenth time in a row. But Ehito was having fun with them.

Once the game was over, Ehito left, and Shina did the same. But like the previous night, she entered through the window and slept in Ehito's secret room. When she entered, she went straight to sleep. The next morning, she woke up and went to prepare herself at the company. She couldn't sleep there, though, because the company was locked and impossible to enter at night. If anyone stayed overnight, they would die. The company had untraceable, infallible security systems — complicated and highly secure.

The next day, they went to school. No problems. Ehito and Shina were surprised. The day after, still no problems. And on the day after that, they learned of a new student. Ehito and Shina already knew who it was. It was Tilan, Ehito's right-hand man. They were happy to be reunited. Lia, on the other hand, noticed that Ehito had become quite close to Shina and Tilan in a short amount of time. She felt jealous. She envied them. She wanted to spend as much time with Ehito as they did. But she didn't know that Tilan and Ehito had known each other since childhood, and so had Shina. They had spent more time with Ehito than anyone else, and vice versa — it was impossible to separate them. They all meant a great deal to each other. If one were to disappear, the others would feel an immense emptiness. Ehito didn't think about it. To him, being with Tilan was normal.

But Lia? Lia was jealous. Her heart would race every time she saw them together. Ehito noticed this, but they didn't talk about it because they didn't know how to act around her. After a while, about a week since the last attack, Tilan, Shina, and Lia went out to have fun. But Ehito called Lia over and said, "Lia, come, the principal wants to see us." Lia came over, and Ehito said, "I forgot to tell you, but in three weeks, we're heading to Rome for the tournament, which is now international, not national."

When Lia heard this news, stars lit up in her eyes. She was so happy that no misfortune could reach her. Except for one: death. Just then, someone arrived. He appeared to be a high school student, but he had a sinister aura, strange behaviors, and was way too alert to be a normal student. He was like Tilan — always on his guard. As he passed by Lia and Ehito, he looked at them with such a cold, dark gaze that Ehito realized they weren't here to talk. But they ignored each other and walked away. Ehito didn't want to fight. He had no intention of doing so. Death, to him, was something he no longer wanted to experience. Even though he knew he would have to live through it again, and again.

Once finished, Lia left with Shina and Tilan. They ended up at Lia's place, where she was casually enjoying herself. Ehito, on the other hand, stayed at school for a good reason—he had to talk to his aunt. Once he reached her office, he said, "Hey, old lady, how's it going?"

"What did you call me?" she responded, clearly irritated.

"Sorry, sorry," Ehito replied, uninterested.

His aunt then asked, "What brings you here?"

Ehito replied, "I need you to handle some harassers for me."

"Which ones?" she asked, becoming more serious.

"The one who hit his head against the window. I don't know his name."

"That one?" she replied.

"Yeah, him," Ehito said.

His aunt responded, "What did he do? Did he just hurt himself?"

"No," Ehito said, "He hurt himself trying to scare me."

"Oh yeah? How's that?" she asked.

Ehito explained, "He was threatening me, calling me a womanizer, saying I was with Fina. He said she was a good girl and that he'd make her happy. So I looked at him, and he got scared, backed up, and hit his head against the window."

His aunt responded, "You did the right thing. That's all he deserved. I'll make sure to punish him, cancel his insurance, and he'll have to pay for the window. Thanks, Ehito. Once again, you've been admirable."

"No problem," Ehito said, and with that, he left. He walked through the empty hallways, trying to avoid anyone. Some students stayed behind to study or because their classes ran late, or they had clubs to attend.

Once he was outside and in the courtyard, he walked straight without stopping. He sensed someone behind him but wasn't too concerned—it was just a second-year student who had nothing to do with him. But after a while, the student called out, "Hey, you, asshole, stop!"

Ehito heard him but didn't stop. Instead, he turned right, then left, and ended up in a narrow alley. The guy following him shouted again, "Hey, I told you, stop!