Shadows in Familiar Places
The morning sun filtered through the paper-thin curtains, casting soft shadows on the wooden floor. I hadn't slept much—not because of nightmares, but because reality had become harder to close my eyes to.
Ayaka was gone when I woke up.
No note. No goodbye.
Only the faint indentation on the futon where she'd fallen asleep beside me.
I stared at it for a long time.
Did she regret coming here?
Or maybe she remembered more in her dreams.
I pushed the thoughts aside and pulled on my uniform. Even after everything—two deaths, a time-leap, a collapsing world—I still had to go to school.
Because to everyone else, nothing had changed.
But everything had.
---
Homeroom was a blur.
The classroom smelled the same—chalk dust and the faint tang of cleaning solution. Souta was chattering beside me about some game he'd beaten last night. Minori sat in front of me, already scribbling gossip into her notebook.
Everything looked normal.
But the weight in my chest never left.
"Ren~?" Souta leaned closer. "You're spacing out again. Are you sick or something?"
I shook my head. "Just tired."
He frowned, then grinned. "You've been acting weird lately, you know? Like... different."
I didn't answer.
I couldn't.
How do you explain to someone that you're carrying the ashes of a future they haven't even lived yet?
---
Third period was history.
I usually hated this class. The dates, the names, the way time was flattened into facts.
But today, it felt ironic.
Because I was history.
A walking paradox.
I stared out the window.
Cherry blossoms still drifted in lazy spirals. So delicate. So temporary.
I thought about Riku—the boy I saved yesterday.
In another life, he'd already be dead by now.
But now… he had a second chance.
Maybe that was what this was about.
Not saving everyone.
Just… tipping the scale.
---
Lunch break came.
I stayed in my seat, poking at the rice in my bento. Minori and Souta had already gone to the rooftop. The classroom emptied slowly.
And then—
"Mind if I sit here?"
A voice I hadn't heard in a while.
I looked up.
Tachibana Riku.
Our senpai. The school's unofficial prince.
Smile too perfect. Hair too flawless. Everyone admired him—especially the girls.
But his eyes…
His eyes didn't smile today.
I nodded toward the seat across from me. "Sure."
He opened his own bento. It was handmade, neatly arranged.
But he barely touched it.
"You know," he began casually, "you've changed, Amano."
My fingers stiffened.
"More serious. More quiet. Less... fragile."
I frowned. "You thought I was fragile?"
He gave a soft laugh. "No. I thought you were hiding something. Now I'm sure of it."
I didn't answer.
Not because I was afraid—but because I saw something strange in him.
Like he was testing me.
Fishing for something.
Then he said it.
"I had a dream last night. It felt… real. Like I'd lived it before. But everything ended in blood."
My heart skipped.
"That's… dark," I said slowly.
He looked out the window, his expression unreadable.
"I think the past is broken," he murmured. "And some of us are starting to remember the cracks."
---
After school.
I avoided Ayaka.
Not because I hated her—but because I didn't know how to face her yet.
My legs moved on their own.
And somehow… I found myself at Reiji's house.
The gate was half-open. The same rusted mailbox. The smell of sun-warmed cement.
I hadn't been here since the day I found out.
Since the betrayal.
My hand hovered over the bell.
Why am I here?
What do I expect?
Forgiveness?
Closure?
Or just proof that I still hate him?
Before I could decide, the door opened.
And there he was.
Reiji.
Same crooked smile. Same messy hair.
But something in his eyes had changed.
"Ren?"
I stared.
He blinked, then stepped out. "Dude, I was just thinking about you. It's been, like, forever."
I said nothing.
"...You okay?"
I forced a nod. "Yeah. Just passing by."
We stood there in silence.
Then he said something strange.
"You ever get that feeling… like you're watching your own life from the outside?"
I froze.
He chuckled, scratching his head. "Weird, right? Forget it."
But I couldn't forget it.
Not that line.
Not the haunted look behind his grin.
He didn't remember everything.
But something was stirring.
And that scared me more than anything else.
---
That night.
I couldn't sleep again.
Ayaka didn't message.
Reiji didn't call.
And I kept replaying their faces in my mind.
The Ayaka who cried in my living room.
The Reiji who smiled like he hadn't destroyed me once already.
They were both different now.
Or maybe… they were still the same, and I was just seeing them with new eyes.
I opened my notebook.
And began to write.
A list.
Of names.
Of timelines.
Of who might remember… and who might not.
1. Ayaka — Fragmented memories. Dream-based. Emotional trigger: lake crash.
2. Reiji — Signs of unease. Possible déjà vu. Emotional trigger: unknown.
3. Tachibana Riku — Vivid dream of bloody ending. High emotional awareness.
4. Fujita Riku — Saved from bullying. Timeline altered. No signs of memory.
5. Myself — Full leap. Cause: attempted suicide + voice intervention.
And beneath it all, I wrote:
"Not everyone came back. But some are waking up."
---
The next morning.
A message blinked on my phone screen.
From: Unknown
"You've changed the flow. But nothing comes free. You'll understand soon."
I stared at it.
No number.
No trace.
Just a warning.
Or a threat.
Or maybe… a rule I hadn't learned yet.
And for the first time since coming back—
I felt afraid.
Truly afraid.
Because something was watching.
And I wasn't sure if it wanted me to succeed… or fail.
---
[END OF CHAPTER 3]