"Nice to meet you, Yamauchi-kun. Myself, Amamiya Rika."
The moment she said her name, my vision blurred, my breath hitched, and my heart pounded violently against my chest.
I felt like I was suffocating.
It was her.
My mother.
Or at least, the woman who was my mother in my previous life.
The grueling years of my darkest past resurfaced in my mind, as a nauseating feeling filled within me.
"What's wrong, Yamauchi-kun?", Minami San asked me worriedly.
My face went pale as I perspired heavily.
The thing about past trauma is that no matter how much time passes, the fear never fades away completely.
I couldn't even reply to Minami san, as my throat felt like it being choked.
Before things could get any worse, I ran out of that place towards outside the mall, immediately, leaving Minami San and the other woman in utter confusion.
I ran, and ran and ran, like I used to run from the house when my mother got violent.
I was just a child back then, but now that I have become an adult, things haven't changed much, I guess.
I am still trapped inside my past.
The world around me turned blurry, as the building of boys' dormitory came in my field of view.
I stumbled through the entrance, barely aware of the few students glancing at me in concern. My legs felt weak, my breath ragged, my heart pounding as if it wanted to burst out of my chest.
My hands trembled as I fumbled with the door to my room, and the moment I shut it behind me, my body collapsed against it.
The weight of memories crushed me.
There was just one question in my mind right now.
Just how the hell did she end up here?
***
Minami stood frozen for a moment, staring at the direction Yamauchi had run off to.
His sudden reaction had caught her completely off guard.
She had seen him flustered before, but this… this was different.
He looked afraid.
Beside her, Amamiya Rika watched the scene unfold with an unreadable expression.
She glanced at Minami and let out a soft chuckle. "That was… unexpected," she said, tilting her head slightly.
Minami turned to her, still puzzled. "Yeah… I don't know what happened. He just—" She hesitated, choosing her words carefully. "It was like he saw a ghost or something."
Amamiya Rika hummed in thought, her gaze lingering on the mall's entrance where Yamauchi had disappeared. "Do you know him well?"
Minami frowned slightly. "I have talked with him a few times at the café. He's usually calm and collected, but…" She shook her head. "I've never seen him like that before."
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
The background noise of the mall—chatter, footsteps, and distant music—seemed distant, almost muffled by the weight of what had just happened.
Amamiya Rika exhaled softly. "I wonder if I said something wrong."
Minami crossed her arms, still deep in thought. "It wasn't what you said… but maybe who you are." She glanced at the girl beside her. "Do you know him from somewhere?"
Amamiya Rika shook her head. "No. Today was my first time meeting him apart from the time we helped him get into clinic when he was injured."
Minami narrowed her eyes slightly.
There was no deception in her tone, but something about the situation felt off.
If Rika was telling the truth, then why had Yamauchi reacted so strongly just from hearing her name?
A strange coincidence? Or something more?
Minami sighed, rubbing her temples. "Well, I should check on him later."
She turned to Rika with an apologetic smile. "Sorry about all this. It's not the best first impression, huh?"
Rika simply smiled. "It's fine. I was just a little surprised." She paused for a moment before adding, "I hope he's okay."
Minami nodded, though she wasn't sure what to think anymore. "Me too."
With that, the two walked away for their own businesses.
***
Preparations for the special exam were under way.
It was not any different from the normal exams, except you would have to pair up with a first year and your scores would be added up.
If you fell below 500 with the added up score the second year student would be expelled and the first year wouldn't get the monthly private points for a few months.
It was exceedingly simple, yet a bit complicated for our class, as I have mentioned before.
But, this time around I had left all this to Horikita, and decided to stay out of it.
I had already paired up with that girl named Rika Hoshino from class 1B, so there was no need for me to panic at the last moment, unless she plans something.
Well, I had thought that I would just relax this time around and see how things work out, but yesterday's incident left me shaken completely.
She had already died in my previous life, so how the heck is she here, in a novel world?
Everything seems impossible.
I took a few days to just accept the fact that she is mother, the one I had in my previous life.
I gathered information on her, and she seemed a perfectly normal human being.
The violent and angry one I remember from my past is all gone now.
She works at the mall apparently, a slightly different schedule from Minami San, yet they are pretty close friends from what I observed.
I had watched her from a distance, expecting something—anything—that would confirm my suspicions. But nothing ever happened. She smiled at customers, chatted with coworkers, and carried herself like an average young woman.
The terrifying, violent mother from my past was nowhere to be seen.
It should've been reassuring. But instead, it unsettled me even more.
Had I been wrong?
Had my memories twisted the past so much that I couldn't trust them anymore?
Or was this world simply playing a cruel joke on me?
Or maybe she has just changed?
Does she remember who she was in the past and does she even remember me?
I wanted to know these things, but, there was only one way to know.
I have to confront her myself, without raising any suspicion or revealing my identity.
If I wanted answers, there was no other choice.
I had to face her.
But I couldn't just walk up to her and demand explanations. If she truly was just an ordinary woman in this world, suddenly throwing accusations at her would only make me look insane. And if—by some impossible chance—she did remember, revealing myself carelessly could bring unknown consequences.
No. I had to be careful.
I needed to get close to her first.
And, I formulated ways to get close to her based on her regular schedule and behavior.
Yet, I had no idea that this was the moment my life would depict my past in front of myself as if peeling the layers of an onion.
As I took the first step toward uncovering the truth, a part of me braced for impact.
Because deep down, I already knew—
Some truths are better left buried.
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A/N :
Sorry for the late update.
Please comment down your thoughts or suggestions to move the story forward, as it really gives me motivation to write something.
Next Chapter : Pretest Before The Special Exam
(Hopefully within tomorrow)
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