After the break, the classroom resumed its usual rhythm—chalk against the board, the teacher's voice droning, the hum of the overhead lights barely masking the tension between two people.
Airi sat beside Kaito, her eyes fixed on him, unwavering and silent.
"So… he really doesn't remember," she whispered to herself, her voice barely audible, but heavy with sorrow. Her fingers fidgeted with the hem of her skirt, eyes clouded in heartbreak as she studied the boy who had once saved her, now unable to even recognize her soul.
Kaito felt her gaze—sharp, persistent—but he kept his eyes forward. His grip on his pen tightened as he forced himself to focus on the lecture, pretending the heat of her stare didn't weigh on his skin like guilt.
Why does she keep looking at me?
But he couldn't afford to react. Not now.
From the other side of the room, another boy watched the scene unfold. His jaw clenched. He had been waiting to talk to Airi all day—but she hadn't even looked at him. Not once.
"Tch…" he clicked his tongue, his irritation boiling. What does she see in him?
After School — Hallway
The bell rang, and students flooded the halls, laughter and chatter echoing through the corridors. Kaito, as usual, walked alone. The empty clatter of his footsteps down the stairs brought a strange comfort—silence that didn't expect anything from him.
But then, something caught his eye.
At the far end of the stairwell, Airi stood pressed near the edge of a narrow platform. Her expression was tense—uncomfortable. In front of her stood a boy Kaito instantly recognized.
His name was Ryuu Tanaka—a smooth-talker with a bad reputation. And a coward in disguise.
"Hey, c'mon, just your number," Ryuu said, inching closer to Airi. "We're classmates now, right? No harm in being friends."
"I said no," Airi replied firmly, trying to step back, only to realize she had nowhere to go. "Please, leave me alone."
He reached out, grabbing her wrist.
And that was all it took.
Kaito's eyes narrowed.
He moved. Fast.
Boots echoed as he stormed down the stairs two steps at a time. Without thinking, without hesitation.
"What do you think you're doing?" Kaito's voice was sharp—colder than ice.
Ryuu turned, eyebrows raised. "Oh? Kaito? Long time no see, my guy!"
He forced a grin, clearly trying to play it off. "You know her, right? Maybe you can convince her to stop being so—"
"No." Kaito cut him off, stepping between them. "And we're not friends."
Ryuu blinked. "Huh? What's your deal?"
Kaito's eyes didn't waver. "Let go of her."
Ryuu's grin twisted into something cruel. "So, you wanna fight over a girl?"
He scoffed, rolling his shoulder. "You sure? You never were much of a fighter back then."
Kaito took a step closer. "Try me."
There was no fear in his voice—only a quiet fury.
Ryuu smirked, licking his teeth. "Heh. Fine then. Let's go."
But Kaito didn't give him the chance to move. In a single motion, he grabbed Ryuu's wrist—the one holding Airi—and twisted it away with calculated force.
"Agh—!" Ryuu flinched back, releasing her immediately.
"She said no," Kaito said, voice low and dangerous. "Don't touch her again."
Ryuu staggered back, eyes wide. "You… bastard…"
But he didn't move forward again. He just cursed under his breath, turned, and stormed off—humiliated.
Kaito exhaled slowly, tension still tight in his shoulders. He turned to Airi. She looked at him, her eyes trembling with emotion.
"Are you okay?" he asked, voice quieter now.
Airi nodded slowly, but her lips trembled. "You remembered, didn't you?"
Kaito hesitated. "No. I just… couldn't watch that happen."
Airi smiled softly, though her eyes glistened. "You've always been like that."
The silence between them returned—but this time, it felt different. Not heavy. Just uncertain.
But in Kaito's chest, something stirred. A flicker. A fragment. A feeling of déjà vu.
And far off, deep in the recesses of his locked-away memories—
A child's voice cried in the wind.
Kaito… help me…
[...]
Kaito exhaled slowly, the tension still tight in his shoulders. He turned to Airi. She looked at him, eyes trembling with a storm of emotions.
"Are you okay?" he asked, voice quieter now.
Airi nodded, though her lips trembled. "You remembered, didn't you?"
Kaito hesitated. "No. I just… couldn't watch that happen."
Airi smiled softly, eyes shimmering. "You've always been like that."
Their moment hung in the air—silent, fragile.
But then—a sound.
Fast footsteps behind them.
Kaito turned.
Too late.
"Die, you piece of shit!" Ryuu's voice shrieked with fury, and in that instant, Kaito saw the glint of cold metal in his hand.
A knife.
Everything moved in slow motion.
Airi's scream pierced the hallway.
Kaito barely had time to react. His body shifted on instinct, moving to shield Airi.
Then—pain.
White-hot.
The knife sank into his side, just below his ribs.
His breath caught. Blood spilled out, warm and thick. His knees buckled.
"A-ah…" Kaito gasped, eyes wide in disbelief.
Ryuu stepped back, horrified at what he'd done.
Kaito fell to the ground, the world tilting, his body shaking violently as blood soaked his shirt.
"AIRI—!" he choked out, trying to reach for her. "Run…"
"No—Kaito—no, no no—!" Airi collapsed beside him, grabbing his hand with trembling fingers.
His vision blurred. Her face swam in and out of focus, tears streaking down her cheeks.
Why… does this feel familiar…?
His thoughts fractured.
A child crying.
A swing set.
Blood.
Darkness.
I am dying...?
I'm sorry…
"I'm… sorry…" he whispered, barely audible.
And then—silence.
Darkness.
Cold.
A heavy silence pressed against his chest.
Then—
Tap.
A sound.
Thump-thump.
His heartbeat. Fast. Uneven. Alive.
Kaito gasped, his eyes snapping open.
Fluorescent lights above. White ceiling tiles.
Wooden desk.
He was…
back in the classroom.
"…What…?"
His hand darted to his side—no blood. No wound. Just fabric. His uniform was whole. No pain. No scar. But the memory—
That memory was too real to forget.
The knife. The pain.
The fear.
And then—
Nothing.
Death.
He died.
He was sure of it.
So why was he… here?
His breathing grew shallow. He glanced around. Same class. Same people. Same noise. Time hadn't moved forward.
It had reset.
"No. This has to be a dream… right?"
Across from him, Airi Nakamura sat quietly, notebook open, pen in hand. Just like before. She hadn't looked at him yet.
Kaito clenched his fists under the desk.
"I died. I know I died. That guy—he stabbed me. I felt it. I remember the cold… the blood… everything."
So why am I here again?
Was it a second chance?
Punishment?
Some kind of hallucination?
He looked at Airi again. In this loop… she was safe. Smiling. Untouched.
His pulse quickened.
He didn't know how. He didn't know why. But one thing was certain—
This time, he wouldn't let her get hurt.
He wouldn't let himself die again without a reason.
Even if no one else remembered…
Even if the world acted like nothing had happened…
He would remember.