The wind was quiet as the sky darkened, casting long shadows across the cemetery.
Kaito and Koji stood in silence beside Sayuri's grave. The stone was clean, the flowers fresh—still, there was something hollow in the air. A void that no offerings could ever fill.
Eventually, Koji stood and dusted off his knees, his eyes lingering on the engraved name one last time. "I'm gonna head off. I need to drop by somewhere before going home."
Kaito nodded. "Thanks for coming. It meant a lot."
Koji smiled faintly, his voice quiet. "Anytime. Take care, Kaito."
They exchanged a nod. Koji turned and walked off, disappearing into the trees. The sound of his footsteps faded quickly, leaving Kaito alone in the deepening twilight.
Kaito remained still, staring down at the grave. A strange chill swept over him. It wasn't just the cold of the evening—it was something else. A weight pressing on his chest, a silent scream in the air.
"…I'm sorry," he whispered, placing a hand over the stone. "I wasn't strong enough to save you either."
The words tasted bitter.
After a long moment, he turned and began the walk home. The path was familiar, but it felt foreign now—stretched longer than usual, as if fate was trying to delay what waited at the end of the road.
As he passed a small shop tucked between two shuttered buildings, the smell of chocolate drifted through the air. He stopped, blinking.
Chocolate cake.
It was the kind his mother used to love.
Without thinking, he stepped inside.
"Excuse me," he said softly. "Can I get two chocolate cakes?"
The woman behind the counter smiled warmly. "Of course. That'll be 750 yen."
He handed over the cash and gave a polite nod. "Thank you."
With the small paper box in hand, Kaito stepped back outside. The air was colder now, the last light of day slipping away behind the rooftops. A strange stillness blanketed the streets.
His house came into view.
And something was wrong.
The windows were dark. No lights. No sound. Just silence.
He opened the door. "Mom! I'm home!"
No reply.
His heart skipped.
The scent hit him first. Metallic. Foul. Too familiar.
Then he saw it—blood. A faint trail weaving down the staircase, dark and glossy in the dim light.
He froze.
"Mom?" he called again, his voice shaking.
A sound. Faint. Muffled.
Then—
"No! Please don't kill him!"
A scream. Aiko's voice. Raw. Terrified.
Bang!
The sharp crack of a gunshot exploded through the silence.
Kaito's breath caught. His mind blanked.
"Help me!!" Aiko screamed again.
Bang!
Another shot.
Kaito moved.
He ran up the stairs without thought. Each footstep was thunder in his ears. The walls seemed to narrow around him as the scent of death grew stronger.
He burst into his mother's room.
She lay sprawled across the bed, her blouse soaked in red, her eyes wide and frozen in terror. A single bullet wound marked her chest.
Kaito choked back a scream.
He stumbled back, his knees nearly giving out, and ran down the hall to Riku's room.
Riku was facedown on the floor. His blood soaked the carpet beneath him. Lifeless.
Tears blurred Kaito's vision. His lungs burned.
He wasn't too late.
He was far too late.
He kept going.
Aiko.
He had to find Aiko.
He reached for the final door at the end of the hall. He hesitated only for a second, then pushed it open.
She lay on the floor.
Her favorite doll was still in her arms.
A bullet wound marked her forehead. Her small body looked too still. Too cold.
Kaito collapsed against the wall. The box of chocolate cakes fell from his hands, forgotten.
"No…" His voice was a whisper. Broken. "No. No. No…"
He bit down on his hand, trying to muffle the scream building inside.
Then he saw the man.
Tall. Clad in black. A strange gloved symbol on his hand—sharp and angular, like a star carved from shadow. The same insignia from his dreams. From the memories that weren't his.
He was real.
The man calmly reloaded his weapon, like it was routine.
Kaito's heart raced. His breath came in short gasps. His body screamed at him to move—to run—but he couldn't.
Then—
The man paused.
He turned.
His cold gaze landed directly on Kaito.
Time slowed.
The world went quiet except for the sound of his heartbeat, rapid and wild.
The man didn't speak. Didn't blink. He stared into Kaito like he could see through flesh into thought.
He took a step forward.
Kaito's legs trembled.
Another step.
His body refused to move. He was frozen—like prey caught in a hunter's gaze.
Then…
The man stopped.
His head tilted slightly. As if… listening.
Something unseen pulled his attention away.
He lowered his weapon, turned, and walked into the shadows of the hallway—vanishing without a sound.
Kaito collapsed to the floor, his whole body shaking.
He sat there, surrounded by silence and the blood of his family.
His mind reeled, fragments of thought spinning without focus.
They were gone.
All of them.
His mother. His brother. His sister.
Gone.
And he had failed again.
Again.
His throat tightened. Tears spilled down his cheeks.
No reset had come.
No flash of light.
This was real.
And for the first time, Kaito realized the truth
Even his power couldn't protect everything.
Even with the power to loop… some things would be lost forever.