The cemetery was silent.
Cold. Empty. Haunted.
Kaito stood there alone, unmoving beneath the weight of the stars. The wind howled through the dead trees, and his breath fogged the air in short, trembling bursts. His hands were clenched, white-knuckled. His legs trembled beneath him, not from the chill—but from the war within his mind.
He inhaled.
Then exhaled.
Focus. Be brave. You're still alive.
He checked his phone.
8:00 PM.
His heart sank.
"…It's too late," he whispered.
The last time—before the reset, before he blacked out—the clock read 6:33 PM. That was when they died. His family. When the man in black came. When the world fell apart in front of him.
And now… 8:00 PM.
He had failed again.
Tears welled up, but he didn't let them fall. He wouldn't. Not anymore.
"I'm going to save them," he said, his voice low and cracked—but beneath it burned something dark. Determined. Furious.
He slammed his fist against the gravestone, teeth gritted. The pain shot through his knuckles and grounded him in reality.
This wasn't just a mistake. This was war.
His brain raced. Every second of the previous loop burned into memory—every scream, every shadow, every twisted smile of the man who slaughtered them. Kaito relived it all, again and again, forcing himself to hold onto the agony.
The stronger the pain, the clearer his resolve.
"I saw them appear like they teleported… That can't be natural."
He paced slowly, breath quickening.
"If I have this reset power, then powers exist… But who gave this to me? Why?"
His eyes narrowed. "There has to be more. A world behind the curtain."
He looked to the stars above—distant, cold, unreachable.
"I'll find out. No matter what it takes."
His voice cracked.
"Mom… Riku… Aiko… Sayuri…" He bowed his head, his bangs casting a shadow over his eyes. "I'll make them pay."
He couldn't go home. Not yet. He wasn't ready to see their bodies again—wasn't ready to hear the silence where their laughter should be.
He stood alone in the night. But this time, he wasn't just grieving.
He was planning.
He needed help.
And only one name came to mind.
Airi.
She had been kind. Brave. Honest. And in that final loop—she had trusted him.
Without wasting another moment, Kaito ran.
Through the empty streets, past flickering streetlights, ignoring the cold biting at his skin. His lungs burned. His legs screamed. But he didn't stop.
His heart beat not just for himself—but for them.
Please, let her be there.
He arrived at the school, panting, scanning the area for signs of life.
Nothing.
No Airi.
No one.
He didn't wait.
He ran again—toward her home. He remembered the way. From when she once walked with him after school. He had noticed the sakura tree outside her gate. He had remembered because that was the kind of detail that mattered to him.
But when he reached it…
The lights were off.
The gate was slightly open.
Her nameplate hung crookedly on the wall.
He stepped inside. Quiet. Careful.
"Airi…?"
Silence.
The house was empty.
It looked like it hadn't been lived in for days.
His heart sank.
"…No. Don't tell me I lost her too—"
He turned to leave.
And slammed face-first into someone.
"OW—!" a voice cried.
Kaito stumbled back, eyes wide.
Airi.
Hair a mess. Holding a bag of groceries. She looked just as stunned as he did.
"You—Kaito?! What the hell?! What are you doing here?!"
He didn't answer.
He just stared at her. Breathing hard. As if seeing her was a miracle. As if the whole world had just snapped back into place.
"I…" he started, voice shaking.
"I need help."
Airi blinked. Her expression shifted—from irritation to confusion to… concern.
"What happened?" she asked softly. "You look like you haven't slept in days."
"I haven't," he admitted. "I… can't explain everything. Not yet. But I need you to trust me."
Airi looked at him. Really looked.
The way his shoulders sagged. The way his fists wouldn't unclench. The desperation in his voice.
He was broken. But he was still standing.
"…Okay," she said after a pause. "Tell me what you need."
"I need to stop something terrible from happening. I don't know when, or how… but people are going to die. And I'm the only one who can stop it."
She was quiet for a moment.
Then she reached out.
And took his hand.
Her fingers were warm.
"Then I'll help you," she said simply.
Kaito stared at her.
"…Even if it's dangerous?"
"I don't scare easily," Airi said. "And you clearly can't do this alone."
He felt the sting of tears again.
But this time, it wasn't despair.
It was hope.
"Thank you," he whispered.
She nodded. "We'll figure it out. Together."
As they stood in the quiet street, Kaito looked up at the sky.
The stars were still cold.
The night was still dark.
But for the first time in a long time—
He didn't feel alone.