I woke up again in this strange, unexplainable world.
A place I couldn't recognize. Not a single familiar trace. Not a street corner I'd walked, not a memory I could latch onto. It was a void stitched together by shadows and the pale glow of the moon. No sun, no stars, just a cold celestial eye watching from above as if I were some specimen caught in its eternal gaze. The wind whispered like a warning, brushing against my skin in freezing waves that pierced through my clothes and burrowed into my bones.
Where am I…?
My lips moved, but even my voice felt distant—hollow—like it belonged to someone else. I looked down. I was lying flat against something rough and uneven. Maybe gravel, maybe stone. I couldn't tell. Everything was too dark, too distorted. My body refused to cooperate. My limbs were stiff, as if rigor mortis had taken hold while I slept. My chest ached. My head rang. Everything inside me screamed, but outside, there was only stillness.
I tried to lift myself. My elbows buckled, my arms trembled. Then I collapsed again. A sickening thud echoed around me as my body hit the ground.
I felt it then.
Pain.
Not dull. Not lingering.
But sharp. Immediate. Violent.
A burning sting surged through my right arm. I gasped, turning to look. My sleeve was torn. Flesh mangled. Blood—thick, dark, dripping like it didn't belong in this reality. My breath caught in my throat. Panic surged in my chest, pounding like war drums.
What happened…?
I touched the wound. A mistake. The pain roared to life like a sleeping beast. My vision blurred. My scream cracked through the dead air.
The world around me didn't respond.
But then...
Sound. Faint. Far off. Impossible to place.
Murmurs.
At first like wind against trees. Then louder. Growing. Shifting.
Whispers.
Like voices arguing just out of reach. Hushed, angry tones twisted in a language I didn't understand.
Cries. Screams. Wailing.
Then—
Boom.
A sound so loud it shattered the air. Not like thunder. No. This was manmade. Metal on metal. A detonation that echoed across a ruined world.
The ground beneath me trembled. My blood froze.
bbbzzzz bzzzz bzzzz bzzzz
My eyes snapped open.
Light. Too much light.
Waaaaa!!
A scream tore from my lungs as I bolted upright. My chest heaved. My hands clutched at the blanket tangled around my waist. The air felt too thick. Like I was drowning in something invisible. Gasping. Gulping. I dragged oxygen into my lungs, but it didn't help. My vision swam. My throat burned.
Sweat trickled down my temple. Cold. Sticky. My shirt clung to me like a second skin.
My heart—it wasn't just beating. It was pounding so violently, I swore it would tear through my ribs.
I tried to move. Needed to stand. Needed to feel something real.
My legs gave out.
I collapsed to the floor with a sickening crash. My shoulder slammed into the edge of the bed. Pain exploded through my side.
I didn't scream this time.
The room was still.
The silence that followed was suffocating. A thick, impenetrable silence that drowned out even my thoughts.
No wind.
No whispers.
Just me, sprawled across the floor, body shaking, breath shallow, eyes staring into nothing.
No one heard it.
No one came.
And then, like a cruel echo of the dream…
Nothingness embraced me again.
I didn't sleep.
I just stopped being awake.
_____
Day 6 : April 06, 2024
Riiing... Riiing... Ring.
A familiar tone split through the silence, dragging me back from whatever place I'd escaped to. My eyes fluttered open, and for a moment, I could barely register the surroundings. The hard chill beneath me reminded me—I wasn't in bed. I was lying on the floor again.
Collapsed.
I blinked at the ceiling, disoriented, as the dull ache in my back slowly made itself known. My apartment was a mess, the kind of mess that didn't happen overnight, but gradually—like my exhaustion had piled up, little by little, until even standing became too much effort.
I sat up, brushing off dust that had clung to my sleeve. Maybe I fell asleep working again. I wasn't surprised.
"Jeez... I really need to stop doing this," I muttered, brushing my hair back. "I have limits too, you know."
Then it hit me—my phone rang. Or had rung? I looked around, spotting it just a few feet away, face-down on the floor.
I reached for it, groaning as my shoulder cracked. The screen was still on, buzzing from a notification.
I picked it up, wiped it with the hem of my shirt, and tapped to unlock—
Boop.
The screen faded to black.
"You've gotta be kidding me..." I whispered, staring in disbelief.
One percent to zero, just like that. Talk about luck.
I chuckled dryly to myself. "What a lucky day..."
I tossed the phone gently onto the bed and began the noble quest of finding my charger. It was somewhere. Probably buried under the mountain of clothes, receipts, and god-knows-what scattered across the floor like a sea after a storm.
It felt like trying to find treasure in the Mariana Trench.
I crawled, fished through drawers, overturned a few books, and after nearly tripping over a sneaker, I finally spotted it—tangled, dusty, like it had aged fifty years.
"Alas!" I declared dramatically to the empty room. "Victory."
I plugged it in, tapped my foot impatiently, and waited for the phone to boot up. My heart was beating a little too fast.
Why?
It was just a message.
And yet, some part of me… felt something coming. Like my heart knew something my mind didn't.
The screen lit up.
One new message.
I opened my inbox.
And then—I froze.
> Good morning, sleepy head.
Meet me at the clock tower near the station at 10 a.m.
winking emoji
The name above the message glowed like neon.
Fujimoto Airi.
That Fujimoto Airi. The same one who ignored me just yesterday. Cold. Distant. Untouchable.
Now she was... texting me?
"What...?" I whispered.
My fingers hesitated. Trembled.
Then I typed back:
> Yeah, sure. I'll be there.
Almost instantly:
> winking emoji
She was waiting. She was really... waiting for me?
My heart thumped in my chest like a drum gone mad.
I couldn't hold it in anymore.
"YES!"
My voice echoed off the walls.
"Keep it down, would ya?! Some of us are trying to sleep!" a muffled voice shouted from the apartment next door.
"Dumbass!" someone else banged on the wall.
"Go to hell!" came a yell from below.
I covered my mouth, laughing under my breath.
Maybe… just maybe... today's a good day.
---
10:10 a.m.
I was there, standing by the old clock tower. My legs were stiff from waiting, but I stayed. Would she really come?
What if it was a joke? A prank? A moment of pity?
Then—just as my thoughts threatened to spiral—
"Sorry for keeping you waiting."
That voice. So soft, yet so clear.
I turned around.
And the world slowed down.
The colors faded, the sounds dulled. Even the ticking of the clock seemed to hush.
There she was.
Fujimoto Airi.
Her hair danced in the breeze like golden silk. Her eyes—usually sharp and unreadable—now softened with warmth. A gentle smile curved on her lips.
She was beautiful.
No, more than beautiful.
She walked toward me. My breath hitched.
And then—everything changed.
A flash. Blinding. Warm.
Suddenly, I wasn't at the clock tower anymore. My clothes were different. Gone were my casual jeans and hoodie—replaced by a white suit.
I stood in a vast hall, rows of chairs lining each side.
A church.
And at the other end of the aisle—those same heavy doors opened.
Airi stepped in.
Not in her earlier dress—but in a wedding gown.
White, radiant, shimmering like it had been sewn with stars.
Each step she took made my heart ache. In the best way.
She smiled. At me.
My throat went dry.
Was this a dream?
And if it was...
Please, let me sleep forever.
"I do..."
---
"Earth to Haruki-kun!"
A playful voice snapped me back.
I blinked, staring dumbly.
"So?" she said, tilting her head. "How do I look?"
"Umm... Beautiful as alwa—" I slapped a hand over my mouth.
Did I say that out loud?
She laughed—a soft, melodic sound that made the embarrassment worth it.
The rest of the day blurred into a collage of moments.
We went everywhere—parks, flower shops, cafes, the aquarium, bookstores. We even caught a movie, then wandered through a mall with no real aim.
Time didn't matter. Money didn't matter.
What mattered was her. That smile. That laugh.
And the way she looked at me when I wasn't looking.
I saw a side of her I never knew.
The Airi outside of work.
Warm. Curious. Sincere.
Even more beautiful than I imagined.
---
By sundown, we sat quietly on a bench. Just the two of us.
The sky was painted in warm amber hues, casting soft light on her face.
She looked... tired. But content.
And I… I couldn't take my eyes off her.
"Umm… about yesterday…" she murmured, gaze lowered.
She was blushing.
"I'm sorry," she said. "For ignoring you. You said something... and I just... I didn't know how to respond."
A memory flashed—"Nice day weryhaving."
God.
"Ahaha... Don't worry about it," I said quickly, face burning. "It's fine, really."
"But..." she hesitated, then smiled. "Thanks. For the sweets. And the coffee. How did you know it was my favorite?"
"W-well…" I scratched my head. "Lucky guess?"
She smirked. "You eavesdropped, didn't you? I knew I saw you hovering near our department."
"I—it's not what it looked like!"
She laughed again.
"I forgive you."
Our laughter faded into a calm silence. The kind that felt comfortable.
She glanced at me again, cheeks pink.
"So… umm..."
I waited.
"Can we… do this again tomorrow?" she asked, still looking down.
She was embarrassed.
And adorable.
"S-sure," I replied.
Her eyes lit up. "Okay! So… should we go home now?"
---
That night, I couldn't sleep.
Her face. Her voice. Her smile.
It all swirled inside me.
I hugged my pillow, pretending it was her.
What is this feeling?
Why does my chest feel like it's going to burst?
My phone buzzed.
> " Good night, sleepy head. sleeping emoji"
From Fujimoto Airi.
I grinned, face flushed.
> "Good night. And thank you."
I typed back.
Then I whispered into the dark—
"Good night, my sweet Fujimoto Airi..."
I...
love...
you.
________________________________________
So, what did you think of the story?
This has been a truly wonderful journey. I may not be a professional writer, but I poured my heart into every page, and I've enjoyed every single moment working on this series.
Thank you for your patience, for reading, and for being part of this ride with me.
The next chapter will be released tomorrow.
See you there.
— Lzy_i