"The most terrifying enemy isn't someone who wants to destroy you...it's the one who knows exactly why you wanted to destroy yourself."— Mirror Souta
Scene 1: Monday Morning – Homeroom Shift
Homeroom buzzed with the chatter of students and the soft hum of excitement. Outside, a clear sky stretched over Yoto High, where delicate Sakura trees lined the gates like gentle reminders of spring's promise. In the midst of this ordinary beauty, each student held their own little world.
Hoshino Ruby tapped idly on her tablet, absorbed in idol shoot schedules and plans for another dazzling performance. Across the room, Reina sat with a book closed in quiet concentration, legs crossed neatly under her desk as she absorbed worlds inside pages. Meanwhile, Yamato entertained himself by braiding a chain of paperclips, muttering darkly about it being a cursed amulet—a small, secret rebellion against the mundane.
Then the teacher's voice cut through the everyday hum: "Alright, class, we have a new transfer student today. He just moved from… uh, overseas."
A hush fell as a boy stepped into the room. He had tousled black hair that framed his pale face and deep, tired eyes that carried stories of their own. The room seemed to tilt for a moment as he introduced himself with a soft, almost hesitant smile: "My name is Souma."
A murmur of greetings followed, but something in the way Souta's pen froze mid-stroke told the room that everyone was watching him too. The students turned, first toward him and then toward the new boy—who looked startlingly like Souta, only a bit older. His smile was polite, rehearsed, yet his eyes held something… not quite the same, a shadow of something long buried.
Ruby leaned closer to Souta in a hushed whisper, half in wonder and half in teasing disbelief, "Souma, huh? He looks like your twin's twin."
Souta's eyes darkened a fraction and he murmured, "He looks like someone I used to be." There was a quiet, painful understanding in those words. Souma slid into the empty seat beside him. Almost as if on cue, Souma said, "It's good to finally meet me," in a tone that was soft—and strangely intimate.
Scene 2: Lunch – A Tense Conversation
Later, atop the familiar rooftop where the wind carried a mixture of city noise and hope, Souta sat with Souma across from him. Happy, ever vigilant, rested on Souta's lap like a small guardian, while the others—Ruby, Reina, and even Yamato—quietly formed a wide circle, their eyes reflecting concern and curiosity.
Breaking the silence, Souta's voice was low and measured, "So… what are you?"
Souma's shoulders sagged slightly as he shrugged, his tone detached, "I'm your reflection. The one who didn't reincarnate into a warm family. I'm the one who stayed broken."
Souta frowned, his heart twisting, "That version doesn't exist anymore."
A bitter laugh escaped Souma. "Oh, it does. Because you left him behind."
For a long moment, only the soft rustle of wind filled the void. Finally, Souma's voice grew gentle but insistent: "You're happy now, aren't you? But you're also pretending—pretending that the boy who hated himself for simply existing is gone. I'm here to remind you: he isn't."
Souta's fists clenched as unspoken truths roiled within him. "What do you want?" he demanded, his voice trembling between anger and despair.
The playful luster in Souma's eyes dimmed to something more solemn. "I want you to admit it—you're terrified they'll stop loving you if you're not perfect. If you're not their cheerful, clingy, selfless little brother."
Even Happy stirred uncomfortably on Souta's lap, his small voice whispering, "You think he's lying?" But Souta remained silent, burdened by an accusation that cut deeper than any spoken word.
Scene 3: Meanwhile – Life Goes On
After school, as the day's events melted into twilight, Ruby and Reina walked home side by side along a winding path flanked by soft, falling sakura petals.
Ruby's voice was low, laced with an edge of unease, "He creeps me out, that Souma. He just… stares at Souta like he's a copy—not a classmate, but something from a lost past."
Reina nodded silently, thoughtful. "His eyes are sorrowful. Not in a way that makes you want to wipe away tears—but the kind that makes you feel a quiet, but relentless, ache. It's as if he wants others to cry with him."
"Are you scared for Souta?" Ruby asked, her tone softening as she searched Reina's face.
"Always," Reina replied, answer simple yet heavy, like a secret promise to guard against the past.
Scene 4: Night – The Dream Mirror
That night, the boundary between sleep and waking blurred as Souta found himself standing in an empty train station—a place devoid of crowds yet echoing with distant sounds of life. Rain pelted steadily through a glass roof overhead, distorting reflections on the slick floor. Amid the hushed isolation, Souma appeared at the edge of the platform, his figure a stark silhouette against the wan light.
"You can't protect them forever," Souma said, his voice echoing in the cavernous space. "And the more you try, the more you erase yourself. You're not their brother, Souta—you're their shield. Their tool."
Trembling, Souta's lips parted as he whispered, "I chose this. Because I love them."
"No," Souma countered, stepping closer until they stood face-to-face. "You chose it because you hate yourself. Because love—true, messy, unpredictable love—felt like the only redemption."
The lights in the station dimmed further, the rain's patter a mournful lullaby. Slowly, Souma proposed, "So let's play a game. If you're really stronger now—if you're truly the better version—then prove it."
"How?" Souta's voice was barely audible over the sound of water dripping from the roof.
"Stop me," came the challenge. And in an instant, as if dissolved by the intensity of the moment, Souma vanished. Souta jerked awake in a cold sweat, finding his window ajar and the night whispering secrets through its open frame.
Scene 5: The Mirror Game Begins
The very next day, an unsettling strangeness began to ripple through the ordinary. In classrooms where laughter and routine reigned just moments before, teachers suddenly forgot Souta's name; students confused Souma for one of the familiar triplets. Ruby, lost in thought during class, inadvertently called the new transfer "Souta," and even Happy's usually steady form flickered like a fading memory.
Later, as Souta hurried down a quiet hallway, he caught sight of a mirror with red ink hastily scrawled across it: "Can you be loved if you disappear?"
His heart pounded as he peered into the glass. His reflection—usually so familiar—remained motionless, its eyes vacant. And then, from the dim background behind him, he saw it: Souma's smiling visage, hovering just beyond the reflection, a silent reminder that his past self was still very much present in the shadows.