Warmth hit his skin.
Not the warmth of sunlight…but the warmth of a blanket.
Not the rough, damp ground of a forest…but a soft mattress beneath him.
Tadashi's eyes shot open, his chest rose in a sharp gasp — air filling his lungs like he hadn't breathed in days. His vision spun for a moment, then cleared.
He was in his room.
The one from Nao's world.
Clean sheets, soft lighting, a table with medicine bottles, a cup of water, and a half-open window letting in a cold breeze. He instantly recognized it.
This was the day he died.
Or at least — the day he was supposed to die.
He sat up too quickly and coughed. His throat was dry. His head still felt heavy from the fever, but...he was alive, and his heart thumped wildly.
"…No way…" he whispered.
He wasn't in the forest, he wasn't bleeding, hungry, tired, or running.
He was back, before everything went wrong, before the resets, before the wolves, before Goro. A soft rustle came from the corner of the room.
Tadashi turned.
Rin and Kei sat there. One with a notebook, the other with a blanket draped over his shoulders. Rin looked half-asleep, dark circles under her eyes. Kei had his face buried in his hands, clearly exhausted.
When they realized Tadashi was awake, they both froze. Rin blinked twice. Kei sat up so fast he choked on his own air.
"You're…hey— you're up! He's up!!" Kei whisper-screamed.
Rin stood, expecting Tadashi to cough, collapse, or show any sign of being too weak to talk. Instead—!!!
Tadashi didn't think, hesitate, or question the timeline. He just moved and grabbed Rin and hugged her tightly. Rin's entire soul left her body.
"H-HEY! WHAT ARE YOU— GET OFF ME!" she sputtered, arms stiff at her sides, face turning bright red.
Tadashi trembled against her shoulder.
"I… had a really bad dream," he whispered.
His voice cracked.
Rin froze.
Her eyes softened — just a little — then she cleared her throat aggressively and pushed him away.
"O-Okay, enough emotional contact. You're contagious."
But she didn't look annoyed. Not really.
Kei watched them… and a slow, meaningful smile spread across his face.
A knowing smile.
The kind that said he understood exactly what had happened. He leaned against the wall, hands in his pockets, eyes warm.
"…So you made it," he whispered only loud enough for himself to hear.
The door burst open so violently it bounced off the wall. Nao sprinted inside, followed by Hikaru and Haruto struggling to catch up.
"TADASHI?!" Nao cried.
The moment she saw him sitting upright, breathing, awake—She broke. Nao flew into him, nearly tackling him back onto the pillow. Her arms wrapped around him tightly, her face buried in his chest, her shoulders shaking.
"Tadashi… you scared me… I thought— I thought…"
Tadashi gently hugged back, closing his eyes as warmth filled his chest.
"I'm okay," he whispered.
"I'm right here."
Hikaru sighed in relief, rubbing his face.
"Finally… I was already calculating funeral costs…"
Haruto, still panting, pointed at him dramatically.
"PAY UP."
Hikaru's head snapped toward him.
"What?"
"You heard me! You said Tadashi wouldn't make it, and I said he would, so— HAND. IT. OVER."
Rin groaned loudly.
"Seriously? A bet? Over a sick person?"
Haruto crossed his arms proudly.
"A winning bet."
Kei burst out laughing, collapsing into a chair.
"Man—Tadashi survives death, and the first thing you guys do is settle a gambling debt? What friends you are."
Nao pulled back slightly and cupped Tadashi's cheeks, examining him like he might break apart any second.
"Tadashi… are you feeling dizzy? Cold? Do you need water? Are you—"
Rin cut her off sharply.
"He needs treatment."
She grabbed Tadashi's wrist and yanked him up with zero hesitation.
"R-Rin, wait— what?" Tadashi choked.
"No time for dramatics," Rin said flatly.
"You avoided death once. I'm not letting you flirt with it again."
Nao flushed instantly.
"RIN, WE WERE NOT—"
"Don't care." Rin marched toward the door.
"Medic room. Now."
Kei grinned, walking beside Tadashi with his hands behind his head.
"You know, if a guy wakes up from a death-level fever hugging Rin of all people, he definitely saw something."
Rin threw a slipper at him.
As they guided him to the infirmary, the chatter continued — jokes, arguments, worried questions, small laughs, and Tadashi listened.
Every voice was beautiful, every sound was life. He looked around at all of them — Kei, joking even when exhausted; Rin pretending not to care but clearly scared; Nao holding his hand like she'd never let go; Hikaru and Haruto bickering behind them.
He felt something warm inside his chest.Something steady, something real. After everything he'd survived… after everything he lost… after everything he fought for…
This was the world he chose.
And this time, he planned to live in it.