That morning, the sky was a pale blue—like watercolor freshly mixed—soft, yet bright enough to sting the eyes.
In the courtyard of Tenryuu High School, students ran toward their classes, grumbling about exams, the weather, and rice balls dropped on the way.
Amid all the noise, Showa Clotho stood with his hands in his pockets, yawning loudly.
> "Why does every Monday feel like a curse?" he muttered, gazing up at the sky.
His ever-cheerful friend, Rento Kaibara, patted his shoulder.
> "That's because you went to bed at three, bro. Gaming again last night?"
Showa grinned.
> "Games are just another way to escape a reality that's way too serious."
Rento shook his head.
> "Reality? You mean math homework?"
They both laughed softly and headed into the school.
But the moment Showa stepped past the main entrance, his vision shifted.
The world around him seemed to slow. The air grew heavy.
And before his eyes—fine, glowing threads appeared.
Hundreds, even thousands, floated in the air, each one connected to a person passing by. Some were soft white, others fiery red, and some as dark as smoke.
Showa sighed inwardly.
> It's starting again…
He lowered his gaze, trying to shut it out.
That strange power he had carried since childhood—the ability to see the threads of fate—sometimes surfaced without warning, leaving him dizzy.
But that day, something caught his attention.
A thick black thread coiled in the air, trembling violently, as if in anger. It stretched toward a girl running while clutching a canvas.
Her blonde hair swung lightly, and her eyes reflected the morning sun. Airi Yukishiro—a well-known student, famous for her bright smile and unbreakable spirit.
But Showa froze.
That black thread was attached to Airi, a sign of impending misfortune.
He turned away, pretending not to see.
> I can't get involved again…
Every time he tried to alter someone's thread, the consequences only grew worse.
Yet as Airi neared the stairs, she stumbled—the canvas tilted, ready to fall.
In a heartbeat, Showa dashed forward without thinking.
> "Hey—watch out!"
The canvas nearly hit the ground, but Showa caught it in time.
They stopped—faces just inches apart.
Airi's eyes widened, her cheeks flushed.
> "A-ah, thank you!"
Showa gave an awkward smile.
> "If it fell, your painting might've turned abstract."
Airi giggled.
> "Heh, not bad—you're funny."
From a distance, Rento called out,
> "Oi, Showa! Turning into a love hero now, huh?"
Showa straightened up quickly and handed back the canvas.
> "I just… happened to pass by."
But as their hands brushed, a faint spark flickered in Showa's eyes.
For an instant, he saw a dark vision—Airi standing beneath a fractured sky, surrounded by black shadows.
He stumbled back, breathing hard.
> What… was that?
Airi looked at him with concern.
> "Are you okay?"
> "Yeah… just a little dizzy."
He tried to smile, but his heart was pounding.
The black thread around Airi had thickened—and now, its end seemed to reach out toward him.
The school bell rang. Airi waved before running off to class, leaving Showa frozen in place.
Rento walked up beside him.
> "Bro, you see a ghost or something?"
Showa stared blankly ahead.
> "Not a ghost. Something worse."
Rento fell silent. Usually, Showa joked about everything—but this time, his eyes were deadly serious.
> "Threads of fate again?" Rento asked quietly.
Showa nodded.
> "Yeah. And this time… I think I've touched something I shouldn't have."
The once-blue sky darkened with gray clouds.
And for the first time in a long while, Showa Clotho realized—this wasn't just an ordinary Monday.
---
Class went on as usual. The math teacher droned endlessly while half the students fought to stay awake.
Showa tried to focus, but his eyes kept drifting toward Airi, seated two rows ahead.
There it was again—a thin, pink thread linking his hand to hers.
> A thread of love? Seriously… even now?
He quickly looked down, pretending to take notes, though a faint smile crept onto his lips.
> "Maybe Mondays aren't so bad after all," he whispered.
The teacher suddenly stopped mid-sentence.
> "Clotho! Care to explain step three?"
Showa jolted upright.
> "Step three… uh… pray before solving?"
The whole class burst into laughter.
Airi turned, hiding her giggles behind her hand.
Showa's face turned bright red.
> "Sit down, Clotho," the teacher sighed. "You're truly the class entertainer."
As the sound of chalk hit the board, Showa exhaled quietly.
> Humor can save fate too, I guess.
---
During lunch break, Rento pushed open the rooftop door and sat cross-legged.
> "So you really saw the threads again this morning?"
Showa nodded slowly.
> "And this time, it was pitch black. Like smoke."
Rento swallowed hard.
> "On Airi?"
> "Yeah."
Silence fell. The breeze carried fallen sakura petals across the floor.
> "You're still haunted by what happened two years ago, aren't you?" Rento said softly.
Showa looked down.
A faint image flickered in his mind—a girl's bloodied hands, the air filled with broken threads.
> "I failed to protect her, Ren. I tried to change someone's thread… and the shadow came for her instead."
Rento's voice was gentle.
> "Then maybe this time… you can make it right."
Showa said nothing. Inside, fear and resolve wrestled within him.
---
That afternoon, after class, Airi approached him in the school yard.
> "Clotho-kun! About earlier—thank you for catching my canvas. If it had fallen, I'd have been scolded for a week!"
Showa shrugged.
> "No need to thank me. I just happened to be at the right place at the right time."
Airi smiled.
> "Sometimes coincidences are part of fate too, you know?"
Those words made Showa freeze.
If someone else had said it, he might have laughed—but this time, his heart skipped a beat.
> "Oh? You believe in fate too?" he asked, feigning casual interest.
Airi chuckled.
> "I'm a painter, right? Every line I draw feels like deciding someone's life on paper."
Showa fell silent.
In his mind's eye, the threads around Airi shimmered softly—as if responding to her words.
> "Maybe…" he whispered, "maybe there's a reason I saw those threads today."
> "Huh?" Airi tilted her head.
> "Ah, nothing." He waved it off quickly. "See you tomorrow, Yukishiro-san."
Airi smiled and ran off, her hair fluttering in the evening breeze.
Showa watched her back as she disappeared into the orange glow of the sunset.
The threads of fate floating around her shimmered like fireflies.
> "A thread of love… or a thread of calamity," he murmured.
"Which one have I touched?"
From afar, Rento called out,
> "Oi, Showa! Let's head home!"
Showa raised a hand.
> "Go ahead, I just wanna look at the sky a bit longer."
The evening sky looked calm, but through Showa's eyes, one black thread pierced the clouds, stretching far toward the city.
At its end, a crimson light pulsed—something waiting in the distance.
Showa straightened his posture.
> "If that's fate… then I'll fight it."
He stepped out of the school gates, his shadow stretching long behind him in the dying light.
---