Day two passed quietly.
Day three, Kana was quieter. During math, she stared at the board longer than necessary.
Day four, Kana didn't come to school.
When the teacher called attendance and paused at "Kisaragi Kana," he simply marked the clipboard and moved on.
At lunch, Mei sat alone on the courtyard steps.
Aira waved at her. "Where's Kana?"
Mei shrugged. "Not sure."
Day five.
Kana's seat was empty again. The teacher called her name. Silence. A line was drawn.
At lunch, Mei sat in the same place. Alone.
Akira hesitated, then walked over.
"Mei," he said casually. "Is Kana sick?"
Mei's brows drew together faintly. "Who?"
Akira blinked. "Kana. Kisaragi Kana."
Mei stared at him. No recognition.
"...We don't have anyone named Kana in our class," Mei said.
Akira laughed lightly. "Yeah, we do. She sits next to you."
Mei's expression didn't change. "I sit alone."
Aira tilted her head. "Akira, what are you talking about?"
He turned sharply. "You remember. First day. We were paired. Kana."
Aira frowned slightly. "We were paired. But it was just you and me talking most of the time."
Akira's stomach tightened.
"Are you okay?" Mei asked, concerned.
Akira looked toward the classroom. Kana's seat was empty.
He walked quickly back to the room. The first-day worksheets were pinned to the board.
He scanned them.
Name: Kisaragi Kana Hobby: I don't like to bother people.
The words looked small. Unremarkable.
He tore the sheet down.
"Akira!" Aira rushed in behind him. "What are you doing?"
"Explain this," he said, holding up the paper.
Aira looked at it. "You wrote that."
"Yes."
"But I don't know who Kana is."
His pulse spiked.
His stomach curled.
That was when Akira began to remember something. This timeline is the second time he was seeing it, but this time as a first hand witness.
The Mist Killer. An urban legend from his original timeline. A serial murderer whose victims were never identified. No one ever claimed them.
Akira's breathing grew shallow.
He turned and ran toward the theatre wing. The first body had been found there in the original timeline.
He reached the heavy doors and pushed inside.
The theatre smelled of ozone and burnt dust. A dry, static scent that made his teeth ache.
He moved toward the side stairwell.
And saw her.
Kana lay on her side in the hollow beneath the stairs. Eyes closed. Body still. No blood. Just... absence.
Akira didn't scream. He simply stared.
"Kana."
Behind him, Aira's breath caught sharply.
"Akira..." she whispered.
For the second time since he woke up, the world had diverged.
The school closed for three days.
Official statements were vague. "An unidentified female student."
Unidentified.
Akira's jaw tightened. He identified her.