The morning sunlight spilled through the classroom windows like liquid gold, painting warm streaks across the desks of Class 2-B.

The room buzzed with life. Conversations overlapped like tangled threads, laughter echoed from every corner, and chairs scraped against the floor in a chaotic symphony of youth.

Yet amidst the noise, Yuna Tachibana sat quietly by the window.

Her gaze wandered beyond the glass, toward the pale blue sky stretching endlessly above the city.

One year.

A small smile touched her lips.

One year since she started dating Ren Kurokawa.

Her eyes drifted toward the back of the classroom.

There he was.

Asleep.

His head rested on folded arms, dark hair falling messily across his face. The morning light softened his features, making him look strangely peaceful.

Ren Kurokawa.

Quiet.

Reserved.

Sometimes cold.

A person as difficult to understand as a book written in a language nobody could read.

And yet...

Somehow, he had become one of the most important people in her world.

After class, the hallway had fallen silent.

The rush of students had already faded, leaving only distant footsteps and the faint hum of fluorescent lights.

Ren stood beside her.

For a moment, neither spoke.

Then he finally broke the silence.

"I'm going away for a while."

Yuna blinked.

"Huh? Where?"

"A vacation."

His answer was brief.

As always.

He avoided her gaze, staring somewhere beyond her shoulder.

The awkward silence that followed stretched like an invisible wall between them.

Yuna forced a smile.

"Then bring me back a souvenir."

For a split second, something softened in his expression.

"...Sure."

A few days later, she stood at the train station watching him leave.

Crowds flowed around her like a river, but all she could see was Ren's retreating figure.

It felt normal.

Because Ren had always been like that.

Short replies.

Simple words.

Never particularly sweet.

Never expressive.

Which was exactly why what happened next felt so wrong.

That night, rain clouds drifted lazily across the moonlit sky.

Yuna lay on her bed scrolling through her phone.

She sent a simple message.

Did you get there safely?

The reply arrived instantly.

Let's meet.

Her eyebrows lifted.

Ren?

Replying that quickly?

That alone felt strange.

The riverside was quiet.

Streetlights cast pools of golden light onto the pavement while the river reflected fragments of the city like shattered glass.

A familiar figure waited beneath one of the lamps.

Same face.

Same eyes.

Same voice.

Everything looked identical.

And yet...

Something felt different.

A strange sensation crawled beneath Yuna's skin.

Before she could process it, Ren suddenly grabbed her hand.

Her eyes widened.

"H-Huh?"

Without answering, he gently pulled her forward.

"Missed you."

The words struck her like lightning.

Yuna nearly stumbled.

Weird.

Very weird.

Ren wasn't clingy.

He wasn't affectionate.

He definitely wasn't the type to say things like that.

Yet here he was, walking beside her as if he never wanted to let go.

She stared at him.

"Why are you acting like this?"

He glanced at her.

She swallowed.

"You've never been like this before..."

Ren stopped walking.

The night grew strangely quiet.

Even the sound of the river seemed distant.

For a long moment, he simply stared at her.

Then slowly—

He smiled.

"I really, really like you."

Yuna froze.

The confession wrapped around her heart like a sudden storm.

Before she could react, he pulled her into his arms.

"...For a long time."

The warmth of the embrace made her eyes sting.

Tears gathered before she realized it.

Today was their anniversary.

Maybe that was why her heart felt so full.

Maybe that was why she wanted to believe this moment was real.

Then she heard him whisper.

"So I wish it were me instead."

The words drifted into her ear like a ghost.

Yuna's body stiffened.

What did that mean?

Later that night, she lay in bed staring at the ceiling.

The memory replayed endlessly inside her mind.

Her phone suddenly vibrated.

She reached for it.

A message from Ren.

Where are you?

Her breath caught.

Confusion spread through her chest.

What?

But...

He had walked her home.

Hadn't he?

Another notification appeared.

I miss you.

Her fingers trembled around the phone.

Something was wrong.

Terribly wrong.

And she could feel it.

Days passed.

Then came the anonymous account.

No profile picture.

No posts.

No information.

Nothing.

A faceless observer.

Curious, she accepted the friend request.

Almost immediately, odd things started happening.

Whenever she uploaded a selfie, the account reacted first.

Whenever she posted a story, it viewed it within seconds.

Like a shadow.

Like a pair of unseen eyes following her every move.

Watching.

Waiting.

Who are you?

The question lingered in her mind like a thorn she couldn't remove.

A week later, Ren finally contacted her again.

Let's meet.

Relief washed over her.

Maybe she had been overthinking.

Maybe everything really was normal.

But when she arrived at their usual meeting place, another message appeared.

Let's go to the mall instead.

Yuna frowned.

The mall?

A memory surfaced.

"I hate crowded places."

Ren had said those exact words countless times.

Yet now he wanted to spend the day surrounded by hundreds of strangers.

Maybe people change.

Maybe she was imagining things.

At least, that was what she told herself.

The shopping mall glowed with dazzling lights.

Crowds moved around them like waves in an endless ocean.

Beside her, Ren handed over her favorite drink.

Her favorite.

The exact one.

Yuna stared.

"How did you know?"

He smiled naturally.

"You always choose sweet drinks."

The answer was simple.

But throughout the day, it kept happening.

He remembered her favorite foods.

Her favorite colors.

Tiny details she barely remembered mentioning.

Things even her closest friends forgot.

It should have made her happy.

Instead, a strange uneasiness settled inside her chest.

Because the Ren she knew wasn't like this.

The Ren she knew was distant.

Quiet.

Hard to read.

Yet the boy beside her laughed easily.

Smiled often.

And looked at her as though she were the center of his universe.

The difference was impossible to ignore.

That night, Yuna opened her social media again.

As expected, the anonymous account had already reacted to her newest post.

First.

Always first.

She clicked the profile.

Still empty.

Still blank.

Still watching.

A chill crawled down her spine.

Then she remembered the words whispered beside the river.

"I wish it were me instead."

Her heartbeat quickened.

An unsettling possibility began to take shape inside her mind.

What if...

The boy she met that night...

Wasn't Ren?

The darkness of her room suddenly felt colder.

And somewhere in that darkness, it almost felt as if two identical figures were standing side by side.

One smiling softly.

The other staring without emotion.

Waiting.

Watching.

For her to discover the truth.

The familiar noise of Class 2-B filled the room once again.

Students chatted excitedly about homework, weekend plans, and meaningless gossip. Laughter echoed across the classroom like birds singing at dawn.

But Yuna Tachibana barely heard any of it.

Her attention remained fixed on the screen of her phone.

The anonymous account stared back at her.

No profile picture.

No posts.

No information.

Nothing.

And yet somehow...

It was always there.

Always the first to view her stories.

Always the first to react.

Like a shadow that followed her wherever she went.

Ever since that night by the riverside, a strange feeling had settled deep inside her chest.

A feeling she couldn't explain.

A feeling that whispered that something wasn't right.

Suddenly—

The classroom door slid open.

The sound snapped Yuna out of her thoughts.

Ren Kurokawa entered.

Quiet.

Expressionless.

The same cold look he always wore.

He walked toward his seat without saying a word.

Yuna watched him carefully.

This was the Ren she knew.

Reserved.

Distant.

Not clingy.

Not affectionate.

Not the boy who had held her tightly beneath the streetlights and confessed feelings she had never heard before.

As if sensing her stare, Ren glanced at her.

"Why are you looking at me?"

Yuna immediately looked away.

"N-Nothing."

Her heart skipped.

Because if this was Ren...

Then who had been with her that night?

---

The morning lesson passed in a blur.

The teacher's voice faded into meaningless background noise.

"Open your books to page forty-six."

Yuna stared at Ren from across the room.

The memory replayed itself once more.

"I really, really like you..."

His voice.

His warmth.

His embrace.

Then another memory followed.

"I wish it were me instead."

Her fingers tightened around her pen.

The plastic creaked under the pressure.

Why did it feel like he had become a completely different person that day?

---

Lunch break arrived.

The cafeteria buzzed with energy.

Students lined up for food while conversations overlapped in every direction.

Balancing her tray carefully, Yuna searched for an empty table.

Then—

THUD.

Someone collided with her.

Her tray tilted dangerously.

"Ah—!"

Before disaster could strike, another hand steadied it.

"Careful~"

Yuna blinked.

Standing in front of her was a girl she had never seen before.

Long dark hair flowed over her shoulders like silk.

Her smile was gentle.

Beautiful.

Yet there was something about her presence that felt strangely intimidating.

Something difficult to describe.

"Sorry about that," the girl said warmly.

"You didn't spill anything, right?"

Yuna shook her head.

"No, it's okay."

The girl studied her for a moment.

Then she smiled.

"So you're Yuna."

Yuna froze.

"...You know me?"

"A little."

The girl tilted her head.

"I've heard your name before."

For some reason, that answer only made Yuna more uncomfortable.

Then the girl leaned slightly closer.

"You're cuter in person."

Yuna nearly dropped her tray again.

"H-Huh?!"

The girl laughed softly.

"Relax. It's a compliment."

---

A familiar voice interrupted them.

"Yuna."

Yuna turned immediately.

Ren stood nearby.

The same unreadable expression rested on his face.

For a brief second, silence settled between the three of them.

Then Yuna noticed something strange.

The smile on the girl's face disappeared.

Only for a moment.

But it disappeared.

Ren looked at her.

"...Who is she?"

The smile instantly returned.

"Just a classmate."

Yuna glanced between them.

The atmosphere felt oddly tense.

Like invisible sparks floating through the air.

The girl stepped away.

"See you around, Yuna~"

Then she glanced at Ren.

"...And Ren too."

With that, she walked away.

Leaving an uncomfortable silence behind.

Yuna looked at Ren.

"Do you know her?"

"No."

His answer came immediately.

Too immediately.

And somehow...

That bothered her.

---

After school, the hallways were nearly empty.

The setting sun painted long shadows across the lockers.

Yuna crouched down to fix her shoes.

Then a familiar voice spoke from behind.

"Yuna~"

She jumped.

"Ah?!"

The same girl stood there.

Smiling.

As if appearing out of nowhere was completely normal.

"Sorry."

She giggled.

"Did I scare you?"

"A little..."

The girl leaned casually against a locker.

"You and Ren are pretty close, huh?"

Yuna felt her cheeks warm.

"He's my boyfriend."

A brief silence followed.

The girl's smile changed.

Not completely.

Just enough to feel different.

"Ah..."

Her eyes narrowed slightly.

"So it's you."

Confusion washed over Yuna once again.

"What does that mean?"

The girl simply looked away.

"Nothing."

Then she smiled.

"Just interesting."

As she walked away, Yuna felt a chill crawl across her skin.

Every conversation with her left behind the same feeling.

Like she knew something.

Something important.

Something she wasn't saying.

---

That night, Yuna sat on her bed scrolling through social media.

The anonymous account had reacted first again.

As always.

Then suddenly—

A new message appeared.

Unknown Sender:

Be careful.

Yuna froze.

"...What?"

Before she could process it, another message arrived.

Not everyone who smiles at you is kind.

A cold sensation spread through her body.

Instantly, she remembered Akane's smile.

Warm.

Beautiful.

And somehow...

Unsettling.

Yuna tightened her grip on the phone.

The warning echoed inside her mind.

---

Outside her house, the night was silent.

Moonlight bathed the quiet streets in silver.

From a distance, a lone figure stood watching her bedroom window.

Motionless.

Patient.

Waiting.

The moonlight finally revealed her face.

Akane Hoshizaki.

A faint smile appeared on her lips.

"Little by little..."

Her eyes glimmered beneath the darkness.

"...you'll find out."

---

Inside her room, Yuna stared at the mysterious warning message.

Questions flooded her mind.

The anonymous account.

Akane.

The strange changes in Ren.

The memory of that night.

And most of all...

The two different versions of the boy she loved.

One was cold.

Quiet.

Distant.

The other was warm.

Gentle.

Affectionate.

Her hands trembled.

Why did it feel like...

She was in love with two completely different people?

As darkness filled the room, two identical silhouettes appeared in her imagination.

Standing side by side.

One smiling softly.

The other expressionless.

Both wearing the same face.

And neither willing to reveal the truth.

End of Episode 2

The morning air felt unusually heavy.

Sunlight streamed through the classroom windows, painting golden patterns across the desks of Class 2-B. Students chatted as they always did, filling the room with the familiar sounds of another ordinary school day.

Yet nothing felt ordinary to Yuna Tachibana anymore.

She sat quietly at her desk, staring at her phone.

The anonymous message from last night remained open on the screen.

Not everyone who smiles at you is kind.

Yuna slowly locked her phone.

Ever since Akane Hoshizaki appeared, an uneasy feeling had taken root inside her heart.

A feeling she couldn't explain.

A feeling that seemed to grow stronger every day.

Suddenly, the classroom door slid open.

Yuna looked up.

Ren Kurokawa entered.

The same calm face.

The same quiet presence.

The same cold expression she had known for over a year.

He looked normal.

Completely normal.

And yet...

Yuna couldn't stop questioning it.

This was the Ren she knew.

The quiet Ren.

The distant Ren.

The boy who rarely expressed his feelings.

As Ren approached his desk, he caught her staring.

Their eyes met briefly.

"Why do you look nervous?"

Yuna immediately looked away.

"I'm not."

For a moment, Ren simply stared at her.

As if he didn't believe her answer.

---

Classes began.

The teacher's voice echoed through the room while students filled their notebooks with notes.

But Yuna couldn't focus.

Her mind wandered back to that night.

Back to the riverside.

Back to the boy who looked exactly like Ren.

"I wish it were me instead."

The memory replayed endlessly.

Those words.

That smile.

That warmth.

Her fingers tightened around her pen.

What did he mean?

Why did it feel like she had met an entirely different person?

"Ms. Tachibana?"

Yuna nearly jumped out of her seat.

"AH—?!"

The entire class turned toward her.

Heat rushed to her face.

The teacher sighed.

"Please pay attention."

Embarrassed, Yuna quickly sat back down.

But her thoughts remained elsewhere.

---

Lunch break arrived.

The hallways buzzed with students moving between classrooms and cafeterias.

Yuna walked alone.

Then suddenly—

A hand landed on her shoulder.

"Yunaaa~"

Yuna nearly screamed.

She turned around.

Akane stood there smiling brightly.

Her long dark hair swayed gently as she tilted her head.

"Akane..."

The girl held up a cup of milk tea.

"Come with me."

Yuna hesitated.

For some reason, refusing Akane always felt difficult.

Almost impossible.

---

The convenience store near the school was crowded with students buying snacks and drinks.

Akane walked beside her casually.

"So..."

She glanced at Yuna.

"You and Ren have been together for a long time, huh?"

Yuna nodded.

"One year."

"Wow."

Akane smiled.

"You're really patient."

Yuna blinked.

"...Huh?"

Akane laughed softly.

"I mean, he's difficult to understand sometimes."

Yuna's footsteps slowed.

The way Akane said it sounded strange.

Too familiar.

Almost as if she knew Ren personally.

Yuna studied her carefully.

"Were you two close before?"

Silence.

For a brief moment, Akane's smile faded.

Then it returned.

"Hmm..."

She shrugged.

"You could say that."

The answer only made Yuna more uneasy.

---

As they continued walking, Akane suddenly spoke again.

"But lately..."

Her eyes shifted toward Yuna.

"He seems different, doesn't he?"

Yuna froze.

Images flashed through her mind.

The riverside.

The hand holding hers.

The unexpected smile.

"I miss you."

Her heartbeat quickened.

"...Why do you say that?"

Akane looked innocent.

"Oh, nothing."

She leaned slightly closer.

"He's sweeter to you now, right?"

The world seemed to stop.

Yuna stared at her.

How did she know that?

Nobody knew about those moments.

Nobody.

"How do you know...?"

Akane blinked.

Then laughed softly.

"Isn't it obvious?"

Her smile remained perfect.

But her eyes were cold.

Empty.

And for the first time, Yuna realized something.

That smile didn't feel real.

---

After school, the hallways were nearly deserted.

The orange glow of sunset stretched across the floor.

Yuna opened her locker.

Something slipped out.

A folded note.

Confused, she picked it up.

The message written inside made her blood run cold.

Ask him about the scars.

Yuna froze.

Slowly, she looked around.

The hallway was empty.

No footsteps.

No students.

Nobody.

Only silence.

Her hands trembled.

Scars?

A memory surfaced.

A faint scar on Ren's back.

She remembered seeing it once before.

Then another memory followed.

The anniversary hug.

The boy who looked exactly like him.

Yuna's heart pounded.

Did he have scars too?

Or...

Was there a difference?

---

Outside the school gates, the sky glowed with the colors of sunset.

Ren waited quietly with his hands in his pockets.

When Yuna approached, he immediately noticed her expression.

"What's wrong?"

She forced a smile.

"Nothing."

The lie felt weak.

As they walked home together, silence stretched between them.

Yuna stole glances at him.

She wanted to ask.

She wanted answers.

But fear held her back.

What if she didn't like what she discovered?

Suddenly, Ren spoke.

"Do you want to ask me something?"

Yuna nearly tripped.

"AH— No!"

Ren stopped walking.

The wind brushed through his dark hair.

His eyes remained fixed on her.

"...You've been acting strange lately."

Yuna swallowed.

Then replied quietly.

"You too."

For a moment, neither moved.

The air between them felt tense.

Heavy.

Dangerous.

Ren's expression darkened slightly.

"What do you mean?"

Yuna stared at him.

At the familiar face she had known for a year.

Then another image appeared in her mind.

The smiling version.

The affectionate version.

The version who held her as if she meant everything.

And suddenly, one question echoed inside her heart.

Which one is the real you?

---

That night, Yuna sat alone in her room.

The mysterious note lay on her desk.

Her thoughts refused to settle.

Then her phone vibrated.

A new message.

Unknown Sender.

Haven't you noticed yet?

Yuna's breath caught.

Another message appeared.

They're different.

Her eyes widened.

Her hands trembled.

As darkness filled the room, two identical figures appeared in her imagination.

Standing side by side.

One carried scars across his back.

The other did not.

Both wore the same face.

Both shared the same voice.

But only one of them could be Ren.

And Yuna was running out of time to discover the truth.

End of Episode 3