Episode 1

Chapter 1: The Girl Who Saw No Reflection

Rain tapped endlessly against the train window while Airi Nakamura rested her forehead against the cold glass. Outside, gray buildings and unfamiliar streets passed by one after another, disappearing behind the water droplets sliding down the window.

A new city.

A new school.

A new beginning.

That was what she wanted to believe.

Her phone screen lit up again.

No new messages.

She opened the old chat one more time.

Mom.

The last message was still there.

"I’ll be home soon."

Three months ago.

Nothing after that.

No calls.

No explanation.

No goodbye.

Airi quickly locked the phone and placed it back into her pocket.

“Next stop, Aokawa Station.”

The robotic voice echoed through the train.

Her stomach tightened.

She hated first days.

New schools meant new faces, new questions, and pretending everything was fine when it wasn’t.

The train doors opened with a soft sound.

Cold air touched her face.

Aokawa looked like every small Japanese coastal city from magazines—clean streets, small cafés, students walking together beneath umbrellas.

Yet something felt strange.

Not dangerous.

Not scary.

Just familiar.

Like she had seen this city before.

But she knew she hadn’t.

---

Aokawa High School stood on a hill overlooking the ocean.

Large gates.

Tall buildings.

Perfect gardens.

Too perfect.

Airi adjusted her uniform and followed a teacher through crowded hallways.

“You transferred at a difficult time,” the teacher said while walking.

Airi blinked.

“What do you mean?”

The teacher smiled awkwardly.

“Nothing important.”

That answer only made her more nervous.

The classroom door opened.

Immediately, dozens of voices disappeared.

Every student turned toward her.

The teacher wrote her name on the board.

“Airi Nakamura. Please introduce yourself.”

Airi faced the class.

“My name is Airi Nakamura. Nice to meet you.”

Whispers started immediately.

“She’s cute.”

“She looks serious.”

“Transfer students are always interesting.”

Airi ignored them.

Instead, she scanned the room.

That was when she noticed him.

Back row.

Black hair.

Gray eyes.

Expressionless face.

Unlike everyone else, he wasn’t whispering.

Wasn’t smiling.

Wasn’t even pretending interest.

He looked shocked.

Almost frightened.

The teacher pointed.

“You’ll sit beside Ren Kisaragi.”

Great.

The scary one.

Airi walked toward the empty seat.

As she sat down, Ren quietly spoke without looking at her.

“You shouldn’t have come here.”

Airi froze.

“What?”

“This city changes people.”

She stared at him.

“What kind of weird introduction is that?”

He finally looked at her.

For one second, his eyes widened.

Then he looked away again.

“Forget it.”

Weird guy.

---

Lunch break arrived.

Students quickly surrounded her desk.

Questions came endlessly.

“Where are you from?”

“Do you have a boyfriend?”

“What clubs do you like?”

A cheerful girl with short brown hair smiled brightly.

“I’m Yuna! We should eat together!”

Airi almost refused.

But being alone on day one sounded worse.

Lunch passed normally.

Almost too normally.

For the first time in months, Airi nearly forgot about everything.

Then she noticed something strange.

Several students kept glancing toward Ren.

But nobody approached him.

Nobody talked to him.

As if he wasn’t there.

---

After lunch, Airi went to the bathroom.

The room was empty.

Quiet.

Only dripping water.

She washed her hands and looked into the mirror.

For one second—

Someone stood behind her.

A girl.

Long black hair.

White uniform.

Red eyes.

Airi spun around instantly.

Nothing.

Empty bathroom.

Her heartbeat accelerated.

“No sleep,” she whispered.

“That’s all.”

Her phone vibrated.

Unknown Number.

She frowned.

Nobody had her new number.

Slowly, she opened the message.

Look into the mirrors carefully.

A second message arrived.

One of your classmates does not exist.

Cold spread through her body.

A joke?

Someone from class?

Her hands slightly trembled.

Then footsteps echoed outside.

Students passed the bathroom entrance.

Their reflections appeared normally.

One.

Two.

Three.

Then—

Ren.

He stood outside the doorway.

Watching her.

Everyone else had reflections.

He didn’t.

Airi’s breathing stopped.

Ren’s expression changed.

Not surprise.

Not confusion.

Fear.

He quietly said:

“You saw it.”

The bathroom lights suddenly went out.

[End of Chapter 1]

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