The Same Face

Night had fallen, but sleep refused to come.

The only light inside Yuna Tachibana's room came from the screen of her phone, illuminating her face in the darkness.

Her eyes remained fixed on the messages.

You're getting close to the truth.

But when you find out...

...which one will you choose?

Yuna tightened her grip on her phone.

Lately, it felt as though her entire world was slowly falling apart.

The pieces no longer fit together.

Every answer only created more questions.

Images flashed through her mind.

The warm embrace from the anniversary night.

The cold and distant Ren sitting silently in class.

Akane's mysterious smile.

The strange tension on the rooftop.

Everything felt connected.

Yet she couldn't see the full picture.

Yuna buried her face in her hands.

"What are all of you hiding from me...?"

The question lingered in the darkness.

But no answer came.

---

The next morning, Yuna walked through the school hallway in a daze.

Students passed by, laughing and talking.

The world continued moving normally.

But inside her mind, chaos raged.

Then suddenly—

A hand grabbed her wrist.

Before she could react, she was pulled inside an empty classroom.

The door slammed shut.

"AH—?!"

Yuna stumbled backward.

Her heart nearly stopped.

Then she saw who it was.

Akane Hoshizaki.

The girl casually leaned against the classroom door.

"Shhh."

Yuna pressed a hand against her chest.

"A-Akane...?"

"Relax."

Akane smiled.

"I'm not going to hurt you."

Despite those reassuring words, Yuna remained tense.

There was something unsettling about her.

Something impossible to explain.

Akane stared directly into her eyes.

A knowing look.

A dangerous look.

"You're curious now, aren't you?"

Yuna swallowed.

"...What do you mean?"

Akane slowly stepped forward.

"About Ren."

The name immediately made Yuna freeze.

Then Akane tilted her head.

"Or should I say..."

Her smile widened slightly.

"About them."

Yuna's eyes widened.

Her heartbeat pounded loudly inside her ears.

Akane leaned closer.

Close enough for her voice to become a whisper.

"Haven't you noticed yet?"

---

BANG!

The classroom door suddenly flew open.

Both girls turned.

Ren stood in the doorway.

His expression was colder than Yuna had ever seen before.

For a moment, the room felt frozen.

Akane took a step back.

"Oops."

Ren's gaze never left her.

"Stay away from Yuna."

The warning was immediate.

Sharp.

Protective.

Akane laughed softly.

"You're awfully protective."

Yuna watched the exchange silently.

The tension between them felt strange.

Personal.

As if they shared a history she knew nothing about.

Then Akane looked at her.

The playful smile disappeared.

"Ask him about the scars."

Yuna's breath caught.

Before she could speak, Ren grabbed Akane's wrist.

"Enough."

For the first time, anger flashed across his face.

Akane looked amused.

"Are you afraid she'll find out?"

The room became silent.

Dangerously silent.

Ren's eyes darkened.

Akane gently pulled her wrist free.

"Fine."

She turned toward the door.

But before leaving, she looked back at Yuna.

A mysterious smile curved her lips.

"Just remember..."

Her eyes softened.

"Not everyone who loves you was the first one to arrive."

Then she left.

The classroom door slammed shut behind her.

---

Silence remained.

Yuna slowly turned toward Ren.

Her heart felt heavier than ever.

"Ren..."

He looked away.

"What did she mean?"

No answer.

Yuna stepped closer.

"Then explain."

Still silence.

Memories flooded her mind.

The riverside.

The anniversary.

The warmth she couldn't forget.

The version of him that felt completely different.

Her voice trembled.

"Why do you feel like two different people sometimes?"

Ren's expression tightened.

But he remained silent.

And somehow...

That silence hurt more than any answer.

---

Suddenly, Yuna's phone vibrated.

Both of them looked down.

A new message.

Unknown Sender.

Look outside.

Confused, Yuna slowly turned toward the classroom window.

Her breath stopped.

Someone was standing outside the school building.

A boy.

A familiar boy.

A boy with the exact same face.

The exact same eyes.

The exact same appearance.

Ren.

No.

Not Ren.

Rei.

Yuna felt her entire body go cold.

Impossible.

Slowly, she turned back toward the Ren standing inside the classroom.

Then back toward the boy outside.

Back and forth.

Again.

And again.

There was no mistake.

No illusion.

No misunderstanding.

For the first time...

She was seeing both of them at once.

Two people.

One face.

One identity.

Yet completely different.

"That can't be possible..."

Her voice barely escaped as a whisper.

Outside, Rei looked up.

Their eyes met through the glass.

And he smiled.

The same gentle smile she remembered from that night.

Inside the classroom, Ren noticed.

His hand slowly curled into a fist.

For the first time, Yuna understood.

Everything was real.

The mystery.

The warnings.

The lies.

There truly were two of them.

---

Yuna slowly stepped backward.

Her legs felt weak.

Fragments of memories flashed through her mind.

The anniversary hug.

The shopping mall date.

The gentle smiles.

The cold replies.

The contradictions.

Everything she couldn't explain.

Everything finally made sense.

And yet...

Nothing made sense at all.

Tears gathered in her eyes.

Then who...

Who was beside me all this time?

Ren took a step toward her.

"Yuna—"

She instinctively moved back.

"Please..."

Her voice shook.

"Not right now."

For the first time, fear and confusion overwhelmed everything else.

---

Outside the school building, Rei remained standing beneath the afternoon sky.

Beside him stood Haruki.

The atmosphere felt heavy.

Haruki sighed.

"It's getting worse."

Rei smiled sadly.

"I know."

His gaze remained fixed on the classroom window.

On Yuna.

Regret flickered across his face.

"It's my fault."

The wind brushed through his hair.

For a moment, he closed his eyes.

Then he whispered the truth he had been hiding for so long.

"But I can't stay away from her."

---

That night, Yuna sat alone once again.

The image of the two boys refused to leave her mind.

Her phone vibrated.

Another message.

Unknown Sender.

Now Choose .

Yuna stared at the screen.

Her heart trembled.

In her mind, two identical figures stood facing one another.

The same face.

The same eyes.

The same voice.

Yet completely different souls.

One smiled warmly.

The other watched in silence.

And for the first time, Yuna realized that discovering the truth wasn't the end of the story.

It was only the beginning.

End of Episode 5

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