Episode 1

Chapter 1: The Message I Never Sent

At exactly 11:59 PM, Aika Kisaragi decided she hated Mondays.

Not because of school.

Not because of exams.

Not even because her chemistry teacher somehow enjoyed surprise tests.

No.

It was because Mondays always reminded her that life repeated itself.

Wake up.

School.

Homework.

Sleep.

Repeat.

Aika lay on her bed, scrolling through old messages while rain tapped softly against her bedroom window. Her room was small and ordinary—books stacked near her desk, school uniform hanging on the closet door, unfinished homework spread across the floor.

Everything looked normal.

Everything felt normal.

Yet she couldn’t shake the strange feeling crawling under her skin all evening.

Her phone screen showed 11:59 PM.

“Great,” she muttered. “Another day wasted.”

Outside, thunder rumbled.

The lights flickered once.

Then twice.

At exactly 12:00 AM—

Buzz.

Her phone vibrated.

Aika lazily opened the notification.

Unknown Sender.

Her eyebrows pulled together.

She opened it.

You have 100 days left.

She stared.

“What kind of weird spam is this?”

Another message arrived immediately.

Do not trust the people around you.

Aika frowned harder.

“Okay… creepy.”

She pressed the profile icon.

No number.

No account picture.

Nothing.

Then a third message appeared.

You are already late.

Aika rolled her eyes.

“Someone really needs hobbies.”

She prepared to block the sender.

Then she saw the contact name update by itself.

Her breathing stopped.

The sender name changed into:

Aika Kisaragi

Her own name.

“No.”

Aika clicked the profile.

The profile picture loaded.

It was her.

Not a random picture.

Not social media.

A photo she had never taken.

In the image, she looked older.

Tired.

Her school uniform was covered with dust.

And written on her hand with black marker were three words:

DON’T TRUST REN

A loud crash outside made Aika jump.

She rushed toward her window.

The street below was empty.

Rain poured heavily.

Streetlights flickered.

Nothing unusual.

Yet her heart refused to calm down.

Buzz.

Another message.

Tomorrow. 8:17 AM. Avoid the stairs.

Aika quickly typed:

Who are you?

Seen.

Typing...

Typing...

Typing...

Then:

You already know me.

The lights suddenly went out.

Darkness swallowed the room.

“Seriously?!”

Aika grabbed her phone flashlight.

Her hands shook slightly.

She hated power outages.

Ever since she was little.

Because darkness always made her imagine things.

Footsteps.

Voices.

Someone watching.

The electricity returned after several seconds.

She looked around.

Everything normal.

Except—

Her bedroom mirror.

Written across the fogged glass were numbers.

100

99

98

97

They slowly disappeared.

Aika froze.

“No…”

She walked toward the mirror.

Touched it.

Nothing.

Only cold glass.

Her reflection stared back.

But for half a second—

Her reflection didn’t move.

Aika stepped backward.

The reflection smiled.

She didn’t.

The lights flickered again.

The reflection returned to normal.

Aika grabbed a blanket and threw it over the mirror.

“Nope.”

She refused to think about it.

Ghosts weren’t real.

Future messages weren’t real.

Mirrors definitely weren’t smiling.

She climbed into bed.

Pulled the blanket over her head.

And somehow fell asleep.

—

6:45 AM.

Rain still covered the city.

Aika walked toward school half-asleep while eating convenience store bread.

“You look dead,” her best friend Mio said, appearing beside her.

“You always appear like a horror character.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Mio blinked.

“No seriously. Why do you look scared?”

Aika considered telling her.

Then remembered the message.

Do not trust the people around you.

“Didn’t sleep.”

“Again?”

“Again.”

Students filled the sidewalks.

Cars passed.

Everything ordinary.

Yet Aika checked the time every minute.

8:10 AM.

She entered school.

8:12 AM.

Students changed shoes.

8:14 AM.

Her hands became sweaty.

8:15 AM.

She reached the staircase.

Hundreds of students moved up and down.

Nothing strange.

See?

Just nonsense.

8:16 AM.

A tall boy wearing another school’s uniform walked past her.

Black hair.

Sharp eyes.

Cold expression.

Transfer student?

He suddenly stopped.

Turned toward her.

Their eyes met.

“You shouldn’t stand there,” he said quietly.

“What?”

8:17 AM.

A scream echoed above.

CRASH.

Students shouted.

People ran.

Something heavy smashed into the staircase exactly where Aika had been standing seconds earlier.

Broken metal scattered everywhere.

Silence filled her ears.

The mysterious boy looked directly at her.

Then at her phone.

Which vibrated again.

Buzz.

New message.

Now do you believe me?

And beneath it—

Ren Asakura has found you.

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