Chapter 4 - The Unwritten Future

The screeching sound of twisting metal continued to echo inside Haruto's head.

Even after ten minutes had passed...

Even after the ambulance had arrived...

Even after the crowd had surrounded the accident...

He couldn't move.

If he had taken one more step...

If he had ignored that sudden pull on his arm...

He would've been lying beneath the collapsed utility pole instead.

"...Haruto."

A soft voice finally brought him back to reality.

He slowly turned around.

She stood a few steps away, her silver hair swaying gently in the evening breeze.

Her face looked as calm as always.

Yet somehow...

Her eyes didn't.

For a brief moment, he caught a glimpse of something hidden deep inside them.

Fear.

No...

It was closer to relief.

As though she had narrowly prevented something terrible from happening.

"Are you hurt?" she asked.

Haruto looked down at himself.

His school uniform was covered in dust, and there was a tiny cut on his right hand where a piece of broken glass had grazed him.

"I'm... fine."

She silently took a handkerchief from her pocket.

"...Give me your hand."

"Huh?"

"Your hand."

Without waiting for permission, she gently held his injured hand.

Haruto froze.

Her fingers were surprisingly warm.

She carefully wrapped the small wound with the handkerchief.

"There."

"...Thanks."

She nodded before taking a step back.

For several seconds...

Neither of them spoke.

Haruto finally broke the silence.

"...How did you know?"

She remained quiet.

"The accident."

"..."

"You told me not to come here."

Still...

No answer.

Haruto clenched his fists.

"Was it just luck?"

She looked toward the road instead of answering.

"...Sometimes people can tell when something feels wrong."

Haruto frowned.

"No."

He shook his head.

"That's not enough."

"You knew."

"You weren't guessing."

"You were certain."

The girl lowered her eyes.

"...You're thinking too much."

"I'm not."

Haruto took a step closer.

"Who are you?"

The question hung in the air.

For a second...

Her lips parted.

As if she truly wanted to answer.

But then...

"...I'm just another student."

"Liar."

The word escaped Haruto before he realized it.

Her expression froze.

"...Sorry."

He sighed.

"I didn't mean it like that."

"I just..."

"I don't understand you."

For the first time...

A faint smile appeared on her face.

"I know."

It wasn't a cheerful smile.

It looked lonely.

"So... don't try to."

Before Haruto could stop her...

She turned around and walked away.

"Wait!"

She didn't.

Within moments...

She disappeared into the crowd.

...

That night.

Haruto couldn't sleep.

Every time he closed his eyes...

He saw the truck.

The shattered glass.

The collapsing pole.

And those words.

'Someone who doesn't want to lose you again.'

Again.

Again.

Again.

"What does that even mean...?"

He sat up and looked at the digital clock beside his bed.

2:17 A.M.

"...Forget it."

There was no point thinking about something he couldn't understand.

Just as he reached for the light switch...

His phone vibrated.

Unknown Number.

Haruto frowned.

"Who sends messages at two in the morning?"

He opened it.

There was only one sentence.

**Don't let her cry this time.**

Haruto's heartbeat stopped.

"...What?"

He immediately typed a reply.

**Who are you?**

The message failed.

Number unavailable.

He tried calling.

Nothing.

The number had completely disappeared.

As though it had never existed.

Cold sweat ran down his neck.

"This... isn't funny."

For the first time in years...

Haruto locked his bedroom door before going back to bed.

Outside...

Rain slowly began to fall.

Across the street...

A figure wearing a black hood silently watched the light in Haruto's room.

"...He's alive."

The figure's voice was barely a whisper.

"So... history really has changed."

The figure turned away before disappearing into the darkness.

Unaware that the game between fate and time had only just begun...

The alarm rang at exactly 6:30 a.m.

Haruto groaned as he reached for his phone, expecting to see the same ordinary lock screen that greeted him every morning.

Instead...

His eyes immediately fell on the message from last night.

"Don't let her cry this time."

The sender was still gone.

No number.

No contact.

Nothing.

It was as if the message had appeared out of thin air.

Haruto rubbed his eyes before checking again.

"...I'm definitely not dreaming."

He searched through his call history.

Nothing.

His message history.

Nothing.

Even the notification had disappeared.

Only the screenshot he had taken before going to sleep remained.

"...What is going on?"

A knock came from outside his room.

"Haruto! You'll be late!"

"I'm coming!"

He slipped the phone into his pocket, grabbed his school bag, and headed downstairs.

...

The walk to school felt unusually long.

His mind replayed yesterday's accident over and over again.

The girl's warning.

The truck.

Her strange words.

'Someone who doesn't want to lose you again.'

Then...

The anonymous message.

Every answer only created another question.

"...I'm losing my mind."

As he stepped through the school gate, students chatted excitedly around him.

Some laughed.

Some complained about homework.

Everything felt... normal.

Too normal.

Until he saw her.

She stood beneath the old cherry blossom tree near the entrance, quietly reading a book.

The morning breeze gently carried strands of her silver hair across her face.

For a moment...

Haruto forgot everything.

She looked peaceful.

As though yesterday had never happened.

She noticed him.

Their eyes met.

For a brief second...

A small smile appeared on her lips.

Then...

It vanished.

Her eyes shifted behind him.

The color drained from her face.

"...No..."

Haruto frowned.

"What happened?"

She wasn't looking at him anymore.

She was staring toward the school gate.

Haruto slowly turned around.

A black car had stopped outside.

A tall man wearing a dark suit stepped out.

He wasn't a teacher.

He wasn't a parent.

Yet his sharp eyes scanned the entire campus as though searching for someone.

The moment his gaze landed on the girl...

He smiled.

Not a friendly smile.

A terrifying one.

The girl immediately grabbed Haruto's wrist.

"We have to go."

"H-Hey!"

She pulled him inside the school building without another word.

Only after they reached the empty staircase did she finally stop.

She took several deep breaths.

Haruto had never seen her like this.

She looked...

Scared.

"Give me one reason," Haruto said quietly.

"What?"

"One reason why I should keep pretending everything is normal."

Silence.

"You knew about the accident."

Silence.

"You keep saying things that don't make sense."

Silence.

"Now you're afraid of some random man outside."

She slowly lowered her head.

"...He's dangerous."

"Who is he?"

"I can't tell you."

"Why?"

"...Because if I do..."

Her voice trembled.

"...everything will change."

Haruto stared at her.

Everything will change?

What did that even mean?

"You always say things like that."

She didn't answer.

Instead...

She reached into her school bag.

From inside, she pulled out a small blue charm attached to a faded ribbon.

"I want you to keep this."

Haruto blinked.

"...A keychain?"

"It's a lucky charm."

"It belonged to..."

She suddenly stopped speaking.

"...Never mind."

She gently placed it in his hand.

"For now..."

"Don't lose it."

Haruto looked at the tiny charm.

It wasn't expensive.

In fact...

It looked very old.

The ribbon had begun to fray.

Yet...

For some reason...

Holding it made his heart ache.

As though he had held it countless times before.

"...Have we met before?"

The question escaped without him realizing.

The girl's eyes widened.

For the first time...

She completely froze.

"...Why would you ask that?"

"I don't know."

"It just..."

He looked down at the charm again.

"It feels familiar."

She quickly looked away.

"...You're imagining things."

The school bell rang.

Students began filling the hallways.

The noise broke the strange atmosphere between them.

"We should go."

She started walking toward the classroom.

Haruto quietly followed.

But one question refused to leave his mind.

Who was that man?

...

Lunch break.

The classroom buzzed with conversation.

Haruto sat by the window, absentmindedly turning the blue charm in his fingers.

Across the room...

The girl suddenly

The rest of the school day passed in a blur.

Haruto couldn't concentrate on a single lesson.

His notebook remained almost empty while his thoughts replayed the conversation he had overheard.

"You've already interfered once."

"Leave him alone."

"I don't care."

Those words refused to leave his mind.

When the final bell rang, students poured out of the classroom with relieved smiles.

Haruto packed his bag slowly.

He glanced toward the girl's desk.

Empty.

"...Where did she go?"

He hurried into the hallway, checking every classroom and every staircase.

Nothing.

She had disappeared.

"Looking for someone?"

Haruto turned around.

It was Yuto, one of his classmates.

"You've been acting weird since yesterday."

"I... just forgot to return something."

Yuto shrugged.

"Well, if you're looking for the silver-haired girl, I saw her heading toward the rooftop."

"The rooftop?"

"Yeah."

Haruto didn't waste another second.

He sprinted upstairs.

The heavy metal door creaked open.

A cool breeze greeted him.

The city stretched endlessly beyond the school fence, glowing beneath the orange evening sky.

She stood alone near the railing.

The wind played with her silver hair as she silently watched the sunset.

"You found me."

She didn't even turn around.

Haruto smiled bitterly.

"You knew I'd come."

"...I hoped you wouldn't."

He walked beside her.

Neither of them spoke for a while.

The silence wasn't uncomfortable.

It was peaceful.

After several minutes, Haruto finally asked,

"Do you come here often?"

She nodded.

"When things become... difficult."

"Difficult?"

She looked toward the horizon.

"The sky never changes."

"No matter how many times you look at it..."

"It's always there."

Haruto laughed softly.

"That's a strange way to think."

"...Maybe."

Another silence followed.

Then—

"Haruto."

"...Yeah?"

"If one day..."

She hesitated.

"If everyone forgot you..."

"What would you do?"

Haruto blinked.

"What kind of question is that?"

"Just answer."

He thought for a moment.

"I'd probably be sad."

"...But..."

He smiled.

"I'd make them remember me again."

Her shoulders trembled slightly.

"...That's exactly what you'd say."

"Huh?"

"Nothing."

She quickly wiped the corner of her eye.

Had she...

Almost cried?

Before Haruto could ask, the rooftop door suddenly burst open.

"Found you!"

It was the student council president.

"There you are! The two of you have been selected to help prepare for next week's cultural festival."

"Cultural festival?" Haruto asked.

"Yep."

"The principal wants every class to pair students together."

"And congratulations."

The president handed them a sheet of paper.

"You two are partners."

Haruto looked at the paper.

Sure enough...

His name and hers were written together.

He scratched his head.

"What are the chances..."

The girl stared at the paper much longer than expected.

"...It happened."

"What happened?"

She immediately folded the paper.

"Nothing."

The student council president grinned.

"You two look good together anyway."

Haruto nearly choked.

"W-What?!"

The girl simply looked away, her cheeks faintly red.

"...Let's go."

...

The next afternoon, they met in the school library to plan their festival booth.

Books were stacked everywhere.

The room was almost empty.

Haruto placed a notebook on the table.

"So... any ideas?"

She looked around.

"...A small café."

"Huh?"

"A quiet one."

"With books."

"And piano music."

Haruto smiled.

"That actually sounds nice."

"...Really?"

"Yeah."

For the first time since they'd met...

Her smile looked genuine.

It wasn't forced.

It wasn't lonely.

Just... happy.

Haruto couldn't help smiling back.

At that exact moment—

Click.

A faint camera shutter echoed from somewhere between the bookshelves.

Haruto looked up.

"...Did you hear that?"

She froze.

"...Run."

"What?"

"Now!"

Without explanation, she grabbed his hand and rushed out of the library.

By the time they reached the hallway, she was breathing heavily.

Haruto looked back.

No one was there.

"Who's following us?"

She stayed silent.

"Tell me!"

Her voice came out barely above a whisper.

"...They're getting closer."

Far away...

On the library's second floor...

A figure lowered a camera.

The photograph slowly developed.

In it...

Haruto and the girl were smiling at each other.

The figure smiled.

"So this is where your story begins again..."

He slipped the photograph into a black folder labeled:

**Subject H-01: Haruto Kisaragi**

Beneath it was another file.

One that made his smile widen.

**Termination Date: Seven Days Remaining.**

Haruto couldn't stop thinking about the words he had seen.

**Termination Date: Seven Days Remaining.**

Seven days.

Seven days until what?

He wanted to believe he had imagined it.

That the black folder, the photograph, and the strange man were nothing more than a misunderstanding.

But deep down...

He knew they were real.

...

The next morning.

Rain poured relentlessly over the city.

Students hurried through the school gates beneath colorful umbrellas.

Haruto arrived earlier than usual.

He hoped to find her before class started.

Instead...

He found the rooftop door slightly open.

"...Strange."

The rooftop was usually locked before school.

Curious, he climbed the final flight of stairs.

The cold wind greeted him.

She was standing near the edge once again.

This time...

She wasn't alone.

The man in the black suit stood several meters away from her.

Haruto immediately hid behind the rooftop door.

"...You shouldn't have come," the girl said coldly.

"I gave you seven days."

"You've already used one."

"I don't need seven."

The man smiled.

"I only need one mistake."

Haruto's heartbeat quickened.

Mistake?

"What do you want?" she asked.

"You know exactly what I want."

"...No."

"I won't let you touch him."

The man's smile slowly disappeared.

"You keep making the same choice."

"It never ends well."

"I'm aware."

"Then why repeat it?"

The girl closed her eyes.

"...Because this time..."

"I'll save him."

Haruto's eyes widened.

Save... him?

Before he could hear anything else, his phone vibrated loudly.

**Buzz... Buzz...**

"...!"

The sound echoed across the rooftop.

The man immediately turned.

"So..."

"There you are."

Their eyes met.

For the first time...

Haruto felt genuine fear.

Those eyes...

They weren't human.

Cold.

Empty.

As though they had witnessed countless deaths.

The man slowly walked toward him.

Instinct took over.

Haruto grabbed the nearest metal pipe lying beside the rooftop door.

"Stay back!"

The man didn't stop.

"...Interesting."

"So this version of you still fights."

Version?

"What are you talking about?!"

The man ignored the question.

Instead...

He reached inside his coat.

Haruto tightened his grip on the pipe.

But instead of pulling out a weapon...

The man revealed a pocket watch.

An old silver pocket watch.

Its cracked glass reflected the cloudy sky.

Click.

He opened it.

The second hand began spinning backwards.

Tick...

Tick...

Tick...

Suddenly—

Haruto's vision blurred.

The rooftop disappeared.

The rain disappeared.

Everything around him dissolved into darkness.

...

"...Haruto."

Someone called his name.

He slowly opened his eyes.

Snow.

White snow covered the ground.

The air was freezing.

He stood in the middle of a ruined city.

Buildings burned in the distance.

Smoke filled the sky.

"What..."

"This isn't..."

His voice echoed through the empty streets.

Then he heard it.

Footsteps.

He turned around.

A girl was running toward him.

Her clothes were stained with blood.

Her silver hair was much longer than before.

Tears streamed down her face.

She threw her arms around him.

"...I found you."

Haruto froze.

"...Who...?"

She looked up.

It was her.

Older.

Weaker.

Heartbroken.

"I'm sorry..."

"So... sorry..."

Before Haruto could say anything...

A deafening explosion erupted behind them.

The girl suddenly pushed him away.

"No!"

A blinding flash swallowed everything.

...

"Haruto!"

His eyes shot open.

He was back on the school rooftop.

Rain soaked his uniform.

He collapsed onto his knees, gasping for air.

The girl knelt beside him, desperately shaking his shoulders.

"Haruto!"

"Look at me!"

He stared at her in disbelief.

"...You..."

"...I saw you."

Her expression froze.

"...What did you see?"

Haruto struggled to breathe.

"A ruined city..."

"You were crying..."

"There was blood..."

"And..."

He looked directly into her trembling eyes.

"...You called my name."

Silence.

For several long seconds...

Neither of them moved.

The girl slowly lowered her head.

A single tear fell onto the rain-soaked concrete.

"...It's starting earlier than I thought."

Haruto's heart skipped a beat.

"What... is starting?"

She clenched her fists.

Before she could answer—

A loud explosion echoed somewhere in the city below.

The ground trembled.

Both of them rushed to the edge of the rooftop.

Far away...

A thick pillar of black smoke rose into the sky.

The girl whispered under her breath...

"...No..."

"It already began."

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