Aldian Cadman was, objectively, having the best morning of his life.
The auditorium air in the college lecture hall was thick with nervous energy, but Aldian felt none of it. He was a natural charmer, tall, with a disarming smile and easy confidence that had always made him the center of attention. Today, September 1st, the first day of his college life, felt like the opening scene of the bright, successful future he'd always envisioned.
He sat in the third row, not because he was trying to hide, but because he liked the vantage point. He could survey the room, make eye contact, and flash that winning smile.
His eyes found Yui Sato instantly. She sat two seats over, her dark hair tied back with a bright crimson ribbon. She was petite, focused intently on the speaker, and possessed a quiet intelligence that drew him in far more than the louder, more obvious beauties. He'd spent the last hour working up the nerve, planning the exact moment and the perfect line.
When the dean finished his introductory remarks, a wave of restless movement swept through the room.
"Excuse me," Aldian leaned over, his voice low and warm, designed to break through her concentration.
Yui turned, her eyes wide with surprise. "Oh, hi."
"Hi," Aldian repeated, letting his smile widen just enough. "Aldian Cadman. I know this is terrible timing, but I swear I'll forget everything the dean just said if I don't ask you this."
He leaned closer. "You look like you're going to ace every class here, and I look like I'm going to need a lot of help. How about we celebrate the start of the semester tomorrow night? Dinner, maybe a coffee? No pressure."
Yui's blushes , but a genuine smile broke through. She looked at him, then back at her friend, who was trying desperately not to stare. "Um, wow. Okay," she murmured, a nervous excitement in her voice. "Tomorrow night sounds great, Aldian. My name is Yui."
"I know," he said with a wink. "I have a good memory."
He scribbled his number on a piece of paper and handed it to her, feeling a burst of pure, exhilarated success. She tucked the paper into her notebook, her eyes sparkling.
This is it, he thought. The beginning of everything.
That night, Aldian couldn't sleep. He spent the evening texting Yui, laughing over shared anxieties about college life and planning their date. He felt the exciting, familiar flutter of genuine connection. He was on top of the world.
The next morning, he woke up early, buzzing with anticipation. He had a few classes, then he'd go home, change into something sharp, and meet Yui.
He was waiting by the campus gates, checking his phone at 3:15 PM, when his world violently shattered.
A siren sliced through the usual traffic noise. It wasn't just a distant warning; it was close, urgent, and sickeningly loud. A crowd was gathering at the corner, just past the campus crosswalk.
Curiosity gave way to mounting dread as he pushed through the onlookers. He saw the flashing blue and red lights, the shattered glass, and the yellow police tape. Then he saw the crimson ribbon.
Yui Sato lay on the asphalt, surrounded by paramedics. Her notebook, his phone number still tucked inside, lay scattered nearby. She had been crossing the street, laughing at a text message, when a delivery truck, its driver blinded by the afternoon sun, had failed to stop.
She was gone. Instantly. Brutally.
Aldian didn't scream. He didn't even move. He stood frozen, staring at the sight, the sound of the world draining away, replaced by a cold, high-pitched ringing in his ears. It wasn't just shock; it was the terrifying, illogical understanding that he had caused this. He had asked her out, and now she was dead.
He was hustled away by a campus security guard, numb and uncomprehending. He spent the next few hours in a haze, giving a short statement, walking home, and collapsing onto his bed, the smell of fresh concrete and blood filling his nostrils.
He stayed awake all night, staring at the ceiling, trying to rationalize it. A horrible coincidence. A tragic accident.
Finally, exhausted and mentally broken, He slipped into a fitful, shallow sleep.
A jarring sound pulled him awake. Tick. Tick. Tick.
He was sitting in the third row of the lecture hall, his knuckles resting loosely on his thighs. The air was thick with the manufactured enthusiasm of freshmen orientation. The clock on the wall read 9:00 AM.
He felt his stomach lurch, a wave of nausea and vertigo washing over him. The dean was exactly mid-sentence, talking about the "best four years of your lives."
He looked down at his clothes. The same crisp, dark jeans. He ran a hand through his hair, the same cut.
He looked two seats over. Yui Sato sat there, her dark hair tied back with a bright crimson ribbon, leaning forward to whisper something to her friend. She was alive. Perfectly, vibrantly alive.
Aldian's breath hitched. He closed his eyes, then snapped them open. The scene was identical. He hadn't just had a terrible nightmare; he was reliving the exact moment he'd started yesterday.
He spent the rest of the lecture in a cold panic. When the class finally ended, he fled, going straight to the campus gate. At the corner where the accident had happened, nothing. No debris, no skid marks, no police tape. Just normal rush-hour traffic.
He pulled out his phone. He looked for Yui's contact. It wasn't there. He had to assume the last 24 hours had been erased from reality for everyone but him.
I need to see her.
He found Yui at a student bulletin board later that afternoon, laughing with her friend. He walked toward her, his body moving with a strange, detached autopilot. He saw her smile, heard her genuine, lighthearted laughter, and the image of her lying on the asphalt, the crimson ribbon stark against the gray road, flashed behind his eyes.
He stopped ten feet away, unable to take another step. He couldn't speak to her. He just watched, his mind racing through impossible possibilities. Did he have a twin? Was this a prank? A dream? He was handsome, charismatic, not the kind of guy who had psychotic breaks.
That night, Aldian stayed locked in his room, heart pounding, sweat cold on his skin. He couldn't shake the image of Yui. He was terrified to sleep. He was terrified to wake up.
He didn't sleep. He sat by his window, watching the sunrise bleed over the Tokyo skyline, until the clock on his phone clicked precisely to 9:00 AM. September 2nd.
He was sitting bolt upright in his bed. He looked down at his clothes, the same shirt and jeans he'd worn yesterday. He looked out the window; the light was wrong for 9 AM. He checked his phone again. September 2nd. He looked around his room. Nothing had moved.
He ran to his door, flung it open, and looked down the hall. A neighbor walked past, giving him a confused glance.