The night air was cold and heavy, the city's neon lights flickering like distant stars swallowed by darkness. Aqua stood just outside the club where Hikaru Kamiki held court—a place pulsing with secrets and silent threats. Tonight was different. No reckless fury, no impulsive violence. This time, Aqua came prepared, with a small recorder hidden in his pocket.
This is justice, Aqua told himself. No more dying for revenge. No more losing Ruby.
Tsukuyomi's voice echoed in his mind—the strange, unsettling goddess who had given him this second chance. "Walk again, Aquamarine Hoshino. But do not walk alone."
He inhaled sharply, steeling himself. I'll expose Hikaru Kamiki. For real. This time, I'll use my head, not my fists or a knife.
Inside, the club's atmosphere was thick with smoke and whispered lies. Hikaru Kamiki sat relaxed, his trademark cold smirk plastered on his face like a mask. His eyes scanned the crowd but locked onto Aqua the moment he entered.
"Well, well," Hikaru drawled, voice dripping with condescension. "Back for another round? Or are you here to dance with death again?"
Aqua ignored the taunt and kept his voice low, steady. "This ends tonight. No more hiding behind shadows."
Hikaru chuckled darkly. "You think words can change the game? You're a pawn, a tragic little actor playing a role you don't even understand."
Aqua's fingers brushed the recorder, ensuring it was capturing every word. "I know what you are, Hikaru. And I'll show the world the real you."
For a moment, a flicker of something—annoyance? respect?—passed over Hikaru's face. "You're bold, I'll give you that. But boldness won't save you. Not from me."
The conversation turned sharper, Hikaru dropping veiled threats and cold reminders about Ai's death, and the dark undercurrents no one else dared acknowledge. Aqua pressed for truth, but Hikaru twisted his answers, smug and untouchable.
As the meeting ended, Aqua slipped away, heart pounding but steady. His recorder held the weapon he needed—evidence to finally expose Hikaru's crimes.
Then, a notification flashed on his phone. A message from the news app.
Breaking News: "Idol Ruby Hoshino Dies in Sudden Stabbing Incident"
The headline glared at him like a punch to the gut. The article detailed how Ruby had been attacked backstage after a rehearsal, stabbed by an unknown assailant and rushed to the hospital—too late.
His breath caught. His chest tightened. The world spun violently as the horrifying truth sank in.
No. This can't be happening. Not again.
Aqua's vision blurred, and everything around him dissolved into darkness.
---
He awoke with a gasp. Cold sweat clinging to his skin. The same street. The same moment.
It's happening again.
The voice whispered in his mind, chilling yet strangely comforting. "Not until you get it right..."
Memories flooded back—the confrontation, the recording, the terrible message, Ruby's smile extinguished before its time.
Aqua clutched his head, his mind a storm of confusion and desperation. Why? Why am I trapped in this? What am I supposed to fix?
His thoughts spiraled, but beneath the chaos burned an unshakable resolve.
I will protect Ruby. I will save her. I will bring Hikaru to justice. Even if it kills me again and again.
Yet beneath that fierce determination, doubt gnawed silently.
Is this a blessing or a curse?
---
Elsewhere, Hikaru Kamiki's cold gaze sharpened. Something was wrong—too many coincidences, too much knowledge in Aqua's eyes.
He's hiding something.
The predator began to plot, sensing that the game he thought he controlled was slipping through his fingers.
The real battle had only just begun.
---
If I fail, Ruby dies.
If I succeed, maybe... just maybe, we can all find peace.
Aqua's heart beat a fierce rhythm of hope and dread as the night stretched endlessly before him.