The lights were out.
The familiar hum of the ceiling fan above. The soft chirping of insects outside the window. The stillness of the room wrapped around Ren like a warm blanket… but his mind was anything but quiet.
He lay on his back, staring at the ceiling.
Everything today had been so normal. Too normal.
Ren (in his head):
School. Airi. Mom's cooking. Dad being… well, himself. It all felt so real. So alive.
He turned slightly on his side, the blanket bunching up near his chest.
Ren:
"...This isn't a dream, is it?"
He looked down at his hand — the same one that had brushed Airi's cheek earlier that day.
Ren (thinking):
That moment. Her skin… the way she reacted. It wasn't just in my head.
He let out a long breath.
Ren:
"I really came back… Seven years."
He blinked up at the shadows on the ceiling.
Airi was so happy today. So carefree. Just like I remembered her… before everything went wrong.
His chest tightened a little at that thought.
Ren (thinking):
But… what did go wrong? What made her fall so far that night?
No matter how hard he searched his memory, the pieces were missing. He hadn't known enough back then. He'd only watched her from the sidelines. And now…?
Now he had a second chance.
But just as his thoughts began to drift toward serious territory, his mind took a strange turn.
Ren (blinking):
Also… she looked kinda cute today.
He squinted into the darkness, covering half his face with the blanket like he was hiding from his own brain.
Ren:
"I mean… yeah, she was always cute, but now she's kinda… smaller. Softer. Just… huggable."
A pause.
A longer pause.
His brain whispered something again.
Her chest was already kinda big, even now… but not like when she was fully grown—
Ren (sitting up halfway):
"AHH—! Don't think that! What is wrong with me?!"
He groaned and flopped back down, slapping the pillow over his face.
Ren:
"My brain's really turning me into a perv…"
He rolled over again and tugged the blanket higher.
Ren (quietly):
"No. Focus, idiot. This isn't the time for that."
His tone softened.
Ren (thinking):
Airi was crying that day… standing alone by the road. What happened to her in the future?
What broke her?
And how do I stop it?
He stared into the ceiling shadows again, until the thoughts slowly blurred together, becoming softer… quieter… until sleep pulled him into its grasp.
But the last thing on his mind before he drifted off—
Was Airi's smile, untouched by pain.
And a quiet vow in his heart.
This time… I'll be there before everything falls apart.