YURI KOI
I woke up at 8:30 a.m., hopping out of bed as quickly as I could. I rushed through my morning routine, barely paying attention, my heart beating faster with every step.
By 9:00, I was ready. After kissing Sai—the cat—goodbye, I left home to go see… the other Sai.
The road felt endless. My nerves were buzzing, so I slipped out my phone and played some music to calm myself.
Now playing: Suffocating (Crystal Castles)
───────────⚪────── ◄◄ ▐▐ ►► 2:18 / 3:56 ───○
The haunting beat filled my ears, and slowly, I felt my anxiety fade into determination. I had to see him.
At 9:20, halfway to the hospital, I stopped for a coffee. My eyelids were heavy—I would've been sleeping right now if not for him. But just the thought of seeing his face again kept me moving.
Cup in hand, I kept walking.
Had he woken up already? My father had promised to inform me if he did. So far, silence. Still, I clung to hope.
By 9:30, I arrived at the hospital. I went straight to my father's office, but he wasn't there. His assistant shrugged, saying he didn't know where Taro was.
NARRATOR
In truth, Taro had already spoken with Sai. But he didn't want to stand in their way. So, before leaving, he told his assistant: "If my daughter asks, say nothing."
YURI KOI
My heart pounded as I climbed the stairs to Sai's room. Room 30. Just a number, but it felt like a door to the past I'd been waiting years to open.
I stood outside, staring at the handle. My fingers trembled. What if it wasn't him? What if he didn't remember me?
"No," I whispered to myself. "It has to be."
With one deep breath, I pushed the door open. Silence greeted me. My hope faltered.
I stepped inside, closing the door quietly behind me. The short passageway stretched before me, and with every step my pulse grew louder.
When I reached the end, I saw him.
SAI SHINU
It was around 9:00 a.m. Still, no one had come.
I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, trying to make sense of the dimension I had been trapped in. None of it was logical. None of it felt real.
Out of curiosity, I opened the strange system that lingered in my vision.
Character Profile
Name: Sai Shinu
Age: 20
Class: Unknown
Title: None
Weapon: Daggers
Skills: None
Almost everything was locked.
But in the inventory, I found my phone, my daggers… and a single message from someone.
Just as I was about to read it, the door creaked open.
I froze.
Quickly, I hid the message back into the system and waited.
The sound of footsteps echoed down the passageway. My senses sharpened, time seemed to slow. Each step closer, louder. Then—silence.
She stopped walking.
I turned my head. And there she was.
Her eyes—those same purple eyes I remembered. Only now, more radiant. More mature. She looked like she had carried a thousand days of waiting, and yet she was still the most beautiful person I'd ever seen.
Her gaze locked on mine. She was just as shocked, just as frozen.
For a moment, I felt as though she wasn't looking at me… but straight into my soul.
My lips trembled. My body wouldn't move. But with everything I had left in me, I forced out a single word.
"…Hi."