Ah… I made it home.
I think it's around 2 p.m.
I don't have a watch. No phone either. Just me…
And my glorious hospital outfit—
Worn proudly over my regular clothes.
(In the end, I couldn't say no to Mohamed.)
I think he was joking…
Or maybe he thought "forcing me" was a funny joke.
I told him:
"Cut it out, Mohamed. No way I'm wearing that thing, seriously."
But he just stared at me, stepped closer with way too much enthusiasm, and held it out like a sacred offering:
"Take it."
(Wow… incredible.)
I tried leaving without it,
but he followed me like a loyal puppy,
waiting for the moment I'd finally wear that shiny, psych-ward white shirt.
And me? I was too lazy to argue.
So… I wore it.
Didn't even take it off.
(I'll probably remove it soon.
Before my family sees me and the Question Festival begins.)
After all, I never let them visit.
I told them I was too sick to see anyone.
But truth is—I just didn't want them to know where I really was.
At the mental hospital.
The hospital outfit?
It's basically a walking billboard that says:
『I was there. At that place. Believe me.』
(But… why do I feel like someone's watching me?)
I raised my head instantly.
All I could see was the sunlight, mercilessly striking my face.
But that feeling?
It wasn't lying.
Someone was there. Watching.
(The only house that has a clear view of me… is our neighbor's.)
Damn it.
I need to shut this creature down. At any cost.
Especially if he saw the big, bold logo on my back.
I quickly ducked into the corner between our house and the neighbor's wall.
(The ultimate ambush position in history.)
I whispered:
"Yes… this is the perfect spot.
He'll think I went inside, but in reality…
I'm right here. Watching you, spy."
I pressed my ear to the wall.
I heard footsteps.
1… 2… 3…
Then—
The sound of the door opening.
I sprang from my hiding place.
Just as his door creaked open—
I grabbed him.
My elbow locked around his neck,
my other hand covered his mouth before he could let out a sound.
I yanked him inside and kicked the door half-shut behind us.
Then I slammed him against his own wall.
Lifted him. Literally.
He was light—
Or maybe it was just the adrenaline.
I kept my left hand firmly over his mouth,
my eyes locked onto his face…
which had just started to change.
…
But—
"What the... is this?!"
From that angle…
I saw her.
Up close—those eyes.
Enchanting.
Like an ocean—or rather, a sea that drowns you with a single glance.
And her hair?
Blue. Shiny. Light…
As if the sky itself decided to turn into a person.
(Wait, why is she so short?)
(Hold on… is that a chest?)
(One second… a girl?!)
A strange feeling.
Confusion.
Like my brain just got hit with a sugar-coated hammer.
I… I didn't get it.
Was it because this was the first time I'd ever been this close to a girl?
Or was it because I'd always treated them like creatures from another planet?
My face stayed blank.
Emotionless.
But inside?
It was a full-on firework festival.
(Alright. No time for philosophical regret.)
(She's scared… I can see it in her eyes.)
Yes. That look of fear—undeniable.
And my current position?
I was standing inside her doorway.
The door was only half-closed,
but if anyone walked by the neighborhood, we'd cause a scene.
She was short. Very short.
So short that I felt like I wasn't holding a body—just… a breeze.
She clutched my elbow with both hands,
trying with all her strength to escape.
But she couldn't.
Her eyes—
Terrified.
Trembling as if they were screaming in her place.
That fear?
It no longer looked like a feeling—
It looked like helplessness.
I raised my hand.
Placed my finger to my lips—
A "shhh" gesture.
Then I spoke, quietly, but sharply:
"You… didn't see anything, right?"
But she didn't reply.
Her wide, panicked eyes were screaming to the universe itself:
(What does he want? Is… is he going to kill me? Why can't I move?)
She stared at me like I was a creature she couldn't even process.
I lifted my hand again—
Pointed to the hospital logo on my chest.
Only then—
Did she understand.
She nodded.
A small nod, but clear.
(Good… looks like she got it.)
Still—just to be sure, I added:
"If you don't want anything to happen…
Say nothing about what you saw today. Got it?"
She nodded again.
(Perfect. Mission complete.)
I let her go—coldly.
Walked out of her house without looking back.
She was behind me, collapsed on the floor, gasping for air.
I think it was… the chokehold.
Though I didn't even use full strength.
Actually, ever since I realized she was a girl, I'd eased up my grip a lot.
(But… why didn't she scream?
Or try to hit me?)
I don't know.
And I don't want to.
All I wanted…
was to finally get inside my house.
I reached the door.
Took a breath.
Looked at the doorbell…
which, by the way, never used to be there.
(Why do I feel… off?)
Ah, right.
The hospital shirt.
That cursed logo still shining on my back.
I yanked the shirt off.
Folded it.
Then tossed it into the pile of plants in front of our house.
Plants?
More like a slanted hill that no sane person would try building anything on.
People say it belongs to the state.
We live on top of a mountain.
That specific corner is full of debris, trash, and wild weeds.
(Best place to hide a crime—or a logo.)
I threw it there.
Then walked back to the door.
As if nothing had happened.
I rang the doorbell.
And waited.
A sound—
A bird chirp.
(…Huh. That's our doorbell?)
I almost laughed.
My family's taste… is terrible?
Oh no, I can't say that.
Because honestly—
I have the worst taste on Earth.
Maybe it's genetic.
A kind of hereditary mutation passed through bloodlines.
I waited,
Trying to prepare what I'd say.
(It's been so long since I saw them… What should I even say?)
Honestly, I'm always awkward.
I love them, but my tongue doesn't know how to speak love in a "normal" way.
Am I… a tsundere?
"Heh…"
I laughed to myself.
Then—
The sound of the door unlocking.
"I'm back."
I said it quietly—
Like a soldier returning from a lost war.
The hug that followed…
Was overwhelmingly warm.
Not because of tears,
but because of pure joy—
Joy we hadn't felt in so long.
It was my mother.
She's shorter than me,
but honestly…
I didn't know how to hug her properly.
So I just… hugged her.
"I'm really back."
I can't exactly describe what I felt.
But whatever it was—
It made me smile without thinking.
I entered the house.
Looked around.
"Oh… it really changed…"
My father's voice came from the right:
"Yeah, it changed… with your money. Hahaha."
That laugh of his?
It masked a subtle stab.
One I knew well…
Because I'd thought it too, many times before.
But then I suddenly remembered my sister.
"Dad… is my sister okay?"
His expression shifted.
Went stiff for a moment.
He said flatly:
"No… not really.
But better than before."
His words were sour.
Sadness, anger, and something else I didn't have a name for.
Mom hadn't heard us—
She was too busy rushing around, calling for my siblings.
■ They all came.
My younger brother, the middle one, and my sister.
I'm the oldest.
Their reactions?
Fast like bullets.
"Where were you?!"
said the youngest.
"We got a PS5! Come see it!"
said the middle one.
As for my sister—
She looked at me with a teasing smirk:
"So you're broke now, aren't you? We've spent the rest of your money because of… this, "
My face?
Immediate mock anger, then a laugh.
It was a burst of sarcasm—
Like a sudden cold breeze in the peak of summer.
(How could I not laugh?
I'm finally… home.)
■ My day continued normally.
■ I played with them on the PS5.
■ Explored the house's changes.
■ Answered some of my dad's questions—though not all.
Didn't want to worry them too much.
Night came.
I lay on the bed after a long day.
"Finally… rest. And sleep."
I said that while sighing from deep exhaustion.
My room was on the second floor,
Overlooking the garden.
But something ruined the view—
The neighbors' house.
Huge… towering right over us.
But—
I didn't care.
My bed was next to the window.
And this room?
My own space.
Felt like a VIP hotel suite—
At least, to me.
(I've never lived like this before.
Didn't even dream it was possible.)
But… I couldn't sleep.
…
(Why not?)
Was this a dream?
Reality?
Time travel?
The third one is unlikely, honestly.
I've never had anything close to that.
But… maybe this is a dream.
Yeah, a long one.
But is it normal to live in a dream for three whole months?
In a past so radically different from what I remember?
(And also, how did I see people with impossible hair and eye colors?
Blue, glowing… and natural?
As if they came from an anime—
But they were real?)
I kept wondering.
A spiral of questions… spinning endlessly.
But then I remembered something:
Three people…
With the same hair and eye color.
Maybe they were different ages, but—
Why such a distinct difference between them?
■ Himari: clear blue eyes.
■ The girl from that day: sea-colored eyes, a bit darker.
■ Skin? Pale.
But no clear resemblance.
And also…
"Ah…"
I sighed long and deep.
(Maybe… I shouldn't have done that.
She really was scared.
But…)
(It's not the time for regrets.)
(I did it.
And I won't know if it was a mistake…
Until I see her again.)
I slapped my face lightly and tried to psych myself up:
"Sleep.
Thinking about this won't fix anything."
■ I slept. Fast.
From exhaustion.
But I…
had no idea
that what fate had in store for me—
hadn't even started yet.