The rain poured down like the sky itself wanted to bury me. The world was dark, blurred by blood and water. My breath came out in short gasps as I lay on the cold asphalt, my body broken, my vision fading.
"Why…?" My voice cracked, too weak to rise above the thunder. "Why did you do this… Airi?"
She stood there, trembling, her white dress splattered with rain and red. Her eyes—those gentle eyes I once trusted—refused to meet mine.
Behind her stood Kaito, her ex-boyfriend, the man who once ruled the city's underworld. His smirk twisted in the lightning's glare.
"You should've known better than to touch what's mine," he said, kicking me in the ribs. Pain exploded through my body.
Airi flinched. "Kaito, stop! He's had enough!"
"Enough?" Kaito's voice dripped with mockery. "He tried to take you away from me. He thought he could fight me, protect you… pathetic."
Two men behind him—his brothers—laughed as they watched me crawl.
I had once been feared. Ryo Tanaka, the underground fighter who could break bones faster than most could blink. But now? Just a beaten corpse waiting for death.
Kaito crouched beside me, his breath hot against my ear.
"Don't worry," he whispered. "I'll take care of her after you're gone."
My blood boiled. I wanted to fight back, to crush his throat, but my strength was gone. All I could do was glare.
Then Airi stepped forward, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Ryo… I'm sorry."
Sorry.
That single word was the knife that finished me.
Kaito's brother raised a steel pipe, and everything went black when it came down.
I expected nothingness—just eternal silence. But instead, there was light.
My eyes snapped open. I sat up suddenly, gasping for air. The sound of an alarm clock blared beside me.
I blinked. The ceiling above me… it wasn't my apartment's cracked one. It was smooth, white—familiar.
"What the…?" I muttered, looking around.
The room was small, clean, lined with posters of bands I hadn't thought about in years. A school uniform hung neatly on the chair. The calendar on the wall said April 4th, 2011.
My heart stopped.
2011? That was ten years ago.
I stumbled to the mirror. My reflection stared back—not the scarred face of a twenty-eight-year-old fighter, but the face of a teenager. My teenage self.
"No way…" I whispered. "This has to be a dream."
I slapped myself. Hard. The sting burned.
It wasn't a dream.
Slowly, the pieces began to fall into place. The betrayal. The murder. The regret that haunted me in my final moments. And now… this.
I clenched my fists.
"God, fate, devil—I don't care who did this. But if this is my second chance… I'll use it."
The morning passed like a strange illusion. My mother's voice echoed from downstairs—the same cheerful tone I hadn't heard in a decade. My little sister, Yui, was still alive and pestering me for breakfast.
Back then, I'd ignored them. I'd been too busy chasing fights and pride. But now, every small sound felt like a miracle.
At school, everything was almost painfully familiar. The same corridors, the same squeaky windows, the same classmates gossiping by the lockers.
And then—there she was.
Airi Takahashi.
Her hair shone under the sunlight, tied back just like before. She smiled at me the way she used to before everything fell apart. My chest tightened.
She hadn't betrayed me yet. She was still pure, still the girl who offered me lunch when I had none.
But I knew how this story ended.
And I wasn't going to let it happen again.
"Ryo!" she waved. "You look weird today. Did you sleep okay?"
I forced a smile. "Yeah… just had a strange dream."
If only she knew.
Classes dragged on, but my mind wasn't there. I kept thinking about the future—my future. I knew where Kaito's gang started. I knew the deals, the betrayals, every mistake that led to my death.
I could stop it all before it began.
And maybe, just maybe, I could take revenge before they ever saw it coming.
When the final bell rang, I didn't head home. Instead, I walked toward the back of the school, where a group of seniors usually smoked and caused trouble. I remembered them clearly—Kaito's early followers.
They were laughing when I approached.
"Hey, look who's here. The new kid." One of them grinned, flicking his cigarette. "You lost, freshman?"
I didn't answer. I just stared, my eyes cold.
The biggest one stepped forward. "What's that look for, huh? You wanna fight?"
Once, I would've avoided it. But now? This was where it began.
I smiled. "You have no idea."
The first punch came fast—but I was faster. My body remembered everything. My fist connected with his jaw, sending him sprawling. Gasps filled the air.
In seconds, the rest tried to swarm me. But I wasn't the weak boy they thought I was. I moved with purpose, my strikes precise and brutal. When it was over, three of them were on the ground groaning, and the others ran.
I stood over them, breathing hard. My heart pounded—not from fear, but from clarity.
The old me was back.
I crouched beside the leader, gripping his collar. "Tell Kaito… his time's coming."
He stared at me, wide-eyed. "Who the hell are you?"
I smiled, letting him go. "Just someone who's been dead before."
That night, I stood on my balcony, watching the city lights flicker.
In my last life, I lost everything—my family, my friends, even my soul. But this time, things would be different.
I looked at my hands—young, strong, alive.
"Second chances aren't for forgiveness," I murmured. "They're for revenge."
The wind carried the words away, but in my heart, they burned like fire.
And so began the second life of Ryo Tanaka—the boy who died once, and came back to destroy the fate that killed him.