Chapter 1: A Birthday Without a Home
Tokyo always felt alive.
Neon lights, rushing trains, endless crowds—
as if the city had forgotten how to sleep.
I lived there too.
In a small apartment,
with my grandmother.
My parents had died years ago.
I didn't remember their voices clearly,
only the emptiness they left behind—
quiet, permanent, and heavy.
College that day felt ordinary.
A lecture was going on,
the professor writing formulas on the board,
and I was sitting there, pretending to listen.
It was my birthday.
No one knew.
Maybe I didn't want them to.
After class, I walked straight to the college storeroom—
a forgotten corner where no one ever came.
It was silent.
Safe.
From my bag, I took out a small cupcake.
Just one.
I placed a tiny candle on top and lit it.
"Happy birthday,"
I whispered to myself, forcing a smile.
I closed my eyes and made a wish.
Not for love.
Not for miracles.
Just for the loneliness to hurt a little less.
I blew out the candle.
Then, without thinking,
I clapped.
Clap.
A sudden burst of white light filled my vision—
sharp, blinding, unreal.
When I opened my eyes…
I was still in Tokyo.
Or so it seemed.
The roads looked the same.
The buildings stood where they should.
People walked past me like nothing had changed.
And yet—
everything felt wrong.
As if this city was a copy.
Perfect on the outside,
empty on the inside.
Uneasy, I started walking toward home.
I remembered the address.
Every turn.
Every signal.
But when I reached the place…
my house didn't exist.
In its place stood a different building.
A different name.
A different world.
My school.
My college.
Nothing matched anymore.
My heartbeat grew louder in my ears.
"What is happening…?"
I whispered, my voice shaking.
Lost, numb, and breaking,
I stepped onto the road without looking.
Then—
a car rushed toward me.
Screeching brakes.
The sound of rubber tearing against asphalt.
The car stopped inches from my feet.
I wasn't hit.
But my strength gave up on me.
The world spun,
darkness swallowed my vision,
and I collapsed.
The last thing I sensed
was the sound of footsteps.
A car door opening.
"Hey—are you okay?"
Then silence.
When he looked down at me,
he didn't know
that I didn't belong to his world.
And I didn't know
that this man
was about to become
the deepest wound of my story
To be continued........