Morning came, but it didn't feel like morning.
Toshi woke up earlier than usual, staring at the ceiling. The sunlight coming through his window looked dull, almost grey, like it had lost its warmth.
For a few seconds, he didn't move.
His body felt normal.
But something inside him didn't.
He sat up slowly, running a hand through his hair.
"…It was just a dream."
He said it out loud this time, like saying it would make it more real.
But the memory of it didn't fade.
The house.
The man.
The woman.
And those eyes.
At breakfast, his mother noticed first.
"You're quiet today."
"I'm always quiet," Toshi replied, picking at his food.
"Not like this."
He didn't answer.
His father glanced at him briefly. "Did you stay up late again?"
"No."
"Then stop looking like you didn't sleep."
"I slept," Toshi muttered.
But even as he said it, he wasn't sure if it was true.
The walk to school felt longer than usual.
The river was calm, but something about it felt… still. Too still.
Toshi slowed near the bench where he always sat.
He hesitated.
Then sat down anyway.
He pulled out his phone.
Without thinking, he opened his video app.
His thumb hovered.
Then started scrolling.
Nothing.
Normal videos.
Normal sounds.
Normal people.
He frowned.
"Where is it…"
He checked his history again.
Still nothing.
The video was gone.
No trace.
Toshi leaned back slightly, staring at the screen.
A strange thought crossed his mind.
What if it wasn't supposed to be there?
He shook his head quickly. "I'm overthinking."
A ripple moved across the river.
Toshi glanced up.
The water shifted unnaturally for a second—like something had disturbed it from below.
Then it was calm again.
"…Fish," he muttered.
But he didn't sound convinced.
At school, things felt worse.
Not obvious.
Just… off.
During class, the teacher's voice seemed distant, like it was echoing from far away.
Students whispered, laughed, moved like usual.
But something didn't feel right.
Toshi noticed it when he looked at the window.
The reflection.
He was sitting there.
Still.
Looking forward.
But Toshi wasn't looking forward.
He was looking at the window.
His breath caught.
Slowly—
He turned his head.
The reflection matched him again.
Perfectly.
"…What the hell…"
He rubbed his eyes hard, blinking several times.
When he looked again—
Everything was normal.
"Oi, you okay?" his friend muttered from beside him.
Toshi glanced over. "Yeah."
"You look like you saw something."
"…Just tired."
His friend snorted. "Then sleep earlier instead of scrolling garbage at night."
Toshi didn't reply.
Later, during lunch, he sat alone.
Not because he wanted to.
Because he didn't feel like being around people.
That's when he noticed it.
Across the courtyard.
A girl standing near the far wall.
White shirt. School uniform.
Normal.
But she wasn't moving.
At all.
Toshi stared for a few seconds.
Too long.
Then—
She moved.
Not her body.
Her head.
It tilted.
Slightly.
Toshi's chest tightened instantly.
No.
No way.
He blinked.
Hard.
The girl turned normally and walked away, laughing with someone beside her.
Completely normal.
Toshi looked down at his hands.
They were shaking.
"…I didn't sleep properly," he whispered.
"That's it."
But deep inside—
He knew that wasn't true.
That night, he didn't feel like sleeping.
But he knew he would.
Eventually.
And when he did—
He had a feeling…
Something would be waiting.