Chapter 2: A Familiar Stranger
Some souls forget their past lives. Some hearts don't.
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Scene 1 — The Morning
The morning sun slipped through the classroom windows.
Tsukime rested her cheek against her palm, staring outside.
Another ordinary day.
At least, that's what she wanted to believe.
"Tsukime!"
She turned.
"You're doing it again."
"Doing what?"
"Staring into space like you're waiting for someone."
Tsukime blinked.
"I'm not waiting for anyone."
Her friend raised an eyebrow.
"Sure. And I'm the principal."
Tsukime rolled her eyes.
But deep down, she knew something was strange.
For weeks, she'd been having the same dream.
A man with white hair.
A blindfold.
A voice she couldn't quite remember.
And a feeling that she had once known him.
Very well.
---
Scene 2 — The Boy with Yellow-Tipped Hair
The classroom door slid open.
A boy walked in.
Black hair, slightly messy, with faint yellow tips. A small piercing caught the light near his ear.
He looked completely unbothered by the attention he was receiving.
"Sorry I'm late."
The teacher sighed.
"Fujiyoshi. Again?"
He smiled.
"What can I say? The morning and I aren't friends."
A few students laughed.
Tsukime barely paid attention.
Until—
"Hey."
She looked up.
The boy was standing beside her desk.
"Is this seat taken?"
"No."
"Great."
He pulled out the chair.
Then he looked at her.
For a second, his smile disappeared.
Something about her face felt familiar.
Not familiar like someone he'd met yesterday.
Familiar like a memory he had lost.
"...Have we met before?"
Tsukime frowned.
"I don't think so."
He tilted his head.
"Huh. Weird."
"What is?"
"Nothing."
He sat down.
But he couldn't stop thinking about her.
---
Scene 3 — The Strange Feeling
During lunch, Tsukime sat alone near the school courtyard.
She opened her notebook.
Without thinking, her pencil began moving.
A pair of eyes.
White hair.
A familiar smile.
She stopped.
"...Why do I keep drawing him?"
"Drawing who?"
Tsukime nearly dropped her pencil.
Fujiyoshi stood behind her.
"YOU! Do you always sneak up on people?"
"Only when they're drawing mysterious strangers."
He leaned closer to look at the page.
His expression changed.
For a brief moment, he felt a strange pressure in his chest.
"...That's an interesting drawing."
Tsukime quickly closed the notebook.
"It's nothing."
"Didn't look like nothing."
"Can you stop being nosy?"
He laughed.
"You're kind of scary, you know?"
"Good."
He grinned.
"Remind me not to get on your bad side."
---
Scene 4 — The Dream
That night, Tsukime fell asleep with her notebook beside her.
And the dream returned.
A battlefield.
A familiar voice.
A man with white hair stood in front of her.
She couldn't see his face clearly.
But she heard him.
"Don't look so serious."
A pause.
"You're going to be okay."
Tsukime tried to reach him.
"Wait!"
The figure began fading.
"Who are you?!"
He smiled.
And just before everything disappeared, she heard one final sentence.
"See you in another life."
Tsukime woke up suddenly.
Her breathing was uneven.
She looked at her notebook.
The drawing was still there.
But beneath it, she had written something she didn't remember writing.
Satoru.
---
Scene 5 — Somewhere Else
Meanwhile, Fujiyoshi sat on his bed, staring at the ceiling.
He couldn't explain it.
That girl.
Tsukime.
Her eyes.
Her voice.
The way she frowned whenever he teased her.
It all felt strangely familiar.
He picked up his phone and opened the class group chat.
He typed:
Fujiyoshi: Does anyone know if Tsukime is coming tomorrow?
He stared at the message.
Then quickly deleted it.
"...What am I even doing?"
He tossed his phone aside.
But before falling asleep, he whispered a name.
"...Kiyoka?"
He froze.
He didn't know anyone by that name.
So why did it feel like he had just remembered someone he had missed for a very long time?
---
END OF CHAPTER 2
Two souls. Two unfamiliar faces.
And a memory that refuses to disappear.
To be continued...