The sky was clouded, the air strangely still.
Haruto walked through the school gate slower than usual, as if something invisible pressed heavily on his shoulders.
No whispers today.
No threats.
Just silence.
Why does it feel… heavier than ever?
He glanced down at his sleeve.
The watch was cool against his skin.
No glow.
No hum.
---
Classroom — Midday
The lecture droned on in the background.
Haruto stared out the window, fingers tapping the watch instinctively.
Click.
Nothing.
He tried again.
Click. Click.
Still nothing.
Not even the faintest flicker of light.
Haruto's chest tightened.
It's... dead? he thought uneasily.
---
Courtyard — Searching
Lunch break.
Haruto searched frantically — the courtyard bench, the art room, the back hallway window — all empty.
Each step quickened.
Each breath shortened.
He stopped a random student.
"Have you seen Airi?" Haruto asked, his voice tight.
"Haven't seen her since morning... She looked kinda out of it," the student replied casually.
Haruto's blood ran cold.
No. No, please don't tell me she—
---
Staircase — Sprinting
Haruto bolted up the stairs, two steps at a time.
His vision narrowed, the world blurring around him.
Memories flooded in—
Airi smiling with her sketchbook.
Airi patching his bruises.
Airi yelling at bullies, even as her hands shook with fear.
Airi... always alone.
"I wasn't there..." Haruto gasped, pain seizing his chest.
---
Rooftop Door
He slammed the rooftop door open.
And there — standing at the edge — was Airi.
Her shoes placed neatly behind her.
Her arms hanging limp.
The wind whipping her hair like tattered flags.
Time seemed to slow inside his mind.
"AIRI!!!" Haruto screamed, his voice raw with terror.
But then—
Agony.
His chest seized, as if a blade had pierced straight through his ribs.
He collapsed to his knees, gasping for breath.
His fingers clawed at the concrete.
What... is this… pain…?
Flashes filled his mind —
Not his own thoughts.
Airi's.
Her sorrow.
Her despair.
Her guilt.
Her loneliness.
He felt it all — raw and ripping through him — like it would tear his soul apart.
Tears blurred his vision.
She... she was in this much pain all along...?
His body trembled violently.
But he fought through it, forcing himself to his feet.
He stumbled forward, staggering toward her silhouette.
She leaned slightly forward—
---
"AIRI, STOP!!!" Haruto screamed.
He slammed his hand against the watch.
Click.
Nothing.
Click. Click.
Still dead.
No light.
No hum.
No salvation.
"Please... not now... NOT NOW!!" Haruto shouted, desperate.
The wind roared louder.
The clouds swirled overhead.
Airi's foot slipped, hovering above the edge.
---
Silence.
The world seemed to hold its breath.
Not because time had frozen.
But because destiny itself trembled.
Haruto lunged forward—
---
To Be Continued...