Haruto burst onto the rooftop.
There she was.
Airi.
Standing at the very edge.
Her foot hovered — barely a breath away from the ledge.
"AIRI!!" Haruto screamed, his voice cracking with desperation.
Suddenly — a crushing pain surged through him.
Sharp. Emotional.
Like something was stabbing straight into his soul.
He collapsed to his knees, gasping for air.
His body trembled violently.
What… is this?
Why does it feel like... my heart's being torn apart…?
He clutched his chest, struggling to breathe.
And then it hit him.
It wasn't his pain.
It was hers.
Her sorrow.
Her despair.
Her loneliness.
He felt all of it — raw and unbearable — flooding through him.
Tears blurred his vision.
Fighting through the agony, Haruto reached for the watch.
Click.
Nothing.
Click. Click.
Still nothing.
"No... Not now... not now!!" he shouted, voice cracking with fear.
Airi's foot shifted.
She leaned forward — just a little more.
Haruto fell to the ground, hands scraping against the rough rooftop.
"Please... save her!" he cried out.
"I don't want this power for revenge! I don't care about myself!"
His voice rose, ragged and desperate, as he stared up at the endless sky.
"If someone's listening... anyone..." he pleaded.
"I don't want anything but her!
Punish me if you want! Break me!
But please... don't take her away!!"
"I'm ready to suffer — just don't let her die!!"
The wind froze.
The clouds rippled unnaturally across the sky.
Something ancient... awakened.
---
Far Beyond — A Hidden Place in Time
A celestial field — endless, faded, timeless.
The Time God watched silently through a mirror of flowing light.
His gaze narrowed.
"...So you finally speak from your soul," he murmured.
He raised his hand.
The divine seal upon it began to glow.
Reaching toward the image of Haruto, he pressed a single finger against the flowing mirror.
"Very well," the Time God whispered.
"Let your heart decide your fate."
A spark of divine power flowed outward — racing through the void — toward the boy who cried for love.
---
Back on the Rooftop
The watch on Haruto's wrist pulsed suddenly.
Golden-blue light exploded from beneath his sleeve, arcing into the heavens.
The divine symbols etched into the watch shifted — unlocking, glowing brighter.
Time — stopped.
The wind halted mid-scream.
Birds froze mid-flight.
The world held its breath.
Airi was suspended mid-fall — inches from the edge.
Haruto stared at the shining watch in disbelief.
"It's... back..." he gasped.
Without wasting a moment, he lunged forward.
He grabbed Airi, pulling her back from the brink.
They collapsed onto the rooftop.
She was safe.
Alive.
In his arms.
---
Time Resumed
Airi gasped, returning to the moment.
She looked up, wide-eyed, trembling.
"W-What...? Haruto...?" she whispered.
Tears still streamed down Haruto's cheeks.
"I've got you," he said, voice shaking.
"You're okay. You're here..."
Airi clutched his shirt tightly, breaking down in his arms, sobbing into his shoulder.
The silver ring on her hand glowed brightly.
The watch on Haruto's wrist pulsed in response.
For the first time, the two artifacts resonated in perfect harmony.
---
Far Away — The Watcher Returns
The Time God lowered his hand, his expression unreadable as he faded into the mist once more.
"You chose love... over power," he said softly.
"Let's see if your heart can carry the weight of fate."
---
To Be Continued...