Asahi stared at the mirror.
His fingers ran through his hair.
Asahi: (Muttering, slightly amused.)
"Ahhh… my hair has grown."
He tilted his head.
His white strands had lengthened slightly.
The style—a little different now.
It reminded him of MA.
But… it looked good.
He left the bathroom.
His steps felt heavier than usual.
Not because he was tired.
But because—he wasn't sure what was waiting for him.
The Dining Table.
He sat down.
Everything felt too normal.
Like nothing had changed.
Like he was still just Asahi Rentaro.
Then—
Dad: (Pausing, voice slow.)
"Huh… who are you?"
Asahi's body froze.
His breath caught in his throat.
His heartbeat pounded violently.
His fingers twitched slightly.
For the first time since the loop—
Fear.
Asahi: (Eyes widening slightly.)
(Huh…?)
His mind raced.
(They forgot me…?!)
Dad: (Staring at him, expression unreadable.)
"What happened to you, Asahi… in one night?"
A silence.
Then—Asahi breathed out slowly.
His body relaxed.
His expression steadied.
Asahi: (Calmly, sighing.)
"Ahhh… I thought they forgot me."
A slow smile crept onto his lips.
Dad: (Frowning.)
"What happened to your eye…?"
His gaze flickered toward the white eyepatch.
"And why that shirt? And since when do you wear earrings?"
Mom: (Eyes wide, concerned.)
"Asahi! What's this…?! Your hair—it's grown so much!"
Asahi exhaled.
His father's expression stayed tense.
His mother's voice held worry.
But neither of them recognized him immediately.
Not because they forgot him—
But because he no longer looked like their son.
Dad: (Muttering, staring at him.)
"Huh… he looks stylish…"
A pause.
"But still…"
His voice lowered.
"He doesn't look like our son."
That line.
It hit differently.
Not because it was wrong.
But because it was the truth.
Asahi smirked.
His voice—smooth, easy.
Like this was all just a joke.
Asahi: (Casually.)
"Dad, Mom… it's just a cosplay."
Mom: (Blinking.)
"Huh?"
Dad: (Frowning.)
"Cosplay?"
A silence.
Then—
Dad: (Narrowing his eyes.)
"Cosplay of whom?"
Asahi chuckled softly.
Then—he answered.
His words were slow, deliberate.
Carrying a weight his parents couldn't understa
Asahi: (Smiling slightly.)
"It's a cosplay of a man…"
A slow breath.
"A man who is going to kill his own versions…"
Mom: (Brows furrowing.)
"Huh…?"
Asahi: (Continuing, voice eerily calm.)
"A man seeking power…"
His human eye gleamed under the dim light.
"A man who has a mission—to save his family."
His voice dropped slightly.
"And his loved girl."
Dad: (Pausing, absorbing the words.)
"Hmm…"
His fingers tapped against the table.
His eyes locked onto Asahi's.
Then—he smirked slightly.
Dad: (Chuckling.)
"I like that character."
Asahi blinked.
That was… unexpected.
His father actually liked the idea?
But then—
His expression changed.
Dad: (Colder, voice lower.)
"But there's one problem."
Asahi: (Tilting his head slightly.)
"Huh?"
Dad: (Sighing, leaning forward.)
"That character… doesn't sound like a hero."
For the first time in this conversation—Asahi flinched.
Not physically.
Not noticeably.
But inside.
Something stirred.
Asahi: (Bluntly, furrowing his brows.)
"Huh?"
His father's eyes were serious now.
Dad: (Exhaling, voice steady.)
"He is literally killing his own versions for his family and his loved girl."
A beat.
Then—his voice dropped lower.
"I know that."
A pause.
"But still… he doesn't sound like a hero."
A longer silence.
Then—
Dad: (Slowly, voice deep, final.)
"He started all of this to save his family."
His gaze sharpened.
"But now…"
A long breath.
"He doesn't sound like him anymore."
Asahi: (Breathing a little faster.)
"Huh…?"
Dad: (Leaning back, crossing his arms.)
"He has changed."
His voice dragged.
"Changed so much."
Asahi's heartbeat picked up.
His mind was racing—but why?
Mom: (Gently, voice softer.)
"But still… that character is suffering a lot."
She smiled, just slightly.
"Why doesn't he say it to his loved ones?"
Asahi breathed in.
Breathed out.
Then—he smirked.
But this time, it wasn't amusement.
It was emptiness.
Asahi: (Softly, whispering.)
"If he had that option…"
His visible human eye flickered under the light.
"He would've said it in the beginning."
Dad: (Sighing, shaking his head slightly.)
"But after all…"
His voice lowered.
"He should look after himself too."
Asahi exhaled slowly.
Then—he stood up.
Without eating.
Without saying anything else.
He turned toward the door.
Asahi: (Casually, without looking back.)
"Ahhh… I'm going to school. Bye."
Mom: (Frowning.)
"Hey!"
His father watched him go.
His eyes lingering on his son's fading figure.
Then—he sighed.
He leaned back in his chair.
Dad: (Softly, muttering to himself.)
"That character…"
A breath.
"I forgot to give him a name."
A Quiet Road.
Asahi walked alone.
His hands in his pockets.
His mind sharp. Focused.
Each step felt different now.
He wasn't just walking—he was observing.
Then—
A sudden movement behind him.
A presence.
Fast. Unpredictable.
Anari: (Raising her hand, ready to hit him from behind.)
"Hah! Got you—"
Asahi: (Calmly, smoothly.)
DODGES.
Anari stumbles forward.
Her balance—gone.
Her body tilting, about to fall.
But before she can hit the ground—
Asahi: (Moving effortlessly, catching her hip.)
GRABS HER.
Their eyes lock.
A brief moment.
A heartbeat.
Anari: (Blinking, suddenly dazed.)
(Huh…?)
Then—her gaze flickers downward.
To his eyepatch.
The white cloth covering his left eye.
And suddenly—
Anari: (A sharp pain shoots through her head.)
"Ahhh…!"
Asahi: (Eyes narrowing slightly.)
"Hey."
His voice—calm, but laced with something unreadable.
Anari: (Grimacing, gripping her head.)
(What was that?)
A sudden pressure in her mind.
A feeling of something she should remember—
But couldn't.
Anari: (Slowly standing up, shaking her head.)
"Nothing…"
Asahi watched her carefully.
A flicker of interest.
A small detail.
But important.
Anari: (Looking at him, confused.)
"How did you know I was going to hit you?"
Asahi paused.
Then, he smirked.
Asahi: (Playfully, yet knowing.)
"Huh… just a feeling."
(I already knew.)
Anari exhaled, staring at him.
Then—a small smile.
Anari: (Her voice quiet, but firm.)
"You… you've changed so much."
Asahi chuckled.
A smirk pulling at his lips.
Asahi: (Grinning slightly.)
"Oh really?"
(I already know that.)
Anari took a step back, studying him.
Then—a teasing grin.
Anari: (Smirking.)
"You've gotten even more handsome."
For the first time in a long time—
Asahi felt something different.
A tiny heat creeping up his face.
A reaction he hadn't felt in so long.
Asahi: (Slightly blushing, turning his head.)
"Hah…"
Anari's Thoughts.
She stood still.
Her heart—racing.
A sharp, unexplainable pain throbbed in her head.
Like a memory was trying to surface.
Something familiar.
Something wrong.
Anari: (Muttering to herself, gripping her forehead.)
"What was that pain…?"
She winced slightly.
It wasn't just pain.
It was a feeling.
Like she had already—
Anari: (Breathing out, her mind struggling to process.)
"Like I have already… lived thi—"
Asahi: (Interrupting, snapping her out of it.)
"Hey, what are you thinking?"
Anari blinked.
Her expression softened.
Then—a small smile.
Anari: (Shaking her head, brushing it off.)
"Nothing."
Asahi narrowed his eyes slightly.
That was a lie.
He knew it.
But he didn't push.
The School Gates.
They finally arrived.
The moment they stepped inside—
Everything changed.
Silence.
Then—
Whispers.
Low murmurs.
Hushed voices spreading like wildfire.
The entire school noticed him.
Student 1: (Eyes wide, whispering to a friend.)
"Hey… look at him."
Student 2: (Jaw slightly dropping.)
"He looks cool as hell!"
Student 3: (Blushing slightly, voice rising.)
"Wait… he's hot?!"
The hallway buzzed.
Eyes turned toward Asahi.
His new look—too different.
The white eyepatch.
The silver earrings.
The tattoo creeping up his neck.
His longer, slightly messy white hair.
His calm but unreadable expression.
He looked like someone from another world.
Anari: (Frowning slightly, glancing at the crowd.)
"Huh… everyone's looking at you."
Asahi felt it too.
The weight of their stares.
Their whispers crawling under his skin.
And for the first time—
Asahi: (Internally, gritting his teeth.)
(Shit… why the fuck is everyone looking at me?)
His heartbeat picked up.
Not in panic.
Not in fear.
But in annoyance.
Asahi: (Keeping his composure, exhaling slowly.)
(I have to act cool.)
He didn't change his pace.
Didn't break his expression.
Instead—
He glanced at Anari.
Asahi: (Casually, smirking slightly.)
"Anari, let's go."
She blinked, caught off guard.
Something about his voice…
It felt colder.
More confident.
Like he expected her to follow.
As they walked together—more whispers.
Student 4: (Watching them closely.)
"Wait… is she his girlfriend?!"
Student 5: (Watching closely.)
"Wait… since when did Asahi look like that?"
The whispers grew.
Rumors started instantly.
And as Asahi walked through the hallway—
He felt it.
The shift.
The attention.
This loop…
Everyone saw him differently.
Asahi and Anari stepped into the classroom.
The moment they entered—
Silence.
All eyes were on him.
Every student turned.
Some whispered.
Some just stared.
The weight of their gazes pressed down on him.
Student 1: (Whispering to a friend.)
"Damn… what happened to him?"
Student 2: (Glancing at his eyepatch.)
"That's… definitely not the same Asahi from before."
Student 3: (Eyes narrowing.)
"His whole vibe is different… he looks like a delinquent now."
Asahi felt the pressure.
He wasn't nervous.
He wasn't scared.
But…
Asahi: (Awkwardly, forcing a small smile.)
"Ahhh…"
It wasn't just his appearance.
It wasn't just his eyepatch, or his hair, or his tattoo.
It was his presence.
He could feel it.
Everyone felt it.
He had changed.
And the whole class knew it.
sahi and Anari stepped into the classroom.
The silence deepened.
Everyone was still staring at him.
Then—
Sensei: (Frowning, slightly confused.)
"Huh… who are you? A new student?"
Asahi's eye twitched.
A sigh escaped his lips.
Asahi: (Deadpan, voice cold.)
"Really, Sensei…?"
A pause.
Then—
Asahi: (Exhaling, voice sharper than usual.)
"It's me—Asahi Rentaro."
A wave of whispers erupted.
The class reacted instantly.
Student 1: (Eyes wide.)
"His voice… it's different!"
Student 2: (Nodding.)
"It's like… he sounds older?"
Student 3: (Whispering to a friend.)
"He talks like a grown man now."
Sensei's expression shifted.
His eyes scanned Asahi's face, his eyepatch, his longer hair.
His posture.
His presence.
Sensei: (Slowly, still processing.)
"Huh… Asahi… is it really you?"
A moment.
Then—his brows furrowed.
Sensei: (More serious now.)
"You've changed a lot."
Asahi felt the attention.
He didn't react much.
He was used to it now.
But before he could speak—
Anari: (Stepping in, voice light, but firm.)
"Sensei, he just thought he should change his style, so he did!"
A beat.
Then—she grinned.
Anari: (Casually, pointing at him.)
"It was my selection!"
Asahi blinked.
Asahi: (Internally, confused.)
(Huh?)
Sensei: (Pausing, glancing at Anari.)
"Oh…? Is that so, Asahi?"
Asahi: (Forcing a small, awkward smile.)
"Ahh… yeah, sure."
More whispers.
This time—about them.
Student 4: (Raising an eyebrow.)
"Wait… did Anari pick his whole look?"
Student 5: (Grinning.)
"Are they dating?"
Student 6: (Nodding.)
"I knew it. They were already close!"
Asahi rubbed the back of his neck.
This was getting annoying.
But before he could say anything—
Sensei: (Clapping his hands, sighing.)
"Alright, alright. Enough with the rumors—take your seats!"
Asahi exhaled.
Finally.
He and Anari moved to their seats.
And as he sat down—
He felt it.
Eyes were still on him.
This loop…
He wasn't just being watched.
He was being analyzed.
The classroom was filled with whispers.
Eyes were still on Asahi.
But then—
Anari: (Gripping her head slightly, voice trembling.)
"Arararar…"
A sharp pain.
A pressure deep in her skull.
Asahi: (Noticing instantly, voice firm.)
"Hey!"
Anari flinched.
Her vision blurred for just a second.
Her heartbeat quickened.
Her breathing became unsteady.
Something felt off.
Familiar.
Anari: (Muttering, eyes darting around the room.)
"It's like…"
Her voice was hushed.
She could hear the faint chatter of students.
Feel the exact temperature of the room.
Even the way the wind hit through the window…
It was all—
Anari: (Breathing heavily, gripping her desk.)
"The same classroom… the same weather…"
Asahi tensed.
His fingers curled slightly.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
Asahi: (Softer now, but firm.)
"Hey."
Anari slowly turned to him.
For a moment—her expression wavered.
Like she wanted to say something.
Like she remembered something.
But then—
Anari: (Smiling, shaking her head.)
"Nothing."
A lie.
And Asahi knew it.
Asahi: (Simply nodding, but watching her carefully.)
(Something is wrong.)