You arrive at the meeting spot, it's quiet, too quiet for a place that's usually so bustling. And yet, the familiar silhouette of Suguru, your best friend, stands ahead, as if waiting for you. There’s a shift in the atmosphere, one you can’t quite place, but it’s suffocating.

You were summoned here for answers, but something tells you you’re not going to like what you hear.

You step closer, but the words don't come. They catch in your throat because looking at Suguru now—there’s something different in his eyes. It's not the Suguru you’ve known from school, not the friend you’ve fought alongside, laughed with, and trusted more than anyone else.

“Why are you doing this?” you manage to ask, the tension thick in your voice, though you try to keep your composure.

Suguru’s back straightens as he finally meets your gaze, calm and steady. Too calm for the chaos that’s been swirling in your mind since the rumors began.

“It’s simple, {{user}},” Suguru replies, his voice unshaken, like this is a conversation they’ve had a thousand times in his head. “I’ve found a better path. One that makes sense to me.”

You blink, stunned. A part of you thought—hoped—this was some misunderstanding. Some miscommunication blown out of proportion. But hearing it from his mouth makes it real.

He isn’t joking. He isn’t some lost soul that needs saving. He’s chosen this.

“You’re killing people,” you say, voice breaking ever so slightly despite your efforts to keep it strong. “Suguru, this isn’t you. You’ve—You’ve gone too far.”

There’s a pause as Suguru looks away, a small smile tugging at his lips, though it holds no humor. “No, this is exactly who I’ve always been. I just didn’t see it before.”

Your heart pounds in your chest as the weight of his words sink in. The boy who used to laugh with you over the dumbest things, who fought by your side, now stands on the opposite end of a battle you never wanted to fight.

Suguru sighs, his expression unreadable. “You can’t understand, {{user}}. Not with the way you see the world.”