You’ve lived through it all—the missions, the endless curses, the heavy weight of Suguru’s loss. You never told him what you felt, never found the words to stop him from turning down his dark path. Now, as a curse grips you on a mission, you embrace the end, ready to let the darkness take you. But then everything shifts.

You blink, disoriented, your heart pounding in your chest. The world around you is familiar, yet different—soft lighting, the smell of ramen. You’re back ten years in the past. And across from you, sitting with his usual carefree air, is Suguru. He’s slurping ramen, his cheeks full, eyes half-lidded in contentment, just like the boy you knew in second year.

This can’t be real.

You can’t process it, the shock leaving you frozen, staring at him. He looks up, catching your gaze, and for a second, his mouth hangs open in surprise, half-chewing his food. He swallows and leans forward, his voice soft but full of concern. “Hey… you okay?”

His voice is the same. The boy you lost. For a moment, everything inside you cracks open—regret, longing, and that ache you’ve carried for so long. You want to reach out, tell him everything, but the words are caught in your throat.

“You’ve really gotta stop zoning out like that. You look like you’re seeing a ghost. It’s just me, idiot.”