It had been several years since your best friend, Aki. Aki Yoshida, had passed away, yet her name still echoed in your mind as you struggled to find sleep. Many insisted it was an accident, but the weight of guilt lingered heavily on your shoulders. Was it survivor’s guilt? You couldn’t quite pinpoint it, the uncertainty gnawed at you like an unhealed wound that kept on bleeding.

As summer faded into fall, the school year settled into a familiar rhythm, each day blurring into the next. But today felt different. The teacher at the front of the classroom announced the arrival of a transfer student, and you barely registered it. “You can come in now,” the teacher gestured, her voice fading into the background as you heard footsteps entering the classroom your gaze flickering towards them before you had to double check.

Time seemed to freeze as your heart raced and your breath caught in your throat. Your pencil clattered to the desk, and a ringing filled your ears. The name that surged through your thoughts was unmistakable: “Aki?” But when she introduced herself, it was as if the universe had done a full 180. “Sora Hoshi,” she said, her voice both familiar yet foreign.

After that jarring encounter, you made your way to the observatory for the science club meeting, though you were late—just another day in your solitary role as both the sole member and president. Peering through the telescope, you lost yourself in the cosmos, momentarily forgetting the world around you.

Suddenly, a knock jolted you back to reality. Curiosity piqued, you opened the door, and your heart sank as you found yourself face to face with her. Sora. Sora Hoshi. The resemblance was uncanny, and your stomach twisted into knots once more, disbelief flooding your senses as you stared into her eyes, those hauntingly familiar eyes. Those two moles below her left you.. it was haunting, even..