Exclusive Bonus Short Story for the Digital Edition
The Morning of the Entrance Ceremony
The first thing that felt off was the sound of the alarm.
Instead of the usual electronic beep, a shrill bell-like ringing filled the room.
Feeling something was strange, I reached out to stop the bell and sat up.
As I rubbed my eyes and looked around the room…
"…Huh?"
My drowsiness vanished in an instant.
There was no KimiUta poster on the wall—
No AniPara figures displayed—
No Nyanders plushies anywhere—
"What!? A burglar!? …No, that’s not it."
It wasn’t just the decorations—this was an entirely different room.
Wait… isn’t this the room I lived in back when I was in high school?
"…What is going on?"
I had no idea.
Just a moment ago, I had been walking down a dark street. So why was I suddenly in my old room?
"No, more importantly—"
I reached for my phone.
Back at the crosswalk, he had noticed me about to be hit by a car and had jumped onto the road.
In the end, he hadn’t made it in time. The impact of the car hitting him was the last thing I remembered…
And then I woke up here.
I had no clue what had happened, but one thing was certain—I was still alive.
As much as I wanted to figure out what had happened to me, there was something far more important right now.
I needed to check if he was okay.
"I hope he didn’t get seriously hurt…"
I hated that guy. I wished he’d always miss his gacha pulls and that someone else would snatch the last prize right before his eyes.
But I never once wished for him to get hurt. And the thought of him dying was out of the question.
"Seriously… why did he jump onto the road?"
Was he just trying to overtake me because he didn’t want to stay at a net café?
Or… was he actually trying to save me?
If that was the case, then he was an idiot. Jumping in front of a car to protect his ex-wife, whom he supposedly hated—there was no other word for it but foolish.
Getting hit by a car for my sake was beyond ridiculous.
There was no way anyone in this world could be that stupid.
He must have just run onto the road without noticing the car. He must have noticed it at the last second and managed to step back in time!
Clinging to that hope, I searched for my phone—but it was nowhere to be found.
Instead, what I found was an old flip phone from years ago.
And to make things worse—
"…Huh?"
The screen displayed a date from twelve years ago.
I couldn’t comprehend what was happening.
As I stood there in shock, the phone’s screen went dark. In the reflection, I caught sight of a flashy, gyaru-style girl staring back at me. The sight scared me so much that I instinctively threw the phone.
With a loud clatter, it crashed into the full-length mirror.
"…I must be seeing things, right?"
Heart pounding, I cautiously stepped in front of the mirror—
And there she was. My past self from twelve years ago, standing there with a stiff expression.
This can’t be real…
"…Did I just time-slip?"
I pinched my cheek. A sharp pain shot through.
This wasn’t a dream.
This wasn’t some illusion.
I had really traveled back in time.
Twelve years into the past—based on the date, to the day of my high school entrance ceremony!
"T-then… that means I get a second chance at life!?"
Realizing that I could avoid ever marrying Kōhei, the tension in my face eased, replaced by a spark of joy.
But the happiness lasted only for a fleeting moment.
Guilt welled up inside me, and the smile vanished from my lips.
I could redo my life… but Kōhei’s might have ended back there.
"…Why did Kohei jump onto the road?"
If he had really tried to save me, then there was no way I could hate him anymore.
If he had risked his life to protect me, then I had to repay that debt somehow.
"Well, even if I suddenly thanked him out of nowhere, he’d probably have no idea what I was talking about."
After all, the Kohei of this time didn’t know me yet.
We were about to meet for the first time today.
If I went up to him right away and started talking about time travel, he’d think I was crazy and try to keep his distance.
Not that it mattered—Kohei was completely hopeless when it came to dealing with girls anyway.
If I didn’t approach him like he was a skittish little animal, he’d probably run away the moment I got too close.
But…
Even so, I had managed to get along with Kohei.
The more I got into otaku culture, the closer we became.
Right now, I’m a full-fledged otaku. If I bring up anime or games with Kohei, we should be able to get along like we used to. He’d be happy to have a fellow otaku friend again.
The problem was when to start talking to him.
If I just went up to him out of nowhere, he’d get suspicious. I needed to subtly drop hints that I was interested in anime and games.
"Well, nothing’s going to start if I don’t head to school."
After changing into my uniform, I left the apartment.
I made my way to school without hesitation, passing through the front gate and heading straight to the entrance hall.
Checking the class list posted on the shoe lockers, I saw exactly what I expected—Class 1-1.
And just like I remembered, Kohei’s name was listed right above mine.
I wonder if he’s already here…
Heart pounding, I stepped into Class 1-1, but Kohei was nowhere to be seen.
Oh, right—he always cut it close and arrived just before the bell.
As I anxiously waited, wondering when he’d show up, he finally walked in—right at the last moment before the chime rang.
He plopped down in the seat in front of me, fidgeting restlessly.
…Ugh, seriously, his bedhead is a mess.
It’s a sunny day, so at least fix your hair properly!
I wanted to lend him a comb, but if a flashy gyaru suddenly talked to him out of the blue, I’d probably just scare him off… While I hesitated, Kohei flopped onto his desk and dozed off.
The chime rang, and Sawashiro-sensei entered the classroom.
With a warm smile, she congratulated us on our enrollment and explained the schedule for the day before asking us to introduce ourselves.
One by one, students introduced themselves in order of attendance numbers. Then, it was Kohei’s turn.
"I’m Kohei Kurose from Botan Middle School. My hobby is visiting bookstores. I also like movies and try to go to the theater at least once a month. Looking forward to this year."
A safe and typical introduction—very much like Kohei.
And now… it was my turn.
I stood up from my seat and glanced around the room from the podium.
Back then, I was incredibly nervous. But now? I was fine.
That was thanks to Kohei, who had helped me practice for job interviews. Because of him, I managed to land a job at the company I wanted.
Unlike me, though, Kohei kept getting rejected…
And to make things worse, the company he finally got hired at ended up going bankrupt. Not wanting to be unemployed, he rushed into another job—only to end up working for a black company.
I never wanted to see that exhausted, worn-down look on his face again.
If I wasn’t in his life this time, he wouldn’t have any reason to rush into a job. Maybe he could avoid the black company altogether… but there was no guarantee he wouldn’t end up somewhere just as bad.
If we became friends, I could at least give him some advice when we got older.
To do that, I had to get close to him.
But if I got too close too fast, he’d definitely be wary of me. I needed to break down his defenses first by showing we had common interests.
If I mentioned that I liked visiting bookstores and watching movies, maybe he’d feel a little sense of familiarity.
…Or so I thought.
Because I was too lost in thought when I opened my mouth, I ended up making a ridiculous slip of the tongue.
"I’m from Kirishima Middle School. My name is Yuzuhana Kurose."
Volume 1 END
Comments
Post a Comment