The afternoon sun hung low in the sky as Claire walked down the quiet street toward home.
The noise of school had faded behind her. No more laughter in the hallways, no more students arguing about exam answers. Only the soft rustle of leaves and the distant hum of passing cars remained.
Her footsteps were slow.
The question everyone kept asking today lingered in her mind.
Where will you study after graduation?
Claire exhaled softly.
The future.
In her previous life, she had never questioned it. Everything had felt simple back then. She had chosen the same university as her friends without hesitation, believing that staying together was the safest path.
But that path had ended in darkness.
Fragments of memory flickered in her mind—long corridors, crowded lecture halls, and a cold night she could barely remember clearly.
Twenty-two.
That was where her life had ended.
Claire tightened her grip on her bag.
This time… I will choose differently.
When she reached the small gate of her house, the familiar sight of the front yard greeted her. The air smelled faintly of dinner being cooked inside.
She pushed the door open.
"Mom, I'm home."
Her mother appeared from the kitchen, wiping her hands on a towel.
"You're back already?" she said warmly.
Claire nodded and slipped off her shoes.
"I finished my last exam today."
"I know," her mother replied. "That's why we need to talk."
Claire paused.
"Talk?"
Her mother gestured for her to sit down at the dining table. There was a strange seriousness in her tone.
Claire sat slowly.
"I've been thinking about your future," her mother began. "About your university."
Claire blinked in surprise.
Her mother rarely spoke about these things so directly. Usually, she trusted Claire to manage everything herself.
"You should choose the university you like," her mother continued gently. "Your education is important. Don't worry about anything else."
Claire stared at her, slightly stunned.
Her mother… sounded unusually attentive.
For a moment, Claire wondered if something had changed.
"I…" Claire hesitated. "I'm still thinking about it."
Her mother smiled.
"You don't need to think too much anymore."
Claire frowned slightly.
"What do you mean?"
"I already registered you."
Claire froze.
"You… what?"
"At the university you mentioned before," her mother said calmly. "The one Randy is going to."
The name hit Claire like a sudden gust of wind.
"Randy?"
Her mind immediately filled with confusion.
Why Randy?
Why that university?
Claire remembered clearly that in her previous life, Randy had helped her many times from behind the scenes. His family had even helped her during the accident involving Calista long ago.
But she had never attended the same university as him before.
Her mother continued casually, unaware of the storm in Claire's thoughts.
"He called a few days ago and mentioned he would be studying there. It seemed like a good environment, so I thought it would be nice if you had someone you knew."
Claire's heart skipped.
Randy called?
As if on cue, her phone vibrated in her bag.
She quickly pulled it out.
The caller ID displayed a familiar name.
Randy.
Claire answered.
"Hello?"
"Hey," Randy's voice came from the other side. "Your mom told you already, right?"
Claire leaned back in her chair slowly.
"So you knew about this?"
"Yeah," Randy replied calmly. "We'll be in the same university."
Claire pressed her lips together.
At first, she had wanted to refuse immediately. Everything felt too sudden, too arranged.
But another thought quickly surfaced.
At least… it wasn't the same university as Tasya and Diana.
That alone changed everything.
If her future diverged from theirs, then the path of her previous life might never repeat.
Claire closed her eyes briefly.
Maybe this wasn't so bad after all.
"…Fine," she said quietly.
On the other end, Randy chuckled softly.
"Good. I was hoping you'd say that."
Claire looked out the window, watching the fading sunlight outside.
She still didn't understand why fate had placed her in the same university as Randy.
Was it coincidence?
Or something meant to happen all along?
For now, she didn't know the answer.
But one thing was certain.
This new path… was different from the one that had once led her to death.
And that alone was enough reason to keep walking forward.
Night had fallen quietly over the house.
The neighborhood was calm, the distant sound of insects filling the silence outside. A pale moonlight slipped through Claire's bedroom window, spreading softly across the floor and the edge of her desk.
Claire sat on the bed, her back resting against the wall.
Her room was dim, lit only by the small lamp beside her.
She stared at her phone for a long moment before placing it down on the bed.
Randy's voice from earlier still echoed faintly in her mind.
"We'll be in the same university."
Claire exhaled slowly.
Everything had happened too suddenly.
Her mother registering her without asking… Randy already knowing about it… the university choice being made before she could even think carefully about it herself.
It all felt strangely arranged.
Claire pulled her knees closer, resting her chin lightly on them.
Why Randy?
In her previous life, she was certain about one thing.
She had not gone to university with him.
Her memories of the past after high school were fragmented, like pieces of a broken mirror. Some parts were clear, others completely missing.
But the people she remembered walking beside during those years were always the same.
Tasya.
Vienna.
Diana.
They had attended the same university together. She remembered the campus gates, the crowded lecture halls, the way they used to sit together during lunch breaks.
Randy had never been part of those memories.
Claire frowned slightly.
Then why now…?
Why would her mother suddenly arrange for her to attend the same university as him?
She tried to think back further, searching for clues buried inside the blurred memories before her rebirth.
Nothing.
Just empty spaces.
She couldn't even remember the exact moment of her death.
Only the cold feeling that followed it.
Claire leaned her head back against the wall, closing her eyes.
Maybe it's nothing.
Maybe her mother simply thought it was safer for her to have someone familiar around.
Maybe Randy had only mentioned it casually.
Or maybe…
Claire opened her eyes again, staring at the faint moonlight stretching across the floor.
Maybe fate is changing on its own.
This life was already different.
She had survived the incident that once nearly destroyed her. The path ahead no longer matched the one she remembered.
And now Randy had appeared in a place he had never been before.
Claire let out a quiet breath.
At the very least, there was one thing she felt certain about.
This university was not the same one she had attended with Tasya, Vienna, and Diana.
That alone meant the future was already shifting.
And maybe… that was enough.
Claire reached over and turned off the lamp.
The room fell into darkness, leaving only the silver glow of the moon outside.
Lying down slowly, she closed her eyes.
Questions still lingered in her mind, unanswered and restless.
But one thought remained steady beneath them all.
Whatever my mother's reason was…
Whatever role Randy is meant to play…
This path is not the one that led me to die.
And for now, that was all that mattered.
Outside, the night grew deeper.
And somewhere within the quiet darkness, Claire's new future continued to unfold.