"Kairi… wake up, you're going to be late."
A familiar voice pulled him out of the darkness.
Kairi opened his eyes.
The ceiling.His room.Morning light slipping through the curtains.
Everything… normal.
And that—
was exactly what made his heart skip a beat.
He sat up abruptly, his eyes darting around as if searching for something, until they stopped at the figure standing by the door.
"…Akane?"
His voice came out hoarse.
Akane frowned slightly, confused. "What's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?"
Kairi didn't answer.
He got off the bed, each step hesitant, as if unsure the floor beneath him was real. Then suddenly, he rushed forward and wrapped his arms tightly around her.
"…you're alive…"
His voice broke.
His shoulders trembled.
"I… I missed you…"
"I missed you so much…"
Akane froze for a moment, clearly caught off guard, but then gently raised her hand and patted his back.
"Hey, hey… what's gotten into you this early in the morning?" Akane said softly, stroking his head as if calming a child. "Bad dream?"
Kairi tightened his grip just a little, as if letting go would make everything disappear.
"…yeah."
The answer came out in a whisper.
…
After a while, he finally let go.
He didn't say anything else.
He just looked at Akane for a few seconds longer, as if confirming that she was really there.
Then he turned away.
He picked up his phone.
Contacts.
His finger hovered for a brief moment before pressing call.
Ring… ring…
"…Hello?"
A familiar voice answered.
Real.
Alive.
Kairi closed his eyes for a brief second.
"…it's me."
He didn't say much after that. He just listened—just needed to confirm that they were still there.
Still alive.
…
The road to work looked the same as always.
Crowds.Traffic noise.Familiar buildings.
But inside Kairi's mind, everything was different.
He sat quietly, staring out the window, his thoughts racing.
If everything that happened was real…
If Sato was truly a Time Breaker…
Then—
what would he do this time?
Would he remember?
Could he… come back like Kairi did?
If so—
things wouldn't be the same.
Kairi clenched his hand slightly.
If Sato still existed—
he wouldn't let things play out the same way again.
Not this time.
…
The office doors opened.
The usual atmosphere.
Employees moving, talking like any normal day.
Kairi stepped inside, his gaze instinctively scanning the room, searching for a familiar face.
Nothing.
He walked straight to a nearby desk.
"Excuse me…" his voice steady, but slightly tense, "where's Sato?"
The person looked up, confused.
"Huh?"
"Sato. Isn't he here yet?"
A brief pause.
Then—
"There's no one named Sato here."
Kairi frowned immediately, shaking his head as if rejecting the answer.
"No, I mean—" he stepped closer, his voice tightening, "the tall guy, good-looking, wears glasses… pretty friendly. He works here."
The person blinked, now staring at him like he'd just said something absurd.
"…What are you talking about?"
Another pause.
Then a short, almost awkward laugh.
"There's no one like that in this company."
The look on their face shifted slightly—confusion turning into concern.
"…Have you been overworking yourself or something, Kairi?"
"Did you finally snap or what?"
…
Kairi didn't respond.
He just stood there.
Completely still.
As if something inside him had just… slipped.
The office remained unchanged.
People talked.Keyboards clicked.Phones rang.
Normal.
Everything—
normal.
Except—
reality itself.
…
His heartbeat quickened.
Not from fear.
But from—
something not aligning.
"…that's impossible…"
He took a step back.
His vision felt slightly off.
Thoughts overlapping, crashing into each other.
If Sato didn't exist—
then who—
who was the one who—
…
Kairi raised a hand to his forehead.
His breathing grew uneven.
A thought surfaced.
Simple.
Terrifying.
"…am I…"
"…dreaming?"
No one answered.
And this time—
there was no loop to explain anything.