The next morning came… strangely slow.
Kairi barely slept. What Yume had said last night still lingered in his mind—Time Breakers, loops, and others like him… existing somewhere within the same timeline.
He glanced at his phone.
A new message.
Yume: "10 AM. Same place."
Kairi turned off the screen.
"…Someone special."
The café was more crowded than usual.
The noise of conversations, the clinking of spoons against cups, and hurried footsteps blended into a chaotic background. Yet even among all that—Kairi spotted Yume immediately.
She sat in the corner, leaning back in her chair, gently stroking her favorite cat, her expression calm as if she had been there for a long time.
But she wasn't alone.
Sitting across from her was a man Kairi had never seen before.
Messy hair. Wrinkled coat. A lazy gaze that somehow felt… unsettling the longer you looked at it. In front of him lay a stack of cash, a few playing cards, and a half-finished cup of coffee.
Kairi paused for a moment.
"…That your 'special someone'?"
Yume smirked faintly.
"You're here."
The man didn't even bother turning around.
He flipped a card onto the table and let out a sigh.
"Lost again."
A brief pause.
"…Man, I'm unlucky today."
Kairi said nothing.
His eyes drifted to the pile of cash in front of the man—not a small amount.
"You call that 'unlucky'?"
The man finally looked up.
Their eyes met for a brief moment.
Then he laughed.
"Oh… so it's you."
Kairi frowned slightly.
"Do we know each other?"
"Nope." He shrugged. "But I've got a feeling we will soon."
Yume cut in, her voice calm:
"Kairi, this is Ginji Arashi."
"And he's the one I mentioned yesterday."
Ginji raised a hand in a half-hearted wave.
"Yo."
Kairi pulled out a chair and sat down.
He didn't speak right away.
He observed.
Every little detail.
The way Ginji held his cards.The way his eyes scanned the room.The way people around them… unconsciously avoided his gaze.
It wasn't a clear feeling.
Not direct danger.
But—
"…something disturbingly off."
"He," Yume began, "is the Time Breaker I told you about."
Ginji took a sip of his coffee.
"Sounds scary."
"But honestly? I just think I'm a really unlucky guy."
Kairi didn't react.
"Unlucky… and still alive?"
Ginji smirked.
"So far."
Yume rested her chin on her hand, her gaze shifting to Kairi.
"You should be careful around him."
"In the previous loop—he died."
A brief silence.
Kairi didn't look surprised.
"Killed?"
Yume shook her head.
"No."
"He killed himself."
The atmosphere sank for a moment.
Ginji still wore a smile.
But his eyes… were no longer the same.
"Yeah," he said lightly. "Dying that way is less troublesome."
Kairi looked at him.
"…To avoid being erased."
Ginji didn't answer.
But the silence… was answer enough.
Yume spoke again, her tone steady:
"In the previous loop, he refused to work with me… just so he could enjoy his life."
"So," Kairi spoke up, "why are you here?"
"Didn't you already refuse her offer?"
Ginji scratched his head.
"Well… things change."
He placed a card on the table.
"And besides—"
The card flipped over.
Ace of Hearts.
"—I'm starting to find this game interesting."
Yume let out a quiet sigh.
"He's being hunted."
Kairi didn't look at her.
"By who?"
"Unknown," Yume replied. "But it's connected to a larger organization."
"And they believe… he's not normal."
Kairi asked immediately:
"Why?"
Yume frowned slightly, her tone carrying a hint of resignation.
"Because he wins too much."
Kairi fell silent for a few seconds.
Then he turned to Ginji.
"…What's your class?"
Ginji grinned.
"Oh? Going straight for it?"
"Fine."
He leaned forward.
A faint, unreadable glint flashed in his eyes.
"The Luck."
A brief pause.
"Pretty self-explanatory, right?"
Kairi said nothing.
He just stared.
"Luck?" he asked.
"Not exactly." Ginji shrugged. "I call it… a price."
A faint breeze passed through.
No one noticed.
But the spoon on the table—slightly trembled.
"…He," Yume said slowly, "could be a double-edged sword."
"Either your strongest ally…"
"Or the reason you die."
Kairi looked at Ginji.
Ginji smiled back.
"So?"
"Wanna bet?"
A moment of silence.
Then—
Kairi let out a faint smirk.
"…I don't gamble."
A brief pause.
"But I don't mind using someone who does."
Ginji's grin widened.
"Perfect."
"So," Kairi continued, "what's the real purpose behind this alliance?"
"Mutual protection… or something more?"
Yume looked at him.
Then gave a small smile.
"This group… exists for my own sake, first and foremost."
She rested her chin on her hand, her tone calm.
"My class isn't suited for combat."
"So working with people like you… is only natural."
A brief pause.
"In this death game—"
"If we don't want to become prey…"
"Then we have no choice but to become hunters."
Kairi didn't argue.
He simply watched her, waiting.
Yume lowered her voice.
"But that's not the true goal."
Her gaze sharpened.
"We're going to stop this game."
"By making sure no one ever wins."
A silence fell.
"…What?" Ginji raised an eyebrow.
Yume continued without hesitation:
"We gather them—or if necessary, capture them."
"All the other Time Breakers."
"We isolate them."
"And stop them from killing each other."
The air froze.
Kairi and Ginji stared at her.
Neither spoke for a few seconds.
Then—
"Are you serious?"They both said almost at the same time.
Kairi leaned forward, his gaze turning sharp.
"This is a death game."
"You understand that, right?"
"You can come back from death—"
"But if you're erased, it's over."
"You don't plan on disappearing from the timeline forever, do you?"
Yume didn't look away.
Her voice dropped, firm and precise:
"That's exactly why… no one should win."
"If everyone simply lives through all their loops—"
"Then there won't be a winner."
"And if there's no winner…"
"…this game might end on its own."
A brief pause.
"If you disagree—"
"We can end this cooperation right here."
"But if it comes to that—"
"Don't expect me to share any of the information I've gathered."
"And as for when you'll be killed…"
"…that depends on your luck."
Ginji let out a sigh and leaned back in his chair.
"Do whatever you want."
He shrugged.
"As long as I stay alive."
Kairi fell silent.
His gaze darkened slightly.
…If she falls into someone else's hands—I'll be the next target.
But if I eliminate her myself…
The information disappears with her.
I'll be completely blind.
A brief pause.
…Not good.
Kairi looked up.
"…Fine."
He extended his hand.
"Temporary alliance."
Yume looked at his hand.
Then smiled faintly.
"A wise decision."
Ginji glanced at the two of them and let out a laugh.
"Guess I don't have much of a choice either."
Their hands never touched.
And yet—
an alliance had been formed.
Outside—
a car came to a stop.
From inside, a pair of eyes watched through the glass.
The man lifted his radio.
"They've started moving."
On the other end—
a dark room.
A man leaned back in his chair.
Silence.
Then the line went dead.
He interlocked his fingers.
And smiled faintly.
"…So the game has officially begun."