8:35 AM
Kaito Ryuudou handed the late slip to the receptionist, still catching his breath.
"You're just in time… to be late again," she said flatly.
He smiled, trying to sound cheerful. "My morning sprint. Doctor said I needed more exercise."
She didn't even look up as she stamped the slip. He gave a half-salute and turned toward the corridor.
The hallway was unusually quiet. Sunlight spilled in from the windows, gleaming across the polished floor. As he walked, something strange caught his eye in the reflection on the glass—
A flicker. A shape. Watching him.
He paused.
Nothing.
Just his own reflection staring back.
Weird.
"Kaito!"
He jumped.
Haruto Toukai, his best friend since forever, leaned out from the classroom ahead. "Always late, man! Come on! Mr. Natsume's about to show up!"
Kaito shook off the feeling and jogged up. "Relax. I'm already in trouble anyway."
As they stepped inside, the class stood to greet the teacher. Kaito slid through the door just in time to join them.
In that moment, his eyes caught someone.
It was a girl seated by the window, second row.
For a moment, their eyes met.
Her expression didn't change. No recognition, no reaction. She simply looked through him and turned away, focusing on the teacher like nothing else existed.
Kaito blinked, unsettled.
"Good morning, class," Mr. Natsume said, already looking exhausted. "Let's get this over with."
Kaito slipped into his seat at the back, right beside the window.
Haruto dropped into the desk next to his. "So? What was it this time? Boss fight with your blanket?"
"Almost," Kaito muttered. "I ran into Mr. Hayashi at the gate. The guy looked like he was waiting just to ruin my day."
Haruto snorted. "At this point, you should just bring him coffee and call it even."
Kaito chuckled but didn't reply. His eyes wandered again to the window.
And then—
A memory.
Uninvited. Unwanted.
It was elementary school.
Two kids — a boy and a girl.
Familiar. Too familiar.
They were yelling. The classroom around them blurred, but their voices echoed.
Kaito remembered this.
He hadn't been watching. He'd been in it.
A push.
A crash.
Shards of glass exploded across the floor. Someone screamed — maybe her, maybe a teacher.
There was blood. Not much, but enough to scare everyone.
He remembered how the world went silent afterward.
How he felt his heart beating in his throat.
How no one asked what really happened.
He knew what happened.
He just never talked about it.
The classroom snapped back into focus.
Kaito blinked hard, shaking his head.
Clicking his tongue quietly, he stared out the window, the peaceful blue sky doing nothing to calm his nerves.
Something about today was wrong.
Later – Gym Period
"Let's gooo!" Haruto called from the front of the class. "Sports period!"
Kaito followed him reluctantly. They made their way to the changing room and started pulling on their gym uniforms.
As Kaito adjusted his shirt, he spoke softly.
"Haruto… something's off today. I felt it the second I stepped inside."
Haruto looked over with a smirk. "You were gaming all night again, weren't you?"
Kaito didn't answer.
Haruto clapped him on the back. "You're just sleep-deprived. Come on, some football will wake you up."
The Field
The sun blazed overhead. Students filled the ground, warming up and laughing.
Kaito stood in his position, the grass cool beneath his shoes.
The whistle blew.
The ball flew.
And then—it came to him.
He stopped it with his foot.
And suddenly—
Flash.
A burning city.
Screams echoing.
Dark shadows slithering across broken streets.
A collapsing tower.
Flames eating everything.
Destruction. Chaos. Pain.
Kaito's vision spun.
His chest tightened.
A stabbing pain surged through him.
He clutched his shirt, gasping—then screamed and collapsed to the ground.
"Kaito!" Haruto shouted, running toward him.
The game froze. Everyone stared.
Everyone but one person.
One person didn't move.
The girl from class — the quiet one.
She stood by the field's edge, watching with wide eyes.
Her calm expression cracked for the first time.
She tightened her fist, fingernails digging into her palm.
End of Chapter 2