The world spun around Aqua like a broken record.
No matter how many times he tried, the result never changed.
No matter how many times he rewound the clock, ran through the chaos, dodged the bullets — Kana Arima always died.
He had seen her fall too many times to count. Each time her blood spilled, each time her breath faded, something inside him broke further. Until now.
Outside Sirius Line Studio —
Kana lay limp in Aqua's lap. The pavement beneath them was slick with blood. Her blood. His hands trembled as he clutched hers.
Aqua laughed — a cracked, deranged sound.
"Haha… Hahahaha… Don't worry, Kana… You'll survive… I have the power… to do it again and again. I'll keep going back, I'll see you alive again… again and again and again… One time… One of these times, I'll get it right…"
He kissed her cold lips, tears spilling down his cheeks, but his hands were too soaked in blood to wipe them away properly. Instead, he smeared her blood across his face as he tried. The grief, madness, and obsession burned red into his skin.
His hand slipped into his pocket. The phone.
Under Leap, a new line appeared: Only three attempts remaining.
"You gotta be kidding me! I forgot there were limited attempts. No, no — you can't take her from me! Understood, you bastard!" he shouted at the phone.
He tapped furiously, unaware in his shaken state that he set the timer to 22 minutes ago, not 20.
He messaged himself one word: Leap.
Darkness took him.
---
[Scene: 22 Minutes Earlier – Akane's Apartment]
Aqua opened his eyes to find himself hugging Akane outside her door.
"Aqua?" she said, startled.
He clung to her tighter, his body shaking as tears streamed down his cheeks.
"I need your help, Akane. Please. Can we talk?"
She nodded softly. "Come inside."
---
[Scene: Inside Akane's Apartment]
Aqua sat on the couch, drained. Akane examined his phone, scrolling through the messages and the time settings.
"So… gods exist? Time travel?" she muttered. "This is insane. But you're not the type to joke about this."
She looked him dead in the eyes.
"So… 22 minutes from when you hugged me… Kana dies again?"
Aqua nodded silently.
Akane sighed. "There might be another way. But it has risks."
"What is it?"
"You said you can call someone in the past — like you did to save Ai, right?"
"Yes."
She paused. "Did you meet me in that world?"
Aqua looked down. "No. You weren't there."
Her eyes softened. She understood instantly.
"So that's why... you undid everything. That's why you came back."
He didn't answer. He didn't need to.
A small smile formed on Akane's lips. "I'm glad you care about me, Aqua. It makes me happy. Really."
Then she straightened. "Back to the point. What if... you call your past self? The one who committed the murder-suicide with Hikaru Kamiki? If you convince him to not go through with it—"
Aqua's eyes widened.
"—then maybe... just maybe... you can end the loop completely."
Aqua nodded slowly. "But that could overwrite me. Or erase this world entirely."
Akane shrugged. "I've thought about it. The more likely outcome is your consciousness gets overwritten in that moment. For you to cease to exist, you'd have to die before making that call—which is impossible. Still... it's risky."
Aqua leaned back.
"Then let's keep it as a backup plan."
"Agreed," Akane said. "For now, we stick to the plan. You get Kana to safety, and I'll gather people to stop the attacker."
"I need to be careful this time — we can only LEAP two more times," Aqua said.
"But once I LEAP… you'll forget everything we talked about again."
She grinned. "Not necessarily. I read your LEAP update description. If you look closely… it says you can send anyone's consciousness back in time. Which means it's possible for you to make others LEAP with you too."
"What?"
"All you need to do is forward one of the previous LEAP messages to both of us. We'll leap together."
Aqua's eyes widened. "You're brilliant."
Akane frowned slightly. "But… I'm not sure if making both of us leap will take one or more remaining attempts. If it takes two…"
"Then we won't be able to leap anymore," Aqua said, his voice tense.
"It's like a gamble," he muttered.
Akane's expression turned serious. "Then we have to take our chance. I don't think we have any other way."
"Let's do it… without any mistakes," Aqua said, clenching his fists.
Akane smirked. "But first — there's one more thing we need to do."
"What?" Aqua asked, confused.
---
Scene Shift:
Aqua shared the previous leap message to both himself and Akane. Akane's vision blurred. Everything faded to black.
Then she opened her eyes — and saw Aqua hugging her again.
Aqua looked at his phone. Under Leap, it showed: Zero attempts remaining.
"It's our last chance. We can't leap anymore," Aqua said, his disappointment evident.
"Don't lose hope. We'll surely save Kana this time," Akane reassured him.
"You trust me?"
"Even more than myself," Aqua replied.
"Alright… let's go."
"Wait," she said, running back inside.
Moments later, she returned wearing a brown coat over her clothes, tucking something inside.
"What was that?" Aqua asked.
"I'll tell you soon. First — let's go, we need to move. Fast."
"Don't worry," Aqua said. "I know someone who can get us there faster than anyone."
---
[Scene: Inside the Car — Again]
The same driver from before was behind the wheel.
"I don't care if I get arrested — if I can meet Ruby Hoshino, I'll do anything!"
Akane blinked at Aqua. "You've done this before?"
"Too many times." Aqua replied.
---
[Sirius Line Studio — Present]
Aqua burst into the studio. Kana stood mid-rehearsal.
He rushed to her, grabbing her hand. "Kana, we need to go. Now."
Her cheeks flushed. "W-What? Aqua, what's going on?"
"No time. Just trust me."
They bolted from the studio.
Moments later — the man in the black coat appeared, chasing them.
Aqua's heart raced. He looked behind — no sign of Akane yet.
Inside the studio, Akane stayed behind.
Sorry, Aqua. But I can't trust the others. We can't take any more chances.
She reached into her coat and felt the cold steel of the object she brought.
A knife.
Outside, Aqua tripped, bringing Kana down with him.
The man raised his gun — but paused as Aqua shouted:
"Who sent you?!"
The man smirked. "You already know."
Behind him, Akane appeared, silent and composed.
Then—
"Drop the gun."
She held the knife to the man's throat.
"I said DROP IT."
The man smiled. "It's useless."
His finger slowly pulled the trigger.
"No—!"
Akane screamed — slashing his throat — but it was too late.
Bang.
The bullet struck Aqua in the abdomen.
"NOOOO!" Kana screamed.
Akane dropped the knife and ran to his side.
"Aqua!" Kana sobbed. "Aqua, no! Don't die! I—I love—"
Aqua placed a blood-streaked hand on her cheek.
"I know. I love you too… I always did. But I was so blind… caught up in my revenge. I want to live. With you... I want to live with you..."
Akane's eyes filled with tears.
Aqua turned to her. "You know what to do."
"But… If I do this, you'll be gone. You won't be the one to overwrite yourself. This world... will vanish."
"This world's already doomed…" Aqua whispered. "Look at us. I'm already dying. You've killed someone. Kana's in pain. Ruby... she won't be able to handle this either. There's no other way."
He gave her his phone.
Akane hesitated. Kana looked at them both, confused.
As Aqua's vision dimmed, he heard a voice in his mind.
Tsukuyomi.
"You've made your choice, Aqua. The right one."
His lips trembled.
"Thank you… I hope… he lives a life worth living…"
His eyes closed.
Kana cried over him, clinging to his blood-soaked body.
"No! Aqua!! Stay alive!!"
---
To be continued…
Next Chapter: "Please find Happiness"