"Do you remember what I told you?"
"Start the time machine and leave."
"That's right. Now, can you promise me something? Always stay happy just the way I love to see you."
"I promise."
"I've always loved you, you know that, right?"
"Yeah. I've always believed you."
"Good. Everything's okay now, sweetheart. I have to go."
"D-Do you really have to? C-Can't I come with you?"
That hesitant question made me stop in the middle of packing what she would bring later. I took a moment to compose myself before turning to her with a gentle smile, even though I felt a sharp pain swelling in my chest.
"I'm afraid you can't, sweetie. But I swear, no matter how far apart we are, I'll always guide and watch over you."
"B-But I'm going to miss you."
"And I'll miss you even more. So much more."
I said this, trying not to cry. Before she could notice, I pulled her into a hug and gently kissed her forehead. I studied her face one last time, trying to memorize every detail so I'd never forget her beauty especially if this would be the last time we met.
"What is it I always tell you?"
"Always follow your dream."
She answered with a sad tone. I gave a small, forced smile and handed her the bag I organize earlier.
"And that's a promise. Pinky swears?"
"P-Pinky swear."
She extended her pinky to hook it with mine, even though she wasn't looking directly at me. I let it be and gently tapped her head before I turned to walk away.
"P-Please don't go."
Her words made me clench my fist to resist the urge to turn around. Remember, I told myself, this is for her safety.
"D-Don't leave!"
She cried out again as my tears finally streamed down my cheeks.
I'm sorry, sweetie. I can't do that,
I whispered silently in my mind, quietly grieving as I continue walking away from her.
Please…
….
…
…
…
…
"Wake up."
"Hey, wake up."
"Thino."
"Thino, come on, wake up."
"Hmn..."
"Finally, you're responding. I thought you were dead."
"W-what happened?"
"Well, I just found you lying here on the rooftop, with dirty and wrinkled clothes."
Light explained slowly while helping me sit up. I just endured the pain in my head until I could finally stand.
"Who did this to you? Was it them again?"
He asked, making me turn to face him. That's when I noticed his worried yet irritated expression. I sighed and gently brushed off his hand, which had been busy dusting off my clothes.
"Let's just leave it alone."
"Are you really just going to let them get away again, Thino? Don't you ever want to fight back? Look at yourself. Don't you see how they've treated you like garbage?"
"I just don't want to waste my time on them, Light. We better head down or we might miss the next lesson."
I muttered while subtly holding my head. A sharp pain struck again, like lightning. Along with it there's flashes of strange images suddenly popped into my mind, like memories.
Bandages. Scissors. Books. A fist. Water. A TV.
A Things I saw as my eyes shut for a second.
What does this mean?
I asked myself, just as another image appeared like smoke rising from a building. It was coming from the largest building visible from this rooftop.
"Thino, are you okay?"
Light's voice snapped me out of it as I felt his hand on my shoulder. I slowly opened my eyes, not even looking at him, and began to walk away.
But before I could go far, he stopped me again and stood in front of me, staring seriously into my eyes.
"I think before we head to class, we should stop by the medical room."
"But I'm fine, real—ow!"
I suddenly cried out in front of him as another pain struck my head. I didn't even have the chance to shut my eyes from the pain, I just froze.
What appeared in my mind wasn't the rooftop anymore, but terrifying voices, like they were whispering right next to my ears. I saw red eyes glowing, full of blood and mouths dripping with it.
W-what was that?!
"That's what you call fine? Spacing out like that?"
Light scolded, and I hadn't even noticed—he was already dragging me toward the medical room. He didn't have a hard time pulling me, since I was small and light.
But that wasn't what I should've been thinking about.
Because right now...
I feel like something big is about to happen.
But I just can't tell what it is.
Light didn't let go of my arm until we reached the entrance of the medical room.
The hallway was quiet—too quiet. It felt like the school had paused for a moment, as if holding its breath.
"Sit down here," he said, pulling out a small bench by the wall. I obeyed quietly.
Light crouched in front of me, examining the bruise on my forehead with a deep frown.
"You really don't remember anything?"
I shook my head slowly. "Just flashes… weird stuff. Not sure if it's real or a dream."
He stood up and grabbed a cold pack from the fridge, then gently pressed it to my forehead. "You're scaring me, Thino. That's the third time this week."
"The flashes?"
"No. You blacking out. The flashes are new," Light said, his voice tightening.
I looked down at my hands. They were trembling. Not because of fear—but because a small part of me already knew something was wrong… and had been for a long time.
"There was… something else this time," I whispered.
Light tilted his head. "Like what?"
"Voices… loud, close. Red eyes. Blood. Like… monsters."
Even saying it out loud made my stomach twist.
Light froze. His hand, still holding the cold pack, stopped moving. "Thino," he said carefully, "are you sure it was a memory?"
"I don't know." I covered my face with my hands. "It felt real. Too real."
-----------------------
"Do you have any idea how long I was unconscious in the rooftop?"
I asked my companion a few minutes after we left the medical office, now walking side by side down the hallway.
"I only found you on the rooftop around 2 p.m., but I don't know what time Mosker's group bullied you. Why?"
"N-no reason,"
I replied, unsure. To be honest, it felt like I was out for a really long time, my body still felt heavy and sore all over.
But could this be from Wosker's beating alone?
The bandage on my head looked exactly like the one I saw in those strange flashes earlier.
Was it just déjà vu or something else?
"You're zoning out again, thino. What's bothering you this time?"
"T-to be honest, I don't know either."
"Huh? Why? Could it be… you.ve got an amnesia because of what they did to you?"
"I don't think so..."
I answered, uncertain. Though what he said made sense. It did feel like I had an amnesia.
But why would I have those symptoms if the injury to my head wasn't even that serious?
I kept thinking about it until we finally reached our classroom, where the usual noise from our classmates greeted us each one busy with their own thing.
As always, they acted like they escaped from a mental hospital or something.
But instead of paying attention to their nonsense, I quietly made my way back to my seat. It's better to stay quiet—if they notice me again, I might end up as their next target.
I managed to get to my seat just fine, but even then, I could still feel their mocking stares drilling into me—especially from Wosker's group. But instead of paying them any attention, I decided to focus on reading the book I brought with me.
Just as I reached for it, something else caught my eye—something already sticking out of my desk drawer. When I looked at it closely, it was a pair of scissors. And if I'm not mistaken, it's the same one from my memory.
A strong sense of unease crept into me—not because of the grins from the people watching this unfold, but because of the strange events repeating inside my head. This has to be just another coincidence, right? There's no way even that object could be part of a déjà vu. And especially not… my book.
From my peripheral vision, I caught a glimpse of it—and it looked torn to pieces, just like in my memory.
Trying to ease the weight inside my chest, I secretly took a deep breath before pulling out my book—only to flinch and stare in silence as my eyes clearly saw its shredded cover, as if slashed by something sharp.
"Woah there! Who did this? Don't you all know this book is a treasure to a lonely boy like him?"
Wosker's sarcastic voice rang out, drawing laughter from everyone—except for my best friend, light. Who looked like he wanted to come over but was quickly blocked by the girls who wanted his attention.
"Does it hurt, weak boy? Oh wait, you're not weak anymore since we thought you were already dead after what we did. Too bad you're not—well, who else would we toy with if you were gone?"
He added, laughing right into my ear. But instead of flinching or getting chills from what he did, I found myself spacing out again, my thoughts growing deeper.
T-this can't just be a passing memory now. This book is already the third thing I've seen exactly like it was in my head. And if I remember right… There was also a fist. If I believe what I saw, could that fist have belonged to Wosker?
But… why would he hit me? What did I do?
I couldn't help but keep questioning it… until I decided—I need to find out. I have to prove to myself that my mind isn't just playing tricks on me. Maybe it really means something.
"Oi! Are you deaf? Who do you think you are to ignore me!?"
I barely heard Wosker's voice—like it passed through deep water before reaching my ears.
"You've got some nerve acting like I don't exist!"
He slammed his hand down hard on my desk.
So he's doing this again too? But… why am I not scared of him now? His face was clearly irritated, but still—I felt nothing. No fear.
A few minutes passed, and finally, I understood. Oh yeah… he got angry because I ignored him. I remember now—I was so lost in the thought of ending it all… thinking I had no worth in this world. That's why I got punched. It snapped me out of it. And not only that—one of his guys threw water on me too, some of it even went up my nose and I almost choked on it.
But now…
Just as I heard the gasps of people around us, I turned to him with a blank stare—my hand instinctively caught his incoming fist before it landed on my face.
Then, before the other guy could splash me with water, I noticed it and stood up fast, twisted the arm I was holding, and made him face his friend instead. The water hit his buddy straight in the face, while I quickly stepped behind Wosker like a shadow.
Seconds passed. I saw the shock written on everyone's faces, but I ignored it. Instead, I shoved Wosker hard, making him stumble and fall chest-first into his drenched friend. I grabbed my bag and walked straight out the room.
N-no way. I actually did that? Even though he was taller than me? H-how… how did I get the strength to fight back? Is there something about myself I don't know since I woke up on the rooftop?
If that's the case, then I need to figure it out—no matter what.
I told myself with urgency as I decided to head home… I need to think things through.