Dusk began to fall over the city. An orange light covered the horizon; in the distance, the glow of fires and rising smoke replaced the usual streetlights. The desolate scene suggested that people had already begun to evacuate. The young man remembered what was supposed to happen at this point; according to the memories he could now fully understand, they were not merely premonitions, but a future that had already been told.
In a way, he felt relieved. Upon careful reflection, those students were far too relentless and self-sufficient. All he needed was to find them and ask to travel together. Once he brought them to that mansion, he hoped he would no longer receive premonitions nor have his life bound to orders.
There was no time to waste. Although the sword would not even allow him to draw it, he felt that once he reunited with those students, he would not need it. He knew that at some point he would have to rely on it—but for now, he could breathe easier once he joined them.
There was an even bigger problem: he knew the students might not trust strangers. He recalled how things had almost gone badly before, and that they likely trusted no one outside their own group—especially not people who did not come from their school. No, they could not even fully trust those from their own school, remembering how they had split from the group led by that teacher. The only person who had managed to join them was that little girl and her dog. They would not accept him—but there was one way to earn their trust: by helping them.
He checked the patrol car's GPS; it was surprisingly intuitive to use. Images of what would happen at the gas station surfaced in his mind. He remembered the incident clearly: it was a moment when they were vulnerable, and even without his presence, the situation would resolve itself. It was the only scenario in which he could join them; beyond that opportunity, he could no longer even guarantee his own safety.
He checked the time, unsure of where they might be now. The only scene looping in his mind was the gas station. Takashi—that boy with a special aura among them all—had resolved everything with incredible luck and skill, he thought.
The gas station he was looking for had a logo that read "Shaun" and was surrounded by a small convenience store, with a forest behind it. After searching for a while, he found one on the outskirts of the city. With a bit of luck, he would arrive in time.
After driving for quite a while, desperately trying to avoid the city's chaos and the cries for help, he came upon a familiar sight—exactly as he remembered from his memories: a police car crushed beneath a truck.
He stopped and got out of the vehicle, inspecting the patrol car. There were no bodies, no handcuffs, no gun. They had already passed through here. That could only mean one thing: it was about to begin.
He quickly returned to the car, determined to hurry.
…
At the gas station.
"STOP FUCKING AROUND AND FILL THE TANK!" the man holding Rei hostage shouted irritably.
Takashi continued filling the gas tank, knowing he had a chance. If he could distract the man, he could get close and free her. Half the tank still needed to be filled. As his eyes wandered, searching for something useful, he noticed something strange out of the corner of his eye: a police patrol car, lights off, slowly approaching.
"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?! DON'T COME ANY CLOSER—KEEP FILLING IT!" the man yelled.
Takashi knew he had little time; the tank was almost full. If he failed, Rei would die. He couldn't lose her now that he had her back—he had promised. He took a deep breath and, pointing toward the patrol car, said calmly:
"Look."
The man startled when he noticed the car creeping closer, convinced it was trying to pull something while staying unnoticed. Takashi took advantage of that moment to rush forward, draw his weapon, and aim it at him.
"I'll give you two options," Takashi said, the gun firmly aimed at the man's chest. "Let my girl go, or I swear I'll kill you right here."
The man trembled. Takashi could feel the fear through the body that made his gun shake. This guy is dangerous, he thought. If I corner him, he might do something insane and hurt Rei. He had to give him an out.
"If you let her go now, I'll let you take the motorcycle and I'll try to stop the officer," Takashi offered, hoping the man hadn't burned out his last remaining brain cells and would accept.
"W-why would you do that?" the man asked, bewildered.
"You don't know, do you? She's the daughter of a police officer. Her father is looking for her, and that patrol car wouldn't be approaching without lights unless it was trying not to draw your attention. I don't want to lose her. And even though you threatened me, you didn't hurt her. So please—take the motorcycle and go."
The man hesitated, but pressured by the situation, he shoved Rei toward Takashi and ran for the bike. He mounted it quickly and sped off, leaving the gas hose abandoned on the ground. Takashi grabbed Rei by the arm and ran toward the patrol car. Zombies were closing in; he couldn't afford to get emotional now—they had to be safe.
…
From inside the patrol car, the young man watched the scene unfold. The boy had managed to free the girl. Just as he remembered, the man fled on the motorcycle. But something was different. Takashi and Rei were running toward the patrol car—still, this was one of the possibilities he had anticipated: he was inside a police vehicle.
"STEP ON IT!" the young man shouted as they jumped into the car, snapping him out of his daze.
He hit the accelerator and the car surged forward. However, something unsettled him. As they drove away, he felt something cold against his neck: Rei was pointing a gun at him.
"Takashi… he's not a police officer," Rei murmured suspiciously.
The young man released the accelerator and the car slowed down; fortunately, there were no zombies nearby. Seeing the situation, Takashi began struggling with her to lower the gun.
"I'm not a police officer," the young man said quickly. "When the zombies appeared, I took the patrol car to survive. I wasn't lying."
Takashi sighed and leaned forward, his tone softening.
"I'm sorry about all this. My name is Komuro Takashi, and this is Miyamoto Rei. Thank you for helping us."
The young man felt nervous, yet he couldn't help but be fascinated by Takashi's kindness and quick thinking. He murmured the only thing he could cling to as a name—even if it wasn't truly one.
"My name is Nanashi."
He could hear the pair whispering behind him.
"If he didn't want to tell us his name, he could've just given us his last name. Is he eight years old, using a video game alias?" Rei whispered sarcastically.
Takashi could only smile bitterly and say:
"Come on, Rei, calm down."
Nanashi could do nothing about it; it was the only information he had about himself since waking up, and all he could cling to. He briefly reflected on it—and on what truly mattered: survival, more than a name.
With the car stopped after the altercation and no zombies nearby, he wanted to speak, but Takashi was faster.
"We're survivors from Fujimi Academy. With the help of some classmates and teachers, we managed to escape. Something happened along the way and we got separated, but we decided to regroup at the East Police Station."
Rei nodded silently, her eyes still filled with worry. Nanashi, though still uncertain about himself, accepted.
Takashi's expression hardened slightly as he spoke the last part, recalling past events. Almost unconsciously, Nanashi asked before making his own request:
"And why did you split up?"
"It was Rei's fault. She didn't accept the majority's decision," Takashi said, somewhat angrily.
"Takashi…" Rei said, her eyes turning red.
"Rei, tell me—why didn't you accept everyone's decision?" Takashi pressed on, interrogating her. Nanashi was surprised by the direction this was taking. As if the world had thinned, only Takashi and Rei existed in that moment; Takashi grabbed her shoulders.
"Rei, seriously—don't you trust me? After everything that happened," Takashi said sadly.
"I…"
Takashi leaned close to her ear, and Nanashi could clearly hear the soft murmur:
"I'll protect you, Rei."
Then he looked into her eyes and, without looking away, continued in a firm voice:
"No matter what happens—not because of a promise, but because I truly still love you."
"Takashi…"
Nanashi couldn't help but gape in astonishment at what was unfolding. Rei threw herself into Takashi's arms, and they began to kiss.
"Rei…"
They continued kissing while Nanashi couldn't believe what he was seeing. Everything is changing too much. Why? I just showed up, and things already started to change. Takashi didn't fire. This confession and this relationship weren't supposed to happen yet.
Still lost in thought, Nanashi suddenly remembered something that made him stiffen: the butterfly effect. He paid no attention to what followed as he tried to understand how he had just altered the course of the story.
Rei pulled away from Takashi, her face flushed, then took a breath and began:
"All right, Takashi, I'll tell you. That man… calling him a man would be too much—he's scum. He tampered with my grades and made me repeat a year. I saw my father kneel before me and apologize over and over for what happened to me. The person I admired most was prostrated in front of me. I didn't care about repeating the year—but school is cruel too…" Rei said as tears began to pour down her face like a waterfall, though she forced herself to continue. "It was disgusting… Hisashi—he was one of the few people who cared about me when I repeated and helped me get through it. And when you blamed me for repeating…"
"I'm sorry, Rei… I—I didn't know. Please forgive me," Takashi said, guilt spreading across his face. He hadn't known everything Rei had endured and kept to herself.
"It's okay, Takashi… Maybe I should have told you long ago; that was my fault too. But now I just want to ask you something."
"Tell me. I'll do anything for you, Rei."
"Takashi, please don't leave me. I've lost so much—my father probably too… He's always worrying about everyone, trying to be a hero… So don't leave me. I don't want to be alone, p-please," Rei said as she cried and clung to Takashi.
He held her just as tightly, afraid she might vanish from his arms, and said resolutely:
"It's okay, Rei. I swear—I'll never leave you."
Nanashi remained dazed in his thoughts, watching the scene in horror through the rearview mirror. His mere arrival had altered the course of events too much. Takashi touched his shoulder, snapping him out of his stupor, and spoke with an embarrassed expression after realizing they had ignored their savior:
"I'm really sorry, Nanashi-san, for dragging you into this. I know I wasted your time and put us in danger by stopping the car for so long, but thank you for letting us clear things up."
Takashi spoke with genuine gratitude. He paused for a moment, then added:
"Would you like to come with us to the police station? I think it'll be the safest place—where many people will gather."
Rei nodded as well. Nanashi let out a sigh of relief as they set off again; at least he had achieved his goal—though a sense of uncertainty began to grow inside him.
"Y-yes, I'll go with you. Thank you," Nanashi said.
He trembled as he restarted the patrol car. Takashi smiled understandingly and, misinterpreting the reason, began offering comforting words and describing some of the classmates he had escaped with—though his information was vague, since he didn't truly know them well.
Nanashi couldn't help but feel even more admiration for Takashi.
They were almost strangers to one another. Nanashi knew it.
Aside from the bond between Takashi and Rei, Takashi only truly knew Saya—and yet he trusted everyone far too much. Despite the uncertainty, Takashi remained firm in his promise to reunite with the others.
But the unease didn't fade; something weighed heavily inside Nanashi, a feeling that he had taken a wrong step from which there was no turning back.
The thought crossed his mind like a fleeting shadow: the butterfly effect could truly be terrifying.