Ishida Kaito woke up once more, staring at the same dimly lit hallway. The familiar dullness of the setting greeted him, but it was no comfort. He furrowed his brows, an urgent feeling building inside him. "I need to do something. I can't keep letting this happen."
Clenching his fists, Kaito's mind raced. The same thoughts that had haunted him for countless cycles resurfaced. What if I go there before the accident happens? The resolve settled heavily in his chest, and his expression darkened with the weight of the decision. I can't let it play out like last time.
He stood up quickly, his heart pounding. He could feel his pulse racing in time with his thoughts. No more running, no more waiting. His steps were firm and decisive as he dashed out of the house. He didn't have time to waste—he needed to act.
Kaito sprinted down the street, faster than he ever had before. His heart hammered in his chest, but the urgency of his actions pushed him forward. This time, I won't fail. I can't fail.
He finally arrived at his house, standing before the front door. The same door that had sealed his fate so many times before. But this time, his hand froze as it reached for the handle. He hesitated. His fingers trembled, not from fear but from the weight of the countless attempts that had come before.
"No… not this time." The words felt strange, as though they didn't belong to him. But they were there, ringing clear in his mind.
A flashback hit him suddenly, as vivid as if it had happened just moments ago. He recalled the first time he had opened that door. How, despite his desperate efforts, nothing had changed. The door had led him back to the beginning, to this never-ending cycle. He had been thrust back into the same hallway, the same hopelessness.
"I can't go through that again," he muttered under his breath.
The door loomed in front of him, an inescapable reminder of his past failures. But he couldn't do it. He couldn't go through the same motions again. The despair of repeating the same cycle, knowing that no matter what he did, it would never change, was too much.
Turning away from the front door, Kaito walked around the back of the house. There has to be something here that I'm missing… something that can break this cycle.
He searched every inch of the yard, checking the bushes, peering under the porch, even looking up at the sky. But nothing stood out. The frustration built inside him, his chest tightening with each passing second. He wasn't sure how much longer he could keep this up. He had been here so many times before, doing the same thing, hoping for a different result.
Maybe there's no way out of this after all.
Just as the thought crossed his mind, the world around him shifted. A sudden, deafening boom shattered the silence, followed by the sharp crackle of an electrical surge. The noise was so intense it seemed to tear through the air itself. Kaito's body stiffened, his eyes widening in shock. Before he could react, everything around him went dark.
The world went black.
Kaito woke up again in the same dimly lit hallway, his body aching from the impact of the latest reset. The familiar confusion rushed back to him, but this time, there was a new feeling—a sensation of weariness that seeped into his bones. He sat up slowly, running a hand through his messy hair, his voice a whisper to himself. "Something isn't right."
His mind raced as he tried to piece everything together. He had been through this before. He knew the events that were supposed to unfold. He had been there countless times. But there was a sense of difference now. Why is this happening again?
He tried to recall the knowledge he had gained from previous loops, everything he had learned from each attempt. His voice, barely above a whisper, slipped from his lips. "In my first time, I died. They died. In my second, they also died. But in my third, I was two minutes early before the fire accident happened. I tried to stop it, but when I opened the door… I saw nothing. And then I woke up here again."
The words echoed in his head, forming a puzzle that didn't seem to fit. His memories were clear, each cycle a sharp and painful reminder of his failure. But this time felt different. There was something he was missing, something important, but he couldn't quite place it.
Kaito sat in the silence of the hallway, lost in thought, when a voice suddenly broke through his internal turmoil.
"Naomi?"
He blinked, startled by the unfamiliar voice. Looking up, he saw a girl approaching him. She had blonde hair and a slender frame that gave her an air of grace. But something about her seemed off, like he didn't recognize her, but also like he should. She paused a few steps away, tilting her head in confusion.
"Do I know you?" Kaito asked, his voice hesitant, a sense of disbelief washing over him.
The girl raised an eyebrow. "You know me? But… we haven't met yet."
Her response only deepened his confusion. He stared at her, trying to make sense of the situation. His thoughts were scrambled, and he wasn't sure how to respond. But as he processed her words, another realization struck him—I need to leave.
Without another word, he turned and ran, his legs carrying him faster than before. His mind screamed at him to stop, but the instinct to keep moving, to get away, was overpowering.
This time, however, he didn't head back into his house. He stopped just outside, standing at the threshold and staring at the door. The same door that had caused so much pain. He watched, helpless, as the tragic scene unfolded in front of him again—his family meeting their grim fate. His chest tightened, and a heavy sadness took hold of him.
I can't change anything, can I? The thought cut through him like a knife. He felt utterly powerless in the face of it.
And yet, as he stood there, the air seemed to shift, and he heard it—a voice. A faint whisper, like a memory slipping through the cracks of time.
"Thank you for saving me."
Kaito froze, his heart skipping a beat. The voice wasn't clear, but the words were unmistakable. Thank you for saving me?
His mind whirled, confusion mixing with something deeper, something stirring inside him. Saving her? He didn't know who the voice belonged to, or why he was hearing it now, but the words lit a spark inside him.
A deep, sudden resolve flooded his chest. This wasn't just about saving his family anymore. There was something bigger, something more he had to protect. There was a person out there, a life that needed saving. I have to find her. I have to protect her.
For the first time in what felt like an eternity, Kaito's expression softened, his grim demeanor lifting. A newfound determination settled within him, replacing the despair. I won't fail this time.
He turned his gaze to the door once more, his eyes sharper, his body brimming with the purpose he had been missing for so long. This was not the end. It was the beginning of something new.
And this time, he would not give up.