The surrounding was turning in white.
The sensation from his head.
And a continuous sound of grief, mentioning a specific name.
That's what Kouji last remember before closing his eyes.
The thought of 'What was that? Who's that?' was a question on which he needed some answer. After thinking about it for a while, based on the voice he heard, the tone is slightly different but similar, so he concluded that the person who killed him was the one calling his name.
"No, why would that person cry if she's the one who killed me?"
However, in terms of logic, the idea was odd, so he rejected it.
Then with a couple of scratches on the head and a sigh, he finally gave up thinking.
"With every loop i had, finally i got some clue. Although it's useless."
Rather than a clue, it's more like a riddle that is a hassle to solve. Like a treasure chest from a dungeon, but it's empty. Regardless of all the things Kouji had done, it's unaffected and still back to square one.
First, starting from cooking his breakfast until getting ready for school. While doing his usual routine, he is yet, trying to think of a plan to avoid dying.
To summarize what he did in these past loops. Switching the place from a narrow alley to a rumored street to where lure in the killer is, was affected since it gives space to dodge. However, it is still useless against the killer. Despite the killer being a girl, its movement is unhuman. Because of that, the cops he called were futile.
"So how will i going to defeat that person?"
A person that is like a superhuman is impossible for him to beat since he's just an ordinary high school boy. Even though he tries to run or hide, the person still finds him and gets killed.
"It's really… hopeless…."
Whatever he does, the plan he will create seems only to lead to one result. A result where death is already determined.
It is more or least to say it's his fate. Even so, he cannot accept it. How can something befall him? First, he avoided getting rammed by a truck. Then, now, someone's trying to kill him. Whys that?
He first thought the person herself was the death itself since he's always getting killed by her when he tries to avoid the accident. But it's quite not right. A person with a sword is off the wall for a superior being. He imagines that death is some kind of entity that carries a scythe in hand. Yet that person particularly was holding a sword.
"Is she death's apprentice or something? Wait, what am i thinking? How can death have an apprentice? Or let alone such non-existence being existed such as death?"
He denied it. He thought it was stupid to believe that since Death as an entity was just a fiction that people created in the old days. In greek methodology, it's known as Grim Reaper, a skeleton wielding a scythe. From how they described the appearance of the Grim Reaper, it's hard to believe, let alone its existence.
For that reason, he entails that the lady in white who keeps killing him is chasing him not because he's running away from death but for something else.
But what that 'something' is?
A question of 'is she Death herself or apprentice?' had been answered. However, it didn't answer his primary question of 'why does she want to kill him?'.
"Still back to square one, ha…?"
It was more or least to say he hasn't progressed much, or rather, it didn't move.
Stuck with the question of 'why to kill him?' then planning on 'how to avoid it?', getting immersed in his thoughts, Kouji didn't realize that the doorbell had been ringing, and he was already in school attire.
"What, when did i?...."
After Kouji came back to his sense, he answered the door. And the other side of the door was his neighbor as well childhood friend named Kobe Michiko.
"Geez, why do you take so long to open the door!"
She ranted.
"Sorry, i just finished dressing."
Michiko sighs,
"Let's just go already."
"Right."
Not minding that small thing, they both left his house.
And just like the other loops, they repeated the same conversation as they headed their way to school.
During their walk, with every convo they had, Kouji responded to her in the same way he did back then. However, even though he's repeating his words and action, his mind seems not the case.
His mind was thinking back to the problem.
How will he avoid it?
Since fighting back is futile, he has no other choice than run, yet it is useless because that lady is abnormally fast.
"So what now?"
He mumbled to himself.
It is already a dead end. Whatever different path Kouji attempted, it only led in one direction, death.
"Why is this happening to me?"
He murmured a question to himself.
Asking a question like that, he tries to remember what he did in his whole life. He thought he had done something in the past that led to this day. However, there is none.
Throughout his entire life, he lives his life earnestly. And he's just an ordinary teenager.
So why is this happening?
Back to the question again. Kouji never fully understands why it is happening.
Since that day, Today, things have gotten weirder. Others might say it's just an exaggeration since it's only a day, but for him, that day is like a living hell because he keeps repeating over the day many times when he dies. Plus, someone keeps killing him for no reason.
If wouldn't for his weird power, he might be dead for real in the first place. Although, that power needs him to die to make it work.
Remembering the deaths he experienced, he shivered for a second.
At first, he died in an accident. And when he loops back and tries to avoid it, the next thing, a person kills him. With that, most of his loops died by a person.
Why not fight back or run away? It's because he can't.
He knows it's impossible. He tried many times, but he failed. And based on what he has seen so far, that person is not ordinary.
Speaking of fighting, why did Kouji fight back?
Mostly the reason is just wanting to be alive, but there is another reason.
In truth, Kouji doesn't want to hurt anybody, even if that person is hostile. That was the case, and yet because of some scene he saw from one of his loops, it made him go mad moreover want to kill that person.
It was a loop where his childhood friend got involved.
Seeing what happened in front of his eyes, his mind was full of rage, and try to take revenge.
He tried but failed in the end. With everything he did, he finally gave up, or rather, he came to his sense.
So, in the end, he doesn't want to hurt someone.
"hey… koU… Hey, Kou."
"Huh?"
Kouji is in deep thought again and hasn't realized they're almost at the entrance of their school.
"Where already here."
"Right."
After Michiko mentioned it, they went inside. And while walking, Michiko fidgets for some seconds and asks,
"Say, Kou… is something bothering you?"
"Hmm? Oh, it's nothing."
"Really?... Your face says it's something serious."
"It's nothing. Sorry for worrying you."
Even though Kouji said that its nothing, Michiko was still unconvinced and felt more worried. However, if Kouji didn't want to talk about it, then she didn't press on questioning again any further. But still, Michiko worries about it, and deep down, that girl wants to help him somehow. Yet, she can't do anything until Kouji tells her his problem.
Soon they reached their classroom.
Since they skipped the cherry blossom event, they reached the room early. By being early, Michiko can talk to her friends or classmates before the class start. Meanwhile, to Kouji, he returned to his thoughts once again after sitting down on his chair.
Despite Kouji saying there's nothing in his mind, his face looks serious. Not only was Michiko the one who noticed, even everyone in the room could tell that there was something. Even so, no one tries to ask him if something matters. Some asked, but the only reply they get is, 'It's nothing.'.
With gazes on Kouji, he still immersed in his thoughts as if those around him were nothing. His thoughts continued until class started and on. Spending his whole day in his mind, no one dared to disturb him except the teachers.
In how Kouji was absorbed in his thoughts, he still managed to hear the school bell ring and immediately stood up, then exited the room.
Seeing how fast it happened, no one spoke about it.
The reason why Kouji left quickly was that he was going to the narrow alley again. And why he's going there? Well, in his long deep thought, he reached the answer. Since he can't fight or run, he decides to talk with the killer instead.