???: "Do you wish to move forward?"

A voice bellowed from the depths of nothingness surrounding my stripped body.

???: "The choices and sacrifices you've made up until now have led you here. It is by your own hands have you claimed what you set out to."

???: "The fighting will never stop. Nor the pain, hatred, discrimination or anger."

???: "But the opportunity for hope, joy and love is stronger than before."

???: "Knowing this, do you wish to move forward?"

…The simple question held an obvious answer.

"I don't have much of a choice at this point, right?"

"It's thanks to me I got this far, so I might as well indulge in my reward."

"Otherwise, everything would've been for nothing."

"I might've gotten help along the way, but I decided to be here. I can't hesitate any longer."

The voice echoed back.

???: "Do you wish to move forward?"

And I answered.

...

December 14th, 2022.

I'm leaving this note for you to find, Sadako-chan. I have a lot I need to get off my chest, but I'll keep it short since the day is almost through. You're busy, right? Too busy to deal with a nuisance like me, I'm sure. Nevermind that, though. I just wanna tell you I'm sorry about everything. I had no right to act the way I did. I was leading him on, and because of that he fell for me. I wasn't trying to, but it happened because of me. Neither you nor Hasuki-kun are guilty of anything. It's all my fault.

I have no excuses, and I don't plan on explaining my side of things. It doesn't matter. What's done is done, and what's going to happen will happen. We all have to take responsibility for our actions. Including you, Sadako-chan. For the pain I've caused these past few months, I'll bear my responsibility as I should, and leave you alone for good. With this, rumours are sure to stop spreading, right? Everything is written down in ink, after all.

I'm not going to tell anyone. You can score out anything that might paint you negatively. It's not my intention to do such a thing, but people will see what they want to see. You certainly did. And I can't blame you for that, because I had to play part in my own image.

I'm sorry for everything. I'm sorry for taking what's yours, and I'm sorry for wasting your time with this stupid pathetic letter. But please, forgive me after this. That's all I ask for from you, even though I don't deserve it. Please forgive me and forgive anyone who forgives me too.

From your twin dragon, Ayamo.

…

The flickering light hanging from the ceiling had woken me, and I found myself in a cold, cramped environment surrounded by worn furniture, cheaply plastered walls and the scent of foreign air. I repositioned myself from my uncomfortable sleeping position, and placed my back against the closest wall, feeling the nicks of wallpaper tickling my skin. I gave myself a minute to adjust to my new surroundings, taking a deep breath; in, and out.

I was in a small bedroom, sitting on a thick stained mattress lacking a backboard. Water dripped from the furthest corner of the ceiling, landing on the soggy carpet. When getting up, I scratched my forehead against a hook attached to a thin line, linked to the ceiling light. I tried pulling on it, but stopped once I realised the ceiling light would fall with it. The window to my right lacked curtains, only having raggedy blinds. I tried to get a good look outside the room, but found that a plate had been placed on the window, bolted shut. I slowly opened the door to the rest of the area, listening out for any sounds that could warn me of what was to come, but it was dead silent.

I left the room, entering what seemed to be the living room of an apartment. A small kitchen was attached with no separation, and reeked of rust and rotten food. There was no silverware, and none of the devices were powered. A single cabinet to the sink was locked. The living room itself was modestly sized, with torn carpets sat under musty armchairs and a broken glass table. There was a small window ingrained in the wall to the right, but it was in the same situation as the bedroom's. Further exploring, I found a small bathroom with a cracked sink, dirty bathtub and unbearably disgusting toilet with no handle to flush. None of the taps worked either. There was a single other room in the apartment, seemingly a storage room, that refused to open. The door handle was broken beyond repair, but installed into the corners of the door were four noticeable screws. When attempting to push the door open, I noticed the centre of the was frail.

The door leading outside the balcony in the living room was also tightly shut, with no means of getting it open. The same could be said for the door leading outside the apartment. A padlock was rigidly wrapped around the handle, preventing it from opening. If I had any interest in leaving this uncomfortable space, I would have to find the key to the padlock. I had an objective in mind - I just needed to figure out where to start.

I spent the following fifteen minutes searching the apartment, until I noticed a shimmering light within the drain of the kitchen sink. I attempted to reach for what was inside with my hand, but couldn't reach it. After some deliberating on what could reach the item, I decided on the hook in the bedroom. I pulled it down while avoiding the falling ceiling light, which smashed heavily against the ground, removing the only source of light in the room. I carefully detached the hook, which I determined on closer inspection to be a fishing hook, and brought it to the kitchen sink. With that, and mild difficulty, I managed to retrieve the glimmering item.

A key. I quickly moved to the front door, ready to insert the key… until I realised the key hole was shaped far too uniquely for it to fit. I tried the storage keyhole too, but came to the conclusion that the handle was in too poor a state for it to work. My other memorable option was the kitchen sink drawer, which ended up working. The inside was dark, so I fumbled my right hand around in search of any unique shapes. I felt my hand glide across a dirty, metal shape, and pulled it out of the drawer. The dirty smell reeking from it reminded me of the toilet, and it seemed to be in the form of its missing handle as well, so I decided to try my luck on it.

After inserting the toilet handle into the basin of the toilet, I decided to finally flush it - it's the least it deserved. Seconds later, I heard several taps against the bowl; metal pieces belonging to some sort of tool. I hesitantly removed the dark pieces and spent time outside of the bathroom piecing them together, forming a pitiful screwdriver. The storage door was in my next interest, and I carefully removed the screws keeping the door from falling to the carpeted ground. I moved out of the way before it could jump on top of me like the ceiling light had previously attempted, and entered the storage room.

The room was very small, accompanied by a rattling sound emanating from the air vent, and lit only by the blue screen of a barely working laptop. Internet access wasn't available, though I didn't suppose it would be. A sticky note was attached to the back of the laptop, reading "August 16th, 2000." Of course, I had no idea what it meant, but I assumed it was some sort of password needed for the laptop. Though, there were no files, working apps or anything that would need a password to be entered. The rattling sound coming from inside the air vent had caught my attention, so I again used the screwdriver to open it and remove the item inside. Said item was a USB stick, which I then inserted into the side of the laptop. In a slow minute, a folder had opened on the laptop, but required a password to reveal its hidden contents.

"Six digits… and I'm guessing that sticky note is relevant in some way. Let's see… Did anything special happen that day?"

"...Ah."

…

???: "Amano-chan!"

???: "A-ma-no-chaaan!!!"

I turned behind, watching Sadako-chan as she rushed towards me with short sprints, her school bag flailing around her shoulder.

Amano: "Huh? What is it?"

Sadako: "Do you know what day it is?"

Amano: "Hmm… let me think."

Sadako: "Seriously?"

Amano: "Umm… is it someone's anniversary?"

Sadako: "...Something like that."

Amano: "A birthday, maybe?"

Sadako: "Yea-"

Amano: "Wait! No hints, no hints! I've got this."

Sadako: "..."

Sadako-chan looked at me with eyes of disappointment, but also pity. It was clear today was a special day for her - yet I couldn't remember. This would happen commonly, since I didn't have the best memory. I was far too focused on club activities, which was an element of my suffering through both junior-high and high-school.

Amano: "Ah, today is Hasuki-kun's birthday, right?"

Sadako: "...I mean, it is, but…"

Amano: "Did you get him anything?"

Sadako: "E-Eh, why would I–"

Amano: "You like him, don't you?"

Sadako: "W-What?!"

Sadako-chan blushed bashfully, looking to the floor beneath her as we gained distance on the school gates. Although she refused to admit it, it was obvious she held strong feelings for Hasuki-kun, the captain of the soccer club. The three of us had a strong relationship since childhood, having attended the same elementary school and junior-high. And yet, all this time, Sadako-chan refused to make any moves on him, and Hasuki-kun refused to notice her obvious feelings.

Sadako: "I… might've gotten him something. Maybe. Does it matter, though?!"

Amano: "No, just… intriguing, is all."

Sadako: "...What about you? Did you buy him a present?"

Amano: "Why would I buy that jackass anything? He's lucky I'm even willing to talk to him after everything he's done."

Sadako: "You mean after everything you've done?"

Amano: "Hehe, that too."

Our conversations were always like this. We struggled and butted heads constantly, but we also shared laughs, lunchboxes and tea together. I didn't have anyone I was closer to, other than Hasuki-kun. And yet…

…

"Hasuki" I entered, but surprisingly to no avail.

"Seriously? Maybe I'm overthinking this–"

…Idiot.

I tried again, this time entering "Sadako". It was correct, and the folder inside had revealed its contents; a single jpeg image, which I opened using the over-used mousepad. The image was of a dark, dirty wallpaper, ripped to shreds with a distinct pattern. A pattern I recalled from earlier in the bedroom.

I took a closer look at the bedroom's wallpaper, using the light from the laptop, and began tearing at the pieces leaning out, stripping the wall of its only colour. Eventually, I reached the wall where the bed's backboard should have been, and pulled on the prickly paper tickling my back earlier… and a key fell out, padding against the carpeted floor. I quickly picked up the key and inspected its shape, determining it to belong to the padlock wrapped around the apartment's front door. Passing the bright blue screen of the laptop, I reached the door and inserted the key, twisting it, but to no avail. I tried the handle to check if it had worked, and it seemingly had, so I pulled it towards me.

A token was pushed out of the deadlock of the door, landing with a heavy tap against the carpet underneath. I brought the object closer to my eyes, viewing the illustration embedded on it up close.

A dragon, brustled between the gold.