Aoi Hiroto lived an ordinary life but was intensely focused. At 20, he was on the verge of a typical life but with a promising future ahead. He was studying Game Design Technology at university and working as an intern at a small game development company, where he spent his days immersed in code, testing his ideas, and trying to shape virtual worlds and stories he himself had always enjoyed playing. Although it was just an internship, he had big ambitions, and technology had always fascinated him. But for now, this was his reality. He quickly put on the company shirt and black pants, grabbed his backpack, and left home.
On the way to the train station, Aoi passed the same street, saw the same shops, the same hurried faces heading to work. He didn't feel particularly different from any of them. He was just another person in the crowd, trying to find some meaning amidst the daily chaos. When he arrived at the station, he saw Yuka, a co-worker who usually took the same train. They exchanged a quick nod and a tired smile as they got on the train.
"Aoi, you've been too dedicated to that game... Have you thought about taking a vacation?" she said, noticing the dark circles under his eyes.
"I think my vacation will be when I finally finish this damn project," he replied with a sigh.
Looking a bit concerned, she warned, "You're going to end up collapsing from exhaustion. I know it's your first independent project, but you need to take it easy."
"Hahaha, but… it'll be worth it soon."
Aoi and Yuka continued talking as the train moved on. She joked about his serious demeanor, nudging his arm and saying he needed to "relax a bit" and that "games should be more about fun than obligation." He smiled slightly but looked away, a little embarrassed. As much as he admired Yuka, he knew he had no room for anything besides work and training in his schedule. However, when he saw her laughing, he caught himself thinking that maybe going out with her might not be a bad idea — a thought he quickly brushed aside, refocusing on what he needed to do at the office.
When they arrived at the office, the routine continued without surprises. Aoi greeted his boss, took the file with the day's tasks, and sat down at his desk. The office was simple, with white walls and a constant smell of coffee. His boss, a middle-aged man with a serious demeanor, handed him yet another challenge for the day.
"Aoi, I need you to adjust the combat AI. Let's make the enemies adapt better to the player's style."
"Got it, I'll start working on it right away."
The day went by with few interruptions, except when Yuka came over to discuss the development progress. She was more experienced and always brought new ideas, but Aoi was too focused on his project to pay attention to anything beyond his monitor.
When the workday finally ended, Aoi felt a momentary relief. He turned off the computer and packed his things. Yuka was still chatting with some colleagues about new projects and inviting everyone for a drink after work, but Aoi had somewhere else to be tonight. He put on his headphones, picked up his backpack, and waved goodbye.
When he got home, no one was there yet. His mother was still at work; she had been working alone for some time to allow him to focus on his studies, which had made their situation quite difficult since his father's death. Despite this, she always worked hard to give him the best opportunities, and with some help from his aunt, he managed to get into university. You could say he would never have come this far without those two; they were the most important people in his life.
He quickly prepared something simple for dinner: rice, fish, and vegetables. While he ate, he put on the latest episode of the anime he was following.
(Maybe I'll accept the next invite they give me to go out with the people from work)
After all, he was relatively stable at the moment. It might be time to look for a girlfriend; Yuka was single, if he remembered correctly, and she was really nice.
He'd had a girlfriend a few years ago, but she ended up going abroad to study, and they decided not to maintain a long-distance relationship, even though they still liked each other. After dinner, he changed clothes and went out to his grappling training, looking for something to clear his mind from the routine.
The training was intense, as always. On the mat, he could forget about work, codes, and responsibilities. There, the only thing that mattered was technique, movement, and physical contact. He had started training at a young age, since it was close to his home, and he only wanted to practice a martial art because it seemed cool to watch in anime, manga, and novels. It eventually became a serious hobby, practically inseparable from his life.
"You look fired up today, Hiroto!" Kazuki said as he got up from a breath-taking fall.
(Is that the best excuse you can come up with for falling so fast?) he thought.
I smiled and said, "It's more accurate to say that you're the one getting worse!"
He scratched his head, embarrassed. "Heh, I just found out my girlfriend is pregnant. Maybe I'm a bit distracted."
I was surprised. "Now, that's a surprise. Congratulations, by the way; weren't you two going to wait until you got married?"
He laughed. "Not everything went as planned, so we want you to be the godfather. Are you in?" he offered as we headed to the locker room.
"Someone's got to set a good example for the kid, after all!" I said, laughing as I dodged the punch that followed.
As we changed, we continued the conversation, talking about how we would make sure the kid would be a pro fighter if he showed an interest in the sport. In the parking lot, I headed toward my bike and got ready to leave when I heard Kazuki again. Still with that nervous smile, he said, "Thanks, man. Seriously, it means a lot." I nodded with a sincere smile, and we both went our separate ways, each heading home.
The night was cold, and the damp air cut Aoi's face as he pedaled quickly home after training. The traffic was at a standstill, but the city still vibrated with nightlife. His legs were tired, his body still feeling the strain from training, but he felt relieved. Today's training had been intense, and for at least a few hours, he hadn't thought about codes or the project consuming him. He was filled with a moment of serenity.
Suddenly, the peace he felt was shattered. Aoi looked ahead and saw, further down the street, a truck speeding towards a group of teenagers apparently arguing on the sidewalk, the driver slumped over the wheel, seemingly asleep.
In their argument, none of the three noticed the danger coming their way.
With quick thinking, he pedaled towards the accident, intending to throw his body over the kids by throwing himself from his bike while shouting, "Watch out, get out of the way!" His heart pounded in his chest. He saw the three teens now realizing their situation, as well as a homeless man trying to push them out of the way, and he threw himself with all the strength he could muster.
But to his despair, his leg, tired from training and the sudden effort, stiffened as a cramp hit him at the worst possible moment, and he didn't manage to throw himself with enough force to get them out of the way. In fact, the only thing he managed to do was increase the number of victims.
He managed to reach one of them, grabbing them by the shoulders and trying to pull them out of the way, but the force of the collision was brutal. He didn't see if he managed to save anyone, and the truck, with a violence that made Aoi's body twist on impact, finally hit them all.
During the impact, as his body gave in to the pain and everything around him blurred, a feeling of injustice pierced him like a blade. He still had so much to do, so many dreams to accomplish, so many debts to repay. He thought of the unfinished project, the diploma he still didn't have, and his mother and aunt who were waiting for him at home. "Not now… not yet," he thought, fighting against the darkness enveloping him. The world was crumbling around him, and all he wanted was one last chance to truly live.
The metallic sound of deforming metal and the crushing pain consumed his perception. He saw everything in slow motion. The ground approached with terrifying speed. His vision darkened.
Then, everything went silent.
Aoi slowly opened his eyes, feeling a lightness he had never experienced before. The pain, which seemed to have consumed his body, had vanished. He was lying on the asphalt, with his senses so numb that his body no longer felt like his own. The sensation of being somewhere else was unmistakable. A constant buzzing trembled in his mind, and reality seemed strange and distorted, as if he were dreaming.
It was then that he felt an immense warmth, seeing a lot of blood spreading around him, his body seemed to be on fire, while at the same time, a cold sensation took over his consciousness.
The vision of people crowding around him and the sound of honking deeply resonated in his mind as he sank into darkness.
He tried to get up, but his legs felt heavy, as if time itself was against him. He tried to call for his mother, but no sound came out. The light around him began to distort further until everything turned into a thick fog, and he found himself at a crossroads. Something was off. Something had changed.
Aoi then regained consciousness, but no longer as the 20-year-old chasing his dreams. Now he was facing something much deeper. He saw his own reflection in a shattered mirror, fragmented. It was as if he was watching his life unravel, the moments he had let slip by, the choices he hadn't made. Time seemed to have sped up.
Back in the intense light, Aoi felt his mind finally quieting down. He didn't know if he was dead, just dreaming, or merely delirious. But what he knew with absolute clarity now, more than ever, was that he couldn't go on like this.
"I still had so much to do," he whispered to himself as the light around him began to dissolve.
Before he could fully understand what this realization meant, everything faded to black.