"Now, what? Almost a month has passed, so I'm going to be punished, right?" I thought as I headed to the place where Kei was waiting. My mind was still tangled up with thoughts of that white-haired girl—what was her name, Suko? If I remembered correctly. But what did she mean by that? Did she know something about me? Strangely, I felt like I had met her before, but this was our first encounter. Why did it feel like I was missing an important piece of a puzzle?
As my mind wandered around, I almost reached the shop where Kai and Aiko liked to hang out. It was a cozy little place where we often grabbed a bite to eat when hunger struck.
But just before I arrived, the wailing of sirens pierced the air, sending a chill down my spine.
"Hey, hey! Don't tell me—the punishment is this!!" Flames roared and danced like a wild beast, licking the wall with their enormous heat. sparks crackling into the air; the heat was suffocating enough to give a lung cancer at the movement when you stand near the fire; it's big enough to burn when you enter to rescue someone...
"Are you saying they... die? while... burning?" Panic surged in my chest. "No..No,NO,NO!! I'm just overthinking!! There's no way that's possible... What will happen to them? The punishment is only for me, right?" The thought was unbearable, like a nightmare unfolding before my eyes.
"Hey! Did someone call the fire brigade yet?!" a voice shouted from the crowd.
"Hey, there are people inside the shop!! Call an ambulance!!" Another voice yelled urgently.
"Hey,Hey!! Waiting for the fire brigade or ambulance will not save them!! Someone needs to rescue them! Please, PLEASE!! Some brave, come out and save them—save my friend!!" My thought, speaking loud enough that it buried all my surroundings, the world spinning around, all the faces I could see, became a puppet. darkness surrounds me.
"Shatter! Tinkle!" I heard the sounds of breaking glass as if they were echoing from a distant nightmare. Suddenly, I found myself inside the shop, my body moving on its own, as if possessed. I could feel everything—the heat, the smoke, the overwhelming fear—but it didn't feel like me.
I was terrified. Too SCARED!! The flames roared around me, far more intense than I had imagined. Black smoke swirled, choking me as it filled my lungs, forcing me to cough violently.
"...Why? Why have I come inside? I'm not some kind of superhero; I can die easily. Why?! Why is my body moving?!!!" I screamed, my voice raw and strained, knowing that no one could hear me over the chaos. My legs suddenly gave out beneath me, and I collapsed, paralyzed by fear.
"Hahahahaha!! Severs you right," a voice suddenly echoed through the smoke. I recognized it immediately; it was the strange woman's voice, which appeared out of nowhere a month ago, came to hunt me again...
With a small, mocking sigh, she continued, "I want to laugh more at you, but I don't have much time. So listen closely: like a game, you can restart from the beginning. But there's a catch—you will die, die, and die many times to do so. Good luck!"
As she spoke, my vision started to blur, and the heat from the flames surrounded me. It felt like I was trapped in a nightmare, and just like before, she disappeared without explaining anything.
My heart raced, pounding hard. Each beat felt like a drum, drowning out the noise around me. My body felt heavy, as if I were moving through thick mud, making it hard to escape. The air was filled with sharp and choking smoke, making it difficult to breathe. I coughed violently, each breath burning my lungs.
The world spun around me, a dizzying mix of flames and shadows. The heat radiated from the fire, wrapping around me like a hot blanket. Sweat dripped down my face, and I could taste fear in my mouth. Panic surged through me, making it hard to think straight.
I felt trapped, surrounded by flames that seemed to close in on me. I was losing control, and the darkness threatened to swallow me whole. With that, all become black, void. Nothing more, life or death—I don't know anymore. It's just like I'm floating in a black abyss.
***
"Hey, hey, Tanaka... wake up." A soft voice floated through the haze, gentle yet insistent, like it could fade away anytime. I felt a strange familiarity in it, but I couldn't quite place where I had heard it before. "Hey! Hey! Wake up...!!" The voice was becoming more urgent, almost annoying. Where had I heard this before? "You know this is not your home; sleep at your home."
I blinked my eyes open, confused. "Hmm... where am I?" I mumbled, glancing around. The room felt oddly familiar, but everything was a blur. In front of me stood a woman—
"Hey, this is school, you know..." she said, her tone laced with irritation. She sighed, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "Jeez, when will you learn?" It was my homeroom teacher; her brow furrowed in concern.
"Why is she here?" I thought, panic rising in my chest. Suddenly, laughter erupted around me—my classmates were pointing and giggling, their faces a mix of amusement and disbelief. Which brings back to my senses.
"Don't sleep again," she said, heading back to her desk, the sound of her heels clicking against the floor echoing in the room.
"Y-yes..." I stammered, still lost in confusion. My mind raced, like a rat race with no hope of reaching the goal. One question gnawed at me like a rat running in the wild: "How? How am I here?" I felt like I was trying to piece together a shattered mirror with a little hope of finding the answer.
Then, a chilling memory surfaced—the strange woman's voice echoing in my mind: "RESTART." My heart raced. Had I really gone back in time? What time was it now? clock,clock... where? Digital clock, who comes wearing today?
"Hey, Tanaka, why are you looking all around?" the teacher asked, her voice cutting through my frantic thoughts.
"Um, ma'am, what date is today?" I blurted out, nearly shouting. The words tumbled from my lips, desperate for clarity.
"What are you asking? Are you okay?" she replied, her expression shifting to one of worry. "Today is May 3, 2024, you know."
A chill ran down my spine. Huh? I had gone back a whole month? The day when the strange woman's voice first echoed in my mind. My heart pounded in my chest, a mix of fear and confusion swirling within me. What did this mean? What was happening to me?
"Tanaka, are you really okay? Your face is palye, you know. Do you need to go to the nurse room?" The teacher's voice broke through my thoughts again, pulling me back to reality. Is my face really that pale?
"Uh, yeah, I think," I said, leaving the class after I got the permission.