The rhythmic sound of the train's wheels clattering against the tracks filled the cabin with a monotonous hum. The overhead lights flickered slightly, casting pale illumination over the passengers as they scrolled through their phones or stared blankly out the windows.
Connie Misora sat near the window, resting her chin against her hand, her fingers absentmindedly toying with the silver pendant hanging from her neck. The cool metal of the crescent-moon-and-star charm pressed lightly against her skin, a comforting presence she had carried for as long as she could remember.
Her reflection in the glass wavered slightly with the train's motion—long cyan hair draped over her shoulders, azure eyes slightly unfocused as she watched the darkening cityscape blur past. It was early evening, and the sky was beginning to dim into hues of deep blue and violet.
For the past few days, something had felt… off. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but an odd sense of repetition lingered in the back of her mind. It wasn't strong enough to be alarming—just a subtle, nagging feeling that things were happening twice.
Like today at school, when Ayaka had dropped her pen in class. Connie had instinctively reached out to catch it before it even fell, as if she knew it was coming. Or when she had overheard a conversation between two students about an upcoming test, and she could have sworn she had already heard them say the exact same words in the exact same order before.
Déjà vu, she told herself. It happens.
She sighed, shifting in her seat as the train slowed into the next station. The doors slid open with a chime, and a handful of people stepped in, replacing those who exited.
Then, it happened again.
A man in a dark gray suit entered the train and took a seat a few rows in front of her. Nothing unusual about him—mid-thirties, office worker, probably just heading home. But the moment Connie saw him, a sharp pulse of familiarity struck her.
She knew this scene.
The way he adjusted his watch. The way he ran a hand through his slightly disheveled black hair. The way he let out a quiet sigh before reaching into his pocket for his phone.
She had seen this before.
Connie straightened slightly, her fingers tightening around her pendant. Her heart gave an uneasy flutter as she stared at the man, trying to recall when exactly she had experienced this moment. Had she dreamed it? Or was it just her mind playing tricks on her?
The train doors closed, and the carriage lurched forward again.
Connie shook her head. It was nothing. Just her brain picking up on small patterns. The same way you could hear a song once and feel like you had known it forever when you heard it again.
She needed to stop overthinking.
Taking a deep breath, she pulled out her phone and tapped open a messaging app. Ayaka had sent her something earlier.
Ayaka: [Are you free this weekend? We should go to that new café near the station. I heard they have really good parfaits.]
Connie smirked slightly, her fingers hovering over the keyboard as she considered her response. But before she could type anything, she heard a sudden noise from the front of the carriage.
A clatter.
She turned her head.
The man in the gray suit had dropped his phone.
He cursed under his breath and bent down to retrieve it.
And then—
A sharp jolt.
The train lurched violently, sending passengers gripping onto the metal poles for support. The lights above flickered rapidly, the entire carriage rattling with an unnatural intensity. A high-pitched screech filled the air, the unmistakable sound of metal scraping against metal.
Panic rippled through the passengers. Someone yelped. Another gasped, their voice drowned out by the screeching noise. Connie grabbed onto her seat's armrest, her eyes widening.
The train was derailing.
No—
This wasn't right.
This was—
The world blinked.
Connie's breath caught in her throat.
She was back in her seat.
The train hummed along the tracks, the soft murmur of passengers filling the air once more.
She blinked.
The man in the gray suit walked into the carriage and took his seat.
Adjusted his watch.
Ran a hand through his hair.
Let out a sigh.
Connie's entire body went rigid.
What?
She whipped her head around, her breath coming out faster than before. The station name outside the window was the same. The time on her phone was the same. The exact sequence of events was happening again, down to the way the overhead lights flickered slightly as the train started moving.
This wasn't just déjà vu.
It was a reset.
Her stomach twisted, her hands tightening around the pendant. She forced herself to take a shaky breath, her heart pounding against her ribs.
What the hell was going on?
She swallowed hard, her fingers digging into the fabric of her skirt. She needed to think.
The train derailed. She had died.
But she was here. Again.
And if everything was happening the same way, then—
Her gaze snapped to the man in the gray suit.
The derailment happened shortly after he dropped his phone.
She had to stop it.
The train neared the next station. The doors opened. The man stepped in.
Connie stood up abruptly.
She didn't know what she was doing—her body was moving before her mind could even catch up. Her heart pounded in her chest as she hurried forward, gripping onto the overhead handrail to steady herself.
The man sat down.
Adjusted his watch.
Ran a hand through his hair.
Connie clenched her fists.
A second later, the train doors closed.
She had seconds before the derailment.
She had to act now.
Just as the train picked up speed, she stumbled forward, intentionally crashing into the man's seat.
His phone, which had been loosely gripped in his hand, slipped from his fingers before he could drop it naturally. It clattered to the floor.
The man startled, looking up at her in mild annoyance. "Hey, watch it—"
And then—
The train kept moving.
No lurching.
No screeching metal.
No derailment.
The passengers remained unaware, some giving her brief glances before returning to their phones. The man in the suit bent down, retrieved his phone, and gave her a perplexed look.
"…You okay?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
Connie's breath was shaky.
It… didn't happen.
She forced a nod, swallowing the dryness in her throat. "Yeah. Sorry. Just lost my balance."
He muttered something under his breath but didn't push the issue further.
Connie turned and staggered back to her seat, gripping onto the armrest as she sank down. Her fingers trembled slightly as she pressed them to her temple.
This was real.
She had looped.
And she had just prevented a catastrophe.
A moment later, her phone vibrated.
She glanced down, hesitating before unlocking it.
A new message.
From an unknown sender.
[Death Flag Resolved. Points: 3.]
Her breath hitched.
Her entire world had just changed.
And this was only the beginning.