Date: 17th October, 2025
Time: 6:43 PM
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> 6:43 PM – The Call
The phone rang.
Takumi Tanaka stared at the flickering screen: Unknown Number.
The air in his office felt heavy, suffocating.
"Mr. Tanaka... your parents, Toshiro and Tomiko, and your son, Taiki... didn't survive the crash."
The words sank in slowly.
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6:44 PM – Running Home
The sky above Tokyo was turning ink-black, clouds gathering like a funeral shroud.
Takumi ran.
His footsteps echoed in the narrow streets. Tears blurred his vision.
No. No. No.
Tsubaki... I need to see Tsubaki.
The cold wind cut through his suit like knives.
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6:59 PM – The House
The house loomed in the darkness.
The porch light flickered.
Tsubaki Tanaka stood at the door, her expression soft—too soft.
She wore a white dress with red floral patterns. The red seemed brighter tonight.
Red like fresh blood.
"Welcome home, Takumi. I made tea."
Of course. Tea at this time. Every time.
He sat at the table. The steam from the cup twisted in the air like faint ghosts.
6:59:47 PM
He lifted the cup.
Bitter. Sour. Wrong.
"This tea is very sour. Like poison."
Tsubaki smiled—too wide, too slow.
"Yes," she whispered. "Because it is poison."
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7:03 PM – Panic
No—no—NO.
His throat burned. His heartbeat raced, crashing against his ribs.
His phone—dead.
The world seemed to tilt.
Call someone. Police. Hospital—
He stumbled out of the house.
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7:15 PM – The Bridge
The bridge stretched endlessly over a dark river. The water below was a black mirror, reflecting nothing.
The streetlights buzzed faintly.
"Hey! You. Wallet. Phone."
Three shadows stepped from the darkness—faces hidden, voices cold.
A knife gleamed.
Pain bloomed in his side. His breath hitched.
Falling—
His body tumbled over the edge.
The river rushed up to meet him.
Darkness swallowed everything.
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7:30 PM – The Rescue
Toru Takeda.
The homeless man stood on the riverbank, silhouetted against the dim city lights.
His coat was tattered, hair matted, face worn by time.
"Hold on!" Toru shouted, voice echoing.
Takumi felt cold fingers grasp his arm.
Why does he look so familiar?
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7:45 PM – The Hospital
Bright lights. Sharp smells. Cold sheets.
The ceiling spun. His body wouldn't move.
Only his eyes.
Doctor's Voice:
"Locked-in syndrome. Complete paralysis except eye movement. His wife says he suffered mental trauma after the accident."
Liar.
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8:00 PM – Home (Again)
The world seemed to skip.
Why... am I back here?
Tsubaki smiled, standing beside the fridge.
She opened it slowly.
A cold metal bowl.
Steam rose from it, carrying a thick, metallic smell.
"Toshiro, Tomiko, and Taiki... they're here, Takumi. In this soup."
She ate a spoonful, smiling at him.
It smells like endings. Like death.
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8:10 PM – The Final Betrayal
Toru stepped in.
His face now seemed younger, colder, emptier.
The savior becomes the betrayer.
Tsubaki kissed Toru in front of Takumi's frozen gaze.
"Now you shall meet them."
She lifted a large blood-stained knife—the same one used on his family.
The blade smells like endings.
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Darkness.
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