The sun hung low over the school courtyard, casting long shadows across the emptying grounds.
Students trickled out in small groups, their laughter and footsteps fading into the soft hum of evening.
Haruto walked quietly beside Airi, the comforting crunch of gravel beneath their shoes filling the silence.
"It feels... peaceful today, doesn't it?" Haruto said, glancing at her.
Airi smiled, clutching her sketchbook tightly against her chest.
"Yeah," she said. "It's been a while since the air felt this light.
Maybe things are finally changing for us."
Haruto laughed softly.
"Or maybe it's just you," he said, grinning.
"Being around you... I forget everything else."
Their eyes met briefly.
Airi's cheeks flushed pink, and she quickly looked away.
"W-What are you saying all of a sudden?" she mumbled.
Haruto smirked.
"Nothing," he said lightly. "Just... thank you.
For everything."
Airi nodded, trying to hide a shy smile.
Her fingers absently traced the outline of something only she could feel — the faintly glowing silver ring on her finger.
Haruto noticed the motion.
"That ring..." he said, tilting his head. "It's glowing again."
Airi blinked, surprised.
"You can see it?" she asked.
"Yeah," Haruto said slowly. "I thought it was just a trick of the light before, but...
I see it clearly now."
He stared at it for a long moment, a strange feeling stirring inside him.
"Why do I feel like... it's not just a ring?"
Airi lowered her hand, her voice dropping to a whisper.
"I don't know either," she said.
"It's been with me since I was a kid.
It never comes off, no matter what."
Haruto's gaze darkened thoughtfully.
"It feels... connected to something," he murmured.
They walked a few more steps in silence.
Then Airi glanced at him hesitantly.
"Hey..." she began, "you've been using the watch again, right?"
Haruto hesitated.
"Yeah," he admitted, guilt flashing across his face.
"Sometimes... too much.
It's addicting."
He paused, voice dropping lower.
"But lately... I feel like it's watching me back."
Airi turned sharply toward him, concern in her eyes.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
Haruto looked down at his wrist, hidden under his sleeve.
"Like I'm not the only one using it," he said.
"The more I use it... the more I feel it pull me in.
Like... someone else is aware when I do."
Before she could respond, a faint sound — like a distant bell echoing underwater — rippled through the air.
Both of them froze.
The atmosphere shifted — a strange, shivering tremor, like time itself hiccupped.
"Did you hear that...?" Airi whispered, clutching her sketchbook tighter.
Before Haruto could answer, a figure walked past them — quiet, deliberate.
Reiji.
"You shouldn't rely on toys you don't understand," Reiji said without stopping.
Haruto stiffened, spinning to confront him — but Reiji had already disappeared into the crowd.
Haruto clenched his fists.
"What the hell does he mean by that...?" he muttered.
---
Later That Night — Haruto's Room
Haruto lay in bed, staring at the cracked ceiling above him.
The watch sat on the nightstand, glowing faintly — a heartbeat of light in the darkness.
He reached out and brushed his fingers against it—
FLASH—
A vision.
Two children.
A watch.
A ring.
A promise.
Haruto jolted upright, gasping for air, sweat beading his forehead.
Was that... a memory?
---
Elsewhere — Reiji's Lair
Across the city, Reiji sat alone in a dark, empty room.
Before him, a mirror rippled like a pool of liquid time.
Inside its surface, Haruto's reflection flickered.
Reiji's lips curled into a cold smirk.
"The first move... has been made," he whispered.
The mirror darkened.
---
To Be Continued...