Time flew by in an instant.
It happened so fast I wasn't even sure if those moments had truly existed at all.
"……Eh?"
Before I knew it, I was at the Graduation Ceremony.
"That was fast. Wait, what?"
The words slipped out of my mouth instinctively.
"Yeah, a lot happened these past three years. It really went by in a flash!"
"……I guess so," I replied with a smile.
But...
"……"
Was it really?
Something felt off—something was catching in the back of my mind. But that feeling soon ceased to matter.
"……Well, whatever."
Naturally, that was all I thought.
Spring arrived once more. Cherry blossoms danced through the air.
"……University, huh?"
A brand-new bag. An unfamiliar campus. Everything felt like a fresh start.
"……It’s been a long time since I felt this way," I muttered to myself.
Everything was going smoothly. I had studied hard and gotten into the school of my choice. I was moving toward a proper future.
"……"
This was a "correct life."
And yet, deep in my chest, a slight restlessness stirred.
"……What is this?"
I didn't know the reason.
On the way home, the cherry blossoms swayed in the wind.
"……Well, it looks like I’m going to struggle with making friends," I thought, idly gazing at the flowers as I walked.
"……It’s peaceful. Of course it is."
Just as that thought crossed my mind...
"—Ah!"
A child’s voice rang out.
"……?"
I turned my head. A small child had dashed out into the road.
"……!"
A car was right there. I understood in an instant what was about to happen.
"……"
Time slowed to a crawl.
It was dangerous. I knew that. I had to save them.
But once again, my feet stopped.
"……Not again."
Something creaked deep inside my head.
The stairs.
"—Kyaa!"
That voice from back then. The falling girl. My frozen self. I was doing nothing—it was exactly the same as that day.
A calm, cold voice echoed in my head.
—It’s impossible. —You won’t make it in time anyway. —It’s dangerous.
If I wanted to live, staying still was the right judgment. The rational judgment.
"……"
...Is it really?
I had lived through a hollow High School Division Third Year, never once escaping the grip of my regrets.
Strength surged into my legs.
"……"
I didn't know why. I couldn't explain it. But deep in my chest, my heart was screaming.
For just a moment, a name flashed through my mind.
"……Nana."
I didn't even recognize the name. But—
"……Go."
I muttered the word softly.
In that instant, my body moved on its own.
"Look out!!"
I ran without a single thought. I simply reached out. I shoved the child out of the way.
"……"
In the corner of my vision, a blinding light approached.
"……Ah—"
I was strangely calm.
"……This time," I thought. "I finally managed to choose."
—Thud.
An impact. My consciousness fractured. Sound drifted away.
"Are you okay!?" "Someone, call an ambulance!"
Commotion erupted around me. But strangely, I wasn't afraid.
Ah... that discomfort deep in my chest was gone. So, this was what it felt like to die.
I felt myself falling away.
"……"
My eyelids grew heavy. Just before the world went dark...
"……Yuka," another name spilled from my lips. This time, I added a quiet, "……I’m sorry."
Without even knowing who I was apologizing to, my consciousness sank into the abyss.
"……"
There was no sound. The clamor from moments ago had vanished as if it were a lie.
"……Huh?"
I didn't even know if my eyes were open.
"……Where am I?"
My sensations were vague. I couldn't even tell if I still had a body.
"……"
I was dead. That fact alone I understood with strange ease.
"……I see," I muttered into the void. "……So I really died."
Strangely, I wasn't afraid. Except for one thing.
"……"
It stuck with me.
"……I wonder why I did that."
I had saved them. There had to be a reason... no, that wasn't it.
"……It was just atonement, wasn't it?"
It wasn't like me. But I had seen it through to the end.
"—No, it wasn't."
A voice spoke from somewhere in the nothingness.
"……!?"
"—It was very much like you. Truly like you."
"……W-Who’s there?"
I tried to look around, only to realize I couldn't see anything.
"—You were able to choose correctly, weren't you?"
The voice sounded amused, yet somehow eerie.
"……What do you mean?" I replied, bewildered. "……I died, didn't I? Is this……"
"—I took an interest in you."
the entity said, cutting me off.
"—The First Time, you abandoned her."
"……"
"—The Second Time, you saved them."
"……That’s right."
I remembered. The bitter memory of the stairs and the girl.
"……And?"
"—Isn't that interesting?" the voice replied immediately.
"……What?"
"—Normally," the voice continued, "once someone chooses the 'correct answer,' they simply follow that path. But you were different."
"……"
"—You could have lived on as you were…… No, you could only live on if you stayed as you were. And yet, you went out of your way to choose again."
What was that supposed to mean?
"—That’s why," the voice said, sounding as if it were drawing closer. "—I wanted to see it once more."
"……Huh?"
"—I want to see what you will do next."
"……Meaning?"
I felt a surge of annoyance—no, it was closer to anger—that someone felt they had the right to act like they understood my entire life.
"……Have you been watching me this whole time?"
"—Yes, though you weren't the only one."
I felt the presence of a chuckle.
"—It is Observation."
"……"
That made it even worse.
"—So, I’ll give you another chance," the entity said in a casual tone. "—One more time."
"……What?"
"—A life."
Silence followed. I understood the situation well enough. Unless I was dreaming, this thing was a God, and I was a dead man being offered reincarnation.
"……And if I refuse?"
"—You wouldn't refuse, would you?"
"……"
He was right. I definitely wouldn't.
"—You can rest easy," the voice said, its tone turning slightly gentler. "—This time, you will be able to choose more freely."
As if I could trust that.
"—Oh, that’s right. I shall give you power as well."
"……Power?"
"—Yes. The power to strike down evil and save people."
It would be a lie to say I wasn't interested; the conditions were incredibly favorable.
"—I told you, didn't I? This is Observation. Your every action will be your response to me."
"……I see."
"—Yes. Well then, shall we go?"
Suddenly, my vision began to distort.
"……Wait! Hold on a second!"
"—Ah, one last thing."
Just as I was fading...
"—You are no longer ■■."
"……What?"
"—I’m looking forward to this."
"……!?"
What does that mean? Explain everything……!
I fell. My consciousness sank into the depths.
"……"
In the distance, I heard a voice.
"—Waaaaah!"
"……"
It was warm. I was wrapped in something soft.
"……"
—My Second Time begins.