Chrono Reset

The morning sun poured over the sleepy town, bathing the streets in golden warmth. Kaito strolled toward school, his bag slung lazily over one shoulder, the breeze ruffling his dark hair. Cherry blossom petals floated down like soft snow, dusting the sidewalks in pink, a peaceful backdrop to the otherwise mundane morning.

This was the day that change everything.

Halfway down the cracked pavement, a wild shout shattered the morning calm.

"Kaito! Wait up, man!"

Turning, Kaito saw his best friend — Koji — sprinting toward him, arms flailing like he was escaping a bear.

Kaito slowed, an amused smirk tugging at his lips. "Overslept again?"

Koji skidded to a stop beside him, panting. "Obviously! Dude, we wiped for like, three hours last night. I think my soul ascended."

Kaito chuckled. "Maybe you just suck at the game."

"Oi!" Koji clutched his chest like he'd been mortally wounded. "Betrayed by my own party member."

Kaito shrugged. "Get better."

Koji grinned sheepishly. "You joining tonight, right? New event drops. We need your busted DPS, man."

"Maybe," Kaito said, pretending to think. "If I finish my homework."

"Ugh, nerd." Koji groaned. "You're supposed to abandon education for gaming greatness!"

They laughed, weaving through other students heading to the school gates.

Reaching the entrance, they bumped fists.

"Later, Koji."

"Later, carry me tonight!" Koji called as he disappeared toward the B-Class wing.

Kaito shook his head fondly and made his way up the stairs to the A-Class building.

Today, for once, he wasn't late.

The classroom buzzed with chatter. Kaito slid into his usual seat near the window just as the teacher marched in, barking for silence.

Break Time.

The shrill bell rang, releasing the classroom into noisy chaos.

Kaito leaned back in his chair, stretching.

He patted his pockets — a small clink of coins answered.

500 yen. Just enough.

He wandered down to the canteen, bought a simple bun and a bottle of water, and returned to his desk.

As he unwrapped his bread, a soft voice startled him.

"K-Kaito..."

He looked up.

Standing there, trembling slightly, was Sayuri Fujimori. Her long black hair cascaded over her shoulders, and her hands twisted the hem of her skirt nervously.

"Fujimori-san?" Kaito asked, blinking in surprise.

Sayuri glanced around, as if making sure no one else was watching. Her cheeks were burning red.

"After school..." she whispered, barely audible. "Can we meet... on the rooftop?"

Kaito tilted his head, confused but curious. "Sure," he said casually.

Sayuri's eyes widened a fraction — she hadn't expected such an easy answer. With a tiny squeak, she bowed quickly and rushed back to her seat, her face glowing.

Kaito scratched the back of his head.

Girls were weird.

Shrugging, he returned to his bread, pushing the strange encounter to the back of his mind.

After School.

The last bell echoed through the hallways, a bittersweet farewell to the day.

Kaito made his way to the rooftop, each step oddly heavy. His thoughts buzzed with confusion. Why did Sayuri ask him to meet there? It wasn't like her to make such a bold move. He tried to push aside his growing unease, but something in the air felt off.

The rooftop was quiet, almost sacred in the fading light. The sun painted the clouds in brilliant hues — scarlet, amber, violet — a burning canvas across the sky.

He leaned against the railing, watching the sun sink lower.

Minutes slipped by.

Five. Ten. Fifteen.

No Sayuri.

The breeze tugged at his uniform. The rooftop felt lonelier with each passing second.

Kaito sighed, kicking at the floor.

Maybe she forgot.

Maybe it was a joke.

The thought stung more than he expected. He glanced at his watch, frustration creeping in.

His stomach churned.

Disappointed, he turned and headed for the exit, the golden light casting his long shadow before him.

Meanwhile — The Rooftop.

Sayuri sprinted up the stairwell, nearly tripping over her own feet. Her chest ached, her breath came in ragged gasps.

Clutched tightly in her trembling hand was a carefully folded love letter — the one she spent hours writing the night before, erasing, rewriting, pouring every ounce of her feelings into it.

She slammed open the rooftop door.

"Kaito...!" she gasped, eyes darting frantically.

Empty.

Her heart dropped into her stomach.

"No... no, no..."

She stumbled forward, tears welling in her eyes.

Running to the fence, she scanned the school grounds below. There — near the gate — a familiar figure was walking away, bag slung over one shoulder.

"Kaito!!" she screamed, her voice raw and desperate.

At the School Gate.

Kaito froze mid-step, head snapping up at the sound of his name.

He squinted against the sunlight.

Far above, on the rooftop, he spotted her — Sayuri — standing at the edge, clutching something white to her chest.

"What?!" he shouted back, confusion and guilt surging through him.

For a moment, everything around him faded — the students chattering, the cars passing by, the world itself.

There was only her.

Sayuri cupped her hands around her mouth, voice trembling but clear:

"I LOVE YOU, KAITO!!"

The words rang out, cutting through the distance like a blade.

The world slowed.

Kaito's breath hitched.

His heart skipped — then thundered.

He opened his mouth to reply, to say something — but he saw it.

A shadow.

A man — dark, smiling cruelly — emerging behind Sayuri.

"Sayuri!! Behind you!!" Kaito screamed, but his voice was ripped away by the wind.

The man shoved her hard.

Sayuri's body tilted forward — arms flailing, face frozen in horror.

She screamed — a sound that would haunt Kaito forever.

The love letter slipped from her fingers, fluttering down like a dying bird.

Kaito's legs moved without thinking, sprinting toward the building — but he was too far.

Far too far.

Time collapsed into a single, unbearable moment.

Sayuri fell.

The sunlight caught in her hair, turning her into a falling star.

Then — silence.

[Flashback]

Under a sky of blooming sakura trees, a much younger Sayuri tugged insistently at Kaito's sleeve.

"Kaito!" she demanded, her tiny face serious. "When we grow up... can we get married?"

Kaito, awkward and blushing, rubbed the back of his head.

"Huh...? Maybe... but only if you become even cooler."

Sayuri puffed up proudly. "I'll become super awesome! You'll see!"

She thrust her pinky finger out toward him.

"Promise?"

Kaito hesitated — then smiled, a real, honest smile — and linked his pinky with hers.

"Promise."

The cherry blossoms rained around them like a soft, pink snowstorm, sealing their vow.

Back in the present,

Kaito collapsed to his knees at the school gate, his entire body trembling.

He dug his nails into his palms, barely noticing the blood dripping onto the ground.

Tears blurred his vision until the world became nothing but broken shapes and color.

"I promised..."

His voice was a broken whisper.

"I promised I'd stay with you..."

But he had failed.

And nothing he could do would ever change that.