A sharp pain was in your abdomen, the feeling was excruciating yet you couldn't do anything to stop it. You couldn't hunch over, you couldn't shakily bring your hands up to stop the blood from flowing, you couldn't even cry out. Then, there was something else. Flames crackling and a searing hot air oppressing you. You felt like you were losing something, something you never had a chance to obtain.

... You were dying.

... But why did it feel like you were bitterly accepting it?

Your eyes shot open and you sat up at lightning speed as an avalanche of a headache mercilessly crushed your head. Sweat pouring down your forehead, breathing heavy and haphazard, hands gripping the bed sheets tightly; you let out a groan whilst your mind was dizzy with blurred memories.

What... what happened?

Nauseous, your struggle to get out of bed only led you falling down and knocking over the lamp on the cupboard beside you. A fall so harmless spiralled your senses out of control; your vision was distorted, your sense of touch confused, and hearing muffled. With trembling hands and a ringing echoing in your ears, you slowly stood up only to end up falling again.

The room was dimly lit due to the moonlight.

Night time... wasn't it day before?

"(Y/n)! Are you okay?"

A distant voice from downstairs. Your lips parted, but your voice wasn't there.

Hurried footsteps approached before a luminous light spilled into the room and you found yourself wrapped into a comforting embrace. The person pulled away and looked at you. Ah, it was your mother. Concern was prominent on her expression. Words flowed out of her mouth, but everything sounded like an amalgamation of incomprehensible sentences.

"(Y/n)... (Y/n)!"

You snapped out of your dazed mind and slowly became more aware of your surroundings. You were in your room, you had just woken up, your mother heard you fall, you––

"(Y/n), are you okay? I heard something from upstairs so I came to check. Did you have a nightmare?"

"I'm... what happened?"

"What happened?"

"I––the last thing... the last thing I remember was walking outside."

Your mother was silent for a moment. "Dear, when your father and I came home we found you sleeping in your bed."

That didn't make sense, but you were too exhausted to try and make sense of it.

"I... I just had a nightmare. Don't worry about it."

===

It all felt like one blurry dream. A dream where you were certain that you remember the details of, but when you tried to recall it all you could gather was bits and pieces that barely formed a comprehensible narrative. The more you reached into the depths of your memory, the more you doubted the validity of it.

You opened the door to your house and stepped outside. A new day, a new start of the school week. School uniform on and bag on your shoulders as you got ready to walk the same route to school. It was like the end of yesterday never happened.

Almost forgot. I'm supposed to go to the daycare without Shin today. Your mind was too preoccupied to feel curious.

"..."

...

During your walk, there was one thing on your mind:

I lost, didn't I?

You wanted to deny it, but you couldn't run away from the fact that you were outlined in red and someone knocked you unconscious. And there was also the fact that you couldn't access the holographic screen. Your heart raced a little faster. So, when will you be facing the consequences of failure? You had no idea what the consequences were and never thought about it much since you never thought you'd actually fail.

You sighed. "Dammit..."

Who was it that hit me on the back of my head?

Satoshi? Yusei? Heck, maybe even Kashi? If so, why would they target you at that moment in time? Were there hints over the several weeks where things were seemingly normal? Were you not sharp enough to pick up those hints and anticipate the attack? Were you enjoying the normalcy so much that you had let your guard down more than you realised?

You discarded those thoughts momentarily when you reached the daycare. It was oddly quiet. Usually, you'd hear muffled laughter and conversations from the other side. Slowly, you opened the door before being greeted with a very loud shout from all the kids.

"SURPRISE!"

Confetti fell and some landed on your head as loud laughter filled the room. All the children looked at you with eager expressions while you stood there baffled. Kashi was there and he smiled at you followed along with a small wave.

Colourful paper chains and origami birds were hung up around the room. There was even a banner with 'surprise!' messily written on with crayon. The tables that used to be scattered around the room were pushed together as a makeshift larger table; it had a wide variety of snacks poured into plastic plates accompanied with soft drinks.

You took a moment to speak. "What's... what's the occasion?"

Shin ran up to you and excitedly beamed, "To show how much we like you!"

"How much you like me...?"

"You play with us and it's fun having you here! Also, also, I wanted to thank you for walking with me!"

You managed a soft laugher before kneeling down to Shin's level. "What about Kashi? He visits just as much as I do."

"He found out about the surprise because we whispered too loudly. But! He promised to keep it a secret from you."

Kashi nodded. "See? I didn't break my promise. She had no idea."

Any other day you would've reacted with a cheerful smile and spilled a thousand genuine thank yous at the efforts the kids went through just to show their appreciation. Don't get you wrong, you were immensely grateful and touched. But when you felt that spark of happiness, it was washed away with dread when you were reminded of your current situation.

Does it matter? I might not even see them again.

See? This is what made you let your guard down. Why couldn't you wait for a year, finish the game, and then allow yourself to relax?

It's too late now. You lost your chance.

However, you didn't want to ruin the mood. You strained a forced smile and laugh.

"Aw, how sweet of you guys!"

Shin's expression lit up and he excitedly gave the other kids a thumbs up. They all collectively shouted 'success!' and high fived each other. The child eagerly held you by the hand and led you further inside the room. The entire time, you did your best to ease your mind and appreciate the friendly atmosphere. You cleared your mind of what happened yesterday so you wouldn't spoil what the kids worked so hard to prepare.

But no matter how hard you tried, the consequences of failing the game made you restless.

When it was time to leave, the kids waved you goodbye and some even hugged you (Shin got a little jealous and made his hug the longest, it was adorable). The company made you feel better, but it also made you feel a little bitter. You wished everyday was like this. No need to worry about getting your memories back or preventing people from dying or getting hurt.

Walking to school with Kashi. Sometimes the two of you would chat the whole way and sometimes there would be a comfortable silence with a few conversations here and there. Today, the silence felt tense.

With little energy to talk, you zoned out and your mind went back to worrying over what was going to happen to you, cursing yourself for being careless, and thinking about what you could've done better. You flinched when you felt a hand on your shoulder and turned around to see Kashi who had a concerned look.

"(Y/n)... are you okay? I was calling out to you, but you weren't responding."

"Oh..."

There was little use in pretending that you were fine around him. He'd notice.

"No... I'm not okay. I... "

"Oh! You don't need to feel forced to tell me what's wrong. I don't want to pressure you." He smiled warmly. "Just know that I'll be here if you need someone to listen."

You were grateful for his words, but it wasn't like your situation had changed. "Thanks."

"Of course, it's the least I could do for you." He stopped walking. "... Need a hug?"

You looked at him, speechless.

"O-or not!" He chuckled sheepishly. "Sorry, I'm not the greatest at comforting people when music isn't involved. Don't worry about it!"

Honestly, a hug doesn't sound bad at all.

"Is the offer still up?" you asked.

"Hm? Oh––"

You didn't let him finish and went for the embrace yourself. Kashi's body tensed at first, but eventually softened and he wrapped his arms around you. You could hear his heartbeat racing wildly, but it was comforting and his arms around you felt protective. Kashi was shocked at first at your abrupt action, but when he noticed how tired you looked, a sympathetic look reflected in his grey-blue eyes.

"(Y/n)... if someone is bothering you, just tell me," he said, voice lowered to almost a whisper. "I'll handle it, okay? Just say the word."

A harmless sentence, a sentence that one would find gratitude in.

But why didn't his tone sit right with you?

===

It was time for lunch. As always, Kai bursted into your classroom a few seconds after the bell rang, told you to hurry up and get ready for lunch (at one point he packed up for you because you were 'too slow' according to him, but you had a feeling he wanted an excuse for you to praise him), and then the two of you would be on your way to kidnap Himari from her classroom. Today was no different, just that you weren't as lively as usual.

"You look like shit today."

You groaned. "Thanks, Kai."

"Did you not sleep or something?"

Actually, it was the opposite. After you woke up in a cold sweat last night, you immediately went back to bed.

"Just have a lot on my mind."

"Why didn't you call me? You would've felt a million times better!"

"What if it was four in the morning?"

"Pft, are you challenging me? I can do anything!" he exclaimed proudly. "Plus, if it's for you, nothing is too hard." He examined your face. "Yeah, you need some fresh air. Let's eat outside today. I'll text Himari."

Kai took your hand in his and led you to the courtyard.

"Kai, it's fine. Today is just an off day."

"Yeah, sure." He huffed. "I'm not telling ya to force yourself to tell me what's wrong, but at least be honest. Who the hell wants to see the person they like sad? Not me."

A small smile on your lips, you laughed softly at his words. Maybe you should stop feeling so down and stop allowing your intrusive thoughts to take reign over your actions.

However, as soon as you had that thought, a foreboding feeling gripped your consciousness. Instinctively, your free hand pulled Kai back. The moment that happened, a large metal paint bucket crashed at the entrance of the courtyard, the spot where Kai would've been had you not interfered.

A bit of paint spilled on the ground. Your heart hammered against your ribcage and your breathing grew uneven. That would've hit Kai's head. Sure, he wouldn't have died and maybe he would have even dodged it, but the fact that he could've gotten hurt as soon as you wanted to let your guard down terrified you.

Outside, there was a ladder against the wall and a certain brunette was on top of it. Satoshi. He looked down, a worried look on his gentle features.

"That could've been dangerous. Are you two okay? My hand accidentally slipped."

You wanted to immediately ask what were you doing with that bucket? But the answer was obvious––he was painting. But your mind immediately assumed he had malicious intentions.

Kai waved him off. "Yeah, yeah. No one got hurt. (Y/n) was quick." He grabbed the bucket and passed it back to Satoshi. "What the hell are you doing anyway?"

Satoshi gestured to his work in progress. "I was asked to paint an art piece on the walls of the school to make the place feel more lively."

"Oh, cool. C'mon, (Y/n), let's go."

Satoshi smiled at you. "Sorry again."

The entire exchange was brushed off and Kai thought nothing of it. You, on the other hand, thought everything of it. You sneaked a glance at Satoshi who continued painting the wall.

I really am an idiot.

The entire reason why you messed up in the first place was because you grew too comfortable. Going to the arcade with Kashi, hanging out with Kai and Himari, bantering with Yusei while doing student council work; a part of you so desperately wanted your life to just be normal.

If by some chance you were given another go at the game, you vowed to never let your guard down again.

And before you knew it, time passed and school was over. The bell rang, you packed up your bags, said goodbye to Kai and Kasumi, and began walking home.

"I don't know what's going on, but... I hope the game is still on," you mumbled.

Since you had nothing better to think about on your walk, you might as well act like the game was still on.

Alright, let's go over the three male leads.

Kashi was someone who manipulated the crowd and knew how to put on a good performance to divert suspicion away from him. Shichirou was someone who manipulated an individual to get his way, it was difficult to link things back to him even if he was the catalyst.

So, what about Satoshi? He was soft spoken, treated everyone kindly, and kept his distant most of the time. If you're assuming he was the one who attacked you, then you'd add he was unexpectedly reckless. And if you make the assumption that the bucket falling and almost hitting Kai was done purposefully, then you'd say he was a little crafty.

You sighed. This was getting complicated.

Since you were so engrossed in your thoughts, you didn't realise that you had accidentally bumped into someone. The individual's height caught you off guard, he was a good few centimetres taller than Kai.

You stumbled a little. "Oh, my bad."

Lime green eyes looked at you, a hint of red eyeshadow on the edge them. The male adjusted his green tinted glasses that sat on top of his hair, which were the same colour as his eyes, and nodded at you. Judging from his oversized casual clothing and somewhat mature features, you didn't think he was a high-schooler. Most likely a young adult?

Ah, well. It's not like it mattered. With nothing else to say, you walked off.

[ Don't worry about it. I was hoping to bump into you anyway :) ]

A holographic screen flashed in front of you. Shocked, you snapped your head around. The individual's lips curved into an amused grin and he winked at you.

[ Haha ]

[ Did I catch you off guard? ]



A/n: FINALLY. I CAN WRITE THIS MAN IN THE FLESH