The tune from the music box hung in the air even after it stopped playing.

Y/N stared at the wooden box in his hands. It was just wood and metal, nothing special to look at. But it had pulled out something from inside him, something buried deep under layers of loops and resets.

Memories of Rain, yeah, but not just the sweet smiles and soft touches. The box had unlocked the wrongness that had always been there, a subtle discord humming beneath the surface of everything she said and did.

He turned the box over again, looking for any other clues. Maybe a marking, a scratch, anything that would tell him why.

Why this box? Why now? Why was it hidden in his desk drawer in this life? It felt important, like more than just a trigger for bad memories. It felt like a key, but to what?

His fingers traced the edges of the wood.

He flipped it open again, staring at the cylinder with its tiny metal pins. He wound the key again, slowly this time, listening to the clicks.

The distorted melody started up again, slow and unsettling. He let it play, closing his eyes again, not to see the memories this time, but to feel them.

He thought about Ira and Ren. They were outside, probably wondering what he was doing, if he was okay. They always worried. Even in loops where they barely knew him.

Ira and Ren were just there. Like the air, like something you didn't even think about needing until it was gone.

He hadn't appreciated it before, not really. He'd been too caught up in the Rain loop, too focused on her, on what she wanted, on what she made him feel.

He remembered a time, maybe in one of the loops, when he was actually sick. Not just dizzy and collapsing sick, but real, proper flu level sick. He'd been stuck in bed for days, feverish and miserable.

Ira and Ren had shown up at his door every day, bringing soup, comics, even just sitting with him in silence when he was too tired to talk. They hadn't made a big deal of it, hadn't acted like they were doing him some huge favor. They'd just been there. Because that's what friends did.

He hadn't really understood it then. He'd been too busy being him. Lost in his own head, pushing people away, thinking he was better off alone.

Rain had played on that, hadn't she? She'd made him feel special, like she was the only one who got him, the only one who truly cared. But it was a lie. To isolate him, to make him dependent on her.

The music box melody ended again. Silence fell back into the room. The music had cleared something out, like sweeping dust from a forgotten corner.

He stood up, putting the music box back in the hidden drawer, closing it with a soft click. He didn't know what the box was, what it meant, but he knew it had shown him something important.

He walked to the door, opened it, and stepped out into the hallway. It was still cold, the air in the building thin and stale. He walked towards the elevator, pushed the button for the lobby.

As he waited for the elevator, he thought about what he would say to Ira and Ren.

"Hey, thanks for worrying. Sorry I spaced out." It sounded stupid, weak. But it was the truth. Everything was weird. He was weird. This whole situation was messed up beyond belief.

The elevator doors opened, and he stepped inside. He pressed the button for the lobby, and the elevator started to descend.

He looked at his reflection in the metal doors, his face pale, eyes shadowed. He looked tired. More than tired. He looked hollowed out.

The elevator doors opened again, and he stepped out into the apartment lobby.

There he saw Ren and Ira chatting around walking outside.

They saw him and stopped.

Ira grinned again, but it was a smaller grin this time "Y/N! Dude, you okay? You should rest."

Ren just nodded.

"Yeah" Y/N said, his voice still rough, but maybe a little stronger now. "Yeah, I'm... better. Thanks for everything."

Ira put his hand on Y/n's shoulder "Dude, of course. That's what we do, right?" He glanced at Ren, a silent question in his eyes.

Ren nodded again, a fraction more of a smile appearing on his face. "Yeah. What he said."

They were good. They were good guys.

"Hey" Y/N said, the word feeling strange in his mouth. "Hey, you guys hungry? Think I could eat something."

Ira's grin widened, full force this time, genuine. "Hungry? Dude, are you kidding? I'm always hungry. Let's go get something. Anything."

Ren replied "Yeah. Sounds good."

They started walking again outside of the apartment.

Ira pointed down the street. "Hey, you know what I could really go for? Ice cream. Yeah, ice cream. Sounds crazy in this weather, right? But just imagine, cold ice cream, warm...ish jacket... perfect." He shivered dramatically, but his grin didn't falter.

Ren rolled his eyes "Ice cream? In the middle of winter? You're insane."

"Insanely craving ice cream, yeah" Ira said, still grinning. He looked at Y/N. "You in, dude? Ice cream? On me. Celebration. You're not dead. Ice cream."

Ice cream. It sounded ridiculous. And maybe, just maybe, that's exactly what he needed. Something ridiculous.

A small smile touched his lips "Yeah," Y/N said. "Yeah, ice cream in this cold winter. Sounds good."

Ira laughed. "Yes! Ice cream it is! Come on, dudes, let's find the most ridiculously inappropriate ice cream place we can find!"

As they walked, Y/N glanced back at the apartment. He didn't know what was next, he was still stuck in the loop.

But somehow as he grew more and more. He felt like he can take it on.

The first loop.