A dream that ends in light. A friend who always walks ahead. And a message that changes everything.
Ichinose Taichi has had the same dream three times now—Touma turning back to smile at him on the road to school, then a blinding flash, then nothing. He tells himself it's just a dream. But when a message from his quiet classmate Kuze Futaba arrives out of nowhere, asking to talk, Taichi feels it: something is about to change.
In a fading seaside town where the shipyard closed and the young peop
Blue Flag: To Change the Lost Future - The night secrets are told—Masumi's interrogation and Mami's lie
Hell Slope at night.
The streetlights cast the asphalt in a pale blue glow.
Taichi couldn't move. His forehead stayed pressed against the railing.
The tears wouldn't stop.
(No one believes me.)
(I can't do this alone anymore.)
He cried without a sound. His shoulders shook.
That was when it happened.
Behind him — the crunch of gravel underfoot.
Slow. Deliberate.
The footsteps stopped right behind him.
"...You made Futaba cry."
A low voice.
Quiet, yet sharp as a blade.
Taichi couldn't turn around.
He didn't want anyone to see his tear-streaked face.
"Well? Say something. Because of you, Futaba was crying in the nurse's office the whole time."
Masumi's voice was restrained, but the anger in it was unmistakable.
Taichi gripped the railing.
His knuckles went white.
"...I'm sorry."
It was all he could say.
His voice came out hoarse.
"You think 'sorry' fixes this? You were using Futaba, weren't you."
Masumi took a step closer.
The air went taut.
"You used her feelings as a stepping stone to get close to Touma. That's what you did. Pathetic."
Taichi bit his lip.
He tasted blood.
"...That's not it."
"Then what is?"
"It's not like that... I just— I wanted to protect Touma."
Taichi's voice shook.
The tears spilled over again.
"Protect him? From what? What are you even talking about?"
For the first time, confusion crept into Masumi's voice.
Taichi let go of the railing.
Slowly, he turned around.
He faced Masumi with his tear-soaked face.
"...I have a dream."
"A dream?"
"A dream where Touma dies. Hit by a car. Over and over and over."
At those words, Masumi's brow twitched.
"...You're joking."
Masumi snorted.
But the laugh died immediately.
Because she saw Taichi's eyes.
His fists were trembling.
His lips were pale.
His eyes were bloodshot — and utterly serious.
"...You're actually telling the truth, aren't you."
Masumi's voice dropped lower.
"A precognitive dream? Normally nobody would believe something that absurd."
"I know. But I'm certain. The scenes from the dream are starting to overlap with reality."
"...Since when?"
"Since the end of summer break. I keep having the same dream. Touma turns around, smiles, and then—"
Taichi cut himself off.
His throat closed up.
"So that's why you were clinging to Touma like that."
Masumi let out a small breath.
"...It all makes sense now. Your bizarre behavior. The way you treated Futaba. All of it."
Masumi grabbed Taichi's arm.
"Come with me."
"Huh... where?"
"The greenhouse. I'm calling Futaba. She needs to hear this too."
Her tone left no room for argument.
Taichi let himself be pulled along.
The greenhouse behind the school building.
At night, it wore a different face than in daylight.
Moonlight filtered through the glass.
Shadows of plants swayed across the floor.
Masumi called Futaba on her phone.
Minutes later, the greenhouse door opened.
"Masumi-chan... what's going on, all of a sudden?"
Futaba stepped in, looking uneasy.
Her eyes were red.
The traces of crying were still there.
She saw Taichi — and her feet stopped.
"...Taichi-kun."
Futaba's voice trembled.
"Futaba, sit down. This guy has something to tell us."
Masumi pointed to a chair by the workbench.
Futaba sat down hesitantly.
Taichi stayed standing, eyes downcast.
"Taichi. You tell her yourself. Everything."
Masumi's voice was quiet, but it allowed no argument.
Taichi took a deep breath.
In a shaking voice, he began.
"...I have a dream. A dream where Touma dies."
Futaba's eyes went wide.
"...What?"
"Car headlights. Touma turns around and smiles. Then the light swallows him. The same dream, over and over."
"That can't be... that's just a dream, isn't it...?"
"I thought so at first too. But it's not. The scenes from the dream are starting to overlap with reality. When that car slammed to a stop on Hell Slope, Touma turned around with the exact same movement as in my dream."
Taichi looked at Futaba.
"It's true that I used you. I used your feelings to stay close to Touma. I know that's the worst thing I could do. But I wanted to protect him. I couldn't let him die."
Taichi bowed his head deeply.
"I'm sorry. I'm truly sorry."
Silence fell over the greenhouse.
The faint rustle of leaves.
Insects chirping in the distance.
"...Taichi-kun, you were carrying all of that alone?"
Futaba's voice shook.
Taichi raised his head.
Tears spilled from Futaba's large eyes.
"It must have been so hard. You couldn't tell anyone. And I said terrible things to you. I suspected you were using me. I'm sorry."
Futaba stood up.
She gently took Taichi's hand.
A small hand.
A warm hand, covered in bandages.
"I want to protect Touma-kun too. Let me help."
Futaba's eyes were wet with tears.
But they were steady.
A light of determination burned in them.
"...Futaba-chan."
Something deep in Taichi's chest grew warm.
"Idiot. This is what happens when you try to carry everything alone."
Masumi spoke with her arms still crossed.
But her voice was just a little softer than before.
"...But I understand what you're saying. I don't want to see Futaba cry anymore either. I'll help."
Masumi stood beside Taichi.
The three of them gathered around the workbench.
"Let's organize Touma's behavioral patterns and the likelihood of an accident."
Masumi opened the notes app on her phone.
"Touma-kun always goes home through Hell Slope after club. It's a road where cars go pretty fast..."
"That slope has a curve with poor visibility. Cars might not notice pedestrians in time."
"When I walk home with Touma, I always make sure to walk on the road side. But when he's alone, I can't protect him."
"Starting tomorrow, we move for real. We'll track Touma's commute, his club schedule — everything. The three of us take turns watching."
Masumi's voice was strong.
"After gardening club ends, I can wait at the school gate around when Touma-kun's club finishes."
"I have track practice, so I'll join up as soon as it's over. Taichi, what about you?"
"I'll watch in the mornings and after school — in front of Touma's house and at the school gate. ...Thank you, both of you."
Taichi looked at their faces.
Masumi's narrow, sharp eyes.
Futaba's large eyes, still marked by tears.
(I'm not alone.)
For the first time, that feeling burned hot in his chest.
"...All right. Starting tomorrow, the three of us protect Touma."
Masumi held out her hand.
Futaba placed her hand over it.
Taichi, hesitantly, added his.
Three hands stacked together.
"We absolutely will not let Touma-kun die."
Futaba's voice was small.
But it rang out clear.
The next day.
After school.
Taichi and Masumi split up and began tailing Mami.
Mami left through the school's back gate alone.
Taichi kept his distance and followed.
Mami entered a small park near the school.
Taichi hid behind a hedge.
A man in a suit sat on a park bench.
Forties, maybe.
Thin, with sharp eyes.
Mami stood in front of him.
The man showed Mami his phone screen.
Mami's face went pale.
The man said something in a low voice.
With trembling hands, Mami pulled several bills from her wallet.
Handed them to him.
The man counted them.
Grinning.
"You know the deal. Don't try anything stupid."
The man patted Mami's shoulder.
Her body flinched.
The man left the park.
Taichi couldn't move from behind the hedge.
(Mami's being threatened.)
(She's paying that man.)
He was certain.
Mami collapsed onto the bench.
Her shoulders slumped.
Taichi made up his mind and stepped out in front of her.
"...What are you doing here?"
Mami looked up.
For a moment, she looked ready to run.
"I saw. You're being threatened."
Mami froze at his words.
"...If you saw, why don't you just report it? You hate me, don't you?"
Mami's voice was sharp.
But underneath it, there was a tremor.
"I'm not going to report it. But I want you to tell me what's going on."
Taichi sat down beside her.
Keeping his distance.
"...You're the last person I want to tell."
Mami looked down.
A long silence.
Only the sound of the park clock ticking.
"...I'm being forced to get close to Touma-kun."
Mami said it quietly.
"...What?"
"That man has leverage on me. He said if I refused, he'd hurt my family. So I had no choice but to get close to Touma-kun."
Mami's voice shook.
"It's not like I wanted to do any of that. I've felt awful about it toward Touma-kun this whole time."
Taichi's chest ached.
He'd written Mami off as an enemy.
He'd been on guard, suspicious, all on his own.
"...I'm sorry. I had it all wrong. I thought you were plotting something against Touma."
Taichi bowed his head.
"...You're weird. Normally, wouldn't you blame me at a time like this?"
Mami gave a small laugh.
It was the first soft smile he'd ever seen from her.
"There's no reason to blame you. More importantly, I need you to tell me what that man looks like."
"...That man always shows up in the same park. And he takes pictures of me with his phone. That's what scares me."
Mami's voice grew smaller.
"Got it. Thank you. ...Mami, do you want to protect Touma too?"
"...I want to protect Touma-kun too. I'm done being used by that man."
A fierce light kindled in Mami's eyes.
"All right. Let's work together."
Taichi shared the information from Mami with Masumi and Futaba by message.
That night.
Taichi's phone buzzed.
A message from Touma.
"Meet me in front of Cafe Minato by the station tomorrow night. I have something important to tell you."
Taichi stared at the text, his whole body going rigid.
In front of the station.
Cafe Minato.
The place where the light had flashed in his dream.
The time was close to the dim dusk he'd seen, too.
(It's here.)
(It's finally here.)
Taichi immediately contacted Masumi and Futaba.
The three gathered in the greenhouse at night.
"Tomorrow, Touma's coming to the station. It matches the scene from my dream."
Taichi's voice was shaking.
"Then we're going too. I'm not leaving this to you alone."
Masumi decided on the spot.
"I'll be the one to call out to Touma-kun. If I talk to him naturally, I don't think he'll get suspicious."
Futaba offered.
"I'll watch the cars around us. Taichi, you stay as close to Touma as possible."
The three carefully worked out the plan for the next day.
"We absolutely will not let Touma die."
Taichi declared it firmly.
Masumi and Futaba nodded.
The night before the decisive battle.
Taichi collapsed onto his bed, staring at the ceiling.
He closed his eyes.
Replayed the dream scene over and over.
The angle of Touma turning around.
The position of the light.
The slope of the road surface.
He burned it all into his mind.
(I'll protect Touma.)
He couldn't sleep from the tension.
Morning crept closer.
His phone buzzed.
From Masumi.
"Ready?"
Taichi replied briefly.
"Yeah."
At school, he pretended everything was normal.
But Taichi secretly watched Touma.
Touma was laughing, same as always.
(Tonight, I have to protect that smile.)
Determination surged through Taichi's chest.
After school.
Taichi met up with Masumi and Futaba.
The three went to scout the area around the station.
The road in front of Cafe Minato.
The position of the traffic lights.
The routes cars would take.
Masumi checked everything calmly.
"Which direction do the cars come from? Even if you push him out of the way, is there room for both of you to fall clear?"
"I think it'll be fine. But if I fail—"
"Don't use the word 'fail.' We're going to do this right."
Futaba cut him off.
She looked at him with steady eyes.
The three huddled together.
They met each other's eyes, resolute.
(The night of destiny was almost upon them.)
The setting sun dyed the town of Aohama red.
The asphalt in front of the station glowed like blood.
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