Yuiga Nariyuki wakes from a nightmare he can't shake—because it wasn't a nightmare. It was a memory. Five years from now, he died. And before he did, he watched every person he cared about slip away, one by one, into darkness he couldn't reach.
But when he opens his eyes, it's April of his third year of high school. He's been given a second chance.
Armed with a battered notebook recording the future he's desperate to prevent, Nariyuki accepts the role of education supervisor for three brillian
We Cannot Change Fate - The Silver Diver — The Bell of Study Abroad and Mismatched Feelings
After school at the pool.
The smell of chlorine stings his nose. The sound of splashing water echoes off the walls.
Yuiga Nariyuki stood hidden in the shadow of the club building, watching the scene unfold.
The twenty-five-meter pool used by Ichinose Academy's swim team. Six lanes. The water was clear and blue, reflecting the lights.
The argument he'd overheard last night in front of Rizu's house still rang in his ears.
"That game is tearing this family apart."
"Don't crush Rizu's dream."
Shouting. Then a heavy silence.
Nariyuki had barely slept. He'd opened the Future Notebook and read the same page over and over.
Rizu's parents' divorce. Fumino running away from home. Uruka studying abroad. Kirusu-sensei resigning.
All of it had happened in the future.
And now those gears were turning. Surely, steadily.
(What am I supposed to do?)
No answer came. Afternoon arrived anyway.
No tutoring session with Rizu today.
Nariyuki had drifted over to watch the swim team practice.
Because Uruka was in his memories of the future.
"Takemoto Uruka. The swim team's ace. National tournament qualifier. And—"
The words from the Future Notebook surfaced in his mind.
"October 18th. Uruka quits swimming."
"Right before her study abroad, she disappears."
Even the memories of the future didn't make the reason clear.
All he knew was that Uruka would vanish.
Disappear from his life.
—Tweet.
A whistle.
The team members lined up at the poolside.
Among them stood a girl with reddish-purple hair.
Tanned skin. Medium-length hair. An ahoge bouncing cheerfully.
Takemoto Uruka.
She pulled on her cap, fitted her goggles, and climbed onto the starting block.
"All right, here I go!"
A bright voice.
Nariyuki held his breath.
—Bang.
Uruka dove into the water.
In that instant, Nariyuki couldn't believe his eyes.
The spray burst white.
No—that wasn't it.
There was almost no spray at all.
Her body cut through the water in a straight line, as if being drawn into it.
Arms rotating. Legs kicking.
Her speed was like—
A motorboat.
Now he understood what that expression in his future memories had meant.
Twenty-five meters.
Gone in an instant.
Uruka touched the wall, spun around, and pushed off again.
Fifty meters. Seventy-five. One hundred.
Without rest, at the same speed, she sliced through the water.
"...Amazing."
The words slipped out.
He meant it from the bottom of his heart.
She was a genius.
In the water, she was unbeatable.
—But.
Something cold spread through Nariyuki's chest.
(This talent disappears in October.)
Uruka quits swimming.
For reasons unknown, right before her study abroad.
And she vanishes from his life.
Nariyuki pressed himself deeper into the shadow of the poolside pillar.
He'd thought about calling out to her.
But his feet wouldn't move.
(What kind of face am I supposed to show her?)
(Am I supposed to say, "Hey, you're going to quit swimming in the future"?)
There was no way he could say that.
Talking about the future might twist fate even further.
Nariyuki clenched his fist.
His nails dug into his palm.
Pain.
The pain drove reality home.
(I can't do anything.)
He knew the future.
And still he couldn't stop Rizu's parents' fighting, or Uruka's study abroad.
All he could do was watch—
"Huh? Nariyuki!"
A sudden voice.
Nariyuki's head snapped up.
At some point, Uruka had climbed out of the pool and was running toward him.
Soaking wet in her swimsuit. A towel draped over her shoulders.
Water droplets glistened on her tanned skin.
"What're you doing here? Wait—were you here to cheer for me?"
Uruka peered up at his face with an innocent grin.
"Uh, well... I was just passing by."
Nariyuki looked away.
"Whaaat, boring. If I'd known you were watching, I would've swum even harder!"
Uruka pouted.
"...You were seriously incredible. That speed is national level."
"Right?! My times have been dropping lately! I set a new personal best at the last meet, too!"
Uruka puffed out her chest proudly.
The sight was so far removed from the dark memories of the future.
So bright. So full of life. She loved swimming so much.
(That smile disappears?)
Nariyuki felt his chest tighten.
"...Hey, Takemoto."
"Hm? What?"
Uruka tilted her head.
Her purple eyes looked straight at him.
Nariyuki tried to speak.
About the study abroad.
("You're going to Australia, right?")
But the words stuck in his throat.
"...Never mind. It's nothing."
"What, now I'm curious!"
"Really, it's nothing. Anyway, I shouldn't interrupt your practice. I'm heading out."
Nariyuki tried to slip away.
"Wait, Nariyuki!"
Uruka's voice.
Nariyuki stopped.
He turned around. Uruka was staring at him.
Her expression was different from the innocent smile from before.
Her eyes were serious.
"Nariyuki, something's off with you."
Nariyuki's heart jumped.
"You've been weird for a while now. I get that you're worried about Rizu. I know she's struggling with the humanities. But—"
Uruka took a step closer.
"Are you avoiding me? You won't look me in the eye. And just now, you tried to run, didn't you?"
"...That's not true."
"Liar. You always touch the back of your hair with your right hand when you lie."
Nariyuki realized his right hand was already touching the back of his head.
He hurriedly lowered it.
"See? Bull's-eye."
Uruka smiled, just a little sadly.
"...Why are you hiding things from me?"
Nariyuki couldn't answer.
There was no way he could.
Tell her about the future.
That she would quit swimming and disappear.
"...Takemoto, I—"
"If you don't want to tell me, it's fine."
Uruka cut him off.
"I won't force it. I don't want you to hate me."
She smiled again.
But that smile was somehow different from the brightness from before.
"But listen—don't carry everything alone. You always try to shoulder everything by yourself, Nariyuki. ...I want to be there for you."
Her words pierced deep into his chest.
(I'm the one who wants to be there for you.)
He screamed it inside his head.
But he couldn't say it out loud.
"...Thank you."
That was all he could manage.
Uruka nodded, satisfied, and turned away.
"Okay, I'm going back to practice. See you tomorrow, Nariyuki!"
"Yeah. Tomorrow."
Uruka walked back to the poolside.
Nariyuki watched her go.
Her reddish-purple hair glittered in the sunset.
(In the future, that back disappears from my sight.)
Nariyuki clenched his fist. Hard.
His nails dug into his palm.
Blood welled up.
But the ache in his chest hurt far more than the pain.
"...It's fine. I'll figure something out."
He muttered.
A voice that reached no one.
The sound of the pool water swallowed it whole.
Night.
Nariyuki finished his shift at the cram school and walked through Hoshimi-zaka Shopping Street.
It was past nine.
Most of the shops were closed.
Only the streetlights lit the asphalt in orange.
(How's Rizu doing today?)
His feet carried him toward the Ogata house without thinking.
Rizu's home was a ten-minute walk from the shopping street.
Tucked in a quiet residential neighborhood.
The place where he'd overheard that argument yesterday.
(Surely they're not fighting again—)
The moment he thought it—
—Crash.
Something shattered.
Nariyuki stopped.
The sound had come from the direction of the Ogata house.
(No way.)
Nariyuki held his breath and crept closer.
He hid behind the hedge.
Voices leaked from inside the house.
"That's enough! I'm telling you to throw that board away!"
A man's shout.
Rizu's father.
"You're the one who needs to stop! That's my mother's keepsake! It's Rizu's dream! How dare you say such a thing!"
A woman's voice.
Rizu's mother.
"Dream?! What part of that game is a dream?! Face reality! We're drowning in debt! Get a job! And Rizu needs to stop fooling around with games and focus on her studies!"
"Rizu is studying! She's in the top one percent in the country for math! That child is a genius! Why can't you see that?!"
"So what?! Without humanities grades, she can't even get into university! And that board was made by your mother! Stop clinging to the dead and running from reality!"
"I'm not running! I just want to protect Rizu's dream! If you want a divorce, go ahead! But I will never let you destroy Rizu's dream!"
Nariyuki braced himself against the hedge, holding his breath.
His heart pounded.
(Again. Just like yesterday.)
(No—worse than yesterday.)
The word "divorce" was flying back and forth.
Over Rizu's dream, her parents were tearing themselves apart.
—Slam.
The front door flew open.
Nariyuki shrank back.
Rizu's mother came out, clutching a large bag.
Her face was a mess of tears.
"...I can't do this anymore. I can't stay with you."
Leaving those words behind, she walked off into the night.
Quickly, toward the station.
Her retreating figure cast a long shadow under the streetlights.
Nariyuki stood frozen.
He couldn't move.
(Rizu's mother just left the house.)
The future memories flashed through his mind.
"Ogata couple divorces."
"Rizu, isolated."
"She closes her heart."
The future was happening now.
The blood drained from Nariyuki's face.
"...Damn it."
His voice shook.
He knew the future.
Fate was unfolding right in front of him.
And he couldn't do a thing.
Nariyuki looked at the Ogata house again.
A light was on in a second-floor window.
Rizu's room.
The curtains were closed.
(What is Rizu thinking right now?)
Listening to her parents fight.
Watching her mother walk away.
Nariyuki stood there for a long, long time.
The spring night wind blew through, lukewarm.
In the distance, he heard the sound of a train.
The next day.
After school.
Nariyuki stood in front of "Takemoto Sports," a sporting goods store on Hoshimi-zaka Shopping Street.
During lunch, his phone had rung.
An unknown number.
He'd answered. A low male voice.
"I'm Uruka's father. Takemoto Gou. Come to the store after school today. We need to talk about the study abroad."
A tone that left no room for argument.
Nariyuki couldn't refuse.
Takemoto Sports sat in the middle of the shopping street.
A glass-fronted store displaying swimsuits, goggles, and training gear.
The office was in the back.
Nariyuki took a deep breath and opened the door.
Ding-ding, went the bell.
"Welcome."
A low voice.
A large man stood behind the counter.
Takemoto Gou.
Uruka's father.
Mid-forties.
Short-cropped black hair.
Sun-darkened skin.
A solid build that spoke of a former competitive swimmer.
His sharp eyes fixed on Nariyuki.
"So you're Yuiga Nariyuki."
"Yes."
"Come in."
Gou pointed to the back of the office.
Nariyuki stepped inside, nervous.
Swimming trophies and certificates lined the walls.
Uruka's haul over the years, no doubt.
National tournaments. Regional tournaments. Record meets.
The sheer number was overwhelming.
"Sit."
Gou gestured to a folding chair.
Nariyuki sat without a word.
Gou sat across from him.
Heavy silence.
Only the office wall clock ticked.
"...I'll get straight to the point."
Gou spoke.
"You know about Uruka's study abroad."
"...Yes. The school notified us that she passed the recommendation."
"Right. An exchange program with a powerhouse sports school in Sydney, Australia. Until March of next year. Their swim coaches spotted Uruka's talent."
Gou crossed his arms.
"Full scholarship, dorm included. An environment where she can focus entirely on swimming. An offer like this doesn't come twice."
"...No, it doesn't."
Nariyuki nodded.
"But Uruka's still hesitating."
Gou's voice dropped.
"I know why. It's you."
Nariyuki's eyes widened.
"...Me?"
"Yeah. That girl's in love with you. Has been since middle school."
Nariyuki was speechless.
Uruka... likes me?
"...You didn't notice? Well, I suppose you're dense."
Gou sighed.
"So I'll ask you directly. As her tutor, you're involved in her future. Do you recommend the study abroad, or not? Give me a clear answer."
Nariyuki
Novelia is an AI-powered platform to read original light novels and fan fiction, create your own in just a few taps, and chat with the characters. New, illustrated episodes arrive daily — free to start.