Sena, Another Sky: On the Road You Didn't Take - Rehearsal of Collapse — The World Makes Me Choose
The air in Studio C felt heavy from the morning.
Shirosaki Haruto stood at the edge of the rooftop set, absently feeling the heat of the lights. Above him, massive lamps buzzed and crackled, illuminating an artificial sky.
(*I couldn't sleep...*)
The conversation he'd had with Akira-senpai and Sena the night before kept spinning endlessly in his head. Choose. He had to choose. But—
"Haruto-kun, are you okay?"
He turned to find Sena peering at him with worry. Her softly waving flaxen hair caught the spotlight, glowing almost golden. Her large, sky-colored eyes looked slightly teary, as they always did.
"Whoa, Sena! You startled me..."
"You look pale. You didn't sleep properly, did you?"
"Busted? But I'm fine, really! This is nothing."
Haruto grinned, his fang peeking out just a little. But Sena's expression remained clouded.
"...I wish you wouldn't push yourself. Because I want Haruto-kun to be smiling."
"Sena..."
That was when it happened.
*Warp.*
His vision melted.
"—Huh?"
The backdrop panel of the rooftop set twisted and warped. The artificial sky rippled, and the blue panel beyond the fence—was replaced by a real classroom scene.
A blackboard. Desks. Afternoon light streaming through the windows.
The alternate world's Kaisei High School.
"Haruto-kun!?"
Sena's voice grew distant. No—Sena herself was fading.
"Sena! Where are you—"
He reached out. But he couldn't reach her. Sena's body turned translucent, dissolving into the background.
In her place—
At the center of the classroom, Ren stood in his karate uniform.
His jet-black hair was tied back in a single tail, and his sharp indigo eyes stared straight at Haruto. The surgical scar on his right knee was faintly visible beneath the hem of his *dougi*.
"I've been waiting."
Ren's voice.
"W-Wait! Ren!? Why are you here—"
"Choose, Haruto. Me, or Sena."
Ren took a step forward. The floor creaked.
Haruto stepped back. His back hit something cold—the fake fence, now as real as anything else.
"Choose... you can't just—"
"You're always like this."
Ren's voice resonated, low and deep.
"You saved me. Now it's my turn to protect you. That's what I've decided. And yet you—"
*Smack!*
Suddenly, everything snapped back.
"—Haruto-kun!"
Sena's voice.
Before him, the rooftop set spread out once more. The blue sky of the backdrop panel. The fence. And Sena, gripping his arm with a worried expression.
"You're drenched in sweat... Haruto-kun, that just now, don't tell me..."
"You saw it too? Sena, you saw it?"
"Yeah... Ren-kun was there. It was scary..."
Sena clung to Haruto's arm. Her slender fingers were trembling.
Haruto tried to steady his breathing. But something deep in his chest was pounding violently.
(*That Ren just now... he was serious.*)
━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Filming was suspended.
"An anomaly? What the hell is going on!"
"The lights—they went out for a second there, right?"
"The set... it looked like it was shaking..."
The entire studio buzzed with confusion. Haruto hung his head at the edge of the set.
"Haruto, here."
Something soft and white landed on his shoulder. Kapimaru.
"This is bad. The boundary between world lines is thinner than it's ever been. What just happened—the two worlds physically touched."
"Physically touched..."
"It's way beyond double exposure now. If this keeps up, the boundary will dissolve completely, and the two worlds will get all jumbled together. It'll bug out. And then—"
Kapimaru's voice was shaking.
"Everyone will disappear."
A chill ran through Haruto's entire body.
"Haruto-kun!"
Sena came running over. And behind her—
Another person.
Black hair. Tall. Sharp indigo eyes.
It was Ren.
"Haruto."
"Ren!? Why are you here—"
"I felt like I was called."
Ren said this, then looked down with cold eyes at Sena's hand gripping Haruto's arm.
"Let go, Sena."
"N-No... I'm Haruto-kun's girlfriend."
Though trembling, Sena did not release Haruto's arm.
"Haruto saved me. Now it's my turn to protect him. This has nothing to do with you."
"Of course it has something to do with me! I—I love Haruto-kun!"
Their gazes clashed in midair, sparks flying.
Haruto couldn't move.
(*This is bad. I have to—I have to choose, but—*)
That was when—
"—Enough already."
A cold voice rang out from the studio entrance.
Turning, they saw Shiraishi Akira standing there. Straight black hair, narrow, sharp eyes. Her lips, perfectly lined with deep crimson rouge, were slightly twisted in anger.
"Shirosaki Haruto. How long are you going to stand there waiting for someone else to choose for you?"
Akira strode toward them with long steps.
Sena and Ren both instinctively stepped back.
"The world's going haywire because you keep being so indecisive! Look at this studio—"
Akira pointed.
The backdrop panel of the rooftop set was starting to warp again. No—it wasn't just the panel. The floor, the walls, the ceiling too.
The real studio and the alternate world's Kaisei High School were trying to merge into a chaotic mess.
"Haruto! The world fusion has passed the critical point! There's—there's no more time—"
Kapimaru's voice was almost a scream.
"Me, Sena, Ren—we're all serious about you. But you're the only one who isn't serious about anyone!"
Akira grabbed Haruto by the collar.
"And that's what's hurting everyone! It's not kindness! It's not anything! It's just running away—that's what you're doing!"
"N-No... I'm..."
"You're not!"
Akira's narrow eyes burned with rage. It was different from the quiet flame she'd shown that night under the candlelight. This was a fierce blaze, ready to explode at any moment.
"You're not serious about anyone. If you were, you'd be able to choose. You're just scared to choose, aren't you? It's not that you're afraid of hurting someone. You're just afraid of bearing the guilt of hurting someone!"
She'd hit the mark.
Haruto couldn't find any words. His mouth, where his fang usually peeked out, was trembling. His brown eyes, normally sparkling, wavered as if trying to escape the reality before him.
Akira's words echoed in his head.
(*You're not serious about anyone.*)
(*It's just running away.*)
(*You're just afraid of bearing the guilt of hurting someone.*)
The strength drained from Haruto's knees.
"You can't say anything back, can you? You—"
"Stop it, please!"
Sena stepped between Akira and Haruto.
Tears were streaming down her soft, round cheeks. The beauty mark under her left eye was drenched and messy.
"You don't have to say it like that... Haruto-kun is just suffering. He can't choose because he cares about everyone so much..."
"Sena..."
"I... I understand, you know."
Sena turned her tear-streaked face toward Haruto. Even so, she was trying to smile. Her dimples showed, just barely.
"You actually like Ren-kun, don't you? I noticed. The way Haruto-kun looks at Ren-kun... it's a little different from the way you look at me. I've known for a long time."
"N-No! I—"
"It's not different."
Sena gently took Haruto's hand. Her fingers were cold.
"So... so, if it's better that I'm not here, then that's okay. As long as Haruto-kun is happy, that's enough."
The fingers holding his were trembling.
She was trying to step aside on her own. Knowing she would get hurt, and still, for Haruto's sake—
"Don't say that!!"
Before he knew it, he was shouting.
The entire studio fell silent.
"Don't say that... How could it ever be better if you weren't here, Sena! I—"
He started to say it.
And then, Haruto looked toward Ren.
"—"
Ren was staring intently at Haruto. His indigo eyes wavered, just slightly.
(*Ah, damn.*)
He shouldn't have looked.
He shouldn't have looked at Ren just now.
"...I knew it."
Sena let go of his hand. Her tears fell to the floor, one drop after another.
"I knew it, after all... I'm glad. That Haruto-kun was able to realize his true feelings."
"Sena, no! That's not it! I'm telling you, it's not! I—"
"It's not different, is it?"
Akira's cold voice drove the point home.
"You saw it, just now. The first person you looked at was Ren."
"That's—"
"Don't make excuses. Don't run from your own feelings."
The studio lights all went out at once.
"—Huh?"
Staff members screamed.
Darkness.
Only the emergency lights flickered, flashing red.
In the dim glow, Haruto saw it.
Sena and Ren. Both of their figures were turning transparent.
"Sena! Ren!"
He tried to run to them, but his legs wouldn't move.
"Haruto! Get away! Don't move from that spot!"
Kapimaru's voice was urgent.
"The world fusion has passed the critical point. The two worlds are starting to physically merge. Everyone here right now—their existence is becoming unstable. If this continues—"
"Everyone will disappear."
Before Kapimaru could finish, the door to Studio C burst open.
"Filming is canceled!"
The producer from Fujimi TV rushed in, bringing several staff members with him.
"What the hell is this anomaly! All the equipment is fried! Continuing to film is impossible! At this rate, the movie version is—"
"Canceled?"
Haruto's voice was so hoarse it surprised even himself.
"The movie version... is canceled...?"
"Yeah. There's no way we can film in this situation. We can't even explain this to the sponsors. Worst case, it gets shelved."
The producer spat out the words, then gave the staff orders to withdraw.
Haruto crouched down on the spot.
His job. His relationships. The world.
Everything, all at once, he was losing it all.
Sena, Ren, Akira. Everyone was going to disappear because of him.
(*Because I won't choose.*)
(*Because I'm indecisive.*)
"...In that case."
In a voice no one could hear, Haruto murmured.
"If I just disappear, then it's fine."
Then he wouldn't have to hurt anyone.
Then he wouldn't have to choose anyone.
Wouldn't that be the best solution?
Everyone was withdrawing from the studio. Sena, Ren, Akira—all of them kept looking back at Haruto until the very end—but even so, led by the staff, they left.
Haruto sat alone on the crumbling rooftop set.
His smartphone vibrated.
A message from Sena.
*Are you okay? I'm on Haruto-kun's side, no matter what.*
A message from Ren.
*Where are you? I'm coming.*
A message from Akira.
*Don't run. Give us your answer.*
Haruto placed his phone on the floor. He left them all on read.
"Haruto. Caring about someone is the flip side of treasuring yourself."
Kapimaru settled onto Haruto's shoulder. Its fluffy, pure white fur was dyed by the red light of the emergency lamps, swaying eerily.
"There are just... too many people I want to treasure..."
Haruto laughed weakly.
"It's impossible for me."
That was when—
His smartphone screen lit up on its own.
The photo of Minatozaka Shrine—the one where the stone steps were warped and a human figure was visible beyond the *torii* gate.
It began to emit an eerie light, stronger than ever before.
"Haruto! Get away from your phone!"
The distortion of the *torii* gate in the photo—spilled out from the screen, slowly emerging onto the wall of the real studio.
A warped *torii* gate.
And beyond it, a black shadow stood motionless.
Its form was gradually, bit by bit, becoming clearer.
It looked like a human shape.
Standing there—as if looking down on Haruto.
The emergency lights flickered on and off.
Red light and darkness wrapped around the studio in turns.
The distortion of the *torii* gate reflected on the wall spread its darkness even wider, even deeper.
Kapimaru clung to Haruto's shoulder, trembling with terror.
Haruto couldn't look away.
Everything was about to end.
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