Gray Wings No Longer Needed ~I'll Protect Your Tomorrow~ - Goodbye, Kanata.

The bathroom mirror. An old man he didn't recognize stood there. Dull skin. Sunken cheeks. Deep wrinkles carved from temple to forehead. And most of all—his hair. Once black, now white. From root to tip. All of it. Kanata gripped the edge of the sink. His fingers trembled. Knuckles went white. His right eye could barely see. Only light and shadow. Even his own face in the mirror was a blur. He looked at himself with just his left eye. This wasn't the face of a seventeen-year-old. (This is the price.) The fifth rewind. He'd come back to save Yui. This was the result. "...It's fine." A hoarse voice. The back of his throat ached. Like it was packed with dry sand. "I'll manage." His catchphrase. After Yui died, it became a spell. Something to tell himself. He put on his uniform. The navy gakuran weighed heavy on his shoulders. Every time he slipped his arms through the sleeves, he could feel it. His arms were getting thinner. Only the blue friendship bracelet on his right wrist—the one Yui gave him—remained unchanged. ◇◇◇ The moment he opened the classroom door, the air shifted. Silence. Dead silence. Don't look at me. None of you. Don't look at me. Kanata kept his head down and walked to his seat. Last row by the window. The seat diagonally in front of him was empty again today. With every step, someone's gaze stabbed into his back. He sat down. Set his bag on the floor. Even that tiny sound seemed to echo through the whole classroom. Whispers behind him. "Hey, is that... Kanata?" "His hair's totally white. Is he sick?" "I don't wanna get near him. Feels like I'd catch something." "He looks like a ghost. And his eyes are weird too." He heard every word. Loud and clear. Deliberately loud. Kanata opened his textbook. The letters blurred. He tried to read with just his left eye, but the blind spot from his right threw off his thoughts. His head wouldn't work right. More than that. (If Yui were here.) He looked at the empty seat diagonally ahead. Morning light streamed in. Dust on the desk glittered. (She'd turn around from that seat.) (And say, "Morning, Kanata.") (And smile.) The back of his throat burned. He clenched his molars. Held back the scream that was about to burst out. ◇◇◇ Lunch break. Avoiding eyes, Kanata headed for the old club building behind the school. A wooden single-story shack. Abandoned. No one used it anymore. Dark inside. Smelled of mold. Old drama club props still piled up. She was there. Silver hair. Long, down to her waist. It floated faintly in the darkness. Blunt-cut bangs. Tied back in a single bundle. Pale eyes. Almost white. Tsukiko stood leaning against the wall. In her hands, the usual small black diary. "...You knew." Kanata stood in front of her. "That I'd come." Tsukiko didn't look up. Eyes still on the diary, she spoke. "[cold]I knew." Flat voice. No warmth. "You won't give up. You'll come here. Again and again." "[angry]Then tell me." Kanata stepped forward. "What do I have to do to save Yui? You can see the future, right? Tell me." Silence. Tsukiko slowly closed the diary. She looked up. Silver eyes stared straight at Kanata. In those eyes, for the first time—emotion surfaced. "[sad]...Please. Stop." Her voice trembled. "[crying]Your body can't take anymore. If you rewind again... it'll really be the end." Tears welled up in Tsukiko's eyes. Her silver irises caught the light and wavered. Her face—usually expressionless, like a doll's—twisted in pain. "[crying]I'm begging you. Please stop." Her fingers gently grasped the hem of Kanata's gakuran. Ice-cold fingertips. "[crying]You'll die." Kanata looked down at her hand. It was shaking. Her hand. Trembling. A girl who could only observe the future was now, of her own will, touching him. (She's been watching.) (This whole time.) (The future where I die.) His chest tightened. A sharp, squeezing pain. "...Even so." Kanata gently removed her hand. "A world without Yui has no meaning." Tsukiko's face crumpled. She bit her lip and hung her head. "[crying]...I don't have the power to stop you." Her voice was barely a whisper. "[crying]But I don't want to watch. You falling apart." She covered her face with both hands. Silver hair spilled down. Kanata turned his back. "...Sorry." Just that. He left the old club building. Behind him, he thought he heard Tsukiko's stifled sobs. ◇◇◇ Evening. Past five o'clock. His phone vibrated. He pulled it from his pocket. The screen showed a direct message on social media. Sender—Sakura. "Come to the old Kanemitsu factory site. There's something I need to tell you." Kanata stared at the screen. (Why Sakura?) A warning rang in the back of his mind. It could be a trap. In the fourth loop, the one who set the bus detour route—maybe it was— His body moved before he could think. ◇◇◇ The old Kanemitsu factory site. At the southern edge of Minase City. Ruins at the foot of the hills. Closed after a gas explosion ten years ago. Only rusted steel frames and crumbling concrete walls remained. He entered through a hole in the southeast corner of the fence. The setting sun dyed the abandoned factory orange. Shadows of steel beams stretched long. The center. In the wide space that was once the work floor, Sakura waited. A neat black bob. Just past her shoulders. Pink-manicured fingers reflected the sunset. She wasn't smiling. That perfect smile she always wore at school—the one everyone liked, the friendly one—was gone. Instead, she watched Kanata with dark eyes. Deep black pupils. Wide open. "[cold]You came." Her voice was quiet. Different from her usual gentle, polite tone. No warmth. "...What do you want to talk about?" Kanata stood facing her. Five meters apart. Sakura's lips twisted just slightly. An expression impossible to read. A smile? Anger? "[cold]I've wanted to say this for a long time." She began to speak. Slowly. Like she was telling an old story. "Back in middle school, Yui and I were really close. I thought we were best friends." The sun sank lower. Shadows grew longer. "But Yui always talked about you. Nothing but you." Sakura's eyes went still. "'Kanata did this.' 'Kanata and I.' 'Kanata is so...' Everything. Kanata. No matter how hard I tried, you were always her number one." Kanata clenched his fists. "...So what?" "[cold]That's everything." Sakura stepped forward. "I don't hate Yui. What I hate—what I absolutely despise—is you. The one Yui loves." Her voice carried emotion for the first time. Hatred. Twisted, pitch-black emotion. "So I thought about it. How I could take Yui away from you. Forever." Kanata's entire body froze. Sakura smiled. "Her accidental death a month ago. I lent Yui that bicycle. The one with the brakes I tampered with." His breath stopped. "The stabbing in front of Kawase Station. I sent that man Yui's photo and her daily routine." His fingertips went cold. "The old factory explosion. I rigged the gas pipe and made sure Yui passed through at that exact time." His vision went dark. "The bus accident. I set the detour route. I contacted the bus office beforehand." Sakura stared straight into Kanata's eyes. Her black pupils narrowed. Like a cat toying with its prey. "I did it all." "—You." The words were wrenched out of him. "All of it. You." "[cold]That's right." Sakura spun around once. Her skirt flared softly. Like an actress on stage. "It was fun. Watching you struggle so desperately was so entertaining. All those wounds. White hair. Going blind. And still trying to save Yui. It was the best show ever." "[angry]Don't screw with me!!" He screamed. A voice that felt like it would tear his throat apart. Sakura took in his scream. Her smile deepened. "[laughing]But it's over now." She turned her back to him. "Tomorrow morning. Yui will be hit by a truck on her way to school. This time, I'll make sure it ends properly." She started walking. Toward the exit. "[cold]Goodbye, Kanata. I'll take good care of Yui in hell." Loud laughter echoed through the abandoned factory. "[angry]Wait!!" He ran. Sakura's back blurred. His right eye was nearly useless. He chased desperately with his left. Closing the distance. Reaching out—to hit her. He swung his fist. It cut through empty air. Nothing. He hit nothing. His right leg buckled. He lost his balance. His vision spun. The ground. Both knees. Both hands. Into the mud. "...Huh?" He looked up. Sakura's back was getting farther and farther away. Only her laughter clung to his ears. "[laughing]Your body's already wrecked, isn't it? You can't do anything!" Sakura's voice echoed through the factory. "[laughing]You were acting so cool just a minute ago. Zamaa! Pathetic!" Footsteps faded. Silence. Kanata collapsed into the mud. His white hair stained with dirt. Small stones bit into his palms. Blood seeped out. "...Ugh. Ah." A sound escaped him. (Why?) (Why didn't I hit her?) (My vision.) (I was—) (I was so close.) He slammed his fist against the ground. Thud. Again. Thud. Thud. The skin on his hands tore. Blood mixed with mud. It hurt. But none of that mattered. "...Damn it." Tears fell. One after another. "Damn it. Damn it. Damn it!!" He screamed. "[crying]Yui... Yui...!!" He called her name. Over and over. Until his throat gave out. His vision was nearly pitch black. Right eye. Left eye. Tears blinded him to everything. The steel frames. The sunset. All of it—dissolved into darkness. "[crying]I won't give up... Like hell I'll give up..." He pressed his forehead into the mud. His white hair filthy. Covered in grime. "[crying]I'll... definitely... Yui..." His voice cracked. Faded. Still, Kanata forced the words out. Only sobs echoed through the abandoned factory. A seventeen-year-old boy. Covered in mud. Alone. Crawling on the ground. Crying. In the distance, a crow cawed. Night descended.

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Episode 5

Name: Gray Wings No Longer Needed ~I'll Protect Your Tomorrow~
Author: Novelia

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