During the summer vacation of his second year in high school, Sakamachi Yuto suddenly finds himself thrown one month back in time.
He doesn't understand why it happened or why a senpai who should be dead is still alive. But there is only one thing that matters to Yuto: saving the beloved senpai who died at last year's Inter-High.
The senpai's name is Shinkai Haruto. He was the ace of the bicycle road racing club, a person as bright as the sun, faster than anyone else. But just before the finis
Pedal Once More: The Day We Reclaim That Summer - The Day Before the Rift, Trust Shattered
Morning.
The pit at Shizuhara Circuit was wrapped in a stinging tension.
The air was cold. The highland wind bit at Yuuto's cheeks.
The day before Inter-High. Official joint practice.
High schoolers from across the nation stared at the course with quiet, beast-like eyes.
Yuuto couldn't tear his gaze from Haruto's bike.
Carbon frame. A body gleaming black.
The machine that, in the previous timeline, had been caked in blood and mud.
His fingertips trembled.
"What's wrong, Sakamachi? You look pale."
Haruto approached with an unguarded smile.
A smile like the sun, just like always.
A face that didn't suspect, not for a second, that he was fated to die.
"...No. It's nothing."
Yuuto averted his eyes from Haruto.
A cold hand gripped his heart.
Today.
Today, the first sign of that accident would appear.
His memories were sounding the alarm.
A man walked through the pit.
Long black hair tied back. Flecks of white at his temples.
A high-grade silver ring gleaming only on his left ring finger.
Kurosaki Tetsuji.
Wearing an eerily calm smile, he checked each school's equipment.
"Ah, Sakamachi-kun. How are you feeling?"
He stood before Yuuto.
Narrow black eyes that always seemed to be smiling.
But deep inside, they weren't smiling at all.
"...No issues."
Yuuto answered in a low voice.
His left hand unconsciously gripped his collar.
Kurosaki glanced at Yuuto's hand.
"Haruto-kun's bike... I'm concerned about the tire wear, so I'll swap them out. It's fine, no trouble at all."
"Wait—"
Before Yuuto could get the words out, Kurosaki had already taken out his tools.
Efficient.
Fluid motions.
The old tires were removed. New ones fitted.
His hands looked slick with moisture.
A faint sweat glistened on Kurosaki's forehead.
His lips twisted slightly.
The work was done.
Kurosaki stood up and smiled at Yuuto.
"That should do it."
His back as he walked away.
Yuuto rushed over to Haruto's bike.
He crouched down.
His fingers traced the rear brake cable.
A cut in the housing.
Faint. But clearly unnatural.
It was supposed to be brand new—this was...
His vision darkened.
Images from the previous timeline flashed through his mind.
The Kazakiri descent. The sound of brakes. Frames piling up. Blood.
The same.
Exactly the same signs.
The inside of the cable was already frayed.
A few more pulls of the brake and it would snap completely.
"...Dammit."
Fear crawled up from his feet.
The start of the descent practice was announced.
Riders put their feet to the pedals.
Haruto swung his leg over the saddle.
"Senpai! Stop!!"
Yuuto was shouting.
His legs kicked off the ground.
He leaped in front of Haruto.
"Whoa! What the hell, that's dangerous!"
Haruto slammed on the brakes.
Yuuto grabbed the handlebars of Haruto's bike.
"The brake cable's been tampered with. If you ride like this, you'll die on the descent."
"...Huh?"
Haruto's eyes went wide.
The other riders began to stir.
Yuuto pointed at the cable.
"Look here. The housing is cut. A gash like this doesn't happen naturally."
Mechanics gathered around.
The cable was carefully removed.
The housing was peeled back.
What emerged was a frayed cable, moments from snapping.
"That's... brutal. Two or three more pulls and it would've cut completely."
Someone's voice.
The pit fell silent, as if a blanket had been thrown over it.
The color drained from Haruto's face.
"...How did this happen?"
Kurosaki approached, wiping sweat from his brow.
"My apologies. That was a failure on my part to check... You really saved us, Sakamachi-kun."
Kurosaki bowed deeply.
But Yuuto saw it.
That split second when he pretended to wipe sweat, hiding his mouth with his hand.
The twisted corner of his lips, curling slightly upward.
Malice.
Certainty shot through Yuuto's entire body.
This man knew.
He knew everything, and he was doing it on purpose.
Dusk.
Practice was canceled.
A cold wind began to blow across the Shizuhara highlands.
The backyard of Pension Kazemachi.
No one else around.
Only the sound of the wind.
Yuuto had called Haruto out here.
"Sakamachi. You saved me today. Thank you."
Haruto's bright brown eyes looked straight at him.
Those eyes hurt.
Yuuto hung his head.
The trembling wouldn't stop.
"...Senpai, there's something I need to tell you."
"What is it? You're being so formal."
Haruto's voice was still light.
Yuuto took a breath.
His lungs felt like they might burst.
"I came from the future."
Silence.
"...Huh? You're joking, right?"
"A future one month from now. August. The Inter-High finals. You crash on the Kazakiri descent. And then—"
His voice caught.
His vision blurred.
"You die. Senpai, you die."
Tears overflowed.
They fell onto the dirt. Plip. Plop.
"Today's cable break wasn't an accident. Kurosaki Tetsuji did it intentionally. That guy is part of an organization called Nordwind, and—"
"Stop."
Haruto's voice resonated, low and deep.
Yuuto looked up.
The smile had vanished from Haruto's face.
A face stripped of emotion.
His tanned skin seemed dark and sunken.
"The future? Sabotage? Nord... what?"
"Please believe me. I came back to save you—"
"Do you realize you sound completely insane?!"
Haruto stepped forward.
"I'm begging you, don't race tomorrow. You'll die—"
Yuuto tried to bow his head.
Nearly prostrating himself on the ground.
That moment—
"Don't screw with me!!!"
Haruto grabbed Yuuto by the collar.
Hard.
His nails dug into Yuuto's neck.
"You came from the future?! Sabotage?! You expect me to give up my dream over some bullshit story like that?!"
He shoved him.
Yuuto fell backward onto the ground.
A rock hit his spine.
"What the hell do you take me for?!"
Haruto's scream echoed into the twilight sky.
A voice mixed with anger, humiliation, and confusion.
"No, senpai—please believe—"
Yuuto put his hands on the ground.
Dirt wedged under his fingernails.
"There's no way I can believe that."
Haruto turned his back.
His voice was cold. Like a completely different person.
"Don't show your face in front of me again."
He walked away.
"Wait—senpai—!"
His voice didn't reach.
Haruto's back grew distant.
It melted into the sunset. Vanished.
Yuuto couldn't stand up.
He sat on the ground, unable to move.
Only the tears wouldn't stop.
He couldn't change anything.
The memories of the future. The evidence. Everything—powerless.
The bond they had built between them crumbled with a deafening sound.
Night.
The pension lobby.
The fireplace was out. No lights.
Yuuto crouched on the floor.
Cold.
His body. His heart. Everything frozen solid.
He had nothing but memories of the future.
No one had believed those memories.
Senpai would probably never look him in the eye again.
Despair gouged at his chest.
Tomorrow, senpai would die.
It was as if everything had been decided from the very beginning.
—Shuffle. Shuffle.
The sound of slippers approached.
Yuuto didn't even have the strength to lift his head.
"...Sakamachi-kun."
A trembling, small voice.
Mio stood before him.
Her semi-long hair, just past her shoulders, clung to her tear-streaked face.
The small beauty mark beneath her left eye.
Her warm brown eyes, usually sparkling, were now painfully red and swollen.
"I'm sorry. I heard everything you said in the backyard."
On shaking legs, Mio took another step closer to Yuuto.
"I... I believe you, Sakamachi-kun."
Her voice was so small it seemed the wind might carry it away.
But those words seeped into Yuuto's frozen heart.
"It's been so hard for you, hasn't it? You've been carrying this all alone."
Mio gently took Yuuto's hand.
Wrapping both of her hands around his cold one.
Her fingers were trembling.
But her palms were surprisingly warm.
"I'll help. I don't know what I can do to save senpai. But just... don't forget you're not alone."
Mio's tears fell onto Yuuto's hand.
The warm droplets spread across his chilled skin.
Yuuto finally lifted his head.
Mio's face looked blurry.
"...Mio. Thank you."
His voice was hoarse.
But in the darkness, he felt as if a single candle flame had been lit.
At the same time, it meant dragging Mio into danger.
Kurosaki. Nordwind. They might make her their next target.
Yuuto quietly squeezed the hand that held his.
The despair hadn't vanished.
But he wasn't alone.
No sleep tonight.
Tomorrow—the fated finals would begin.
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.