The date on the calendar hadn’t changed.
The morning sunlight remained soft.
The world hadn’t noticed anything yet.
Which meant the future was still flexible enough to change— if we were careful.
If we refused to look away again.
I took a slow breath and looked at all of them.
“Get ready,” I said quietly.
“This time…
we’re going to save her.”
No one questioned me.
Clone 1 straightened immediately.
Clone 2 gave a firm nod.
Both of them had already lived through the outcome once.
They didn’t need convincing.
My gaze shifted to the third clone.
She was still new to all of this.
She still carried the weight of the moment she had died.
I hesitated for a brief moment before asking,
“Can you do it too?”
She looked at me.
“You mean…
transform?”
“Yes,” I replied.
“Into the pen.
With the others.”
She thought about it.
Only for a moment.
“…Maybe,” she admitted honestly.
“I’ve never tried before.”
I nodded.
“That’s enough.”
I stepped closer.
“This isn’t about being certain,” I said.
“It’s about staying together.”
The three of them moved closer.
They didn’t touch, but they stood close enough that I could feel their presence—solid, familiar, and real.
I closed my eyes.
Then activated the power.
There was no sound.
No brilliant flash of light.
Their bodies didn’t disappear violently.
Instead, their outlines gradually softened, as though reality itself was gently erasing their forms.
Skin.
Clothing.
Weight.
Everything dissolved into something far more delicate.
Pure energy.
Familiar.
Controlled.
Clone 1 and Clone 2 transformed first, just as they always had.
The process was smooth and effortless, returning them to a form they already understood.
Clone 3 hesitated.
Only for a fraction of a second.
I felt it.
Then…
She let go.
Her body unraveled into light, joining the others.
Rather than remaining separate, the three presences flowed together as one.
For a brief moment, the room felt empty.
Not lonely.
Just…
quiet.
The energy folded inward.
Compressed.
Reshaped.
When I opened my eyes again, the pen rested quietly in my hand.
The same matte-black surface.
The same ordinary weight.
But something had changed.
It felt…
fuller.
More balanced.
Complete.
I closed my fingers around it.
We’re here, a familiar, gentle voice echoed inside my mind.
All of us.
Together.
I let out a slow breath.
“Good,” I whispered.
I slipped the pen back into my pocket.
Hidden.
Ordinary.
Ready.
This time, I wouldn’t pretend that everything was fine.
This time, I carried every version of myself that had already paid the price.
And I wasn’t going to let their sacrifice be meaningless.
I finished getting ready and left the house.
The walk to school felt shorter than it should have.
My feet moved on their own while my thoughts remained carefully locked in place.
Soon, the familiar school building came into view.
Unchanged.
Just like before.
I entered the classroom and walked straight to my seat.
The middle row.
Beside the window.
I set my bag down and sat quietly, resting one arm on the desk as I stared out at the clear morning sky.
Everything looked so normal.
Too normal.
Then—
A pair of hands suddenly covered my eyes.
“Mizuki!”
The cheerful voice was instantly recognizable.
My breath caught in my throat. This story is hosted at g.com.
“…Noa.”
Her name escaped my lips before I could stop it.
The hands lifted.
She stepped around to face me, smiling as brightly as ever, completely unaware of the storm raging inside me.
For a moment…
I simply stared.
She was here.
Alive.
Smiling.
Breathing.
Standing right in front of me as if nothing had ever happened.
My chest tightened.
I tried to stay calm.
I really did.
But my emotions had already won.
Before I realized what I was doing, I stood and pulled her tightly into my arms.
Much tighter than I intended.
My forehead rested against her shoulder, and my fingers gripped the back of her uniform as though letting go would make her disappear again.
The warmth of her body.
The steady rhythm of her breathing.
She was real.
She was alive.
And that realization shattered the last bit of control I had.
Tears blurred my vision.
“Noa…” I whispered, my voice trembling.
She froze.
“M-Mizuki?” she asked in surprise.
“H-Hey…
what’s wrong?”
For a moment, her hands hovered awkwardly in the air.
Then, uncertainly, they rested against my back.
Around us, the classroom gradually fell silent.
Several students looked over in confusion.
A few whispered quietly to one another, wondering what had happened.
I didn’t care.
I buried my face against her shoulder, struggling to steady my breathing.
“I’m sorry…” I murmured.
I wasn’t even sure which version of her I was apologizing to.
The one standing in front of me…
Or the one I couldn’t save.
She gently pulled back just enough to look at my face.
The playful smile she’d worn moments ago had completely disappeared.
Now, only concern remained.
“Mizuki…” she said softly.
“What happened?”
I quickly wiped away my tears and forced myself to take a step back.
She was still here.
That was all that mattered.
“I…”
The words refused to come.
I took a slow breath.
Then another.
Finally, I managed a small smile.
“I’m just…”
I swallowed.
“…really glad you’re here.”
Noa blinked.
Then she let out a small, awkward laugh.
“You really scared me.”
She smiled gently.
“Who cries this much over saying hello?”
Normally, I would have laughed.
Today…
I couldn’t.
She studied my face for another moment.
“Mizuki,” she said quietly, “you’re not acting like yourself today.”
I met her eyes.
This time…
I didn’t look away.
“It’s nothing.”
Not yet.
I stayed close to her desk after that.
Much closer than usual.
As if putting even a few steps between us would be dangerous.
Noa noticed immediately.
She watched me silently for several seconds before speaking again.
“…You’re definitely hiding something.”
I hesitated.
I couldn’t tell her the truth.
Not all of it.
But I couldn’t lie to her either.
So I settled somewhere in between.
“…I had a dream.”
“A dream?”
I nodded.
“It felt…
too real.”
My fingers tightened around the edge of my desk.
“In that dream…”
I paused.
“…you died.”
Her expression stiffened.
“There was a traffic accident.”
The classroom around us faded into the background as I continued.
“I woke up this morning, but I couldn’t forget it.”
“It didn’t feel like an ordinary dream.”
“It felt…”
“…like something I had already lived through.”
Noa stayed quiet, letting me finish.
“That’s why I reacted like this.”
“I’ve been worried about you since I woke up.”
“I keep wondering…”
“What if it wasn’t just a dream?”
For a long moment, neither of us spoke.
Then I looked directly into her eyes. This story is hosted at g.com.
“You’re my best friend.”
“My closest friend.”
“And even imagining a world where I lost you…”
My voice grew quieter.
“…terrified me.”
Noa looked at me for several seconds.
Then she smiled.
Not teasing.
Not playful.
Just warm.
“That’s a pretty scary dream.”
She reached out and lightly flicked my forehead.
“But look.”
She spread her arms with a grin.
“I’m right here.”
“Alive.”
“Completely fine.”
“No traffic accidents.”
A tiny laugh escaped her.
“You really let that dream get to you, huh?”
“…Yeah.”
She looked at me thoughtfully before nodding to herself.
“Then let’s make a deal.”
“A deal?”
“If it helps you stop worrying…”
She smiled.
“Stay with me today.”
“Walk home with me.”
“No disappearing on your own.”
“If we’re together all day…”
She pointed at me playfully.
“…your scary dream won’t get any strange ideas.”
A small smile finally appeared on my face.
“…Okay.”
She was still here.
Still smiling.
Still talking to me.
For now…
That was enough.
I hesitated for a moment before speaking again.
“…Noa.”
She looked at me.
“Hm?”
“…Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
I took a slow breath.
“For the next two weeks…”
I hesitated, searching for the right words.
“…can we go to school together every morning?”
She blinked.
“…That’s all?”
“And…”
I looked away for a moment.
“…can we walk home together every day too?”
She tilted her head, studying me.
“For two whole weeks?”
I nodded.
“It’s because of your dream, isn’t it?”
“…Yeah.”
I lowered my eyes.
“I know it sounds strange.”
“I just…
don’t want you walking alone.”
Silence settled between us.
Then Noa let out a quiet sigh.
“You really got scared.”
“…I did.”
She smiled helplessly.
“You know…”
“We already walk together pretty often.”
“I guess making it every day isn’t that big of a change.”
I looked back at her.
“…Really?”
She nodded.
“Of course.”
“If it helps you stop worrying, then we’ll go to school together.”
“And we’ll walk home together too.”
Relief spread through my chest.
“…Thank you.”
She laughed softly.
“But don’t start treating me like I’m made of glass.”
“I won’t.”
“…That’s a lie.”
She pointed at me with a teasing smile.
“I can already tell you’re going to worry over every little thing.”
“…Maybe.”
She giggled.
“I figured.”
Then her smile softened.
“You’re my best friend.”
“If staying together helps you feel better…”
“…then let’s stay together.”
For the first time since waking up that morning, the weight on my chest eased just a little.
“…Thank you.”
This time, I didn’t cry.
I simply nodded.
And for the first time that day, the future felt a little less fragile.
Because this time…
I wouldn’t let her face it alone.
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