Morning came, but it didn't feel like it.
Haruki opened his eyes before the alarm rang.
For a moment, he didn't move.
The ceiling looked the same as always. The light filtering through the curtain was soft, familiar. Nothing had changed.
And yet—
Something felt off.
His body was heavier than usual. Not tired exactly… just slow.
The alarm rang.
A sharp, sudden sound.
Haruki reached out and turned it off without thinking. He stared at his hand for a second, like he wasn't sure when he had moved it.
"…already morning…"
He sat up.
Everything felt slightly delayed.
---
At school, nothing was different.
Desks, voices, footsteps, the usual rhythm of the classroom—it all continued like always.
Only Haruki didn't feel like part of it.
He sat quietly, looking at his desk, not really seeing it.
"You look worse than yesterday."
Aoi's voice came from beside him.
He turned slightly. She was already looking at him.
"…do I?"
"Yes."
No hesitation. No exaggeration. Just a simple answer.
Haruki gave a faint nod. "…didn't sleep much."
Aoi studied his face a little longer than necessary.
Like she wanted to ask something else.
Her lips parted slightly—
Then she stopped.
"…you should at least rest today," she said instead.
Haruki didn't reply.
Because he knew that wasn't the problem.
---
The class moved on.
Words filled the room. Chalk scratched lightly against the board. Pages turned.
Normal sounds.
Steady.
And then—
Something slipped into it.
Faint.
So faint he almost ignored it.
A soft shift.
Not loud enough to be called a sound.
But not nothing either.
Haruki's eyes moved slightly to the side.
Not fully turning.
Just enough.
There was nothing.
Rows of students. The window. The board.
Everything in place.
Still—
For a brief second—
It felt like someone had just passed by.
Not near him.
Not behind him.
Ahead.
Always ahead.
Haruki blinked once.
The feeling disappeared.
But it didn't feel like it was gone.
---
Between classes, the hallway filled with noise.
Footsteps overlapped. Voices echoed lightly against the walls.
Haruki walked through it without thinking.
Then—
He slowed.
At the far end of the corridor—
Someone was there.
A figure.
Walking.
Nothing clear. Nothing distinct.
And yet—
He recognized the movement.
The same steady pace.
The same distance.
Not close.
Not far.
Just enough to stay unreachable.
Haruki stopped completely this time.
His chest tightened slightly.
"…again…"
The word barely left his lips.
He didn't run.
Not like yesterday.
He just watched.
Students passed between them.
A group crossed in front of him—
For a moment, the figure was hidden.
And when the space cleared—
Nothing.
Empty hallway.
Only people moving in their own directions.
Like it had never been there.
Haruki stood still for a few seconds longer than necessary.
Then exhaled quietly.
"…what is this…"
The question didn't expect an answer.
---
"Haruki."
Aoi's voice again.
Closer this time.
He turned. She was right behind him.
"…you disappeared," she said.
Her tone wasn't accusing. Just observant.
"I was here."
"That's not what I meant."
A pause.
Aoi looked at him directly.
"What's happening to you?"
The question was simple.
Too simple.
Haruki hesitated.
For a second—
He almost answered honestly.
About the figure.
About the feeling.
About the way everything seemed slightly out of place.
But the words didn't come.
"…nothing," he said instead.
Aoi didn't respond immediately.
She just looked at him.
Like she knew that wasn't true.
But chose not to say it.
"…if something's wrong," she said quietly, "you should tell someone."
Haruki nodded.
Not because he agreed.
But because it was easier.
---
Later—
The school felt quieter.
Most students had already left.
Aoi stood near the stairwell, alone.
For no particular reason.
She rested her hand lightly against the railing.
The metal was cold.
A soft breeze passed through the corridor.
Nothing unusual.
And yet—
She paused.
Just for a second.
Her fingers tightened slightly.
"…what was that…"
The feeling disappeared as quickly as it came.
Aoi looked down the hallway.
Empty.
She shook her head lightly.
"…I'm overthinking."
But her voice didn't sound convinced.
---
Night.
Haruki's room.
Quiet.
The kind of quiet that feels heavier when you notice it.
He sat on the edge of his bed, still in his uniform.
Not doing anything.
Just thinking.
Or trying to.
The same moments repeated in his head.
The street.
The hallway.
That distance.
Always the same.
Always just out of reach.
"…why does it feel like…"
He stopped.
The thought didn't finish.
Didn't need to.
Silence settled again.
Then—
A sound.
Soft.
Clear enough this time.
A single step.
Right behind him.
Haruki didn't move immediately.
His shoulders stiffened.
His breath slowed.
He knew that sound.
Not because he had heard it clearly before—
But because he had felt it.
More than once.
"…again."
The word slipped out quietly.