I was ecstatic when I saw the day. I had escaped the permanent Tuesday with ease. All I had left was to enjoy the rest of the culture festival. Wednesday was my free day: our class had three rotating groups to work so no one got burned out or missed the festival completely. I quickly threw on my uniform and left to meet Chika.

  The first thing to greet me as I opened the door was a strong gust of wind. I would have thought it was Nina if not for the fact that the wind had not died down after it had passed. My hair went wild before I could turn back and grab one of Yui's hair ties. With my white mop in the smallest and messiest ponytail imaginable, I set off again.

  She stood waiting for me, holding her hair back and her skirt down. As I quickly walked up to her, she gave me a smile. Conversation was short as we almost raced to the school. The construction from the day before had continued and moved further down the street; the shop keep was on the phone once again. Outside the school, students were scrambling to keep their stands and decorations from flying away.

  Chika and I laughed to each other, thankful that our project was completely indoors. Her pure laughter filled my ears and my soul. A full and genuine smile covered my face: she was alive, and I was able to protect her.

  We made it to the classroom just to check in. It was just as lively as the day before, and Denki quickly rushed the two of us to shoo us out before we got dragged back in and lost our free day. As we got ushered out, I caught a glimpse of Yui and the Vice President seated at a table with tea and a slice of cake for each of them. I was unsure if she saw me, but as I hit the threshold, I felt eyes piercing me.

  I spun around as everything around us stood still. She held her cup of tea to her lips. Her head was tilted down, but her eyes were looking off towards the door. Her masquerade of elegance was in full effect, but she could never hide who she was from me. I refused to believe she was the creeping danger, but she might actually have been the reason for the feeling of being watched.

  There's just no way. She's a creepy bro-con, nothing more... a creepy bro-con with a meta ability...

  I reunited with Chika, and the two of us started off to find what to do first. Class 2B was hosting a scavenger hunt across the campus, and since they were only a single floor up, we decided to go check it out. The halls were teeming with life. Students in modified uniforms handed out flyers for their class's or club's activities. Others dressed as mascots waving signs or acting as the signs themselves.

  We made it to Class 2B and were greeted by two students in colorful patchwork suits. A deep purple mixed with a vibrant gold and wild green as the three colors danced across their vests and pants all while their white undershirts tried desperately to provide a balance between them. The colors had even raced to their faces and took the shapes of stars and swirls.

  "Welcome, welcome!" They chanted in unison as they sort of bounced from side to side. "Come in, join the party! One, two. Do as we do! Three, four. Step through the door!" They called us through the doorway and led us to the table just inside. "Five, six. Take some sticks!"

  The "sticks" were a bundle of wooden chopsticks with meticulously written clues in as few words as humanly possible. The sticks would serve as the only guide that we would get.

  "Seven, eight. Make it great!" They continued as they spun around us and drew us back out of the classroom. "Nine, ten. We'll see you again!" With that, they spun around each other and continued dancing as they had when we walked up.

  "What now?" Chika asked in a complete daze.

  "Well," I said, pulling out the sticks. "I guess we try to figure out what these lead to and go get whatever we need from there."

  We found an open table in the cafeteria and laid the sticks on the table. Aside from the microscopic writing, there was nothing particularly special about them. It seemed like the only hints we would get would be from the writing itself. We racked our brains for what seemed like forever before we finally arrived at a single possibility for one of the sticks. With nothing else to go off of, we set off for the roof.

  If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

  The door was already open, so we thought we were on the right track. As we opened it further, we saw only an empty rooftop. The wind brushed our faces as we stepped out.

  "I guess we're not the genius detectives we played as kids," Chika laughed.

  "Speak for yourself, Watson," I joked. "There may be a clue here yet."

  I made a couple of rounds through the walkways and climbed the loft area.

  "Eureka! I found it, Watson. Come quickly!"

  Chika rolled her eyes and smiled as she ran over. In an instant, she joined me, and we overlooked the whole campus. The tents and stands acted as flowers in an otherwise grey field. Students and patrons looked like ants from our eyes. She laughed and spun around, her arms behind her back as she leaned forward slightly.

  "You're right again, Sherlock," she smirked. "I guess even we can solve the Mystery of the Best View of the Festival."

  I smiled and took a grandiose actor's bow. As I hit the deepest point of the bow, I felt the strongest gust I had felt all day. It knocked me from my courtesy bow, and I staggered to keep my balance. As I looked up, my heart stopped.

  Whereas I had regained my balance, Chika had not. She had teetered too dangerously to the ledge, and the gust had been the push she never needed. My eyes rose just in time to see her slip over the edge — the edge of the second highest point on campus. I tried so desperately to stop time, but I was unable to until she had already fallen over. I grasped the edge to see her frozen in mid-free fall, her hand reaching up to me, fear covering her face.

  I ran from the roof as fast as I could. I jumped over corners, dipped under handles, barreled through displays. I finally emerged at the front of the school and began the longest sprint to the side where we were. I finally rounded the corner to see her only a couple of meters off the ground. As I ran the last leg, my head began to split open, and I tripped. I failed to get back up, so I continued crawling through the pain. The closer I got, the further away she seemed. At the last second, my control slipped, and time resumed.

  "NO!!"

  THUD

  My ears were ringing, my vision clouded from the tears. I crawled to her body and wrapped her in my arms again. Her eyes still seemed like they held life, but I knew that she was already gone.

  "No. No. No. NO! NO!"

  * * * * *

  My alarm pulled me from my slumber, and I sprang up in my bed. Sweat poured from my forehead, and tears descended from my eyes. Again, my hands shook along with my breath. I had lost her again. The sun began to fill my room, and I finally looked over to check my alarm. As I read the date and time, my heart stopped again: Tuesday.

  What the hell?! How?! I-I'm not even the one doing this!

  "Are you having fun yet, my stubborn child?"

  "...you..." I tasted the venom in my voice.

  "Me," the mocking smile on his face resonated through the mask as he put his hands up and shrugged his shoulders.

  I pulled my knife and lunged out of my bed at him. A simple move to the side was all he needed to avoid the strike. Strike after strike rained down on him, but none of them landed. Just as before, he dodged my attacks like they were moving in slow motion. In two swift strikes, he disarmed me despite my efforts to retain control. In a moment, my blade was again at my neck.

  "Now, now, Kazuma. Don't be that way," his tone infuriated me to no end. "You still haven't learned your lesson. You didn't really think I would let you half-ass something so important, did you?"

  "I'm gonna kill you," my voice was trembling with fury and agony.

  "Oh, how many times have I heard those words? Look, I'll make a deal with you. You chose someone to die over these next few days, and you'll be free of this little time loop. It can be anyone." He leaned in close, "anyone except you, of course."

  "Why the hell do you care if I live?"

  "Well, if you must know, I can achieve my goals without you, but things get complicated that way. Plus, if you stick around, you can continue to enjoy your little high school fantasy... until the creeping danger comes for you, that is."

  "And what the hell is that danger anyway?! You act like you know everything, but face it, you're just as clueless about it as I am!"

  The blade sank itself into my wall, and a punch landed in my kidney, sending me to my knees.

  "What did I tell you about interrupting me, Kazuma? Besides, the danger is for you to discover. Now, what do you say? Ready to play Who Wants to Die, my little Reaper?"

  Before I could turn around to try for even a cheap shot, he was gone once again. My fist stood in empty space where he should have been. My back was flaring in pain, and I had only just started my day. I crawled back onto the bed and stared at the ceiling.

  What the hell happens if I don't play?