[Scene: A dimly lit school corridor]
The sound of silence was suffocating.
Asahi stood at the edge of the dark corridor, his breath shallow, his heart pounding like the ticking of a clock that had lost its rhythm. His eyes scanned the once-familiar halls of his school. But this... this place didn't feel right.
He stepped forward, his boots echoing softly on the polished floor. His fingers brushed the cold, rusted lockers, the faint odor of old paper and dust hanging in the air. This wasn't how his school was supposed to be. It was too familiar and yet... it was off.
He whispered to himself, voice as cold as the air around him.
Asahi: (coldly) Where am I?
A distant murmur cut through the stillness—a voice.
It was coming from a classroom up ahead.
Asahi's eyes narrowed, his mind running on autopilot as he slowly walked toward the door. His feet felt heavy, reluctant to carry him forward, but his curiosity pulled him along.
As he approached the door, he hesitated. The voices were clearer now, a soft, playful tone mixed with laughter.
Asahi: (muttering, almost to himself) It sounds like... happiness.
[Scene Transition: Inside the classroom]
Slowly, Asahi pushed the door open, the soft creak of the hinges sounding far too loud in the stillness. He peered through the crack, his breath catching in his throat.
Inside the classroom, two figures stood by the window, the afternoon light casting a warm glow around them. The girl's laughter was like a melody, full of joy. The boy beside her laughed too, his voice rich with a carefree happiness. They were like a perfect picture.
The girl—Anari—her bright eyes glistened as she smiled at the boy next to her, her hands playfully swatting at him. The boy was... him.
Asahi: (coldly) Anari...
His voice barely escaped his lips, a whisper lost in the vast emptiness of his own mind.
And the boy... the other version of himself. The failed Asahi.
The laughter felt like a punch to his gut. He stared at the two of them, the warmth between them so stark against the coldness of his own heart.
Asahi: (muttering) It's him... The failed Asahi.
The air was warm, filled with the soft rustling of paper and the sweet sound of laughter.
Anari—the girl he cherished more than anyone in this world—smiled brightly at the boy beside her. He had been his other self once. The failed Asahi. A version that could never live up to his expectations.
She tilted her head slightly, her eyes glistening as she spoke with a teasing tone.
Anari: (gently, with a warm smile) Asahi...
Her voice rang through the room like a melody, one that sent a pang of longing deep in Asahi's chest. But what truly stung was the way she looked at him.
The boy sitting beside her, this other version of him, was basking in the warmth of her gaze.
The Failed Asahi: (distracted) What!?
Anari's playful smile softened as she took a step closer to him, her cheeks tinged with a faint blush.
Anari: (with a teasing smile) I always come to your home, right?
The failed Asahi's face flushed, his eyes widening in surprise at her question.
The Failed Asahi: (nervously) Yes!
Anari, still smiling, took another step forward, her blush deepening as she looked at him through her eyelashes.
Anari: (with a soft, shy smile) Then today, you should come to my house.
Her words hung in the air for a moment, and the room seemed to slow down. The failed Asahi's face flushed a bright red as his gaze shifted away from hers, too embarrassed to meet her eyes.
The Failed Asahi: (stumbling over his words) Ahhh... w-wait...
Anari's eyes softened with affection as she looked at him, waiting for his reaction. Her expression was gentle, warm—a side of her Asahi had always dreamed of seeing, but now it belonged to another.
Anari: (gently, with a loving gaze) What?
The failed Asahi, lost in her look, seemed frozen. His cheeks were flushed, and his usual confidence faltered in the face of her affection. He couldn't bring himself to speak at first, and the tension between them grew.
Anari: (smiling, with a teasing glint in her eyes) I'll tell you when you come to my house...
The failed Asahi turned his head in embarrassment, his face practically glowing with the intensity of his feelings.
The Failed Asahi: (mumbling, trying to hide his flustered state) Y-yeah... yeah!
Anari chuckled, the sound light and carefree, filling the room with a joy that felt so foreign to Asahi. Her laugh was genuine, unburdened, the laughter of someone who had everything she wanted—everything he could never have.
[Scene Transition: Outside the Classroom]
Asahi stood just outside the door, hidden in the shadows, his cold, unfeeling gaze focused on the two inside. His hands were clenched at his sides, his fists shaking ever so slightly, but his expression was like stone—unreadable, indifferent.
He could see it all.
He didn't move. He didn't speak. He only watched.
His heart was a hollow thing, untouched by the scene unfolding before him. His eyes, though, betrayed a deep, gnawing emptiness. The two people inside that room were living the life he'd never be able to have.
The failed Asahi bounded out of the classroom, his steps light and carefree. His laughter filled the air as he hopped down the corridor, a vision of blissful ignorance. Every step he took was filled with joy—he was alive, and that was all that mattered. There was no weight on his shoulders. There was no burden. He was happy.
The Failed Asahi: (laughing, joyfully) Yoooo!
Asahi, however, stood at a distance, watching the version of himself that could still smile, that could still laugh. His expression remained cold, unmoving. He felt no happiness in the failed Asahi's joy—only detachment, only emptiness. With silent steps, Asahi followed behind.
The failed Asahi walked onto the street, bouncing along, his heart as light as his steps. The world was his. He had everything—Anari—and soon, he'd share his excitement with his parents. Everything felt perfect.
The Failed Asahi: (grinning, humming) Yeah, today's gonna be great.
Asahi's footsteps were quiet in contrast, his expression locked in a perpetual mask of cold indifference. He knew what would come next. He had seen this scene too many times before. It was as if he were watching a replay—fate on loop.
The failed Asahi burst through the door, the warmth of his home greeting him as he called out. His voice was filled with anticipation, the excitement still clear in his tone.
The Failed Asahi: (enthusiastically) Yo... Mom! Dad! I have to tell you something!
The door creaked open, and he stepped into the living room, still unaware of the horrors awaiting him. Asahi stood behind him, his face as cold and unreadable as stone. He had already seen this part of the story—the broken pieces of a life that was never meant to be. But it didn't change anything. It was all just a cycle.
Then, the failed Asahi froze.
His joyful steps faltered. The smile on his face vanished in an instant, replaced by confusion, disbelief, and then horror. He took one step forward, and then another. His eyes widened as the brutal sight in front of him became undeniable.
The Failed Asahi: (whispering) No...
His world shattered. The sight before him—his parents—hanging from the ceiling, their bodies limp and twisted in a final act of despair. Their eyes were wide open, frozen in fear and agony. It wasn't a peaceful death. No, they had suffered. Their final moments had been filled with pain, confusion, and struggle.
The Failed Asahi: (voice cracking) Why...? Why is this happening?
His legs gave way beneath him. He collapsed to his knees, unable to comprehend what he was seeing. His heart broke as the reality of the situation sank in. His life was over.
The Failed Asahi: (screaming) ARRRRARRRR!!! NO!
He wailed in agony, unable to contain the pain. The world around him crumbled. His parents—the ones who had loved him unconditionally—were gone. And now, he was alone.
The Failed Asahi: (sobbing, voice raw) WHY? WHY? WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO ME?
The failed Asahi stumbled out of the house, his hands shaking as he wiped his tear-streaked face. The rain poured down in sheets, but it didn't matter. It couldn't wash away the weight of his sorrow, the weight of his loss.
The Failed Asahi: (whispering to himself, broken) Anari...
The name echoed in the empty streets as he stumbled forward, barely aware of the world around him. The rain mixed with his tears, his voice fading into the storm. He kept calling her name, over and over, as if she could answer from the depths of his pain. As if she could bring everything back.
The Failed Asahi: (desperate) Anari... Anari... Anari...
His voice became frantic, then hoarse, barely a whisper of the man he once was. He had lost everything. There was nothing left but this endless search for something he could never have again.
Asahi continued to follow from a distance. His eyes locked onto the failed Asahi's back as he wandered aimlessly, muttering the name of the girl who once held his heart. The distance between them was vast, yet somehow, Asahi felt no connection to this man who carried his face. He had witnessed it all before, and yet it never got any easier.
Asahi: (coldly, watching from behind) Anari...
He repeated the name under his breath, but there was no warmth in his voice—only the echo of the words in his empty heart.
The Failed Asahi stood before the door, staring at it. It was already slightly ajar, the silence in the air too heavy to bear.
The Failed Asahi:"Anari..."
His voice trembled in the stillness, but the one who awaited him, the one who should have been there, was nowhere to be found.
Asahi stood off to the side, coldly observing him, his eyes empty, though something was stirring within him.
The Failed Asahi took a slow, heavy step forward, walking into the house. The silence was deafening. So much silence... The house seemed like an endless void, and yet, he didn't care.
The Failed Asahi:"Anari..."
He walked up the stairs, the weight of his steps matching the heaviness in his heart. The further he climbed, the more the air seemed to thicken, suffocating him.
Asahi followed him, though his footsteps were almost imperceptible. A cold shadow, yet something deeper was growing within him—an unfamiliar sensation.
The Failed Asahi reached the door to Anari's room. It was slightly open, just like everything else in this broken world.
Asahi:"My heart... why does it feel different?" His voice was still cold, but there was an undeniable shift in his chest, as though something inside him was beginning to crack open.
The Failed Asahi pushed the door open with trembling hands, his breath catching in his throat.
The Failed Asahi:"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
His voice cracked, breaking as he saw her, lying motionless on the floor. Anari's body was a testament to the struggle, her neck showing the cruel marks of someone who had choked her. The pain and torment she must have endured... her nails cracked, blood still warm, her eyes wide open in terror.
The Failed Asahi staggered closer to her, falling to his knees beside her, trembling as he reached for her cold hand.
The Failed Asahi:"Anari... Anari!" His voice broke, desperate, as tears welled up in his eyes. He shook her, wishing, pleading for her to come back. "Please, come back..."
Asahi stood in the shadows, watching the scene unfold. His expression remained cold, but his heart thundered in his chest. "Ahhh..."
Anari: Her voice was barely a whisper, hoarse with the strain of her final breaths, but it carried the weight of a thousand unsaid words. "Asahi..."
The Failed Asahi:"ANARI!"
His voice shattered in the stillness, as if the very fabric of the world was breaking along with him. His entire being was filled with agony.
Anari:"Look... after yourself... alright?" Her words were strained, the last effort of someone who knew their time was slipping away.
The Failed Asahi:"No... no... don't say that..." His voice cracked as he clutched her hand, unwilling to let go.
Asahi watched from afar, his heart hammering in his chest, an unfamiliar emotion flooding his veins. He stood frozen, his eyes narrowing.
Anari:"One more thing..."
The Failed Asahi leaned in, desperate to hear her last words.
Anari:"I lo-"
Before she could finish, her eyes glazed over, closing forever.
The Failed Asahi:"No... no... don't go without me!" His voice erupted into a desperate shout, his pain reverberating through the air, a sound of raw loss. "ARARARARRARARARA!"
Asahi: His face remained expressionless, but something inside him shifted. A single tear fell from his eye.
Asahi:"Why am I crying?" His voice was cold, distant, but there was an unmistakable crack in his demeanor.
The Failed Asahi screamed in pain, his agony echoing in the room as he suddenly clutched his left eye. The eye—now dark and filled with a crimson spot—seemed to pulse with a sickly energy.
The Failed Asahi:"I just wanted to live with Anari..." His voice trembled, filled with tears as he whispered his final wish.
Asahi: A sudden realization hit him, as though the entire world had shifted in an instant. He stared at the Failed Asahi, his own heart still racing, but his face remained stoic. "I know... why am I crying?"
And then, as if the world itself had taken pity on the failed Asahi, he began to fade away. His figure dissolved, disappearing into the ether, the remnants of his pain scattered into nothingness.
Asahi: His heart still beating wildly, he stood silent, watching the place where the Failed Asahi once stood. The tear on his cheek was the only evidence of the battle that had raged inside of him