Chapter 1:

The beginning of the rain and the appearance of a faint light.

Trapped Between Two Worlds"




Kaito: I started dating Rin back in high school. She meant the world to me. And now, here we are—our first day in college. To celebrate, we decided to revisit the place where it all began… Emma High School. So here I am, waiting for her.
Rin: Ah, Kaito! Have you been waiting long?
Kaito: No, I just got here.
(Kaito to himself)"Wow... Her outfit is stunning. It perfectly matches her long red hair and those deep black eyes... I feel like I'm dating an angel."
Rin: Kaito? Are you even listening?
Kaito: Ah—yes! I’m here, I’m here.
Rin: So… how do I look?
Kaito: Beautiful.
Rin (shyly): Thank you… Shall we go?
Kaito: Yeah.
Rin: This place brings back memories… the three of us.
Kaito: You mean Misaki?
Rin (sadly): Yeah… Ever since she went to Seoul, we haven’t seen much of her.
Kaito: That’s normal. She was top of the class, and she wanted to pursue her dream. You know how tough universities in Seoul are.
Rin: Ha! Look who's talking! The guy with the worst grades in class! I was at least fifth, and I never complained.
Kaito: Hey! I got tenth place in our final year!
Rin: Thanks to me and Misaki! Without us, you wouldn’t have even made it to last place!
Kaito: What?! I’ve never failed a class in my life!
Rin: Yeah, yeah… Remember those test questions we made for you back then?
Kaito: They were impossible! You two designed them just so I'd lose the bet and buy you cakes!
Rin (laughs): Exactly! Because you totally deserved it.
Rin: Look… aren’t those our old seats? This brings back memories...
Kaito: Yeah...
Rin: And the writing on the wall? From when you tried to cheat on the physical exam...
Kaito: Ah, yes... The teacher took me elsewhere to finish it.
Rin: How did you manage back then?
Kaito: Heh... I still had some tricks up my sleeve.
Rin: As usual...
Kaito: But I've changed a lot.
Rin: Yeah… Let’s keep going.
Kaito: Or... should we stop here?
Rin: Here it is... The Covenant Rock.
Kaito: The place where I confessed for the first time…
Rin: Yeah… you stuttered for so long before saying it.
Kaito: I was just working up the courage…
Rin: But… at the cost of someone else.
Kaito: What?
Rin: Nothing… Should we go back?
Kaito: Yeah…

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The Next Morning
Kaito: Ugh… Is it morning already?
(He turns on the TV and heads to wash his face.)
TV Newscaster: We bring you breaking news of a car accident near South Street, close to Emma High School. The injured individual was rushed to a nearby hospital.
(Kaito freezes, his heart sinking.)
Kaito (internally):I don't know what overcame me... My body moved on its own, racing there—just to make sure it wasn't her.I kept praying.Praying it wasn’t her…Because if it was… I didn’t know what I’d do.
I reached the hospital room. My hands pushed the door open.And then... I saw her.I couldn’t move. Couldn’t speak.All I could do was hold her hand, look at her face...and cry silently.

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A few days later, we attended Rin’s funeral.I said goodbye to her family...I went back home.I couldn’t sleep, couldn’t eat—for an entire week.

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That night... I had a dream.

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Rin (in the dream):Ah... You finally woke up? I can see you haven’t eaten in days! Here—eat something.You know... it makes me sad when you don’t take care of yourself.Girls like it when their boyfriends care about their health, you know?
Heh... Want another dish? Okay, here you go… Eat up.
Hey, Kaito… Did you tell her? Or not yet?You know she deserves to know.

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(Kaito wakes up slowly, dazed.)
Kaito:Was that... a dream, Rin?
(He reaches for some food.)
Kaito (while eating):I’ll tell her… If that’s what you want, I’ll do it.But please...Come back to me in my dreams again.
Because without you...I don’t feel alive.