Regression And Discussion (1)

In a modern Japanese classroom, a teacher was giving his lesson. It was an ordinary day—until...

"Ahhhhh!!!”

A boy screamed as he toppled backward off his chair, crashing to the floor and grabbing the entire class’s attention. He looked terrified and confused, gasping as he kept feeling around his neck, as if searching for something missing.

The teacher’s frown deepened. He slammed his book onto the table. “Kimura Reo! What’s the meaning of this outburst?!”

Reo, however, couldn’t hear him. His mind was spinning. 'Didn’t I just die...?'

He could still feel the pain, the fear—everything from before. So how was he alive? Where even was he?

His thoughts spiraled until a sharp voice snapped him out of it.

“Kimura! Kimura Reo!” The teacher’s face was flushed with anger.

“Y-Yes...” Reo stammered, eyes flicking up—then widening in disbelief. That stern, twitching face—there was no way he could forget it.

“M-Mister Nakajima?!” Reo blurted out, voice trembling. His third-year English teacher stood glaring at him, as short-tempered as ever.

“This is my final warning—” Mister Nakajima began, but before he could finish, another scream split the air.

“Kyaaah!”

A girl in glasses shot up from her desk, her ponytail bouncing as she panted.

Reo’s eyes widened. Tears pricked at the corners. “A-Ayaka...”

Her head snapped toward him the moment she heard his voice. Tears welled up instantly. Without hesitation, they dashed toward each other, ignoring the stunned students around them.

They collided in a tight embrace, clinging to each other as if afraid to let go.

“Reo... Is it really you?” Ayaka sobbed into his chest, her arms wrapped around him like a lifeline.

“Yes... It’s really me...” Reo whispered back, squeezing her tightly.

They’d both died. They remembered everything—yet here they were, alive.

A realization struck him like lightning. What if the others...

“Ayaka!” He pulled back, gripping her shoulders.

She gasped but quickly understood. A smile broke through her tears. Even if it was only them, it was enough—yet deep down, they knew it wasn’t just them.

Meanwhile, Mister Nakajima was about to explode. Not only had his lesson been interrupted, but now the class representative was involved?! He slammed his palm on the desk, a vein throbbing on his temple.

Before he could unleash his fury, another voice—this time from outside—cut him off.

“REO! AYAKA! ITSUKI! AOI! HINA! YUI!”

Reo and Ayaka rushed to the window, the other students following to look at the commotion.

While the students had seen it as a spectacle and whispered amongst each other enjoying the chaos.

Reo and Ayaka's eyes widened with joy at the sight of the boy waving at them from the courtyard.

Without thinking, Reo grabbed Ayaka’s hand. They dashed out of the classroom, leaving behind buzzing whispers and a fuming teacher. They sprinted down the hallway, bolted down the stairs, and burst out into the sunlight.

The boy outside teared up the moment he saw them. They met halfway, crashing into each other in a tight, tearful hug. Then a girl’s shout rang out.

“Guys!!!” It was Yui. She ran at them at full speed, leaping into their arms and sending them sprawling to the ground. Laughter erupted between sobs as three more figures burst out of the school doors—two girls and one boy—faces streaked with tears but beaming with relief.

Reo, Ren, Yui, Ayaka, Hina, Aoi and Itsuki. They were together again.

And every single one of them remembered. This wasn’t a dream—this was reality. But behind the laughter, each of them knew this second chance wouldn’t be all smiles.

***

Inside a small café, the seven sat at two tables pushed together. They skipped school.

Hina and Aoi handed out drinks—everyone’s favorite—before settling in. 

“So, to sum up... we’ve all traveled back in time?” Reo said, sipping his tea.

Itsuki nodded. “Yes. It adds up. I checked the date—today is exactly one week before midterm exams. And... the day we got summoned.”

Ayaka set her coffee down, her brow furrowed. “Then... we’re going to be summoned again?”

Silence fell. They all knew the answer.

Yui, sitting at the next table, suddenly piped up. “Hey! Let’s not get gloomy now. Isn’t this a good thing? We have a second chance!”

“Yeah! We can do it differently this time!” Ren said, springing up beside her.

They were right. This time, they could fix everything—but only if they understood one thing.

Aoi looked around at each face before speaking softly. “Sorry to kill the mood, but aren’t we ignoring something important?”

Itsuki clasped his hands together. “Why... time rewound at all.”

Aoi nodded gravely. “Time doesn’t just rewind on its own. Something—or someone—did this.”

Hina’s eyes widened as pieces fell into place. She’d read countless regression stories and learned even more in the otherworld. Her hand shot up.

“I think I know why!” she blurted.

Everyone froze, all eyes on her.

“Explain,” Reo said firmly.

Hina picked up her half-empty glass of water. “Time is objective. For example—if I drink this water, it empties faster than if it evaporates naturally.”

She downed the rest and wiped her lips. “So I, as an intelligent being, manipulated the ‘time’ of this glass’s water.”

Itsuki raised an eyebrow. “So you’re saying... something intelligent manipulated our time?”

“Exactly.” Hina nodded. 

Ayaka frowned. “But we already figured someone must have done this, right?”

“No. You’re missing it,” Hina countered. “A person—any person—cannot rewind another person’s time.”

Ren scratched his cheek. “But what if it was someone’s ability?”

Aoi chimed in, “The otherworld didn’t follow Earth logic anyway.”

“But it had rules,” Hina insisted. “Abilities used mana particles. Average humans had 100–500 MP. We ‘Heroes’ had 5,000–10,000 MP. Even with all our power combined, we could never bend time like this. Even the Archmages failed to reverse a single second. ”

Reo nodded. “True. Even back there, time manipulation was out of reach for humans.”

Hina continued, pointing at the empty glass. “Only a being vastly more intelligent—something that governs time itself—could manipulate the time of something lesser.”

A cold realization settled over the group. Itsuki whispered, “The one that summoned us?”

Hina shook her head. “Even higher.”

Reo’s mind raced. He thought back to something his adoptive father once told him—he whispered without realizing it.

“[STATIC]... It's not a 'something', but a god...”

The instant he spoke, dread rippled through everyone.

“Reo... what did you just say?” Ayaka asked, her voice barely above a whisper.