Are you ready for your second life?

After Sho got caught up in all that mess and was beaten up for no reason,
He got up and just headed to where he needed to be --

Like nothing had happened.

He made his way down the street toward an empty plot of land nestled between a few houses and an abandoned construction site.
He visited this place every day, no matter what.

As he approached, he reached into his bag and took out a packet of cat food.
But just as he was heading toward the spot, he noticed a girl walking past him, holding a cat in her arms.

She seemed to be smiling, and the cat looked completely at ease, resting comfortably against her.Seeing that, Sho simply smiled.

“I see… Hikari, you’ve found a place,” he said softly. “I’m glad you have someone else who’ll take care of you now.”

Then he walked away.

The reason he had been rushing after school -- even with his injuries -- was to feed this cat.
It had become a daily routine -- one he never skipped, no matter what. Rain or shine, pain or exhaustion, he always showed up.

He’d found her a few weeks ago, curled up alone near the fence, thin and shivering.
She didn’t run when he approached. 

Just stared at him with those quiet, tired eyes.

Something about her felt… familiar.

So he started bringing food. Sitting nearby. Talking to her even when she didn’t respond.
And slowly, she began to trust him --waiting for him each day, brushing against his leg, purring softly.
He named her Hikari.

Because in his world, dim as it was, she was the only little light that showed up without judgment.

Sho looked in the direction the girl had gone, Hikari resting comfortably in her arms.
He gave a small, genuine smile.

“Well… I guess from tomorrow, I won’t need to come here after class anymore.”
He turned and walked away from the spot.
The rain, which had been falling lightly all this time, suddenly started pouring down.

As Sho approached a nearby crossing, he noticed a small kid holding a soccer ball.
The ball slipped from the child’s hands and rolled into the street.

Without thinking, the kid chased after it -- unaware of what was ahead.

Through the heavy rain, Sho spotted a truck speeding toward the intersection.
The driver couldn’t see clearly. The child had no idea.

Sho’s eyes widened.

And without a second thought, 

he ran.

He rushed forward, legs still aching, heart pounding. At the last moment, he pushed the child out of the way.

But he slipped --right in front of the oncoming truck. 

it was already too late. The speeding truck was heading straight for him --And he had no time left to move.

At the moment Time felt like it had slowed.
The roar of the engine faded into a dull hum, stretched thin and distant. The world around him dimmed --

Except for that blinding white light coming from the truck’s headlights. As the truck closed in, Sho slowly shut his eyes.

I guess this is it.

I guess this is where I die…

A breath escaped his lips. And in that final second, a faint smile.

I’m glad…

At the moment the truck reached me…
Everything around me disappeared into white.

The streets, the rain, the sound --
All of it faded away. I couldn’t feel the ground anymore. Couldn’t hear anything.
Couldn’t even tell if I was falling or floating.

Just silence… and light.

A white, endless space.

And me… drifting in it.

A strange warmth wrapped around my body.
Not cold like the rain. Not painful like before.
Just weightless.

Am I already dead…?
So this is what death feels like…
I always thought it would be cruel. Sad. Painful.

But it’s not.

It’s calm. Quiet. Almost peaceful.
All I can feel is this soft, gentle sensation…
Like I’m finally free from everything.

Then suddenly--
I saw it.
A hand, reaching toward me from above.

I stared at it, confused… and then I heard a voice.

A voice I hadn’t heard in so long.

“Sho-kun…

You really are a very kind person…”

That voice--

The moment I heard it, something in my chest tightened.

Familiar.
Warm.
Nostalgic.

A memory long forgotten started to surface.

Now I remember…I had someone.

Someone who didn’t make fun of me for how I looked.

Someone who didn’t laugh when I spoke.
And then I saw her--

A silhouette of a girl, standing in the white.
Wearing a big hat.
Long hair swaying gently.
Reaching her hand toward me.
That girl…I met her that day.

Even though it was the first time we met,
Her words were so gentle--
Like someone who truly cared about others.
She spoke, proudly, about her dream.
She told me she was frail. Sick.

But she was  passionate about her dream more than anyone I’d ever met.

And when I said something awful about myself--When I called myself ugly--

She was the first person to actually get angry at me for it.

She reached out her hand to me.

And then, she smiled and said--

“What’s important isn’t your face.”

“It’s what’s underneath.”

“You have a beautiful heart, Sho-kun.”

“You’re beautiful… just as you are.”

Those words--

I didn’t realize it at the time. But hearing them now, here, in this empty white space…
I never knew those were the words I wanted to hear the most. That she said them to me--

To someone she didn’t even know.

How could I have forgotten something like that…?

I don’t know what happened to her.I don’t even know if she remembers me.

But from the bottom of my heart…

God… please.Please let her dream come true.

That’s all I want.

That’s all I pray for now.

That girl,

With the soft voice,

The bright dream

And that kind smile

She deserves everything.

And just then--

A hand finally reached out to me.
It wasn’t hers.

But somehow… it felt just as warm.
Fingers brushed.

And then, firmly -- it grabbed hold.
I felt myself being pulled upward.The light wrapped around me, brighter than ever.

Then, just like that--The light vanished.
When I opened my eyes again,I was no longer floating.I was standing. In the middle of a vast, open space…

The ground beneath me shimmered with intricate patterns, glowing softly in gold.
The air felt weightless, and everything around me pulsed with warmth --
Beautiful, still, almost sacred.

And standing there, just ahead of me-- Was a girl. 

She had long, flowing pink hair that seemed to glow with the light itself.

Her dress moved like water, elegant and radiant. Everything about her felt… otherworldly.

Powerful. Calm. Divine.

She looked at me gently, her gaze unwavering.

And then, with a soft smile, she spoke:

“Your story isn’t over yet
In fact… it’s only just begun.

Are you ready for your second life?
Sho Hashimoto.”