Chapter 1 - The Broken Thread

Thud. Thud. Thud.

857 steps.

Approximately, 857 steps Yuu had made that day, dragging her feet up the tall building. Ten more steps than the week prior. Ten more steps until she reached the very top. The lights of the stairwell buzzed and flickered overhead, leaving her in a sickly glow that made her seem all too ghostly. As if she were disappearing into the midst of thin air.

And that's all she's been doing over the years, disappearing. 

She pushes forward, stuck in a trance, making the ten steps she needed to bring her right to the very door that led her to her supposed freedom. Each step, bringing her further and further away from the monotonous life she had grown accustomed to, yet exhausted. Each step causing her throat to tighten drastically, as if a noose wrapped itself around her neck and she was the cause of the obstruction causing her discomfort. 

The sudden glow from her phone caught her attention briefly, 4:36 AM. There was no missed called, no unread messages, nothing. Just a notification popping up on the screen for a game she had been playing on her free time, letting her know that her stamina has been refilled and it was time to login to continue. 

There's a pause before she shuts her phone off and shoves it into the back pocket of her dark business pants. 

 The door that leads to the roof is propped open slightly, allowing Yuu a chance to slip through the gap and into the drizzle of the early morning dew. 

The rain sunk into her thin white blouse within seconds of stepping out into cold air. But she didn't detest that, no, rather it felt very grounding.  She glanced up at the sky -- searching, searching for something. What she once found to be a peaceful tranquil sky twists into an imagery of nothingness, a haunting canvas of low clouds that reflected the orange glow of the sun slowly rising. No stars, no moon, just eternal emptiness. 

There was an uneasy pull, tugging her away from the roof for a split second. Telling her to turn away, to go back to her mundane life and continue on. 

But there was also the need to get rid of this lump in her throat, the burden she continues to carry around with her on her shoulders. The desire to rid of her constant feeling of dread and chest pains.

After what felt like forever of not being in control of her own body, Yuu shuffles closer to the edge of the roof on her own accord, the droplets of rain clinging to her body desperately weighing her down; with the sour memories of what had recently occurred attaching to her very being like a parasite, to it's guttural core. 

She had worked so hard for a company that never cared, a boss that saw her as easily replaceable and what had she gotten in return? False accusations from coworkers whom she barely talked to, a one-sided argument that led to her being humiliated in front of everyone by the man who had entrusted her with the project to begin with, bringing them to the very extermination that mindlessly brought her here to the tallest building she could find. 

The rain intensified, drumming against the platform beneath her feet that she inches closer over the edge. Yuu closes her eyes and let's the thick air sink into her lungs. 

And for the first time in forever, she ultimately makes her life changing decision and takes the leap--

What felt like a thread holding her by the neck continues to tighten as she plummets five hundred feet towards solid pavement. Everything around her began to spin and there's a wave of nausea that hits her body for a second.

Right until the very end, right when her body was going to hit the ground, when the red thread of life--

snaps

*

THUD.

In an instant her eyes snap open and she sits right up in a state of panic, sweat clinging to her body and drenching the white shirt that she wore. She breathes in heavily before exhaling with the same intensity. 

'What... What was that...?' She wonders, feeling around for her cellphone, to find she was resting on a bed instead of hard pavement. ' Did I die...? That felt so real... no, that was real...!' Taking in her surroundings, she realizes just how bright it was now, how different her surroundings were. 

'This is... a room...' She looks around. It was like any other room, similar to her own actually, minimalistic yet seemingly more vibrant with decorations of anime characters. It was definitely more expressive than that of her actual room. She hadn't remembered the last time she let natural light settle into her room.

'Where--' Yuu slips out of the bed, almost tripping over her own feet when she realizes just how long her legs were at that moment. She's able to catch herself before she hit the ground this time, her eyes landing on the body mirror that coincidentally stood ahead of her in the room. 

"WHO IS THAT??!" She screams out, surprised by the different tone of her voice. "I-Is that me...??"

Before this, she stood at just 5'3", small, soft, fighting to be seen by anyone. Never, not in a million years, would she had find herself towering at 5'11". The change was so sudden, it felt violent even. Her shoulders were slightly widened, broad and taut. Her jaw was... sharp, and muscles formed where she had always been soft. She felt heavy, but in all honesty, it felt good. Looking closely, she was kind of attractive?? She had long and wild black hair that was handsomely tousled stops a shy away from her butt, something different from her usual messy yet straight ponytail that she wore everyday. She reaches up to touch her own face, light baby blue eyes following every movement until she grasps lightly at her cheek, giving it a small tug. 

"Real... What the hell...? Is this .. the afterlife??" 

Yuu is snapped out of her trance when she hears the loud alarm of a cellphone blaring nearby. She hurries over to the bedside table and turns it off quickly. That's when she notices the weird messages on the device. Something unusual to her, recent messages. 

7:12AM

Bae <3: 
Where are you? Are we still walking to school together?

Bae <3:
Are you ignoring me...? :(( 

Bae <3:
I swear I fell asleep last night! I would've been online if not for that :<

7:35 AM

Bae <3:
Are you still asleep, Haru??
I'll just meet you at the school gates, okay?

Yuu tilts her head in confusion, who the hell is 'Bae'?? Also, Haru? Is that who she was right now. She scrolls up to read through some of the messages, even going as far as looking through some other stuff on the phone only to find nothing. 

She notices the time, "I'm going to be late!" her body calls out instinctively, she hurries to the closet and puts together an outfit for the day. "Late?" Yuu pauses. "Argghh... fuck it, let's see what happens..." she grumbles, quickly getting ready for the day.

She gathers her things, at least what she thinks she needs and shoves them into a backpack nearby. Shoving her phone and the keys to the home into the pocket of her distressed blue jeans before heading out the door and letting her body guide her to her destination. 

*

That morning was definitely a chilly one, Yuu somehow finds herself on a street bustling with students also on their way to school. She wasn't usually one who frequents crowds, so she did her best to stand off to the side of what she at least thought was the suppose school gate. Doing her best to avoid everyone and anyone at this point.

"Good morning, Haru-- Are you okay? What's up?" A soft voice asks from behind her, causing her to jump in surprise. Was she always so easy to sneak up on?? 

Yuu turns back quickly, "Um--" she meets eyes with the woman behind her; she was much shorter than her, and definitely had more curves. She had long brown hair cascading down her shoulders in perfect curls, bangs held neatly beneath a purple headband.  "Uhh..."

"Are you okay?" The woman asks once more, offering a slight smile that allowed Yuu to analyze her face closely this time. 

She was familiar...

Too familiar actually...

Wait--

"M...Minami Okamura?" Yuu questions seconds later, staring blankly at the girl as the gears in her brain start to turn. This girl was Minami Okamura! From the dating sim she had been playing a lot recently. 

Minami wasn't one of the main characters though, she was more of a sub-character all the characters knew and love. She was a lovable character everyone liked actually. 

Speaking of the main characters, Yuu took a moment to scan the area now, having an idea of what/who to look out for. And there she saw her, the main love interest in the story, Shizuka Uehara. She had noticed her passing by in a sleek black car with the window slightly ajar. She knew from experience how beautiful the girl was but didn't actually know how to react to said beauty when up close and personal.

"You're lucky we woke up in time!" Another female voice called out angrily. Passing them by, Yuu's eyes followed in pursuit, Yukiko Hasegawa, another character of the game, dragging along with her--

The game's male lead, Takashi Hasegawa! The game surrounds this character and his story, offering different options of love interest. And if she remembers correctly from who she saw this morning, the person she is now was neither a potential candidate nor a memorable character, so who was she--

"Yes? Haruko Kisaragi?" Minami responds with the same amount of energy, smiling up innocently at the taller girl. 

"Huh...?" 

She was an NPC!??