Chapter 04

The screech of chalk against the blackboard jolted Tadashi back to consciousness. Simon drew another precise stroke, marking his latest failure.

“Two days,” Simon said, his white robes catching the ethereal light.

“You’re lasting longer each time.”

Tadashi remained motionless on the ground, his hand pressed against his chest where Ayano’s knife had struck. The pain was gone, but the memory burned fresh in his mind. Cherry blossoms. Warm coffee. A gentle smile hiding a blade.

“How…” his voice cracked.

“How can I trust anyone when every kindness is a weapon?”

Simon set down his chalk and approached Tadashi, his halo casting soft shadows.

“You’re asking the wrong question,” he said, kneeling beside the trembling boy. “The real question is: how will you survive in a world where trust is a luxury you can’t afford?”

Tadashi’s fingers curled into fists. “Then what’s the point? If every world is just another stage for betrayal, why keep trying?”

“Because,” Simon’s voice took on an unusual intensity, “this isn’t just about survival. It’s about understanding. Each death teaches you something new about yourself and the worlds you inhabit.”

Tadashi looked up, tears streaking his face.

“What could I possibly learn from being stabbed by someone pretending to be my friend?”

“Think carefully,” Simon said. “Ayano showed you something important about these worlds. What was it?”

Tadashi closed his eyes, remembering her final words. ‘We’re all wearing masks. I just happen to wear mine better than most.’

“The masks…” he whispered. “Everyone wears them, but not everyone wears them for the same reason.”

Simon nodded, a slight smile playing at his lips. “And?”

“In my first life, I wore a mask to keep people away. To protect myself.” Tadashi’s eyes widened with realization. “But Ayano… she wore hers to get closer. To hunt.”

“Now you’re beginning to understand,” Simon stood, retrieving his chalk. “These worlds aren’t simply hostile or kind. They’re complex, filled with people wearing masks for countless reasons. Your challenge isn’t just to survive – it’s to learn to navigate a society of masks.”

Tadashi slowly rose to his feet, his legs steadier than before.

“How can I possibly do that when I can’t trust anyone?”

“Perhaps,” Simon said, beginning to draw his portal, “the answer isn’t about finding people to trust, but about learning to survive despite the uncertainty. After all, even a fake friendship taught you something valuable, didn’t it?”

The portal’s golden light began to expand, its edges shimmering with possibility. Tadashi stepped toward it, then paused.

“Simon,” he said, “in all these worlds… am I the only one trying to survive?”

The angel’s expression remained carefully neutral. “That’s another interesting question. Perhaps you’ll find the answer in your next life.”

As Tadashi fell through the portal, his mind raced with new possibilities. If everyone wore masks, then perhaps the key wasn’t to find genuine people – they might not exist. Perhaps the key was to learn to read the masks themselves, to understand the intentions hidden behind each false smile.

The darkness enveloped him, but this time, it felt less like an abyss and more like a canvas. A space where he could reshape himself for the challenge ahead.

“A society of masks,” he murmured as he approached the familiar planet below. “Then I’ll have to become better at wearing one myself.”

Tadashi’s eyes opened to the familiar ceiling of his room, but this time, something felt different. He sat up slowly, methodically scanning his surroundings. The same furniture, the same layout, but he was no longer the same person who had died in these rooms before.

“A society of masks,” he murmured, walking to his mirror. His reflection stared back, tired but determined.

“Time to learn the steps to this dance.”

He dressed for school with deliberate care, choosing clothes that would help him blend in— not too neat, not too shabby. Average. As he adjusted his collar, he practiced different expressions in the mirror: the polite smile, the casual nod, the look of mild interest. Each one a mask for his arsenal.

The walk to school became an exercise in observation. He watched how different groups interacted, noting the subtle hierarchies, the small gestures that conveyed belonging or exclusion. A girl laughed too loudly at a boy’s joke—mask of attraction. A student deliberately bumped another’s shoulder—mask of dominance. Two friends shared lunch while keeping careful distance from others—mask of selective intimacy.

At the school gates, the usual guards approached.

“ID,” one demanded gruffly.

Tadashi produced his card with a slight bow—mask of deference.

“Good morning,” he said, his voice carefully modulated to sound both respectful and unmemorable.

The guard barely glanced at the ID before waving him through. Tadashi noted how the guard’s gruffness softened when addressing students wearing expensive watches or carrying designer bags. Another mask: authority tempered by social awareness.

In class, he chose a seat that offered clear sightlines to both exits. When the teacher called for introductions, he stood with practiced uncertainty.

“I’m Murata Tadashi,” he said, allowing a slight tremor in his voice—mask of nervousness.

“I hope we can get along.” He bowed slightly too long, earning a few sympathetic smiles. Perfect. Sympathy was safer than interest.

During lunch, he ate alone but positioned himself where he could observe multiple groups. He noticed how the popular students maintained their status through calculated generosity, how the academic achievers wore masks of humble dedication, how the rebellious ones carefully coordinated their displays of defiance.

A girl with a gentle smile and a pink hairpin caught his eye across the cafeteria. She reminded him of Ayano, down to the way she helped another student with their books. His chest tightened, phantom pain from a knife that hadn’t struck him in this life.

“Murata?”

He turned to find another student standing beside his table. She had an open, friendly face and carried a stack of papers.

“I’m Yuki, the class representative. I’m collecting contact information for the class directory.”

Tadashi studied her briefly. The slightly worn edges of her papers suggested she’d been at this a while. Her smile was practiced but showed signs of fatigue. A mask of responsibility, then.

“Of course,” he said, accepting the form. He filled it out with deliberate mediocrity, ensuring his handwriting was neither too neat nor too messy. When he returned the paper, he let his fingers tremble slightly—mask of social anxiety.

“Thank you,” Yuki said, adding his form to her stack. “And welcome to our school.”

As she walked away, Tadashi noticed how other students responded to her, respect mixed with distance. She was safe, then. Useful to know. The rest of the day passed in a blur of careful observations and calculated responses. By the time he left school, his head ached from maintaining constant vigilance, but he felt more in control than ever before.

Walking home, he took a different route than in his previous lives, avoiding the spots where he had died before. The sun was setting, painting the city in shades of amber and shadow. Perfect lighting for a world of masks.

In his apartment, Tadashi sat at his desk and began to write in a new notebook:

Day 1:

- Guards respond to status symbols

- Class rep (Yuki) = potential safe contact

- Popular groups maintain hierarchy through gifts/favors

- Pink hairpin = warning sign

- Keep reactions mild, forgettable

- Trust no one, but learn to read everyone

He closed the notebook and looked out his window at the darkening city. “One day down,” he whispered.

“Six more to survive.”

A slight smile played at his lips—not a mask this time, but a genuine expression of determination. In a world where everyone wore masks, perhaps the key to survival wasn’t avoiding them altogether, but learning to dance with them instead.