Chapter 3: The Butterfly Punch

Ren Takahashi wasn't a fighter. But today, the universe decided to change that.

The day started innocently enough—no glitches, no rewinds, just Ren determined to make the most of it without touching the time machine. After the strange mess with his math quiz disappearing and the substitute teacher, he figured taking a step back from time manipulation was a smart idea.

“Control what you can, ignore the rest,” Ren mumbled to himself as he tugged on his uniform blazer. “Easy.”

He had a plan. A normal plan. No rewinds. No resets. He would focus on the little things, like getting to school on time and avoiding unnecessary disasters. Maybe if he played it safe, the universe would give him a break.

Unfortunately, the universe had other ideas.

The first problem arrived in the form of Shun Kido, Ren’s best friend and occasional source of trouble. Shun wasn’t the brightest student, but he was loyal—and Ren appreciated that. Except today, Shun’s “loyalty” involved dragging Ren into something he wanted no part of.

“Ren, you have to back me up on this one,” Shun whispered urgently, gripping his arm as they walked through the school gates. His voice was low, like he was sharing classified intel. “It’s life or death, man.”

Ren gave him a skeptical look. “What now? Did you forget your homework again?”

“This is serious!” Shun glanced around nervously. “Takeshi Toma found out I borrowed his bike last week.”

“You mean you stole his bike.”

“Borrowed!” Shun hissed, shoving Ren toward the entrance. “Look, all you have to do is distract him for five minutes. Just five. Then I’m home free.”

Ren rolled his eyes. “Takeshi Toma could probably crush you with one hand, Shun. Why do you always do this to yourself?”

“I thought it was parked on my street, okay? Honest mistake.” Shun grinned awkwardly, like that somehow made everything better. “Come on, you’re my best friend. If you don’t help me, who will?”

Before Ren could protest, Takeshi’s hulking figure emerged from the corner of the courtyard. He had the build of a rugby player and a permanent scowl that said, I don’t negotiate. His eyes locked onto Shun immediately, narrowing with predatory intent.

“Oh, no,” Shun whispered, ducking behind Ren. “He saw me.”

And just like that, Ren’s carefully planned “normal” day crumbled into chaos.

Takeshi stomped toward them, his fists clenched. “Oi, Kido! You think I wouldn’t notice?”

Ren instinctively stepped forward, putting himself between Takeshi and his friend. His heart pounded in his chest, but his voice came out steady. “Hey, uh, maybe we can all just—”

“Not your business, Takahashi.” Takeshi glared at him. “Move.”

Ren’s survival instincts screamed at him to step aside, but for some reason—maybe misplaced loyalty, maybe sheer stupidity—he stood his ground. “He’s sorry, okay? It was a mistake.”

Takeshi wasn’t having it. “Move, or I’ll move you.”

Ren could feel Shun trembling behind him. This is not how I wanted my morning to go.

Then, before Ren could react, Takeshi shoved him hard in the chest.

It was instinct—pure reflex. Ren’s body moved before his brain could catch up. His fist swung forward, catching Takeshi square on the nose with a sickening crunch.

Everyone froze.

Ren blinked in disbelief, staring at his own hand like it belonged to someone else. Takeshi staggered back, clutching his nose in shock. Blood trickled between his fingers.

“Oh no,” Ren whispered. “What did I just do?”

It didn’t take long for word to spread. By the time Ren made it to class, the whole school was buzzing with gossip about the kid who punched Takeshi Toma. He could feel the stares, the whispered conversations happening behind his back.

“Did you hear? Ren Takahashi punched Toma.”
“No way! I thought that guy was a total pushover.”
“Maybe he’s been working out in secret…”

Ren slumped in his seat, mortified. This wasn’t the kind of attention he wanted. Shun, on the other hand, was ecstatic. He plopped down beside Ren, grinning from ear to ear.

“You’re a legend, man!” Shun whispered excitedly. “Toma didn’t see it coming.”

“I didn’t see it coming!” Ren hissed back. “I’ve never punched anyone in my life.”

“Well, you did today. And now everyone thinks you’re a badass.”

Ren buried his face in his hands. This was exactly the kind of thing he wanted to avoid. How was he supposed to keep a low profile if half the school thought he was some kind of secret street fighter?

And worse—what if this fight triggered another glitch in the timeline? What if things started changing again?

By lunchtime, Ren’s anxiety had reached critical levels. He knew he couldn’t let this spiral any further. He needed to rewind—just a little—enough to undo the fight and stop things from getting out of hand.

But there was a problem. The time machine wasn’t responding. No matter how many times Ren adjusted the settings or smacked the side of the capsule, it stayed stubbornly offline.

“Come on, you stupid thing,” Ren muttered under his breath, frantically pressing buttons. “Work. Please.”

Nothing. The machine sat there, humming quietly but refusing to engage.

Ren stared at the control panel, panic rising. If he couldn’t rewind, that meant the fight with Takeshi was locked into the timeline. There was no undoing it.

With no other options, Ren trudged back to class, dreading the afternoon. He could only hope that Takeshi would cool off and let it go. Maybe, if he got lucky, the whole thing would blow over.

Spoiler: It didn’t.

As the final bell rang, Ren gathered his things and tried to sneak out of the classroom unnoticed. But Takeshi was waiting for him by the front gates, flanked by two equally intimidating friends.

“Hey, Takahashi.” Takeshi’s voice was low and dangerous. “We’re not done.”

Ren swallowed hard. His heart raced as he scanned the courtyard, looking for an escape route. This is bad. Really bad.

But just as Takeshi took a step forward, something strange happened.

The world flickered.

It was subtle—just a brief, almost imperceptible glitch, like someone had paused reality for half a second. The air shimmered, and for a moment, everything felt… out of place. Ren’s head throbbed, and the watch on his wrist began ticking erratically, spinning backward in short bursts.

Then, just as quickly as it started, the glitch vanished.

Takeshi frowned, looking confused. His scowl softened, and he scratched his head as if trying to remember why he was angry in the first place.

“You know what? Forget it.” Takeshi turned away abruptly, his two friends following suit without protest. “Not worth it.”

Ren blinked in disbelief. “Wait… what?”

Just like that, the fight was over. No threats, no revenge—just a sudden, inexplicable change of heart.

As Takeshi disappeared down the street, Shun appeared beside Ren, looking just as baffled. “What just happened?”

“I have no idea,” Ren whispered, clutching his watch. His pulse raced as a terrifying thought crossed his mind.

The timeline is starting to rewrite itself… without me.

Ren stared at his malfunctioning watch, a cold knot forming in his stomach. “This is way bigger than I thought.”