Chapter 1: Nihility and Nightmares
"Nix, thank you for today again," she smiled. "I'll see you tomorrow..."
"No."
"No..."
"no..."
"no..."
"no..."
"NO!"
He reached out, chasing her disappearing presence once again—but his hands passed through her. Just like always.
And then—he stumbled.
And woke up.
Huff… huff… huff…
Nix shot up in bed, breath heavy, drenched in the rising dawn bleeding through his window. The sunlight hit him like a reminder he didn't ask for.
"It's the same nightmare again..." he spoke in his thoughts.
He stood up and stretched, feeling the weight of nothing. Every day was just another tick on a clock he didn't care to reset.
His morning routine was automatic: shower, brush, get dressed. Then he sat down at the table and checked the small paper where he wrote his plans for the day.
[4th Grade Year, Class ****, ****** School Reunion]
A reunion with his old classmates.
He didn't think much of them—except one. The memory of childhood friends, the bitter sting of betrayal, and the one girl he could never forget. He stole her from him.
The only reason he agreed to go… was to see her.
Nix threw on a crisp white polo and dark slacks. He added a simple black face mask. Nothing flashy—just functional.
He exited his hotel and stepped into the bustling streets of Kyoto, Japan. The morning crowd flowed like a river—children heading to school, adults to work. A chaotic harmony of daily life.
Nix stood out like a statue carved from divine marble.
6'3". Impossibly fit. Snow-white hair like threads of moonlight.
People stared.
"Damn, he's jacked."
"Mommy, look! That man's sooo tall!"
"Yo, you think that hair is dyed?"
But Nix ignored them. He just walked.
After a while, he reached the shop where the reunion was being held. Through the glass, he saw them—his old classmates. She wasn't there yet.
He stepped inside.
A classmate blinked at him in confusion.
"Uh… hey, do I know you? What's your name?"
"Nix."
The man blinked.
"Wait, what?"
"You're Nix?"
"No way, bro—look at you!"
> "Back then, you were a frail bookworm—but now…"
Others turned.
> "Really? That's Nix?!"
> "Wow… you're so big now."
Nix politely bowed and removed his mask.
"Nice to see you all again."
The room fell silent.
"N-Nix… are you a model or something?"
Kyaa~ Nix is so handsome!"
"What a glow-up..."
He gave a slight smile, then quietly took a seat at the edge of the table, away from the spotlight. He just listened as they chatted.
Some girls couldn't resist striking up a conversation.
"Hey Nix~ How've you been?"
"Hey! I was gonna talk to him first!"
He cut in before they could start bickering.
"Hello. It's been a while… Somi. Kaine."
Their eyes lit up.
"You remember our names?"
"You really have an amazing memory!"
He chuckled, just a little. Talked with them. Smiled. Joked. Laughed.
He played the part of someone normal.
But deep down, he kept checking the door. Waiting.
Eventually, he excused himself.
"Excuse me—I need to use the restroom."
"Oh, sure!" Kaine said.
But he didn't go to the restroom. He stepped outside.
And then he saw her.
Yuki.
His breath caught. Her voice echoed in his mind, memories flooding his chest like knives.
Next to her stood Shuya—the one who took everything.
"They look… happy…" he thought.
Nix ducked behind the side wall of the restaurant, unseen. He clutched his chest, teeth gritted.
"Damn it..."
"Damn it..."
"DAMN IT!"
Inside, the other classmates turned.
"Yuki Yoichi!"
"Shuya Hajime!"
"Hey! Good to see you!"
Shuya nodded with a casual smile.
"Hello. How've you all been?"
said Yuki,
"We're doing well!" someone said.
Then,
"Oh! By the way, have you seen Nix? He just stepped outside a few seconds ago."
Yuki froze.
"N-Nix?" she said.
Shuya's eyes widened.
"Nix…?"
Before the atmosphere got too thick, the conversation was swiftly shifted to something else by the Host of the Reunion,
Meanwhile, Nix walked down the street. Alone.
"I couldn't handle it after all… pathetic."
His mind spiraled into hollow silence. As he crossed the road, thoughts consumed him.
So much that he didn't see the truck.
> "HEY! GET OUT OF THE WAY!"
The driver's shout pierced the air.
The light was red—but the truck didn't stop.
Nix didn't hear.
Didn't notice.
CRASH.