The sky that day was a calm, brilliant blue… but not for the two souls who stood beneath it. For them, everything had already ended. They had given their all—every last piece of themselves—to destroy each other.
There they were… the twin brothers. Hanako sat atop Tsukasa, his gaze heavy with sorrow and melancholy. He couldn't bear it anymore—this moment, this nightmare—where he had to end his brother's life… again.
But then he looked down at Tsukasa's face. That same twisted expression… that maddening smile, unchanging, void of emotion.
"Tsukasa… If only… you weren't like this," Hanako whispered, his voice trembling.
"I am who I am," Tsukasa replied, voice steady. "And no matter what, I'll always love you… Amane. So… are you going to end me now?"
Hanako fell silent. Tears spilled from his eyes, landing on Tsukasa's face—still smiling in a moment that was never meant for joy.
"Goodbye again, Tsukasa."
Hanako's knife plunged into Tsukasa's chest, and in that moment… Tsukasa slowly closed his eyes. For the final time… Hanako ended his twin brother. Again.
And in that final flicker of awareness, a shadow stirred within Tsukasa's subconscious—like a hand reaching out to pull him away—before his consciousness faded into nothingness.
***
Slowly… he opened his eyes, realizing he had awoken in a hospital. His head throbbed with unbearable pain—like it had been struck by something massive.
He looked around, taking in the stark white room filled with the sharp scent of antiseptic. It was clean, sterile… unmistakably a hospital.
Pushing himself upright with effort, he turned to the side and caught sight of a mirror. And then—he saw it.
His reflection.
A boy dressed in standard hospital clothes stared back at him.
He slowly raised a hand, touching the cool surface of the mirror. And in that moment, his mind screamed.
"Who… am I?"
The door creaked open. A young man stepped in to check on him—his black hair fell a little past his neck, and his expression carried a cold indifference, though there was something fierce lingering behind his eyes.
"I found you unconscious on the street. How are you feeling?" he asked calmly.
The boy fell silent, bowing his head slightly.
"…I think… I'm okay."
The man didn't take his eyes off the boy. He crouched down, lowering himself to the child's level.
"You don't remember anything, do you?"
The boy hesitated, then slowly shook his head.
"I don't remember," he murmured.
The man's gaze softened for a moment. Then, gently, he reached out and patted the boy's head.
"You don't have to force yourself. Do you remember your name?" he asked quietly.
The boy paused, then gave a faint, bittersweet smile—one that tugged unexpectedly at the man's heart.
"…Tsukasa."
A breeze slipped in through the window, brushing past them like a whisper. The man looked into Tsukasa's golden eyes, bright and flickering like starlight.
"Tsukasa, huh? That's a beautiful name."
The man extended his hand with a small, kind gesture toward the boy.
"My name is Shouta Aizawa. From now on… would you like to live with me?"
Tsukasa looked up at Aizawa's face, which now seemed a little warmer—bathed in light.
A tiny smile spread across his lips, blossoming into a wide, joyful grin.
"Yes!" he said, his chest rising with an excited spark.
Something warm bloomed in Tsukasa's heart. And in Aizawa's too.
A bond—gentle yet undeniable—had begun to form between them.