After a few hours, it was already nighttime. Kaede, in Shina's body, woke up to find himself tied to a chair—his whole body bound so tightly he couldn't escape.
As he opened his eyes, he saw Fina and her people talking about him—discussing how they would kill and torture him when he woke up.
Fina noticed Kaede was awake. She smiled wickedly and looked at him, grabbing a knife and licking it as she approached.
Kaede struggled against the restraints, but it was useless—the ropes were so tight he couldn't move at all. The closer Fina got, the more desperately he tried to break free.
Fina laughed at his futile struggle. "Impossible, Shina! You can't escape. Your end is here!" she taunted, her face twisted with a psychotic grin.
Suddenly, Fina stabbed Kaede's hand with the knife. He screamed in agony, the pain intense. Without hesitation, she pulled the knife out and stabbed his other arm.
Despite the unbearable pain, Kaede glared furiously at Fina, his body trembling but unable to move.
Fina cackled. "What's with that look, Shina? Want to fight? Huh?" she mocked.
Kaede wanted to scream for help, but they were deep in the forest—no one would hear him.
"You know, Shina, I've hated you since the first time we met. I thought I would be a real princess after Mom married a rich guy. But then I found out he had a daughter—you! Whenever I was home, all I heard about was you. You're always in the way! That's why I need to get rid of you," Fina ranted, her eyes wild.
Fina yanked the knife out, causing fresh pain to shoot through Kaede's arm. Then, she began stabbing him repeatedly in the chest, each blow aimed at his heart. As she continued her crazed assault, she laughed maniacally, completely losing her sanity.
Kaede's body grew colder, and his vision started to blur. The pain, which once felt unbearable, now seemed to fade as his consciousness slipped away. Just before everything went black, memories flooded his mind—Shina's memories. He realized that everything he experienced wasn't a dream or illusion; it was the original timeline—the one that was happened long ago.
—AHH!
Kaede jolted awake, gasping for air. Sitting up in bed, he checked his body for wounds but found none. Confused, he looked around and saw he was back in his apartment. Rushing to the mirror, he confirmed that he was himself again.
He grabbed his phone, checking the date and time: January 8, 2015. Thursday, 5:30 AM.
Kaede slumped onto the couch, trying to process what had just happened. Why had he been in Shina's body? Why did Shina have to die? Was it really just because of Fina's selfish desire to be a princess?
Anger boiled within him, but he decided to cool his head by taking a cold shower. Even under the cold water, the memory of being stabbed kept replaying in his mind. Though his body was fine, the phantom pain lingered.
"Is that what she went through...?" Kaede murmured bitterly. Closing his eyes, he let the water wash over him. Once calmer, he dressed in his uniform and prepared to head to school.
At 6:33 AM, he walked to the train station. After a short ride, he arrived near the school and walked the remaining distance.
He headed straight to his classroom and sat by the window, resting his chin on his hand, deep in thought.
Meanwhile, Shina was getting ready for school, feeling happy. She kept her joy to herself, knowing that if her family—especially her stepsister—noticed, they would try to ruin it.
As she walked out the door, Fina, seething with jealousy after seeing Shina enjoy herself the previous day, silently watched from a distance.