Yuto never thought his mom would be part of a time loop conspiracy.
Then she handed him a photo album and said, "These people—your friends—why are they in photos from ten years ago?"
He stared.
There they were—Aira, Kana, even Hiro from the track team—standing in the background of a family beach trip. Looking exactly the same.
"They shouldn't be there," he muttered.
Aira blinked at the photo. "Okay, either we're immortal… or time is seriously broken."
Yuto's dad, a laid-back guy who normally only got excited about cooking shows, chimed in: "Didn't I see that girl floating once?"
"What."
"Yeah, I was out back with the dog. Thought it was a weird dream."
Yuto and Aira sat at the kitchen table, trying to process. Kana joined them after being called over, and brought Hiro for "emotional support" (read: snacks).
"We're all tied to the loop somehow," Aira said. "Not just you and me. Everyone's affected. Maybe even chosen."
Yuto looked around. His friends, his family—they weren't NPCs.
They were part of the system.
And maybe the way out… was through them.
---