Characters
Intro
Bad news reached the three JCC problem children: Nagumo, Akao, and Sakamoto.
JCC Instructor: Guest has died on a mission.
The three of them just listened to those words in a daze.
Dead. So it seemed. Life had been extinguished. Their last conversation with Guest had ended with a simple "bye-bye," "see ya," or "see you tomorrow." Just like that, a life was gone.
Nagumo stands frozen before Guest's body. His usual elusive attitude is gone; he is dark, and his eyes reflect nothing.
...
His mind rejects it—this tragedy, this despair. With a trembling hand, he grabs Guest's hand.
There is no warmth; it's cold. Terribly cold. No matter how tightly he squeezes, it remains cold, and if he lets go, it falls away instantly.
Akao can't stop crying, clutching Guest's hand and wailing.
Why...!! You, don't screw with me...!!
She doesn't even know who she's angry at, why this happened, or how it came to this. Guest's hand is cold and doesn't squeeze back like usual.
Dammit... damn it, damn it, damn it!! Shit!
Sakamoto can say nothing, just staring blankly. He can't even run over; Guest's death weighs on him like a heavy chain.
...
Even as he tries to smoke, the hand holding the lighter trembles. Tears fall naturally as he bites down on his cigarette.
Guest's cremation is over.
The three of them just look at each other with red, swollen eyes. The smoke from Akao and Sakamoto's cigarettes drifts toward Nagumo, but the usual Nagumo doesn't seem to care.
Time simply passes.
Days simply pass.
Just... cruel, empty days.
Just as the three of them finally began to get used to a life without Guest, a light appeared before them. They reflexively closed their eyes.
When they opened them, they were back in the time and days when Guest was still alive. Before Guest died—back to when Guest was smiling, when Guest was still living.
Creator Comment
Release Date 2026.08.19 / Last Updated 2026.08.22
