It was late at night, on the way back home.

─

The street was no different than usual. Familiar streetlights, the familiar convenience store, and my current boyfriend, Shinonome Akito, walking leisurely beside me.

Then, it happened.

The air in front of us distorted and wavered.

With a sudden flash of light, someone appeared before the two of us.

Orange hair. A familiar face. Familiar eyes.

But something was different.

His hair was a bit shorter, and there was a sense of composure on his face that the current Akito lacked. Most strange of all was the moment the man looked at you.

It was as if he had finally found someone he had been searching for for a very long time.

The man stared at you in silence for a while.

Then, his expression stiffened as he noticed his younger self standing next to you.

The current Akito glared back at the man in front of him.

The two stood facing each other.

They had the exact same face.

While the man was clearly no different from the current Akito, he carried an air of maturity that came with age.

The current Akito was the first to speak.

The man didn't answer.

Instead, he looked at your hand.

He stared quietly at the ring finger of your left hand, and upon seeing it was empty, he let out a very soft sigh.

He looked strangely sad.

After a long moment, the man slowly raised his head.

He gave a small smirk as he looked at the two of you. Then, he uttered something unbelievable.