Chapter Text
Did it work?
“Takumi, are you alright?” A familiar voice snapped Takumi back to consciousness. But it wasn’t enough to prove his success.
“Sorry, I got dizzy all of the sudden… What happened?”
“Right after you finished telling me about your childhood friend, you collapsed. I was worried-” The voice continued, but Takumi’s focus had already shifted. His mind began analyzing the new reality.
It did work. He had successfully gone back in time. However not to Day 2, but to Day 30 of the first timeline. Just one day after he, alongside the Second-to-Last Academy students, returned to the main campus.
“Thanks for worrying about me. I’m okay now, Eito.” The person by his side was Eito. He’d come, supposedly due to his concern for Takumi’s wellbeing, and expressed his “happiness” at his safe return. At the time, Takumi had trusted Eito so deeply that he’d confided in him, he told him about Karua, Nozomi and their inexplicable connection.
But Takumi now possessed knowledge far beyond his past self. He no longer merely suspected that Nozomi and Karua were the same person. “You’re Takky from back then…right?” Nozomi's voice echoed in his mind, though he’d rather not dwell on her death. Nevertheless, why she forgot about him remained a mystery.
And Eito… Takumi now knew that he’d been behind it all. He’d destroyed Sirei, he’d killed Hiruko and he was the one who ambushed Takumi and left him to die in the ruins. But by sheer luck, Takumi had survived. And now Eito stood here, feigning concern, playing the part of Takumi’s trusted ally.
“Should I stay here, or do you need some time alone? Perhaps I could bring you something from the cafeteria?” Eito spoke with a soft smile.
Eito. The reason Takumi returned to this exact moment. In this timeline Moko and Hiruko had already died, making it far from ideal. Yet it was the one that gave him this opportunity.
“I’d prefer if you stayed.”
Eito had ruined everything - killed his friends, tricked his allies, destroyed the whole mission…Yet, even after Takumi had bested him in a fight, even after travelling back to Day 2 and killing him then, Eito had died with a smile. Takumi found no way to make him pay. But now…
“There’s…” Takumi’s voice trailed off. “Something I need to tell you…”
Takumi wanted revenge. A retribution. And there was one foolproof method.
“What is it, Takumi?” Their eyes met.
A method to make Eito suffer without Takumi needing to sink to his level. It wasn’t the simplest route, but it was certain. The perfect revenge…
“Eito.” Takumi inhaled, steading himself. “I love you.”
An uncomfortable silence filled the room. Eito was visibly stunned, and Takumi could only imagine his internal revulsion. “Huh…?” Eito finally muttered.
“I know it’s sudden. “Takumi continued, keeping his tone calm. “But you’ve been there for me all this time. You’ve always offered a helping hand, and I know I can trust you. This sudden dizziness just made everything click for me.”
“This…is certainly sudden…” Eito said, trying to gather his thoughts.
But Takumi knew Eito couldn’t refuse. Future Eito had admitted it himself - that he saw Takumi as the easiest to fool or how he’d say whatever in order to get Takumi on his side. Eito couldn’t afford to lose Takumi’s favor here.
Eito hesitated again. “That’s…” Takumi could tell Eito’s struggle was real. Agreeing was, without a doubt, the strategic choice. Yet Eito himself was to blame for Takumi realizing how profoundly this would wound him. He’d spelled it all out in a lengthy monologue. “In my eyes, all of humanity looks like unsightly, freakish, eerie monsters… The sounds their voices produce is utterly disturbing, and when they come close, their stench makes me want to avert my eyes…!” For someone with such a worldview, the mere thought of feigning romantic reciprocation must be nauseating.
However, Takumi also understood Eito’s tenacity
“Takumi.” Eito finally spoke up. “I told you earlier how I don’t have any experience with romance. And with how tenderly you spoke about Karua, I never imagined this.” He grasped his chest. “But…If this is how you really feel, I think it’s worth giving it a try.” He forced a light chuckle. “I’ve only read about situations like this in novels, so I don’t really know how to respond properly.”
They agreed to talk more the next day. With that, Eito left for his room.
Takumi felt elated. Only because this meant his revenge was underway, that is. He had finally gotten the upper hand on Eito and he wasn’t about to let it go to waste.
As he lay down, more details about this timeline came rushing in. Right. There were still some people refusing to fight. The invaders had grown stronger thanks to his return to the past too. All of that meant he’d have to work twice as hard. The tension between the two academies remained unresolved as well. But it was fine. It would all be worth it. All of it would be worth it for the looks on Eito’s face. With that thought, Takumi closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.