It was raining the day Renji found the notebook.
Not an eerie, spiraling storm—but a soft, quiet rain that fell gently on the school windows like a forgotten lullaby.
He'd been sent to grab old club forms from the gym storage room when he noticed it—a black journal tucked behind a stack of volleyballs and a cracked trophy box.
It had Kuro's handwriting on the cover.
Simple, almost hesitant:
"Do not read. (Unless it's you, Renji.)"
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Inside Kuro's Mind
Renji hesitated, then opened it.
The pages were dated over several weeks—some from before the Spiral incident, some during the loops, and, strangely, some after. As if Kuro had been aware even when the world wasn't.
The first page read:
> "If you're reading this, I probably can't explain everything. Maybe I'm gone. Maybe I'm hiding. But you should know—I remember some of it too. Not like you. Fragments. Feelings. Nightmares I don't forget when I wake up."
Renji's hands trembled as he turned the next page.
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Kuro's Fragmented Truth
> "There were two versions of me. The one who kept running… and the one who wanted to fight. I think I looped. Maybe just once. Maybe a thousand times. But every time, I saw you—Renji—standing in front of the Spiral instead of me. Why you? Why not me?"
> "I think it was guilt. Mine was too deep. I didn't believe I deserved to change the story."
Another page:
> "The night I almost confessed to Emiko… I dreamed she was trapped in a mirror. Smiling, but begging to be forgotten. I never told anyone. But maybe that's why I stayed quiet all this time. Maybe I thought silence would protect people. But it didn't. Not her. Not me."
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A Confession
Then came a page that hit Renji like a blade:
> "You should know, I hated you once."
"Not because you were strong—but because you kept trying even when the rest of us gave up. You made it harder to hide."
> "But then I saw what you carried. And how you never asked to."
> "So… thank you. For carrying the things I couldn't. For surviving the version of me that didn't."
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A Final Entry
The last page was dated today.
> "If you found this, it means the Spiral really is gone. I hope so. I want to live in a world where time only moves forward. Even if it hurts."
> "Meet me after school. Roof. One last truth."
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The Meeting
Renji showed up soaked, the rain now just a drizzle.
Kuro was there, leaning on the railing, holding an umbrella over his head, staring at the cloudy sky.
He didn't turn around when Renji approached. Just said:
> "So… did you read it?"
Renji nodded. "Yeah."
A pause.
Then Kuro finally looked at him—his eyes clearer than they had ever been.
> "Then you know I remember too."
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The Bond of Survivors
They stood in silence for a while.
Not needing to explain everything.
Not needing to fix each other.
Just… understanding.
Then Kuro smirked, faintly.
> "You still look like hell, by the way."
Renji laughed, finally—deep, real, healing.
"Yeah," he said. "But at least I'm here."
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End of Chapter 61
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To Be Continue