remember me beyonder oblivion

Tokyo - 8:55 AM | Wasabe University

The sky above Wasabe University was a clear blue, devoid of clouds. A light morning breeze wove through the trees on campus, making the leaves rustle with an almost hypnotic sound.

Kairo, Aenna, Riven, and Lyra were about to pass through the main entrance, blending in with the other students.

But inside Kairo's mind, chaos reigned.

If Riven had forgotten Café Yoru… what else had he forgotten?

The thought haunted him. He tried to find a logical explanation, but nothing made sense. Riven's memory seemed perfectly intact in every other aspect. Only that place had been erased.

Why Café Yoru?

"Hey, Earth to Kairo!"

Lyra gave him a light shove on the shoulder, chuckling. Her silver eyes sparkled with amusement.

"If you keep staring into space like that, you're going to walk into a pole. And that would be a shame—for your face, at least."

"Very funny." Kairo tried to smile, but he couldn't quite manage it.

Aenna watched him closely. Then, in an almost imperceptible gesture, she placed a hand on her neck, touching the pendant he had given her years ago.

A promise.

A bond.

She always carried it with her, hidden beneath her uniform, like a secret talisman that only she and Kairo knew about.

"Lyra's right," Riven added, crossing his arms. "If you're scared of the exam, just accept that you're going to fail. Embrace it and live in peace."

"Thanks for the support, buddy," Kairo replied sarcastically.

"Anytime. That's what I'm here for."

Lyra and Aenna laughed.

On the surface, it was a normal scene, yet Kairo felt something was off.

Riven is acting.

Kairo knew him too well. It was as if he was trying to fill the void with jokes and lightheartedness, as if even he didn't want to face the fact that his memory had a hole in it.

But why?

As the group moved through campus, Lyra paused for a moment and rolled up her sleeve.

A delicate tattoo stretched along her forearm: a stylized key intertwined with musical notes.

"Music is the key."

It was a phrase she often repeated. To her, music was a refuge, a way to express what she couldn't put into words.

"Like staring at my tattoo, huh?" she said with a smirk.

Kairo quickly looked away, slightly embarrassed.

"Not true. It's just that... I don't remember you having it."

"Tsk tsk, Kairo." Lyra shook her head dramatically. "I'm offended! I got it last summer. If you weren't so busy being a philosopher, you would've noticed."

"I actually did notice," Aenna chimed in, crossing her arms. "And it's nice."

"I know."

Lyra turned to Riven, who had been unusually quiet.

"And you? No comment?"

Riven looked at her for a moment, then shrugged.

"As long as you don't get Kairo's face tattooed on your back, I'm fine with it."

Aenna burst out laughing. Kairo ran a hand over his face.

"I hate all of you."

"We love you too!" Lyra shot back with a dazzling smile.

The atmosphere felt lighter. But deep inside, Kairo knew something was wrong.

A forgotten café.

A tattoo he didn't remember.

And an unease that wouldn't leave him.

As the group headed toward the lecture hall, Kairo made a promise to himself.

He would find an explanation.

Whatever was happening, he wouldn't ignore the signs.

Even if the truth terrified him.