Episode 1: The Bell That Never Rang
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The morning sun broke over Tokyo’s concrete skyline, spilling light through the cracked curtains of Ronnie Kaito’s bedroom. The boy lay still on his futon, his eyes open long before the alarm clock was set to ring. It didn’t matter—he never used it. He always woke up at exactly 6:17 a.m., like muscle memory burned into his existence.
He stared at the ceiling for a while, trying to remember if he’d dreamed. He never did.
Silence.
His parents were gone—long gone. His uncle, who was supposed to watch over him, worked the graveyard shift and was almost always asleep. Ronnie lived alone in a two-bedroom apartment where the second room hadn’t been opened in over two years.
He showered, dressed, and stepped into his school uniform, a clean white shirt tucked neatly into dark pants. He didn’t bother with breakfast. He never ate in the morning. The walk to school was quiet as usual. Crowds passed him, conversations blurred into background noise. He was invisible, even among friends he’d known since childhood.
But Ronnie Kaito wasn’t lonely.
He just didn’t understand the point of pretending.
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At Tsukihana High School, the day began like any other. Students milled about the hallways, comparing test scores, laughing, gossiping, living lives Ronnie never stepped into. He walked through the crowd like a shadow. Some nodded to him. No one said anything more.
When he reached his shoe locker, he noticed something odd.
A black notebook was sticking halfway out of the tiny locker door. It hadn’t been there yesterday. The cover was smooth—leather, maybe—but it had no title. No name. Just blank.
He opened it.
Inside, the first page had a date written in careful penmanship: August 1st, 2025.
That was today.
Below the date:
> “12:47 p.m. – School Cafeteria – Kenta Morizawa chokes and dies.”
Ronnie blinked.
Kenta Morizawa. That was a third-year. Baseball captain. Loud guy. Always surrounded by girls.
Weird joke.
He closed the notebook and tucked it into his bag. Pranks didn’t interest him. Nothing did, really.
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Morning classes passed without anything unusual. Math. History. Physics. Lunch arrived. As usual, Ronnie took his bento to the rooftop. No one else went there. It was his place—his small square of solitude. He watched the city skyline while chewing cold rice balls, never caring much for the food itself.
12:46 p.m.
Something buzzed in his brain.
He glanced at the notebook, still peeking out of his bag.
12:47 p.m.
A siren wailed from the courtyard below. Screams. Loud, sharp panic. Teachers running.
Ronnie leaned over the rooftop railing.
Below, students were gathered in a crowd around the cafeteria doors. Two teachers carried a boy out on a stretcher. His face was blue.
Ronnie’s hands clenched around the railing.
That was Kenta.
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The next few hours blurred.
The school locked the cafeteria. Rumors swirled. Food poisoning. Choking. A dare gone wrong.
Ronnie sat in the last row of his class, the black notebook heavy in his lap. He flipped to the next page.
August 2nd, 2025
> “4:02 p.m. – Girl’s Gym Hall – Asami Nikaido falls from the second-floor railing.”
He stared.
He didn’t know Asami personally, but she was popular. Student council. Soft-spoken, smart, perfect.
His eyes moved to the last entry on the page.
> “August 2nd, 2025 – 11:59 p.m. – Ronnie Kaito disappears.”
His heart dropped.
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After school, Ronnie found himself standing in the hallway outside the gym. The clock read 3:59 p.m. He wasn’t sure why he was there. He should’ve gone home. This was stupid.
He heard laughter echo from inside the gym. Girls finishing up volleyball practice.
Then he saw her.
Asami Nikaido, holding a clipboard, stepping lightly along the second-floor railing walkway, checking equipment.
4:01 p.m.
Ronnie opened the notebook.
4:02 p.m.
“Asami!” he yelled, shocking even himself.
She looked up.
At that moment, the railing beneath her foot cracked.
She gasped, lost her balance—
Ronnie darted forward, barely making it in time to grab her hand. She dangled for a breathless second before he pulled her up.
They collapsed onto the gym floor, panting.
“How... how did you know that was going to break?” she whispered.
Ronnie didn’t answer.
But she stared at him like he was something more than just a quiet kid.
Like he mattered.
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Later that evening, Ronnie sat in his room, lights off, notebook open.
He flipped past August 2nd. The next page was blank.
He felt a cold wind pass through the room.
Then, behind him, a voice. Calm. Soft. Female.
“You weren’t supposed to be able to change it.”
He turned.
A girl stood by his window. Not a shadow, not a ghost. Real. In uniform. Black hair tied in ribbons. Pale skin like paper.
“Who are you?” he asked.
She stepped closer, into the moonlight.
“I’m the one who wrote the notebook,” she said.
Ronnie’s breath caught in his throat.
“I’ve been looking for you, Ronnie Kaito. You’re not supposed to exist.”
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To Be Continued...
Next Episode: “The Forgotten Record”
