What You Don't Remember

On that same Saturday night, the university where Shunsei and Mizuki studied was unusually quiet. It was already 8 p.m., and in the northern building, three shadowy figures moved slowly through the halls, carrying strange equipment.

Not professors. Not students. Agents.

They were dressed in dark uniforms, and one of them held a scanning device that clicked rhythmically with each pulse.

"Clear," one of them whispered.

"Keep scanning corridor one and the emergency stairs. Leave no gaps," said the leader, a tall guy with a cold voice.

They combed the campus. Empty classrooms, flickering hallways, even locked-off spaces like the University President's office. They had to duck out of sight whenever a security guard made their rounds.

By midnight, the gear stayed silent.

"Negative." One agent muttered. "This place is clean. No activity."

The leader looked up at the sky. Then glanced at the campus map on his tablet.

"Dorms?"

"Too risky. Small spaces, tight security. Nowhere to hide. We'd get spotted."

Reluctantly, they backed off. But something still gnawed at the leader.

"Something's off. We're not done here."

The next Monday morning, Shunsei was packing up his bag for class. Mizuki was sprawled on the floor, watching a mukbang ASMR on his phone.

"After class, I'm going to the hospital. Gonna check on Kaito. Pretty sure he's getting discharged today."

Mizuki sat up immediately.

"Hospital?"

"Yeah, the one near the park."

Mizuki's tone turned serious. "Maybe don't. Places like that are... sketchy."

Shunsei chuckled. "I'm just checking in. Not like to meet him or anything."

Mizuki frowned, unconvinced. "You know places like that are crawling with things, right? Something, creatures, attachments... like me, literally."

Shunsei stayed quiet for a second. "This is also... kinda for me. I'm studying psychology." While that's just his excuse, not really studying.

Mizuki gave in, with a condition.

"Fine. But I'm coming too."

"Alright, sounds good to me."

At around 5 p.m., they arrived at the hospital. From across the front lobby, they saw Kaito standing with his parents, probably handling discharge papers.

Mizuki stood next to Shunsei, arms crossed.

"He still looks fragile." Shunsei murmured.

Mizuki nodded slowly.

"Let him rest."

They turned around and left quietly. Took a bus back.

At 6:30, they stopped at a supermarket near the dorms. Lots of other students were there for their weekly grocery run.

"Let's grab some meat." Mizuki said casually.

"For what?"

"BBQ when Kaito comes back. So he doesn't feel alone."

Shunsei paused, then gave a faint smile.

"Yeah... sure."

After shopping, while Shunsei was carrying the heavier bags. Mizuki suddenly perked up.

"Hey! There's a new cafe near Yamoto River. Let's check it out!"

Shunsei groaned.

"Dude... can we not? I'm tired, and we're carrying groceries tho."

Mizuki hit him with the full-on puppy dog eyes.

"Pleaaaase? Just a quick stop. Reviews said the coffee slaps. I'll carry everything. Pleaaaase, I beg you."

Shunsei sighed in defeat.

"Fine. But we go to the dorm right after."

"Deal!"

The cafe was small and cozy, with minimalist decor and warm lighting. Big windows faced the river. Mizuki looked thrilled just flipping through the menu.

When the food came, he lit up like a kid with candy.

"Shun. This. Is. HEAVEN. Their dessert is actually unreal."

"You're being dramatic." Shunsei replied, sipping his coffee.

But as the night deepened and they walked back, things quieted.

The streetlights flickered. The sky was pitch black.

Then, Shunsei spoke. "Hey, Mizuki... you remember when we were in sixth grade, you, uh... kind of... astral projected or something? Your mom told me."

Mizuki raised an eyebrow. "Wait, for real?"

"Yeah. You once told me you went to some place way beyond this world. Not even Earth."

Mizuki looked intrigued.

"And... one night I slept over at your place. You got possessed."

Mizuki stopped walking. "What?"

"You stood in the corner. Didn't move. Voice wasn't yours. You said... 'I WILL COME.' I was so freaked out. I'm crying. Even I peed myself. Your mom sneaks in, and your dad took me home that same night. After that, we never spoke about it again."

Mizuki went quiet.

"I don't remember any of that."

"Your mom made me promise not to bring it up. There's a reason why your parents erased your memory and asked me not to talk about it anymore."

Shunsei sighed, then continued. "In middle school, I asked her again. She finally told me about your astral stuff. Said you had these experiences, but I can tell she didn't want to talk about it too much. Then the fire incident happened. Also this strange thing happened to us like Kaito, you're not a human being, and me currently. That's when I really started believing in this stuff."

Mizuki stared ahead, his face unreadable. Then, softly.

"So I used to do thing like that, too?"

"Yeah. But you're not him anymore. So I figured it was okay to tell you now."

Mizuki tried to dig through memories that weren't his. Eventually, he just gave a faint smile.

"If I ever meet something like that again... I won't lose."

Shunsei glanced at him. Then looked up at the sky.

"Whatever."

Night deepened. They neared the dorms.

Meanwhile, somewhere else. A place that didn't feel like Earth.

Dark. Foggy. A women was running through the shadows, gasping for air. Something massive chased her, a faceless figure, tall and terrifying.

She hid behind debris, trying not to scream. She wait. The entity is close to her. But finally, the entity passed by, then gone.

She exhaled in relief, eyes wet.