Morning arrived without sound.
No birds.
No distant traffic.
No wind brushing the window.
Just silence.
Ayinakoji opened his eyes.
For a moment, he stayed still.
Listening.
Nothing.
He sat up slowly.
The room felt colder than usual.
Not freezing.
Just empty.
"…Twenty-four."
He said the number automatically.
He didn't even look at the ceiling.
He stood and walked to the mirror.
His reflection waited.
Same face.
Same eyes.
Same smile when he made it.
But today…
The mirror looked delayed.
Only for a second.
A tiny moment.
His smile came first.
Then the reflection followed.
Ayinakoji froze.
He stared.
The reflection stared back.
Perfectly normal now.
A long pause.
"…I'm tired."
That explanation was enough.
He turned away.
In the kitchen, both parents were there.
His mother poured tea.
His father read the news.
"…Good morning."
Smile.
His mother glanced at him.
Then at the cup in her hand.
The tea spilled over the side.
"…Ah."
She quickly set it down.
His father folded the paper.
For the first time in days, he looked directly at Ayinakoji.
Not with anger.
Not with warmth.
With confusion.
"…When did you get there?"
Ayinakoji blinked.
"…Just now."
His father kept staring for a second longer.
Then looked away.
"…Hmph."
No more words.
Ayinakoji sat down.
The chair made a small sound.
Too loud in the silence.
No one spoke after that.
When he left for school, the street felt different.
Clouds covered the sky, but there was no sign of rain.
The air was still.
Too still.
He passed the wall where the cat usually sat.
It was there.
Watching the road.
"…Good morning."
The cat's ears twitched.
Slowly, it turned toward him.
Its fur rose instantly.
Back arched.
Eyes wide.
Then it jumped from the wall and ran.
Not walked.
Ran.
Ayinakoji stood motionless.
"…I didn't do anything."
His voice sounded smaller outside.
He continued walking.
But each step felt louder than normal.
The road seemed longer.
The buildings seemed further apart.
Even shadows looked stretched.
At school, the gates were open.
Students moved in groups like always.
But something was off.
Whenever he walked near them, conversations paused.
Only for a second.
Then resumed.
Not because they hated him.
Not because they mocked him.
Because something made them stop.
And none of them knew why.
In class, the teacher began writing on the board.
Her chalk snapped.
She frowned, picked another piece.
It snapped too.
Murmurs spread.
The teacher sighed and turned around.
Her eyes landed on Ayinakoji.
Not accusing.
Just… unsettled.
"…Continue reading page thirty-two."
She sat down instead.
Lesson over.
Ayinakoji lowered his eyes.
At lunch, he sat under the same tree.
Students gathered nearby.
Laughing.
Talking.
Normal.
A bird landed on the branch above him.
It chirped once.
Then suddenly flew away so fast several feathers dropped.
Ayinakoji looked up.
The branch swayed violently.
Though there was no wind.
One feather drifted into his lap.
Black.
He picked it up carefully.
It crumbled in his fingers like ash.
His hand stopped moving.
"…Something is wrong."
For the first time, the words felt real.
After lunch, a ball rolled across the courtyard and stopped at his shoe.
He bent to pick it up.
Before his fingers touched it, the ball slowly rolled backward on its own.
Across flat ground.
Against a small crack in the pavement.
Students nearby laughed nervously.
"…Did you see that?"
"…It's just the slope."
"There is no slope."
Ayinakoji straightened.
No one looked at him directly.
But everyone stepped a little further away.
During the final lesson, the clock on the wall stopped.
Ticking ceased.
The second hand froze.
The room went silent.
Then, all at once, it began spinning backward.
Several students gasped.
One girl covered her mouth.
The teacher stood so quickly her chair fell.
The clock snapped off the wall and hit the floor.
Glass shattered.
Everyone flinched.
Everyone except Ayinakoji.
He simply watched.
The teacher's breathing turned uneven.
"…Class dismissed."
No one argued.
Students rushed out.
Fast.
Too fast.
Desks scraped.
Bags grabbed.
Footsteps thundered.
Within seconds, the room was empty.
Except for him.
Ayinakoji remained seated.
Hands folded.
Eyes on the broken clock.
"…Was that me?"
The question had no answer.
He stood and left quietly.
The hallway lights flickered as he passed beneath them.
One after another.
Not all at once.
Following him.
On.
Off.
On.
Off.
He stopped walking.
The lights stopped too.
He took one step.
The nearest bulb burst.
A sharp crack echoed through the corridor.
Ayinakoji stared at the broken glass raining down.
Then turned and walked away faster.
Outside, the sky had darkened early.
The streets were almost empty.
Doors closed.
Windows shut.
Even the usual shopkeeper was gone.
He reached the small corner store.
A sign hung crookedly.
CLOSED
It was never closed this early.
His reflection in the glass door looked pale.
For a moment…
It didn't copy his movement.
He stepped back.
The reflection stayed still.
Smiling.
Then it moved again.
Normal.
Ayinakoji turned away immediately.
His breathing had changed.
Shallow.
Quick.
At home, he opened the door.
"…I'm home."
No answer.
He walked inside.
The lights were off.
"…Mom?"
"…Dad?"
Nothing.
He checked the living room.
Empty.
Kitchen.
Empty.
On the table sat a note.
He picked it up.
Went out. Eat if you want.
No names.
No time.
No reason.
He placed the note back down.
The house felt larger than ever.
And colder.
That night, he sat on his bed without changing clothes.
The room was silent again.
But now silence felt alive.
Watching.
Waiting.
He looked at the ceiling.
The crack seemed longer.
"…Twenty-five."
Had it changed?
Or had he counted wrong before?
He didn't know.
He lay down slowly.
Eyes open.
Body still.
Mind racing.
The mirror across the room reflected the bed.
The wall.
The window.
And him.
Then the reflection sat up.
While he remained lying down.
Ayinakoji's breath stopped.
He shut his eyes instantly.
Pulled the blanket over himself.
Didn't move.
Didn't think.
Didn't breathe.
After a long time…
He whispered into the dark.
"…Something is wrong."
No voice answered.
But somewhere in the room…
Something smiled.