*Rumble rumble*

*Boom!*

Lighting pierced the sky and the clouds above my head, creating thunderous sounds that shook the atmosphere. Whenever the sky exploded, I could feel its shockwaves vibrating all over my skin, making the hair on my arms stand up. With each strike of that powerful force of nature, the earth beneath me violently shook like a bowl of jelly. It felt like the whole world had been shaken to its core, about to perish just from the mere thunderstorm.

*Woooo*

In addition to those abrupt flashes and booming sounds, a storm would not be called such without wind. Constantly and destructive, I could hear howlings around me, sweeping up everything caught in their way. Like wolves howling at their prey, the winds roared from the top of their lungs, creating horrible noise that signified an incoming apocalypse.

It was clear. We were reaching the grand finale of our story. Well, to be more precise, only my narrative would end here. My protagonist's story would continue long into the future, into the actual final act of this world, into the reality in which we would all break free from our curse.

However, despite all of those signs of an ending world, despite the powerful storm rumbling high in the sky and its massive serpents made of pure energy, strangely, my heart was calm, and my mind was clear. I knew I should be lamenting. I knew I should be asking for more and being greedy. After all, my life had always been a mess, so it made perfect sense to crave a chance to live the rest in happiness and delight until the world's end. I was supposed to clutch onto the love of my life tightly and ask him to not forget about me.

Yet, a strange sense of peace covered my entire body like a refreshing wave that soothed my soul. Even when the world around me was chaotic and damned, within myself, I felt as though nothing was out of place. Everything fell into the perfect order I had expected, as it should have from the beginning. The world was what it should always have been. And, at this moment, I was filled with nothing except tranquility and serenity.

The current me was not just a Kurokawa that lived in C's past, but I was also the Kurokawa of the present. We fused, combined, shared the same emotions, and understood many things.

C had always been in our hearts. We were two people with similar wishes, two different versions of the same reality. Nonetheless, we were also the same person.

In this particular instance, out of space and time, we were but one being.

To say it was hard to describe what turmoil rummaging through my mind was belittling my current state. The Past Me and The Present Me, thanks to some unknown power, came into existence in only one vessel. In fact, each part of me was being controlled differently. If I had to guess, my present was in charge of the thoughts, while my past was managing the body.

In a way, it made perfect sense. I could not change anything in the past. No one could. Still, what I could do was to observe closely our memory, and that was done. This was identical to standing from the third person point of view to see fragments of C's memories unfolding but from the first person point of view.

An upgraded version of C's touch, I would define it like so.

Regardless, there was a particular sense of warmth enveloped me. It was something that the current me was hoping for the most: safety. Safety from the storm, safety from the world itself, but even more importantly, I wanted to be safe from the darkness of my own self, to be free of the deep thoughts that terrorized my life. While I was still dealing with the monster given birth from the self-hate from deep within my chest in the present, that monster was small and pitiful in this iteration I was in.

It was not entirely gone, but I could feel what my past version had done. That Kurokawa had come to terms with herself. She had finally achieved something I would sacrifice my soul to get. Past Kurokawa accepted her imperfections with open arms.

Hence, peacefulness was born.

I could feel it clearly. That constant grave burden weighing my soul was no longer present, leaving nothing but liberty, a splendid thing to feel. The hideous monster I was currently facing was far lesser than what was consuming me in my present life. For once, I did not have to fear being swallowed by the darkness. For once in my life, I felt hope. A future was there for me to embrace.

All...thanks to... a certain someone whom I was sharing a deep kiss with.

After a couple of seconds, our lips separated, and I saw him standing in front of my eyes.

Although we were standing by the blooming Sakura tree in the middle of the school, there was only his image in my entire visual field. He was beautiful. Handsome. Stunning. Much more so than the alleged protagonist of this hell-like world. I did not need anyone to tell me who this person was because my heart already answered that question.

Looking at his hair waving slowly with the help of the wind, I could feel my heart yearning for his love. He was always special. He was beyond any traditional measures I could think of. Yet, he was also the same as me. He suffered the same fate that I had. He endured the pain that I felt. Since hearing his inner voice, I had known we were two kindred souls.

But, the Kurokawa of the present would never be able to guess what he looked like. I would never be able to speculate how similar we were physically.

His eyes...were the same as mine.

Emerald green...

"My protagonist..."

"I'm here."

I gently touched his face, and C kindly smiled. My love grabbed my hand and gave it a tender kiss. We did not exchange words as they were redundant. The two of us only stood silently to bask in each other's warmth.

*Saaaaa*

The wind blew through our school's sakura tree, making a calming sound. It was so weird how this tiny area was unaffected by the apocalyptic view around us while buildings and houses were turned into nothingness.

Somehow, it reminded me of someone's indomitable spirit.

"Why are you so perfect, C?"

"Right back at you, Kuro." He touched my forehead lovingly, caressing the red scar I always had.

I finally understood why Rachel behaved differently after her first kiss with C. Even when she did not reveal anything, Rachel did not hide the change in her demeanor. Unlike Laura, who only got emotional after his embrace, that blond-haired girl became almost another person after kissing him.

That blond-haired girl went from being called Rachel, the psycho, to Rachel, the cuddly baby, after one kiss. In fact, the housewife seemed to be more relaxed than before, as if she had already gotten her wish. Immediately, the bickering between Laura and Rachel came to a halt. And if they did get into an argument, it seemed Rachel was always the calmer one.

C saw her change but did not think much of it. This current iteration was already beyond his wildest dream. Therefore, having two versions of Rachel did not make my faceless protagonist waver. I guessed he dismissed her sudden wholesomeness as another bug in the system that would return to normal after a reset.

However, to me, Rachel was suspicious. Her violent tendency for her love rivals dropped exponentially, leaving only the cute and lovable facade.

I would not believe someone could turn from forcing her love rival to eat a paper-knife. There must have been something else that caused her abrupt change. Something we did not see but could bring a tremendous impact than a touch.

The kiss was the key.

I got that. Laura also knew that. She was not the class rep just because the plot wanted it so. Having a good head on her shoulder was crucial to keep that position untouched. I even thought Rachel wanted us to know it, as well. However, I doubt that Laura knew kissing C would transfer our consciousness into the past.

Still, that was not the only reason for my sudden kiss.

There was...another one. Not taking my feelings into account, of course.

C saw the same flashback as mine. This might sound like something redundant initially, but it was essential.

Because it was the first time he was brought into his memory world. Everything he saw, down to the tiniest details, matched mine. Although my faceless protagonist still did not believe what he saw was his real life. It did not matter so much at that point.