That afternoon, Theo and Ivansia walked side by side, leaving the school gates behind as the crowd slowly disappeared.
Their steps matched, creating a peaceful silence between them.
Theo walked with long strides, but adjusted his pace to stay close to Ivansia, keeping the quiet bond between them intact.
Meanwhile, Ivansia—with her beautiful wavy black hair and signature silver glasses—walked gracefully beside him, occasionally glancing at him with those soft, violet eyes—full of quiet concern and unspoken words.
"Theo, you're still coming to my house to study today, right?" Ivansia asked, her voice gentle.
"Yeah..." Theo replied, but his eyes didn't meet hers. He looked away, uncomfortable with the idea of studying every single day like this.
Ivansia let out a long sigh. "You know, Theo, you don't have to force yourself just because I asked. It's okay if you say no sometimes."
She quickened her steps so she could walk ahead of him and face him directly.
"And honestly… your grades haven't improved that much even after all this time studying together. What, from 60 to 70 in a month? Maybe this kind of studying just isn't for you, Theo."
"No, Ivansia. I'll try harder…"
"Getting into Harvard isn't easy, Theo," Ivansia said, her tone calm but firm. "I study until midnight every day, and even then, I'm still not sure if I can make it."
Theo bit his lip and clenched his fists. Then, he took a deep breath and looked up at her with a small, determined smile.
"No matter what it takes… I'll follow you to Harvard, Ivansia. That's a promise."
I'll become someone worthy to stand beside you, Ivansia.
Ivansia's lips curled into a tiny smile, half amused, half concerned.
"If that's what you really want, then fine. Come over like usual," she said softly, then continued walking beside him.
Just as they were about to cross the street, a brown car suddenly sped up from the right side.
It was coming straight at Ivansia.
Without thinking, Theo grabbed her arm and yanked her back, saving her just in time.
"Wha—! What's wrong with that driver? Were they blind?! Someone was clearly crossing?!" Ivansia shouted, her face red with anger.
Theo stared at the car, something about it triggering a memory—yes, it was the same brown car from that morning, the one that splashed them when it hit a puddle.
"Ivansia… did you see that car just now?"
Ivansia turned to him, still fuming, her brow furrowed and a vein slightly visible on her temple.
"Of course I did! It almost hit me!"
Theo shook his head. "No, I mean… that was the same car from this morning. The one that splashed us with water."
"You're right! Ugh, seriously! If I ever see that car again, I swear I'm going to punch the person inside!"
But Theo barely heard her rant. He kept staring at the brown car in the distance, his gut twisting with an uneasy feeling.
"Ivansia, I think I need to follow that car…"
"Forget it, Theo," Ivansia muttered as she brushed the dust off her skirt. "It's better if we just go home. People like that will get what they deserve eventually."
But… this feeling inside me—my gut's telling me I need to chase that car. My legs feel like they want to run on their own.
Without realizing it, Theo started to run, but Ivansia quickly reached out and grabbed his wrist.
"Come on, Theo. Let's just go home. We've got studying to do."
"But…"
Ivansia's eyes widened a little, her eyebrows raising ever so slightly. A soft, warm smile appeared on her lips, the kind that Theo could never resist.
And just like that, the strange feeling vanished from Theo's mind. He nodded, and they continued walking home together.
Neither of them noticed the loud crash in the distance—like two objects colliding violently.
---
Inside a dark room, the only source of light came from a desk lamp, casting a glow on C's face.
He was sitting there, a wide grin on his lips as soft chuckles escaped into the silence.
In front of him, an open notebook. He scribbled hastily on the page:
"I have a freaking crazy power now! I can see 5 seconds into the future!"
"Haha... I wasn't hallucinating that day in Sherra's car, huh... I really did see the future."
I have no idea why this is happening, but… at least now, I might finally be able to solve all of this.
Yet, something inside me still feels uneasy.
What if Neil Arkes has a strange ability too?
What if his power is even more broken than mine? Or worse, what if he has more than one ability?
Just like Sherra and Luna warned me… what if he's the real deal?
C let out a sigh. Damn it. I can't believe the world finally decided to give me a power.
Why couldn't I get this from the very first loop, huh?! If I had this from the start, maybe I wouldn't have been stuck in this loop for thousands of resets.
But whatever. What matters now is I have this power. I should try it again.
C leaned back in his chair and took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.
Then, he closed his eyes, letting his body relax.
Seconds passed, and in the darkness, he focused.
The pitch black behind his eyelids slowly faded, replaced by a stream of images flashing rapidly in his mind.
Five seconds from now—he saw himself still sitting in the chair, but with a slightly faded smile.
His hand moved to grab the coffee mug on the table.
Then he saw himself sipping the coffee, the heat spreading through his chest.
The visions came fast and blurry, like scenes from a movie playing on fast-forward, but he could still feel the warmth of the cup, the scent of the coffee.
And then, it ended. The images disappeared. He returned to the present, heart racing with excitement.
C opened his eyes. His breathing was fast, his chest rising and falling, his head pulsing lightly.
He looked at the cup of coffee on his desk. For ten full seconds, he just stared at it. He didn't drink it—proof that the future could be changed.
"Ha… So I can really see five seconds ahead…"
This might be useful later when dealing with that mess at Ivansia's house. Maybe now I can finally take down those three corrupt cops.
C leaned back again and inhaled deeply, trying to trigger his power once more.
But it didn't work.
No matter how many times he tried, nothing came.
So… only once a day, huh?
"So that's it? One peek into the future per day? Seriously? Tch… What a joke."