In the isolated coastal town of Kurohane, eerie spiral patterns begin appearing everywhere—on walls, in trees, even in people’s reflections. When Renji Kisaragi, a skeptical high school journalist, returns home after hearing about his brother Shun’s sudden and mysterious death, he finds himself trapped in a nightmarish time loop.

Every time he dies, time rewinds—resetting two days earlier. But with each reset, reality twists further: people disappear, time fractures, and his own body begins to change. As he searches for the cause, he discovers his estranged father, Kaoru Kisaragi, may have been the one who triggered the loop.

Aided by his childhood friend Aoi Tsukimura, who holds secrets of her own, Renji must uncover the mystery of The Spiral Gate before it consumes everything. But some truths are worse than death. And the entity behind the spirals does not want to be stopped.

Renji must make an impossible choice: sacrifice himself to break the loop—or risk losing his humanity to escape.

The sun had begun to set, casting long shadows across the unfamiliar town.


Renji, Aoi, and Kaito walked down a quiet street, the air crisp and filled with the distant hum of normal life. It felt strange. After everything they had endured in Fujikawa, this world—untainted by spirals and whispers—felt almost… too quiet.


Aoi wrapped her arms around herself. "It's weird, isn't it? The silence."


Renji nodded. "Yeah. Like something's missing."


Kaito stuffed his hands into his pockets, his eyes scanning the street warily. "Or maybe we just got too used to the madness."


And yet, there was something unsettling about the way the world moved on—as if nothing had ever happened.


They stopped at a small inn, pooling together the little cash Kaito had managed to keep with him.


The innkeeper, an older woman with kind eyes, handed them a key. "You three look exhausted. Traveling long?"


Renji hesitated. "Yeah. We, uh… lost our hometown."


The woman's expression turned sympathetic. "Oh, I'm so sorry, dear. Where was it?"


The woman frowned, tapping her chin. "Fujikawa… Hmm. I don't think I've heard of it."


The woman nodded. "Well, you're safe here. Get some rest."


They climbed the stairs to their room, the realization weighing heavily on them.


As Aoi collapsed onto the bed, she let out a long sigh. "It's like it never existed."


Renji stared out the window. "That's exactly what happened."


Kaito leaned against the wall. "We broke the cycle, but the cost…"


Renji's hands curled into fists. His mother, their families, their pasts.


Something in the back of his mind itched, a lingering presence he couldn't shake.


Not a whisper. Not a voice. Just… the wind.


And yet, as he lay there, staring at the ceiling, a strange thought crept in.


> What if something was still watching?


Aoi shifted in her sleep. Kaito snored lightly from the other bed.


Chapter 34 - Shadows of the Past