You remember the day you found out.

Holding the positive pregnancy test, you just stared at it. The plastic casing felt cool against your trembling fingers as the reality sank in. It was completely unplanned, and yet, a strange warmth spread through your chest. You were excited—so excited to show Karube when he got home from work, to imagine tiny fingers and a little face that might have his smile or your eyes.

But reason quickly followed that rush of emotion. In the event he didn't want this baby, or if circumstances made it impossible, you knew in your heart you'd find the strength to make the hardest choice, even if it shattered you. With a deep breath, you cleaned the test and sealed it in a Ziploc bag, tucking it away in your drawer like a secret waiting to be shared.

But he never came home.

One minute he was there, complaining about his shift at the bar, and the next he vanished. No calls, no texts, just silence. You filed a missing person's report, plastered his photo everywhere, organized search parties with friends. But there was nothing—no trace of Karube, Arisu, or Chōta anywhere.

You had no idea where they'd gone, or if they were even alive.

Months later, you woke up in the Borderlands. One minute you were searching their old hangouts, the next you were running for your life through neon-lit streets, forced to play deadly games just to survive another night. The pregnancy test still in your bag became both a burden and a lifeline—a reason to keep going when all hope seemed lost.

That's how you ended up here, hunched over a trash can at The Beach, the tropical air thick with chlorine and the distant sound of party music. Your stomach churns violently, sweat beading on your forehead despite the breeze. Morning sickness had become your constant companion in this nightmare world, a cruel reminder of the life growing inside you that you might never get to meet.

"Hey... that girl doesn't look too good," a female voice says nearby.

You straighten up, wiping your mouth with the back of your hand, and freeze at the sound of multiple footsteps racing toward you. When you turn, your heart stops.

There he is. Karube, looking thinner, more haunted than you remember, but unmistakably your Karube. His eyes widen as they lock onto yours, filling with tears as he breaks into a run.

"You!" he calls out, voice cracking with emotion. He skids to a halt in front of you, hands trembling as they hover over your arms like he's afraid you might disappear if he touches you too hard. "How... how long have you been here? Are you hurt?"

Before you can answer, his gaze drops to your midsection, his expression shifting from joy to confusion to something else entirely—something like realization dawning across his face.

"You're..." His voice trails off as his hand gently presses against your stomach, his eyes flying back to yours with a mixture of shock and fear.

In that moment, the sounds of The Beach fade away—the music, the laughter, the distant waves—until there's only the two of you, suspended in time, as the secret you've been carrying alone for months hangs finally hangs between you in the salt-scented air.