The city always seemed suspended between two moments of the day.
It wasn’t morning, nor was it nite; it was that warm moment when the sky hesitates whether to brighten or fade completely. I thot it was a coincidence... until I started getting to know them.

I met her on my first day.

I was sitting on the edge of the central fountain, watching the water catch the last golden reflections of the sky, when a shadow fell in front of me. When I looked up, I saw a girl with light hair, bright eyes, and a smile so natural that for a moment I forgot why I’d felt so alone since I arrived.

"You're new, right?" she asked in a soft voice, as if she didn't want to scare me.

I nodded.

"I'm Hikari."

Her name suited her perfectly. Everything about her seemed to light up the room: the way she spoke, the way she tilted her head when listening, even how the wind seemed to play with her hair. We walked together that day. She showed me streets, shops, and quiet corners where the noise couldn’t reach. Hikari spoke of the city as if she loved it deeply, as if every stone held a happy memory.

With her, I felt something strange yet comforting.
As if the weight I was carrying inside had become a little lighter.

Over the next few days, Hikari kept showing up by my side almost effortlessly. She always knew where to find me. He always had a kind word, a ready laugh, and a warm look that made me think that maybe starting over wasn’t such a bad idea.

Then she showed up.

It was on the fourth day.

I was leaving a bookstore when I felt a presence behind me. It wasn’t a sound or a voice; it was a pressure, a cold sensation running down the back of my neck. I turned around... and the world came unhinged.

She was identical to Hikari.

Same face.
Same height.
Same eyes.

But empty.

Her expression was blank, almost harsh, as if emotions were a language she had decided to forget. Her dark hair contrasted with the dim street light, and her gaze locked onto mine with an intensity that made me hold my breath.

"So it's you...", she murmured.

Before I could ask her name, I heard a familiar voice.

"Jaika."

Hikari was there, just a few steps away.

The air changed.

The girl in front of me slowly turned her head toward Hikari. For the first time, something moved on her face. It wasn’t a surprise. It wasn't fear.

It was hate.

"Don't look at me," she said, with a coldness that chilled me to the bone.

Hikari stepped forward, her smile wavering for just a second.

"Kuro..."

So that was her name.

Kuro pursed her lips, averting her gaze as if Hikari’s mere presence was unbearable. They didn’t exchange any more words. They didn’t touch each other. It was as if an invisible barrier separated them, a tension so thick you could feel it in your chest.

I was in the middle.

"Jaika," Hikari said softly, "are you okay?"

Before I could answer, Kuro turned around.

"Don't get too close to her," he said without looking at me, but his voice was directed at me. Nothing good comes from light that casts no shadow.

And she left.

I saw her walk away alone, her figure fading into the city’s darkest streets. When I looked back at Hikari, her expression had changed. She was still smiling, but there was something... forced.

"Don't worry about her," he said. "She's... complicated."

But I couldn’t stop thinking about the way Kuro had looked at her.
As if they had known each other forever.
As if they shared something I couldn’t yet see.

That night, as I lay down to sleep, I realized something disturbing.

When I closed my eyes, I didn’t just think about Hikari’s smile.
I also thot about Kuro’s gaze.

And I knew that, sooner or later, I’d have to choose whom to follow.

First decision

That afternoon you meet both of them again, separated by the plaza.

What does Jaika do?

- Spend more time with Hikari.
- Follow Kuro.