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.

Summer arrived gently, like it was afraid of startling them.


The days grew longer, the air warmer, and Yukihama slipped into an easy rhythm of cicadas, late sunsets, and quiet afternoons that felt earned. After the river, after Shiori's final release, life didn't rush back—it settled.


For Aoi, that stillness was the hardest part.


Aoi sat at her desk with the window open, curtains breathing in and out with the breeze. In front of her lay a single sheet of paper, already folded and unfolded too many times.


She'd written this letter more times than she could count. Burned some. Tore others apart. But this one… she kept rewriting instead of destroying.


She thought of the river. Of Shiori's smile as she let go. Of how carrying pain didn't mean being crushed by it forever.


Her hand trembled, but she didn't stop.


Later that evening, she met Renji and Kuro at their usual spot by the convenience store, drinks sweating in their hands.


"You look serious," Kuro said, squinting at her. "That's never good."


Aoi smiled faintly. "I wrote to Hinako."


Renji blinked. "Like… actually sent it?"


She nodded. "I found an old forwarding address in my mom's things. I don't even know if it's still valid."


"And nothing," Aoi said softly. "That's the point. I'm not waiting for an answer."


Aoi looked up at the sky, where the first stars were beginning to show.


"I spent so long hoping someone would come back and fix everything. Shiori. Hinako. Even myself." She exhaled. "I don't want to live like that anymore."


Kuro raised his can in a mock toast. "To not waiting."


Renji smiled and clinked his drink against theirs. "To choosing now."


She stood in a wide field under a summer sky. No spirals. No mirrors. Just tall grass swaying in the wind.


Hinako stood at the edge of the field, older than Aoi remembered. Tired, but smiling.


When Aoi woke, there were tears on her pillow—but they didn't feel heavy.


Just four words, written in familiar handwriting:


Then she folded it carefully and slipped it into her sketchbook.


When she showed Renji and Kuro, neither of them said anything right away.


Kuro broke the silence first. "Guess summer's officially started."


For the first time in years, the future didn't feel like something she had to chase or fix.


It felt like something she was allowed to walk into.


Chapter 78 - Aoi and the Letter of Summer