My name is Nobody.
Not because I wanted to be—
but because there was nothing in my life worth remembering.
I'm twenty-three years old. I've done nothing remarkable. Nothing I could ever be proud of.
Still, I lived quietly. With my family. Finishing my graduation this year.
Breathing, eating, existing—like countless others.
If things had gone normally, I would've entered my favorite college. Met my childhood friends again. Laughed like we used to before my father's job transfers scattered my life across cities and schools.
But tonight wasn't normal.
The air was cold. Sharp.
Christmas decorations lit the streets—trees wrapped in lights, shops glowing with warmth that mocked the winter chill.
Christmas Eve…
I realized it too late.
I hadn't bought a gift for my family.
My thoughts were elsewhere—on the reunion, and on Tamao.
She was a girl I once hated. A lot.
Back in school, I followed her orders like a fool, endured humiliation just to help her deal with her reckless habits.
But time changes people.
Now, walking beside her in the cold, I didn't see her the same way anymore.
Not as someone I despised…
but almost like an older sister.
"Hey, Hanaki, why are you walking so slow?"
She smirked. "Watch this—I'll cross before anyone else."
That was Tamao. Always rushing. Always careless.
The traffic light turned red.
Our turn to cross.
Before anyone could move, she dashed forward, laughing, ignoring everyone around her—just like she used to.
I sighed.
Some things never change.
Halfway across the road—
Crack.
Her ankle twisted.
She screamed and collapsed in the middle of the road.
"Tamao!"
I ran toward her without thinking, scolding her even as I reached her side.
I was about to pull her up—
Then I heard it.
"MOVE—!"
A truck.
Charging toward us at full speed.
The driver was screaming. The brakes had failed.
Time froze.
My mind went blank.
I didn't think.
I didn't hesitate.
I shoved Tamao with everything I had.
She rolled out of the truck's path.
I didn't.
The impact came instantly.
My head struck metal—then the ground.
I couldn't move.
Couldn't feel my body.
Warmth spread beneath me.
Blood.
My blood.
But Tamao was alive.
The truck crashed into a pole, stopping just in time.
So this is it…
In my final moments, I realized something strange.
For the first time in my life—
I had done something worth being proud of.
If there is another life…
I don't want to live meaninglessly again.
Darkness swallowed my vision.
I drifted in a black void—empty, silent.
Then—
A gate appeared.
White. Lined with golden borders.
A voice echoed inside my mind.
"vancio ans dkeb jeoeb wjsk ."
The language I didn't understand.
But I smiled.
If I died saving her… that's enough.
I stepped forward.
The moment I crossed, my body was hurled forward at unbearable speed.
Pain.
Light.
Then—
Nothing.
Back in the hospital, alarms screamed.
"Pulse is dropping—AED, now!"
It was too late.
The doctor stepped outside and shook his head.
Hanaki was dead.
His family arrived moments later. His sister collapsed in tears. His mother held her, trembling.
On the day of his funeral, family and friends prayed for his peaceful afterlife—
Unaware that his story had only just begun.