Ch.4

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His breath was caught in his throat the second he noticed his father sitting on the couch, engrossed in newspapers. He would have to sneak past him quietly and make it to his room without attracting attention. He didn't want to endure any more beatings for the day.

He managed to close the door with a barely audible click. So far, so good. Now he had to tiptoe up the stairs, careful to avoid the creaky steps.

"Stop right there." his heart sank as his father's voice rang out. "Where do you think you're going?"

Shit. He was certain he looked like he had been through hell and back. His father never supported or helped when it came to fights. Instead , he did the opposite, making him regret his very existence.

There was no hiding his face from his father's gaze, so he surrendered, preparing to try and save himself from the situation.

"So you think you can disrespect me like that and get away with it?" His father's words cut through the air as he set aside the newspapers and approached Takemichi's hunched over form.

"Hey! Look at me when I'm talking to you!" He yelled, grabbing Takemichi's chin to examine him closely.

Bruises, a split lip, a nose halfway broken, and his school uniform stained with dirt and blood. The sight only fueled his father's anger even more.

"Got into a fight, huh?" Takemichi could barely see his father's face. He was about to say something, to apologize. But being slapped didn't surprise him anymore.

"What the fuck did I say about getting into fights?!" His father bellowed while delivering a punch to his cheek

Takemichi staggered backward, his back hitting the hallway wall, choking on his own blood.

His father gripped his hair tightly, and instinctively, Takemichi tried to pry his father's hands off, his own hands clenching at his father's in an attempt to loosen the grip.

"You're such a disappointment," his father spat out, repeatedly smashing his son's head against the wall, causing Takemichi to cough up blood and desperately apologize.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry... please!" Speaking with his head being slammed into the wall was sure difficult.

Finally, his father let go. Takemichi's body gave in, and he collapsed to his knees, breathing heavily, tears welling up in the corners of his eyes. But he refused to cry again, not now, not ever.

"Well, that should teach you a lesson for now," his father said in a low tone, satisfaction evident in his voice.

"If you don't want a repeat of this, you better not cause another mess, brat." With those words, his father left the house, slamming the door hard enough to make Takemichi flinch in fear.

So with a bleeding head and face, Takemichi fought to steady his breath. After what felt like an eternity, nearly five minutes of struggling, he managed to regain some composure. Slowly, he pulled himself up, using the wall for support, and leaned his back against it.

His entire body throbbed with pain, Bruises adorned his skin like cruel reminders of his father's wrath. He winced as he shifted his weight, feeling the discomfort emanating from various places.

Takemichi closed his eyes, attempting to find solace in the temporary respite. He focused on calming his racing heartbeat, forcing himself to breathe evenly despite the pain coursing through his body. It was a moment of bitter reflection, as he contemplated the reason he came back.

As he leaned against the wall, he couldn't help but think of the future , he wanted to save everyone but that goal seemed unrealistic each time , he tried his best each time but a small mistake caused deaths , at some point he begun to think about Ending it. i mean , what good has he ever done anyways?

With a deep breath, Takemichi mustered the strength to push himself forward. Despite the physical agony, he didn't want his father to be mad , god knows when he's coming back and he didn't want to take anymore risks for the day thank you very much.

Slowly, he peeled himself away from the wall and began to make his way towards his room. Each step was accompanied by a wave of pain, but he endured it , his mentality at an all-time low.

----
As he lay uncomfortably on his bed, the pain flaring up with every shift he made, dark thoughts began to stir in his mind. Memories carved deep into his brain played on repeat, tormenting him mercilessly.

Each mistake he had made was meticulously observed, etched into his consciousness. And in that moment, he swore to himself that he would not repeat those same old mistakes again. The burden of his past actions bore down on him , bringing him down.

His mind wanderd back to hina. The main reason he started time-leaping in the first place was her. But If Takemichi said that he loves Hina, that would be a lie.

He cares about her, of course. Just not love. He doesn't love her anymore. The flame of romantic love has long since flickerd out , But he still wants to save her, save everyone he's close with, everyone he cares about.

With his eyes feeling heavy with each blink, Takemichi closed his eyes and surrendered to sleep, knowing that his slumber would be plagued by haunting nightmares. As he drifted into the realm of dreams, his mind became a battleground of twisted visions and painful memories.

In his sleep, he relived the moments of his failures, the times when he couldn't protect those he cared about. The scenes played out in vivid detail, each mistake amplified and magnified. The weight of guilt and regret pressed upon him, suffocating his subconscious.

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Enjoy this cause am prob not gonna post for almost 2 weeks bc i got exams 😭👍🏻

Sorry i took long to update....again but i had writers block and was busy!

Btw! takemichi's dad : itsuki Hanagaki
takemichi's mom : Hiyori Hanagaki

Hope you enjoyed this chapter! ♡♡

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