RIVALRY

CHAPTER 2

Chapter 2: Rewinded Fate

Flashback – Tokyo, 2003

Akihiko jolted upright in bed, his heart racing as the unfamiliar surroundings flooded his senses. His first instinct was that it was all a dream. But the warmth of the sunlight streaming through the small window, the faint hum of students passing by outside, and the unmistakable feeling of youth coursing through his body told him otherwise.

He quickly stumbled out of bed and caught sight of his reflection in the mirror across the room. A gasp escaped his lips. Staring back at him was his 19-year-old self—leaner, with a boyish face and wide, clear eyes that hadn't yet been touched by the weight of time and responsibility. His hair was longer, messier, and his face was free of the lines that had once told the story of decades of work and missed opportunities.

"What... how is this possible?" Akihiko whispered, touching his face as though the reflection might vanish at any moment.

The room itself was familiar yet distant, the old dorm he had shared with his roommates. The textbooks scattered across the desk, the half-filled notes on astrophysics equations—it all screamed of a life he had left behind. His heart pounded as he tried to make sense of what was happening. Somehow, he had traveled back to his university days.

He wasn't sure if this was some kind of miracle or cruel trick. But one thing was clear: he had been given a second chance.

Flashback – The Encounter

After regaining his composure, Akihiko stepped outside his dorm and into the bustling campus. The familiar sights and sounds of students rushing to classes and lounging around the green courtyard struck him with a powerful nostalgia. But there was no time to indulge in memories. He had to find Sayuri.

He remembered the exact place where he had often seen her at this time of day—the physics lab. Even back then, she had always been dedicated, showing up early for her research, driven by her own relentless ambition. Akihiko's feet moved automatically, navigating the twists and turns of the campus as though no time had passed at all.

As he approached the lab, he paused at the doorway, his breath hitching. Inside, Sayuri was sitting by the large window, sunlight pouring over her figure. She looked the same as he remembered—graceful, elegant, her long black hair falling over her shoulders as she scribbled in her notebook. Her beauty hadn't diminished in his memories, but seeing her here, in the flesh, brought a flood of emotions that nearly overwhelmed him.

Akihiko took a deep breath and knocked on the doorframe.

Sayuri's head lifted, her eyes meeting his with a slight look of surprise. "Takeda? You're here early."

His heart skipped a beat at the sound of her voice. He had almost forgotten how calm and composed she always sounded, even in moments like these. He cleared his throat, trying to keep his nerves from showing. "I... wanted to talk to you."

She raised an eyebrow, curious. "About what?"

For a moment, Akihiko hesitated. How could he possibly explain what he was feeling? He had returned to the past, not just to relive these moments, but to change them. To fix the things he had gotten wrong. He had been given another chance to win her heart, not just as a rival but as a man who had grown to regret the distance he had placed between them.

But those words felt too heavy to speak now.

"I wanted to ask if you'd review some of my calculations," he finally said, choosing a safer route. "I've been working on the equation for gravitational lensing, and I'd like your thoughts."

Sayuri smiled faintly, a knowing look in her eyes. "Sure. But I thought you didn't need help from anyone, especially not me."

Akihiko chuckled softly, though there was a nervous edge to it. "Maybe I've learned a thing or two about teamwork."

Her smile lingered a moment longer, and she turned back to her notebook. "Alright. Let's see what you've got."

As Akihiko sat beside her, his heart was pounding in his chest. He watched her out of the corner of his eye, noting the way her fingers delicately held the pen, the soft curve of her lips as she concentrated. He couldn't help but feel the weight of his mission pressing down on him. This was only the beginning. He had to be careful, had to play this game of time delicately. If he made one wrong move, he could risk everything.

Flashback – The Rivalry Rekindled

The next few weeks passed in a blur of academic work and fleeting moments with Sayuri. Akihiko tried to balance their rivalry with his growing desire to change things between them. Every encounter was loaded with tension—both intellectual and emotional—as he navigated their competitive banter while hiding the truth about his feelings.

But Sayuri wasn't someone easily fooled.

One evening, after a particularly heated debate in class, Akihiko found her waiting outside the lecture hall. She had her arms crossed, her gaze sharp as she caught him by surprise.

"You've been different lately," she said, her tone laced with suspicion. "You're still competitive, but... something's changed. You're holding back."

Akihiko froze, caught off guard by her perceptiveness. "I'm not holding back," he tried to deflect, but his voice faltered.

Sayuri narrowed her eyes. "Don't lie to me, Takeda. I know you too well."

Her words struck him hard. She did know him too well. That was part of what had made their rivalry so intense—she could read him in ways no one else could.

"I just..." he started, struggling to find the right words. "I don't want to be your enemy anymore."

For the first time, Sayuri seemed genuinely surprised. "Enemy? Is that what you think we are?"

Akihiko looked away, his chest tightening. "We've always been rivals. I thought... that's all we'd ever be."

There was a long pause, and then, to his surprise, Sayuri laughed softly. "You really are hopeless."

When he glanced back at her, there was a glint of something warmer in her eyes. Something that made his heart race in a way he hadn't expected.