Fate's Correspondence: A Love Written In Words

EPISODE 3 :A SECOND CHANCE

**Chapter 1: A Second Chance**

Kyoshi stared out the hospital window, watching the rain as it pattered softly against the glass. His frail, trembling hands rested on the bedsheets, while the beeping machines beside him marked the steady decline of his life. Seventy years had been a long time, but now, as his breath grew weaker, the memories of his past relationships rushed into his mind.

The faces of lovers long gone flickered before him-his high school sweetheart, a woman he thought he'd marry but lost to youthful indecision. The colleague he met during his internship, with whom he shared stolen moments that slipped through his fingers. The love he found again as a team leader, only to lose her to the pressures of his career. The woman who stood beside him when he became a director, whose warmth he traded for the cold, isolating ascent to the top. Each relationship, a brief chapter in a book of missed chances and bittersweet endings.

Regret weighed heavy on him, but before he could dwell on it, a deep darkness swallowed his vision. Kyoshi exhaled one final, shuddering breath.

And then... nothing.

When Kyoshi opened his eyes, he expected the afterlife, some vague expanse of nothingness. Instead, he found himself lying in an unfamiliar bed-a bed that smelled fresh and young. His body no longer felt heavy with age, and his hands... his hands were smooth, unwrinkled.

Kyoshi bolted upright, his heart pounding. He was not in the hospital. He was... *young*.

He stumbled out of bed and hurried toward the nearest mirror. His reflection stared back at him-an impossible version of himself. He was no longer seventy years old. No longer frail, with thinning hair and liver spots. He was seventeen again, his high school self.

"What... what is this?" he muttered, touching his face in disbelief.

The door burst open, and his mother stormed into the room, her face red with frustration. "Kyoshi! You overslept again! You're going to be late for school!" she yelled, grabbing a nearby pillow and tossing it at him.

Kyoshi, still dazed from the shock of his situation, acted on pure instinct. He rushed to his mother, enveloping her in a tight hug. He was so overwhelmed with joy, he kissed her cheek.

"What are you doing? Have you lost your mind?" she exclaimed, pushing him away. "Hurry up and get dressed before you miss the bus!"

Kyoshi, still smiling, nodded as he quickly threw on his school uniform. His mother's scolding didn't bother him. He was alive. Young. Given a second chance. His heart raced with excitement, but his mind buzzed with a singular thought-a goal that eluded him in his previous life.

*I will find love again. I will build a family.*

After racing down the stairs and planting quick kisses on his younger brother and sister, who both stared at him like he was insane, Kyoshi darted out the door and ran toward the school.

The familiar school gates loomed before him, and the sensation of walking through them felt surreal. The buildings, the classrooms, even the worn concrete of the courtyard-it was all the same, yet so different. Memories of a life lived, decisions made, and opportunities lost danced around him. But this time, he wouldn't let his life slip through his fingers.

As Kyoshi stepped into his classroom, the usual chaos of students chatting and laughing surrounded him. He took his seat near the back, where he could observe everything. He had barely settled in when the teacher entered, calling for silence. It was time for introductions.

Kyoshi leaned back, only half-listening as his classmates stood up, one by one, introducing themselves. But then... his ears perked up.

"Hi, I'm Yumi Asakura."