Just as Yuta wanted, he and Maki visited a small café nearby. The cozy little place had soft music playing, and the scent of coffee and fresh pastries filled the air. Maki's eyes sparkled the moment she saw the strawberry cake in the glass display.

A surprisingly girly thing for someone who stood out so much as a tomboy.

Ten minutes later, she was happily munching away on the soft pink cake, humming to herself while avoiding Yuta's amused gaze like the plague. Yuta, on the other hand, was barely touching his drink. His thoughts were running wild.

He gave Maki a smile and quietly slipped away to the counter. The café receptionist was a kind-looking woman, and Yuta politely asked, "Excuse me, could you tell me the date today?"

The woman smiled. "Of course."

She didn't even think it was strange or anything. However, upon hearing the date, Yuta remained frozen in place for a second.

Yuta's heart dropped. He knew something was off—and here it was.

He first thought that he was just thinking about things, then there was Gran Torino. And the idea of alternate universe came to his mind. However that wasnt' it. They were a decade in the past.

He'd had a gut feeling they'd been sent back in time, but now he had confirmation. He felt this not just from observing his surroundings, but also because he knew exactly what kind of devil fruit he had just eaten. It was his grandma's devil fruit—the same one she ate in the One Piece anime.

The one that could control time, at least to some degree...

But what truly chilled him wasn't just the year.

"Why today of all days," he grumbled with irritation.

He remembered it far too well.

"This... this is the day I had my accident," he whispered to himself, gripping the edge of the counter.

This was the day he fell from the second floor of his school. Bullies had cornered him. He had saved Rika back then... He had tried to get away and ended up falling.

That accident had left him in a coma for some time, and when he woke up, some of his memories were gone. Everyone said it was a miracle he survived.

Yuta's hands trembled slightly. His heart pounded in his chest.

"Wait, does this mean Grandma would be alive in this time?" he couldn't help but think.

"Or perhaps I'm still in a genjutsu. I knew that letter contained a powerful genjutsu." He might never have experienced it before, but he could cast them, so he knew how it felt. "I was definitely in genjutsu back when I read that letter."

He slowly walked back to the table. Maki had finished her cake and was sipping her tea. She looked up and raised an eyebrow. "You okay? You look pale."

Yuta sat down, forcing a smile. "Yeah. It's just that it's hard to believe I'm back. I've been wondering for so long, trying to find a way back. It feels like a dream."

Maki just hummed at his words, though her face didn't show that she completely believed him.

He didn't want to ruin the mood, so he planned to keep the entire thing regarding this time travel a secret—at least until the date was over.

Unfortunately for Yuta, no matter how much he tried to act normal, Maki caught on almost immediately. She narrowed her eyes as she stared at him over her empty cake plate.

"Okay, so... what's the real reason you're all mopey all of a sudden?" she said, crossing her arms. "Spill it."

Yuta scratched the back of his head, trying to laugh it off. "It's nothing, really. Just… some old memories."

"Yuta," she said, firmer this time.

'Is this one of her Heavenly Restriction powers, or just plain old frighteningly accurate womanly instincts?' he couldn't help but wonder.

With a sigh, he gave in and told her everything. About how the date they were in now was the same day he had the accident. How he had fallen from the second floor of his school. How the whole thing had left a mark on him—not physically, but deep in his heart.

And now he had learned that they had time-travelled.

By the time he finished, Maki sat silently, her face unreadable. She tapped her fingers on the table a few times before finally speaking.

"So… this is that day, huh?"

Yuta nodded slowly.

She let out a breath. "Well then, we're going to your school."

Yuta blinked. "Wait, what? Why?"

"Because," Maki said, standing up and grabbing his arm, "I want to see it. I know you're fine now, but I still don't like the idea of you getting hurt—even if it already happened. I know it sounds dumb, but let's just go."

"You're really not surprised that we might have time-travelled back a decade?" Yuta asked with a stupefied look.

"Eh... I've seen enough to not let anything get under my skin anymore. You're a big part of the reason I accept things nowadays too easily..." She shrugged, and he deadpanned.

He was honestly surprised seeing her so nonchalant. Time travel, done without his own will. Who could have done this? A quirk that could use illusion? Definitely possible, but he didn't know anyone like that.

Quirks came in all types, and someone having an illusion-type wasn't out of the ordinary. However, in a world where Naruto only existed because he himself had made the manga, it felt like someone had sucker-punched him.

But back to the devil fruit—someone knew he was going to find that fruit. And to have the illusion to send him back in time? The more he thought, the more serious he became.

As far as he remembered, the devil fruit he ate could only take someone into the future, not the past.

'Must be the RCT...' He couldn't help but sigh. Why was everything so chaotic when it came to things around him?

Yuta hesitated. "I really don't want to go back there. That place has nothing but bad memories." Follow current novᴇls on novel★fire.net

"I get that," Maki said, softer now. "But sometimes, facing the past makes it easier to move forward. And hey, I'll be with you. If anything spooky happens, I'll just punch it."

Yuta gave her a strange look.

"There is nothing spooky about it. I just don't wanna see myself falling from a two-story building," he chided.

Though the real reason was that he didn't want to meet Rika there.

She was supposed to be there. He could only think of how many things he could change if he just decided to act. He could save Rika from ever dying. He might even be able to find a way to extend his grandmother's life.

However, doing that would mess up the timeline.

Maki wasn't having any of that, though—she just kept glaring at him.

'Damn, she's too stubborn,' he grumbled to himself.

"Alright, alright," he said with a sigh. "You win. Let's go."

And with that, both of them left the café and headed toward Yuta's old middle school. It had been years since he'd seen the place, but the moment it came into view, a mix of emotions flooded his chest—nervousness, bitterness, and a small twinge of fear.

Maki, walking beside him, didn't say much, but her hand brushed his lightly as if saying, I'm here.

He didn't react to that, but still found her presence comforting.

xxx

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