The protagonist was playing at the park with his son. Watching his son go to retrieve a lost ball, the protagonist reminisces about the past. When he was an elementary school student, the protagonist had been playing catch with a friend. Just like his son, the protagonist made a wild throw and went outside the park to pick up the ball. After picking it up, he parted ways with his friend, not knowing it would be their final goodbye. That night, he was told that his friend had been run over by a taxi on his way home and died. When he went to the accident site with his father, there was a faint trace of blood on the ground. Overwhelmed with grief, the protagonist skipped the wake to kill time, and eventually decided to go to the park where he had last played catch with his friend. Then, a ball rolled out from the park. He picked up the ball and entered the park. There was his friend, who was supposed to be dead. Time had rewound to yesterday. Confused by the unbelievable situation but determined that he might be able to prevent his friend from dying, the protagonist walked his friend all the way home. The friend made it home safely without getting into an accident. Yet that night, he was told once again that his friend had died. After returning home once, his friend was run over by a dump truck on an errand he had been asked to run. Going to the accident site with his father, he saw a massive pool of blood spreading across the entire road. Thinking that he must save his friend this time for sure, the protagonist takes the same actions as before and reunites with his friend. He impresses upon his friend: once you go home, do not leave the house, absolutely not under any circumstances. Then they part ways again. Yet, just as before, that night he was told that his friend had died. A fire broke out while the family was out, and his friend burned to death along with the house. The harder he tries to save him, the more horrific his friend's death becomes. Exhausted, the protagonist thinks that he must save him for sure this time.
Returning to the past once more, the protagonist cries and tells his friend everything. That he has come from the future, and that his friend will die unless something is done. Seeing the protagonist's exhausted and swollen-from-crying face—though he had only gone to fetch a ball—the friend believes him. The friend vows to be careful of both accidents and fires. Their relief is short-lived, however, as he is told once again that his friend has died. This time it was a gas leak, and not only the friend but also his young sister lost their lives. The protagonist returns to the past. The friend is shocked by his emaciated face. Yet the protagonist explains nothing, and simply asks a single question. "What is the most precious thing to you?" "I'm an older brother, so my little sister is the most precious thing to me." The friend answers proudly. Realizing there is nothing more he can do, the protagonist goes home without doing a thing. Before long, he is told that his friend has been run over by a taxi and died. The protagonist attends his friend's wake. He never returned to the past again.
His son returns with the ball in hand, bringing the protagonist's recollections to an end. Something seems a little strange about his son. His son, who usually does nothing but talk back, looks up at the protagonist with a frightened expression. From that look, the protagonist realizes everything. His son, too, has come back from the future, just as he once had. And something is about to happen to him, and his son is working hard to prevent it. "Dad is the only one who knows how hard you tried for him. You don't have to push yourself so hard for your dad anymore." Hearing the protagonist say this, his son bursts into tears and embraces him.
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