The air was still heavy when Ikaru returned home, the afterimage of that message burning behind his eyes.
"If you remember this, the patch didn't fully work. Find me again. Don't trust the System. —Aiko."
But who was Aiko?
That name—it didn't match any classmates, any clubmates, not even the old student lists the System once let him access.He searched online. No records.He searched through his own phone. No messages. No calls.Nothing.It was as if she was the one who shouldn't exist.
And yet... something inside him was starting to crack.
He couldn't stop hearing her voice.
"The System isn't protecting you. It's preparing you."
But preparing him for what?
Route Fragment Unlocked: [Forgotten Memory]
That night, Ikaru didn't sleep.
Instead, he sat cross-legged in the dark of his room, the glow of the System panel the only light. His heart beat in the silence like a countdown. He didn't click the prompt right away.
[OPEN FRAGMENT?]WARNING: Unstable memory.May cause emotional side effects.
He hovered his finger over the YES.
Then tapped.
The screen glitched.
His vision blurred.
And suddenly, it was summer.
He was standing on a dirt path, under a broken torii gate, cicadas screaming above. A girl with shoulder-length black hair ran ahead of him, laughing in slow motion.
"Come on, Ikaru!" she called, waving back at him. "You said we'd watch the fireworks together, remember?"
His breath caught.
It was her.
That girl.
Her laugh was bright. The way she turned back, the look in her eyes—warm, unguarded.
The memory sped up.
They sat on a hill, their hands brushing. She handed him a small, clumsily folded letter.
"If we're still close next year... maybe I'll confess first."
Then, just before the fireworks exploded overhead—
ERROR: Fragment Rejected. Memory Corrupted.
Darkness again.
Ikaru gasped, snapping back into his room. His heart was racing.
SYSTEM NOTIFICATION:"Memory Block Detected. User has attempted to access restricted route. Damage Control Engaged."
His hands trembled.
That memory—it wasn't just a dream.
It felt real.
And that girl... her name was Aiko. But why was the System trying to erase her?
He opened the player log again. This time, something new flickered at the bottom.
HIDDEN PLAYER: [Aiko.N] — Status: Terminated
Terminated?
No, that wasn't right. She was alive. He had seen her.
What did terminated mean in a system built around emotion, rejection, and routes?
Was she deleted? Or worse—was she a former version of someone else?
The System Evolves
The next day, Ikaru noticed something else.
Rei—the observant, sharp-tongued girl who often teased him—was acting... different.
She seemed distracted. Her eyes, usually sharp, looked softer. There was hesitation in her voice.
"Ikaru," she said during cleaning duty, glancing sideways at him. "Have we… ever met before this year?"
"What do you mean?"
"I—I don't know," she muttered. "I had this weird dream last night. We were on a hill. Fireworks. You handed me something… but I couldn't see it clearly. And my head's been aching all morning."
His throat dried.
Was the memory trying to resurface in someone else?
Was Rei somehow linked to Aiko?
He stared at her, the words refusing to form.
SYSTEM WARNING:"Route Overlap Detected. Forbidden Convergence Approaching."Skill Unlocked: [Recollection Sync – Level 1]
Then it happened.
Their hands brushed while picking up the same mop bucket.
And for just a moment—both of them froze.
A flash.
That broken torii gate.
A summer memory.
Then—
"Get away from her."
The voice didn't belong to Rei.
It was cold. Hollow.
Ikaru turned.
At the end of the hall stood a boy in their school uniform—someone he didn't recognize. Pale skin. Perfect posture. No expression.
SYSTEM ALERT:"New Player Detected: [Administrator - Nozomi]"Trait: System EnforcerRoute Purpose: Memory Compliance
"I warned you," the boy said, walking toward them. "Some rejections are meant to stay buried."
"Who are you?" Ikaru demanded.
"You've accessed a route that was supposed to remain sealed," Nozomi said calmly. "Aiko.N was not meant to be remembered."
Rei clutched her head, suddenly crying out in pain.
"Aghh—my head—what's happening?!"
"You're syncing," Nozomi said, drawing closer. "But if you keep going, she'll forget herself in the process. Your emotions are unstable. You've broken three system rules already. A fourth will result in termination."
Ikaru stepped between them. "You're bluffing. She's a real person."
"She was," Nozomi said coldly. "Until the day she broke the System. And now… you're trying to do the same."
He raised his hand, and the hallway shimmered.
DUAL ROUTE INITIATED: [Conflict of Memory]Players: Shinji.I | Nozomi.XRules: First to overwrite.Penalty: Memory Loss (Permanent)
"I won't let you delete her again," Ikaru growled.
Nozomi's eyes flickered red.
"Then let's see how much of yourself you're willing to forget... for a girl who shouldn't exist."