The mirror lied to me today.
For nineteen years, I thought reflections were honest things. Cold, brutal, but honest.
But today, when I looked into the mirror above the dorm sink, I saw something twitch.
Not my face.
My memory.
Something flickered behind my eyes — a girl, standing under a red umbrella.
She said something.
I couldn't hear it.
I blinked, and the image vanished.
Was she real?
Was she… her?
1: The Red Umbrella
It rained this morning. Not the kind that makes you want to stay in bed, but the kind that smells like unresolved memories — the scent of wet pavement, dust, and last chances.
I skipped class. Again.
I sat at the corner café two blocks away from campus, watching people who didn't know they were being watched.
That's when I saw her.
Red umbrella. White socks. Blue skirt. A glint of silver earrings.
And those eyes.
God, those eyes.
She looked at me like she'd known me her whole life.
Then, she said it.
"Yuto Kisaragi… you look emptier than before."
I froze.
Before? Before what?
I opened my mouth to ask—but she was gone.
Just like a memory I wasn't supposed to have.
2: Memory Bleeds
I don't dream anymore.
Not real dreams.
But lately, I've been getting flashes. Random, painful flashes.
Mei laughing beside a river.
Mei screaming in the rain.
Mei saying: "You always pretend to be the victim, but you're the one holding the knife."
None of this exists in my phone.
No photos.
No texts.
No social media mentions.
Like she never existed.
But she did.
Because I can still feel her fingertips when I close my eyes.
And every time I do, my heart races like I'm running from something I already did.
3: Haruki's Smile
"Yo, Yuto!" Haruki waved at me in the dorm hallway, carrying a guitar case. "You look like you saw a ghost."
I smiled, pretending to be okay.
"Just tired."
He nodded. "Wanna hang out later? I found this old track we made last semester. Feels weird… like there's someone else's voice layered in."
I stopped. "What do you mean?"
He scratched his head. "I dunno. Maybe some echo from a girl? You were dating someone back then, weren't you?"
I stared at him.
"No," I lied.
4: The Notebook
Back in my room, I found a notebook behind my dresser.
Dusty. Torn at the edges.
Inside was a single page.
Scrawled handwriting. A bit shaky.
It said:
"You traded her memory for your peace. Was it worth it, Yuto?"
And at the bottom, in red ink:
"The Archivist always collects."
5: Flashback — The Deal
I didn't remember how I met The Archivist.
Until now.
Suddenly, in a dream that didn't feel like one, I was back in the dark mirror room.
A man — or maybe not a man — stood in the shadows. Eyes like ink, a smile like broken glass.
He spoke slowly, every word like a blade on my spine.
"You committed the crime. You want to be free. I can give you one reset."
"What's the cost?" I had asked.
"Something real. Something you won't even notice… until it's gone."
"Deal."
I should've known. The devil never says the full price.
6: The Girl from the Rain
That night, I saw the girl with the red umbrella again.
Not in the street.
In my dream.
We were standing on a train platform.
She turned to me, eyes sad.
She whispered:
"You're trying to forget me again, aren't you?"
I couldn't answer.
Because something in her voice felt realer than anything I'd felt in weeks.
She walked toward the train.
Then turned around.
"Ask Haruki about March 5th."
Then she disappeared into the light.
7: Confrontation
I ran to Haruki's room the next morning.
"Do you remember anything about March 5th?" I asked, breathless.
He blinked. "That's random. Uh… no. Wait. Actually, I do remember a fight. You and a girl. It was loud. She kept crying."
"Do you remember her name?"
He frowned. "I… I feel like I should."
He looked terrified for a second.
Then he smiled again.
"Nope. Must be imagining things."
The reset.
It's starting to crack.
8: Who Was Mei?
Back in my room, I opened my private email.
Typed in every possible variation of her name I could remember.
Nothing.
But then, a draft message appeared. One I never wrote.
Subject line: "You killed the only girl who ever loved you."
Body:
"Mei Tsukishiro.
Age 19.
Philosophy major.
Disappeared three months ago.
No police report.
No body.
Just silence.
Just you."
9: The Voice in the Walls
It's midnight.
I keep hearing whispers from the bathroom tiles.
Not words. Just… a breath.
But tonight, I heard it clearly.
A voice. Her voice.
"Yuto… You erased me, but I remember you."
I collapsed to the floor.
Shaking.
Because that voice wasn't in my head.
It was underneath the floor.
10: The Archivist Returns
As I stared at the bathroom mirror, the lights flickered.
Then, like a ripple in the glass, he appeared.
The Archivist.
Dressed in all black.
Eyes bottomless.
Hands gloved in red.
"You're remembering too quickly," he said.
"I want to know the truth," I whispered.
"You already know it."
"What did I pay for the reset?"
He smiled.
"The truth."
Final Lines:
I am remembering now.
Not all of it.
But enough to know…
I wasn't trying to save her.
I was trying to save myself.
And the reset didn't clean my soul.
It just wiped the fingerprints.