Morning came slow, the kind that carried a soft drizzle and the scent of wet earth. Toshio sat at his desk, pretending to focus on his textbook, but his mind was still replaying last night — the dream, Airi's fading image, and Rika's sudden appearance on his balcony.
He hadn't slept after that. How could he?
Airi's "sister" was now sitting two desks behind him, humming quietly as she copied notes with effortless grace. Her presence was warm and cold at the same time — like sunlight filtering through mist.
"Hey, Shinji," Kaito whispered, leaning across the aisle. "You and the new girl… you've been acting weird lately. Don't tell me—"
Toshio sighed. "It's not what you think."
Kaito grinned. "Oh, so it is something."
Before Toshio could argue, Rika's soft voice drifted forward. "If you're done gossiping, Shinji, maybe you can focus on class?"
Toshio stiffened. The way she said his name — calm, melodic, and slightly teasing — made his pulse skip. The entire class turned to look.
He cleared his throat, muttering, "You sound just like her sometimes…"
Rika tilted her head, feigning innocence. "Like who?"
He looked away. "Forget it."
But she smiled knowingly, her eyes glinting with mischief.
After class, she followed him to the school rooftop — a quiet place where only the wind dared interrupt. The view stretched across the town, the cherry trees below still dripping from the morning rain.
Toshio leaned against the railing, trying to steady his thoughts.
"You shouldn't sneak into people's dreams," he said quietly.
Rika stepped closer, a teasing lilt in her voice. "Oh? Then how else am I supposed to talk to you? You're too stubborn in the waking world."
He turned sharply. "You—so that was you?"
She smiled, leaning slightly forward, the sunlight catching her hair. "Part of me, yes. The other part… belongs to her."
Toshio exhaled, his heart pounding harder than he liked.
"I don't know what to believe anymore. You say you're her sister, but everything about you—"
"—reminds you of her?" she interrupted softly. "Is that why you keep avoiding my eyes, Shinji?"
He froze. She was standing close now — too close. Her perfume was light and sweet, like lavender after rain.
Rika tilted her head, lips curving into a faint smirk. "Your heartbeat's too loud. Are you nervous?"
Toshio frowned, trying to compose himself. "You like teasing people, don't you?"
"Only the ones who pretend they're made of stone."
For a moment, silence stretched between them — heavy, electric. Then Rika reached into her pocket and pulled out a folded charm. "Airi made this before she disappeared. It's the last link between your souls."
He stared at it. A small red thread looped into a heart shape — frayed, like it had been severed.
"Whenever you dream," Rika said, "this will react to her essence. It can lead us to where she's trapped."
He took the charm, feeling the faint warmth pulsing inside. "Why me? Why not go yourself?"
"Because she's bound to you, not me," she whispered. "You were her anchor — the one who made her human again."
Her voice trembled, and for the first time, the teasing mask slipped. There was genuine sadness there — and something else Toshio couldn't name.
That night, Toshio lay on his bed, staring at the charm on his wrist.
He could still feel Rika's presence lingering — the scent of her hair, the playful glint in her eyes.
"Focus," he muttered. "This isn't about her. It's about Airi."
But his heart didn't seem to understand the difference.
As the charm glowed faintly, sleep overtook him.
He stood once more in the dream world — the celestial meadow now half-consumed by darkness. The moon was cracked, and whispers echoed in the wind.
This time, Rika appeared beside him, barefoot, wearing the same uniform. Her hair shimmered faintly like silver light.
"You followed me in?" he asked.
She smiled faintly. "I told you, I'm part of this world too."
"Then help me find her."
Rika nodded. They walked together through the fading meadow, passing through broken memories — scenes from Airi's laughter, their confessions, their fights. Each fragment crumbled as they touched it, turning into dust.
Toshio clenched his jaw. "She's slipping away."
Rika touched his shoulder. "Not if we find the thread connecting your hearts."
Her touch lingered — warm, grounding. He turned toward her, their faces only inches apart. The dream wind brushed her hair against his cheek.
For a heartbeat, it wasn't Airi he saw — it was Rika. The girl who teased him, challenged him, yet somehow carried the same sadness Airi once did.
"I thought I could never feel this again," he whispered.
Rika blinked. "What?"
"This… warmth."
Her lips parted, a faint blush rising on her cheeks. "Shinji, don't say things like that here. This world listens."
"Then let it listen," he said quietly. "Because I'm tired of silence."
Their eyes locked — two souls standing between love and guilt, reality and memory.
And then — a sudden tremor ripped through the dream. The ground cracked, the sky screamed, and a red thread shot out of the darkness, coiling around Toshio's wrist.
Rika grabbed his hand. "That's it — the thread of fate! Follow it!"
They ran together, their hands clasped as the world tore apart around them. The thread led to a vast mirror, its surface rippling like water.
Airi's reflection appeared — pale, trembling, her lips moving soundlessly.
Rika cried out, pressing her hand to the glass. "Sister!"
Airi's eyes lifted weakly toward Toshio. "You found her… my other half…"
Toshio reached out, his palm meeting the mirror. "Airi, I'm here—"
A surge of energy burst outward, flinging him backward. Rika caught him mid-fall, her arms wrapping around him.
"Don't move!" she shouted over the chaos. "She's trying to send a message—"
The world darkened.
And Airi's final whisper cut through everything:
"If you love me… protect her."
Then, silence.
The meadow vanished — and Toshio awoke, gasping, Rika collapsed beside him on the floor, unconscious.
The charm on his wrist was glowing bright red.