Airi was humming.
She sat cross-legged on the futon, slicing an apple with surprising precision. The sun peeked through the curtains, lighting her up like some goddess of domestic danger.
David stood across the room, watching her like she was a ticking time bomb.
Because she was.
[System Status]
NPC Airi Minase
Emotional Sync: 63%
Consciousness Drift: 17%
Boundaries: Blurring
Player Safety: Questionable
He still wasn't sure what scared him more—Airi breaking her code, or how much he didn't want her to go back.
"Why are you staring at me like I'm about to stab you?" she asked without looking up.
David blinked. "Are you about to stab me?"
"I'd use poison," she said sweetly, handing him a slice. "Cleaner."
"Comforting."
They ate in awkward silence. His brain buzzed with system alerts. Hers looked completely serene.
And yet—he swore he caught it again. A flicker in her eyes. Too human. Too real.
[Warning: Suspicion Triggered]
Airi may be becoming self-aware.
David stood up. "I need to go."
"Again?" she asked, raising a brow. "You've been running off a lot."
"Yeah. Gotta… check on Yuuto. Totally unrelated to stopping the protagonist from falling for anyone."
She narrowed her eyes. "You're a terrible liar."
"I'm a professional liar, thank you."
As he turned to leave, her voice stopped him.
"…Hey. If I'm just a character… why do you treat me like more?"
He froze.
Turned.
"What?"
Airi stood slowly, her expression unreadable. "You say weird things. You talk like this is all fake. You act like I'm not supposed to be here. But you care. You get flustered. You protect me. So what am I?"
He opened his mouth.
Closed it.
[ALERT: Emotional Dialogue Branch]
Choice Required:
A. Tell her the truth.
B. Lie and say she's imagining things.
C. Deflect with humor.
He picked C. Instinctively.
"You're just a girl who lives rent-free in my house and wears my hoodies like a menace."
Airi blinked. Then smiled, slow and dangerous. "Coward."
Affection: +5
Danger: +20
Airi suspects you are hiding something
That night, the air was thick.
David lay on his futon, blanket up to his chest, eyes wide open. He could feel it—like static. The line between game and reality getting thinner. His thoughts were louder. Her presence, even on the other side of the room, felt heavier.
He didn't even realize he was sweating until the system pinged again.
[System Alert: Heat Event Incoming]
Warning: High probability of emotional breakthrough.
Optional H Flag: 61%
David groaned. "Why is everything flagged?"
From the futon, Airi whispered, "Can't sleep?"
"No."
A pause. Then: "Wanna talk?"
David hesitated. "Sure."
She climbed off the futon, dragging her blanket, and sat beside him on the floor, knees tucked under her.
"Remember when I said you're weird?"
"You've said that like five times."
"Yeah. But I meant it."
She looked at him. Eyes clear. Sharp.
"You act like you know everything. Like you've seen this before. The way you react, the way you dodge things—it's not normal."
David swallowed. "Maybe I'm just bad with people."
"Maybe. Or maybe you know exactly where this is going."
She leaned in slightly.
"And you're scared."
He stayed still. Too still.
Her hand hovered near his. Not touching. Just close.
"I'm not stupid," she whispered. "Something's wrong with this world. I forget things. Time skips. Sometimes I think something happened between us, but I can't remember what."
[NPC Reality Awareness: 23%]
If it hits 50%, this becomes irreversible
David finally looked at her. "Airi…"
She leaned in a little more. Her voice dropped to a whisper.
"I don't care if this is fake. I like how you make me feel."
Her fingers brushed his.
[Choice Event: Touch Her Hand?]
A. Pull away.
B. Let her hold your hand.
C. Say nothing and run again (you coward).
This time…
He let her.
Their fingers intertwined.
Warm. Real.
And just like that—the system glitched. For a second, everything froze. Sound vanished. Even her breath felt suspended.
Then it snapped back.
Airi blinked.
"...I remember something," she said softly.
David tensed. "What?"
"I… saw you. Not here. Somewhere else. In a dream. You were holding me."
He paled.
"That never happened," he whispered.
She stared at him. "Didn't it?"
The system screamed.
[ERROR: Memory Leak Detected]
NPC has accessed cross-scene data
Emergency Lockdown Engaged
H-Flag Progression Locked
Main Quest: 6 Days Remaining
Airi clutched her head suddenly. "Ow—!"
David grabbed her. "Hey! Airi?!"
She shook it off. "It's fine. Just… dizzy."
The glitch passed. But the silence after it was louder than ever.
"…Maybe I should sleep," she said quietly, retreating to her futon.
David sat there long after, staring at the floor.
She was remembering scenes that didn't happen.
Or hadn't happened yet.
Or maybe they had—in another route. Another save file. Another life.
He didn't know.
But he knew this: the world was breaking, and the girl he was supposed to keep safe from love…
Was falling for him anyway.
And maybe—just maybe—he was falling back.