🎡 Sunday Afternoon – Sakura Festival Grounds, World Line 136
The sky was pink with dusk. The smell of yakisoba, cotton candy, and roasted sweet potatoes filled the air.
Couples strolled through the lantern-lit stalls.
Kentarō blinked in confusion as he stood in front of a takoyaki cart, holding Sarah's hand.
"Wait... how did we get here again?"
Sarah looked at him, her smile unusually soft. "You asked me on a date. Don't you remember?"
"I… did?" he asked, unsure.
He could barely recall the morning—just flashes. A bell. A screen. His fingers moving. Then this.
She tugged his sleeve playfully. "Come on. You promised me a normal day."
🍧 Scene 1 – Festival Booths
They tried goldfish scooping. Sarah won twice, then gave both fish away to a crying child.They tried the haunted house. Kentarō screamed louder than she did.They shared kakigōri (shaved ice) and laughed under glowing paper lamps.
But every so often, Kentarō's eyes would twitch.
The same group of people passed by. Again.A balloon popped. Then again.Same laugh. Same dog barking in the distance.
Looping patterns.
He leaned closer to Sarah. "This isn't… real, is it?"
She didn't answer.
Instead, she took his hand and led him toward the Ferris wheel.
🎡 Scene 2 – Ferris Wheel Ride
As the wheel turned, Kentarō looked down at the repeating scene below. Identical. Too perfect. Too peaceful.
"I know this isn't the real world," he finally said.
Sarah sighed and looked away. "It's not fake. Just… borrowed. A preserved timeline."
"A simulation?"
She nodded. "Chronos created this pocket timeline. A memory loop. They used to be safe zones—but now, they're surveillance grounds."
"Surveillance?"
"Every move we make here is being monitored," she whispered. "They want to see if we'll break the timeline's behavior."
"So this whole date—wasn't even my idea?"
She gave a small, sad laugh. "No. It's something we once did... before you died in Timeline 28."
Kentarō stared at her, stunned.
"And I agreed to repeat it?"
"You loved this day," she whispered. "It was your happiest. Your most human. I just wanted to give that back to you—even if it wasn't real."
A long silence filled the cabin.
Outside, the stars were frozen in place.
⏳ Scene 3 – Ferris Wheel Stops at the Top
Suddenly, the wheel halted.
All lights below blinked out.
The air turned cold.
A voice echoed—mechanical, emotionless:
"Deviation detected. Subject #136A has regained timeline memory during controlled event. Initiating Purge Countdown."
Sarah grabbed Kentarō's hand. "They found us. I wasn't careful enough."
"Memory Lock in 60 seconds."
Sarah stood. "We have to jump."
"What?"
"Out the cabin. Now!"
Kentarō hesitated. "Sarah, we'll die—"
"Not in a controlled timeline. Not if I open the breach first—"
Her hands lit up, the crystal around her neck glowing like wildfire. She slashed through the Ferris wheel window, revealing a vortex of light outside.
"40 seconds."
She looked at Kentarō. "Do you trust me?"
He didn't answer.
He grabbed her hand.
And jumped.
🌌 Scene 4 – The Breach Between Timelines
They tumbled through light. Through memories. Through fragments of what was and what never will be.
Kentarō saw:
Sarah crying in a snowstorm.
Himself holding a ring.
A wedding.
A funeral.
An explosion.
They landed hard—on cold pavement.
A new city. A new timeline.
The wind howled. Neon lights blinked. The sky was darker.
Sarah looked around. "World Line 137. The furthest I've ever gone with you."
Kentarō sat up, dizzy. "Is this one real?"
She looked at him, her voice soft. "It has to be. Because if they find us here—there won't be another chance."
🕯️ Meanwhile – Back in the Watcher's Realm
Professor Hoshikawa stood beside a giant, cracked pocket watch.
Behind him, Kurogami Renzō, the Time Assassin, watched the screen displaying the couple leaping from the Ferris wheel.
"So they broke through a Surveillance Loop."
Hoshikawa's voice was grim. "They're getting closer to Timeline 1365625."
Kurogami's fingers twitched toward his katana. "Then shall I intervene?"
The professor's eyes narrowed. "Not yet. Let them think they're free. The deeper they go, the more attached they get. That's when it hurts most to lose her."