🏫 Evening – University Rooftop
Kentarō and Sarah sat beneath the stars, backs against the old water tank.The city below was glowing—peaceful, humming, unaware of how many times it had been rewritten.
Sarah rested her head on KentarĹŤ's shoulder.
"I've been here before," she said softly.
"Many times," KentarĹŤ replied.
"But it always ends."
He looked at her face—calm, distant.
And for the first time, he noticed…
She didn't cast a shadow.
🍎 A Familiar Memory
They shared an apple—something they'd done since that first encounter, long ago in another life.
"Do you ever miss it?" Sarah asked."The first version of me?"
KentarĹŤ thought for a moment.
"I don't miss who you were.I miss who we used to be—naïve, hopeful, unbroken."
"But I love who we are now more."
Sarah smiled, but there was sadness in her eyes.
🪞 A Small, Scary Discovery
Later, in the university restroom, Sarah washed her face.
She glanced up at the mirror—
Her reflection wasn't there.
She gasped.Touched the mirror.Nothing.
The door creaked.
Reika entered.
"Hey, you okay?"
Sarah turned quickly. "Can you see me?"
Reika paused. "Of course I—"
She froze.
"Wait…"
"I hear you… but your face... I can't… focus on it."
Sarah backed away, heart pounding.
"It's starting, isn't it?"
"The fade."
đź““ Reika Confronts KentarĹŤ
Back on the rooftop, Reika found KentarĹŤ alone.
"She's disappearing again."
He shook his head. "No. We burned Timeline 107. We closed the loops."
Reika held up her sketchpad.
She flipped to the last drawing:KentarĹŤ, sitting under the stars.
Sarah was missing from the sketch.
"I didn't mean to leave her out," Reika whispered. "My hands just… forgot."
đź”” Sarah's Confession
Later, Sarah returned, breathless.
"It's happening to me. I can feel it.Like… the world is trying to forget I belong."
KentarĹŤ grabbed her hand, squeezing it tight.
"I'll remember for both of us."
"That won't be enough."
She pointed to the stars.
"When I vanish, not even the sky will know what it's missing."
"That's what scares me."
KentarĹŤ leaned closer.
"Then tonight—this moment—becomes the anchor. I will write it down. Paint it. Burn it into the bones of time."
🌕 The Moonlight Promise
Under the moonlight, they kissed again.
But even as their lips touched, Sarah's body flickered—like she was made of smoke, trying to hold herself together.
"If I vanish," she whispered, "don't chase me blindly again."
"Promise me… if the timeline needs to be rewritten again—choose the one where you live."
KentarĹŤ stared at her, torn.
"Only if that timeline has you in it."