Outside the story—
Arou stood silently, staring at the figure in front of him.
Zata sat casually in a chair, one leg crossed over the other, sipping warm coffee as if nothing was at stake.
Arou smiled faintly.
"Finally…" he said softly. "I played it."
Zata glanced at him without lifting his head.
"You were cruel to Airi."
"Let it be," Arou replied lightly. "Besides, I intended to kill her from the beginning."
Zata was silent for a moment before looking at him.
"Why did you even come up with something like that?"
Arou stared ahead, his eyes empty.
"Ever since we first met in the dream world… she cut off my hand."
He chuckled softly. "Luckily, Nora healed me. Her instincts are incredibly sharp."
Zata slowly nodded.
"Interesting." The corner of his lips lifted. "I don't regret making you the protagonist."
"I was always behind her," Arou continued. "Not to protect myself… but to study her abilities."
Zata smiled faintly.
"Yeah. She's careless."
He took another sip of his coffee. "She even always protected you."
Arou laughed softly, without emotion.
"Tell me about it."
---
Outside the story—
Zata finished his coffee down to the last drop.
Zata looked at Arou.
"So… once you've killed Airi, what are you going to do afterward?"
Arou answered without hesitation.
"I'll keep creating stories. A world where I can torment my creations however I want."
Zata smiled faintly.
"Go ahead. If you can."
Arou narrowed his eyes.
"Why wouldn't I be able to? I managed to defeat the previous Creator. Now I'm the one holding this story. Why are you doubting me?"
Zata slowly stood up.
"Because when you fought The Creator, I helped you."
He shrugged.
"And now… I'm washing my hands of it."
Arou was silent for a moment.
"Why?" His voice lowered. "You're my soul. Why won't you help me?"
Zata chuckled softly.
"Didn't you say it yourself?"
He stared directly at Arou.
"A creator shouldn't need friends."
Arou let out a rough sigh.
"Fine. I'll do it myself."
Zata smiled widely.
"Now that's the story controller I know."
He laughed.
"Funny, isn't it? Hahaha."
Arou turned sharply toward him.
"What do you mean?"
"Funny," Zata repeated.
"You created her. And you're the one who hates her."
Arou grew annoyed.
"So what? Eventually, I'll erase you too."
Zata only looked delighted.
"Go ahead."
He smiled sharply.
"You won't be able to. And when that happens… I'll be the one to destroy you and take over your role."
Arou clicked his tongue.
"Enough."
He raised his pen.
"I'll start thinking of ways to torment her."
Zata looked at him while quietly laughing.
"Oh yeah, one more thing."
"Why are you so determined to kill her?"
Arou stopped writing for a moment.
Zata continued, his voice calm but piercing.
"You two were very close. She's your lover."
"Even if Airi dies… you'll be the one who breaks the most. You're the one who would oppose every creator just for her, right?"
Arou gripped the pen tighter.
"That was then."
He started writing again.
"Now I just want to torment her. Because that's what I want."
Zata nodded.
"Wow, wow. Go ahead."
Arou's pen moved.
The story continued.
---
Elsewhere—in the middle of the cemetery.
Airi's body lay weakly on the ground.
Her blood continued to flow.
Her body was beginning to grow cold.
Airi's vision blurred.
"It hurts so much…" she murmured weakly.
Her eyes slowly closed.
"—Airi?"
The voice made her eyes open again.
Rina stood in front of her, breathing heavily.
Airi immediately tensed.
She tried to get up, tried to run.
"Don't!" Rina shouted.
Airi stopped, her body trembling.
"Why… why are you here?"
Rina slowly approached, her voice trembling.
"I was looking for you."
She lowered her head.
"I wanted to apologize."
Airi fell silent.
"I'm sorry…" Rina continued.
"For bullying you all this time."
"I truly regret it."
Airi stared at her.
Then… she gave a small smile.
"Yes," she said weakly.
"I forgive you."
Her eyes closed again.
Her body collapsed onto the ground.
"AIRI!!" Rina shouted in panic.
With trembling hands, Rina grabbed her phone and made a call.
The call connected.
"Nanao…" Rina's voice was almost crying.
"I found her."
"Where?" Nanao's voice sounded tense.
"At the cemetery," Rina answered quickly.
"Please… get here quickly."
"I'll be there now," Nanao replied without hesitation.
The call ended.
Rina stared at Airi's motionless body.
Tears fell from her eyes.
"Hang in there…" she whispered.
"He'll be here soon…"
---
Running footsteps broke through the silence of the night.
Nanao arrived first.
Hana and Luna followed behind him.
The moment he saw the figure lying on the ground, Nanao's face turned pale.
"Airi…?" His voice trembled.
He knelt beside Airi's body.
Cold.
Far too cold.
"Nanao…" Rina turned toward him in panic. "She suddenly fainted after saying… that she forgave me."
Nanao held Airi's hand.
"No… no… please, not now…"
Hana covered her mouth, her eyes filling with tears.
Luna stood frozen, her breath caught in her throat.
"What did we do?!" Hana asked shakily.
Nanao immediately stood up.
"Call an ambulance. Now!"
The next few minutes felt like an eternity.
The sound of sirens finally arrived.
The medical personnel moved quickly, lifting Airi onto a stretcher.
Nanao immediately got into the ambulance without hesitation.
---
Darkness.
Silence.
Then… a soft beeping sound could be heard.
Airi groaned quietly.
Her eyes slowly opened.
A bright white light blurred her vision.
"This…"
Her voice was barely audible.
"Where…?"
The smell of antiseptic.
The sound of medical equipment.
Airi realized.
"A… hospital?"
She slowly turned her head.
Beside her bed, Nanao was asleep with his head resting against the edge of the bed.
"I…" Airi swallowed.
"…I'm still alive?"
Her hand moved slightly.
---
Airi slowly moved her left hand.
Her strength was still weak, and her fingers trembled slightly.
Her fingertips touched Nanao's hair.
Warm.
Real.
Nanao moved slightly, his eyebrows furrowing as if he were having a nightmare.
A few seconds later, his eyes opened.
"Ai…ri…?"
He immediately sat upright when he saw Airi's eyes open.
"You're awake?!"
His voice broke between relief and fear.
"Airi, you're really awake?!"
Airi gave a faint smile.
"You're loud…" she murmured softly. "I can hear you, you know…"
Nanao held her hand tightly, perhaps too tightly.
"I thought I'd lost you," he whispered. "Don't ever do that again… please."
Airi stared at the ceiling of the hospital room.
"I was… scared too," she whispered. "But somehow… I'm still here."
Behind the door, Hana and Luna peeked inside.
She's alive.
Hana, Luna, and Rina entered the room with hesitant steps.
The door slowly closed behind them.
The atmosphere immediately became silent.
Airi slowly turned toward them. Her gaze was calm—neither angry nor afraid.
That was exactly what made their chests feel even tighter.
Hana lowered her head first. She clasped her hands together, her voice barely audible.
"Airi… we—"
Luna let out a trembling breath. "We just wanted to make sure you… were still alive."
Rina stood at the very back. Her eyes were swollen from crying.
"I was the one who found you," she said quietly. "I… I thought I was too late."
Nanao stood beside the bed, his gaze wary.
"Do you need something?" His voice was cold.
Airi raised her left hand slightly. "Big brother… it's okay."
Nanao held his breath, then took half a step back.
Hana gathered the courage to take one step closer.
"I'm sorry," she said quickly, as if afraid she would lose her courage.
"Not just because of what happened… but because of everything we've ever done."
Luna nodded, tears falling.
"We thought it was just a joke. But when we saw you lying there… we realized—"
Rina cut in with a broken voice.
"We were cruel."
Silence.
Airi looked at each of them one by one. Her breathing was slow but steady.
"I've already forgiven you," she said gently.
Rina, Hana, and Luna all lowered their heads at the same time.
"Thank you…"
Their voices sounded fragile—without any trace of mockery or arrogance.
Rina bit her lip, holding back her tears. "We… don't know what else to say."
Hana clenched her fists. "We promise, Airi. This is the last time. We won't become people like that again."
Luna nodded slowly. "If someday you don't want to see us anymore… we'll understand."
Airi smiled faintly. "I don't want you to stay away. I just want… you to change."
Silence fell for a moment.
Then Rina took a deep breath. "We will change."
Hana and Luna nodded at the same time.
Nanao, who had been silent all this time, finally spoke. His voice was calm but firm.
"If you hurt her again—even in the slightest—I won't stay silent."
The three of them looked at him, then nodded.
"Yes," Hana replied softly. "We understand."
They walked toward the door.
Before leaving, Luna looked back one more time.
"Airi… get some good rest."
The door slowly closed.
The room became quiet again.
Airi closed her eyes and let out a long breath—as if an old burden had left with their footsteps.
Nanao held her hand more tightly.
"You're strong," he whispered.
Airi smiled faintly.
"I just… don't want anyone else to feel the same pain."