Thursday – Dorm Room 2C – 4:03 AM
Kazuki jolts awake, drenched in sweat.
His dream wasn't a dream.
Sakura was there.
She whispered things.Held his hand.Told him, "Aya will leave you eventually. I won't."
The worst part?
Part of him believed it.
Meanwhile – Aya Has Questions (and Kazuki's Journal)
She flips through pages by flashlight while Kazuki's asleep.
Her brow furrows.
There's an entry from years ago:
"I imagined Sakura in middle school.She always understood me.She never asked questions.She was what I needed when I hated myself."
Aya closes the journal.
"…And now she's back because he never let go."
She whispers to the ceiling: "You better not make me jealous of a delusion, Kazuki."
Kazuki's Mindscape – 6:30 AM
He falls asleep again.Back in the corridor of memories.But this time, it's rebuilt. Clean. Stable.
Sakura waits by a cherry blossom tree that shouldn't exist here.
She pats the bench.
Kazuki sits, cautiously.
"You made me because you were alone," she says."I never judged you. I was safe. Aya's not."
Kazuki frowns.
"She's real."
Sakura smiles, sad.
"Real people leave. I don't."
Pause.
"So choose: Stay with me. Or keep chasing a world that keeps hurting you."
In Reality – Aya Watches Him Sleep
She can tell he's dreaming again.
And frowning.
Aya whispers:
"If she asks you to choose…"
Pause.
"…You better choose me, idiot."
Inside the Dream – The Choice
The corridor splits.
One door glows white: Sakura's world. Safe. Gentle. Unchanging.
The other flickers with color, noise, chaos: Reality. Aya.
Sakura holds out her hand.
"Come with me, and you'll never feel broken again."
Kazuki's hand trembles.
But then—
Aya's voice.
Clear.
Unmistakable.
"Kazuki. Wake up."
He turns.
And steps through the chaotic door.
Sakura's voice chokes behind him:
"You'll regret this."
He Wakes Up
Gasping.
Aya's holding his hand.
"Welcome back."
Kazuki: "…She asked me to choose."
Aya nods, lips tight.
Kazuki: "I chose you."
Aya: "…Of course you did."
And then, quietly:
"I would've punched you in the face otherwise."
Later – Admin HQ
Aiba updates the board.
Threat Level: Sakura – Now classified as a Sentient Psychic Loop.
Riku: "What does that mean?"
Aiba: "She's no longer just a memory. She's a feedback system.The more Kazuki thinks about her—The stronger she gets."
Pause.
Riku: "…Then we better make sure he never daydreams again."
Aiba: "Or give him a better reason to stay grounded."
They both glance at the screen:Kazuki and Aya sitting side by side, laughing.
Final Scene – Rooftop
Kazuki offers Aya a juice box.
She takes it.
He says, "Thanks for pulling me back."
She says, "Thanks for being dumb enough to need it."
They lean against each other.
The wind feels real.
Aya whispers:
"If Sakura shows up again, I get to punch her this time."
Kazuki: "Fair."