Episode 3

Chapter 3: The Memory That Was Not Hers

Aika didn’t remember walking to class.

She only remembered sitting down.

And staring.

At nothing.

The classroom was loud like always—chairs scraping, students laughing, someone complaining about homework. But everything felt distant, like she was underwater and the world was happening above her.

Her phone lay face down on the desk.

She didn’t want to look at it.

Because she knew.

Another message would be there.

Another impossible thing.

“Hey,” Mio whispered beside her. “You’re acting weird again.”

Aika slowly turned her head. “I’m fine.”

“You always say that when you’re not fine.”

Aika didn’t answer.

Instead, she looked out the window.

Clouds still covered the sky.

Same grey color.

Same pressure.

Like the world was waiting for something to break.

Then—

The classroom door opened.

The teacher walked in.

“Class, we have a new transfer student.”

Aika’s body went cold instantly.

No.

Impossible.

The teacher smiled.

“Please come in.”

The door slid open wider.

And Ren Asakura walked in.

Again.

But this time…

He wasn’t wearing the same uniform.

This time, he looked like he belonged.

Like he had always been here.

“Introduce yourself,” the teacher said.

Ren glanced briefly at the class.

His eyes stopped on Aika.

Just for a moment.

Then he said:

“Ren Asakura.”

That was it.

No emotion.

No hesitation.

But Aika felt something twist inside her chest.

Because she realized something terrifying.

No one else reacted to him.

No one seemed surprised.

No one remembered yesterday.

Aika slowly raised her hand.

“Excuse me,” she said.

The teacher turned. “Yes?”

“That boy… he wasn’t here yesterday.”

The room went silent for half a second.

Then the teacher blinked.

“Of course he was. He transferred last week.”

Aika froze.

“What?”

Mio leaned closer. “Aika… he’s been in our class for days.”

Aika turned sharply. “No. That’s not true. I saw him yesterday. He saved me from the staircase collapse.”

Mio frowned. “What staircase collapse?”

The world tilted slightly in Aika’s mind.

“No… I— I remember it. There was an accident. Metal. People screaming—”

But Mio just looked confused.

“No one got hurt yesterday. It was a normal day.”

Aika’s breath became shallow.

Her fingers tightened on the edge of her desk.

This was wrong.

This was completely wrong.

She looked at Ren.

He was watching her.

Calm.

Like he was waiting for this exact moment.

The teacher continued the lesson like nothing happened.

Students returned to chatting.

Normal life resumed.

But Aika couldn’t hear any of it anymore.

She stood up suddenly.

“I need to go out.”

“Aika?” Mio called.

But Aika didn’t stop.

She walked out of the classroom quickly, heart pounding harder with every step.

The hallway felt longer than usual.

Too long.

Too quiet.

She reached the bathroom and locked herself inside.

Silence.

Finally.

Aika leaned against the sink, breathing heavily.

“This is not real,” she whispered. “This is not real. This is not real.”

She splashed water on her face.

Looked up at the mirror.

For a second…

Nothing was wrong.

Just her reflection.

Tired eyes.

Messy hair.

Normal.

Then the reflection blinked… a fraction of a second late.

Aika froze.

“No…”

The reflection smiled.

Aika didn’t.

“Stop,” Aika whispered.

The reflection tilted its head.

And then—

It spoke.

But its mouth didn’t move properly.

“You noticed the reset.”

Aika stepped back.

“What are you?”

The reflection’s smile widened.

“I am what remains when time corrects itself.”

Aika’s breathing became faster.

“This is impossible.”

The reflection laughed softly.

“You already saw it. The stairs. The message. The boy.”

Aika shook her head. “That’s not real. Mio said—”

“Mio remembers only stable timelines,” the reflection interrupted.

A pause.

Then it continued:

“You remember unstable ones.”

Aika’s legs felt weak.

She grabbed the sink to steady herself.

“Why me?” she whispered again. “Why is this happening to me?”

The reflection leaned closer inside the mirror.

Until its face nearly touched the glass.

“Because you survived your first reset.”

Aika frowned. “Reset?”

The mirror darkened slightly.

And suddenly—

Images flashed inside it.

A staircase collapsing.

Aika falling.

Ren reaching out.

Then everything turning white.

A voice:

REBOOTING TIMELINE

Aika gasped and stepped back instantly.

“No! Stop! I didn’t see that!”

But the reflection only watched her calmly.

“That memory was removed,” it said. “But fragments remain inside you.”

Aika shook her head violently.

“No, no, no… I would remember dying.”

The reflection tilted its head again.

“You did die.”

Silence.

Heavy.

Sharp.

Aika’s hands trembled.

Then—

The reflection said the worst thing yet:

“Not once.”

“Three times.”

Aika’s phone vibrated inside her pocket.

Buzz.

She slowly pulled it out.

Unknown Sender:

She is waking up faster now.

Another message appeared immediately.

We need to erase Ren before he stabilizes her memory.

Aika stared at the screen.

Her breathing stopped.

Slowly…

She looked up at the mirror again.

But the reflection was gone.

Only her normal reflection remained.

Tired.

Human.

Fragile.

Aika whispered:

“…What am I?”

And somewhere in the hallway outside the bathroom…

Footsteps stopped right in front of the door.

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