Episode 5

Chapter 5: The Version That Shouldn’t Exist

The bathroom door didn’t just open.

It broke.

Wood splintered outward like something had hit it from both sides at once, and the sound echoed through the hallway like a gunshot.

Aika stumbled backward, her breath trapped in her throat.

But no one was there.

Not at the doorway.

Not in the hallway.

Nothing.

Only silence.

Then—

The mirror cracked again.

A sharp line split through the glass, and for a second, the entire surface shimmered like water disturbed by something falling into it.

And Ren stepped out.

Not through the door.

Through the mirror.

Aika’s mind refused to process it.

“No…” she whispered. “That’s not possible.”

Ren looked exactly like before.

Same face.

Same eyes.

But something was wrong.

He looked… tired.

More than before.

Like he had been pulled through something heavy just to get here.

He glanced at the broken door, then at Aika.

“You opened it,” he said quietly.

“I didn’t!” Aika shouted. “It broke itself!”

Ren didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he touched the cracked mirror behind him.

The glass repaired itself slightly.

Not fully.

But enough to stop the spreading fracture.

Aika stared at him. “What are you?”

Ren exhaled slowly.

“That depends on which timeline you’re talking about.”

Aika grabbed the sink again for support. “Stop saying that!”

Footsteps suddenly echoed from the hallway.

Students.

Voices.

Life continuing like nothing happened.

But none of them came into the bathroom.

As if the space itself was being avoided.

Ren stepped closer.

“We don’t have much time,” he said.

Aika backed away instinctively. “Don’t come near me!”

He stopped immediately.

Not aggressive.

Not threatening.

Just… paused.

Like he was calculating something.

Then he said:

“Your memory is unstable again.”

“My memory?” Aika laughed nervously. “My whole reality is unstable!”

Ren nodded once. “That is closer to the truth.”

Aika felt her hands shake. “Why is this happening to me?”

Ren looked at her for a long moment.

Then he said something that made the air feel colder.

“Because you already died in this timeline.”

Silence.

Aika’s face went blank.

“…I what?”

Ren continued calmly.

“Three versions of you died. Each time, the system reset you back to the same starting point. But something went wrong on the third reset.”

Aika shook her head quickly. “No. No, that’s impossible. I’m here. I’m alive.”

Ren stepped slightly closer again, slowly.

“Yes,” he said. “But not in the original timeline.”

Aika felt like the floor was disappearing under her.

“What does that even mean?!”

Ren pointed at her phone on the floor.

It was still on.

Still glowing.

Still showing messages.

“You are a reconstructed version,” he said. “A copy stabilized between loops.”

Aika froze completely.

“…A copy?”

The word didn’t feel real.

Didn’t feel like language.

Just something heavy crushing her thoughts.

Ren nodded once.

“The original Aika Kisaragi stopped existing after the first full collapse.”

Aika’s lips trembled. “No… I remember my life. My school. My friends. My childhood—”

“Fragments,” Ren interrupted gently. “Inserted memories. Necessary to stabilize your behavior.”

Aika suddenly stepped forward.

“No! You’re lying!”

Her voice cracked.

“You’re just trying to mess with me!”

Ren didn’t react emotionally.

Instead, he said softly:

“If I was lying, would your phone still be showing system-level access?”

Aika froze.

Slowly, she picked up her phone.

Her hands shook violently.

The screen flickered.

Then—

A hidden menu appeared.

SYSTEM LOG:

«SUBJECT: AIKA KISARAGI

STATUS: RECONSTRUCTED ENTITY

RESET COUNT: 3

STABILITY: 61%»

Aika’s breath stopped.

Her knees weakened.

She almost dropped the phone.

“No…” she whispered. “No… no… no…”

Ren watched her carefully.

“I didn’t want you to see that yet,” he said.

Aika looked up at him, eyes shaking.

“You did this?”

Ren shook his head.

“I am trying to stop it.”

A sudden alarm sound echoed faintly in the hallway.

Not physical.

Digital.

Like reality itself was glitching.

Ren’s expression changed instantly.

“Too late,” he muttered.

Aika stepped back. “What now?!”

Ren looked toward the mirror.

“The system noticed your awareness spike.”

The mirror behind him began to ripple again.

But this time—

Something else was inside it.

Not reflection.

Not image.

A dark distortion.

Like something pressing against glass from the other side.

Aika backed away quickly. “What is that?!”

Ren’s voice lowered.

“That is what deletes unstable timelines.”

The distortion inside the mirror shifted.

And then—

A face appeared.

But not Aika’s.

Not Ren’s.

Something inhumanly wrong.

Blank.

Empty.

Watching.

Aika screamed internally but no sound came out.

The face inside the mirror tilted slightly.

And a message appeared on the glass in reverse letters:

SUBJECT A-17 DETECTED

Ren suddenly grabbed Aika’s wrist.

For the first time, his grip was firm.

“Run,” he said.

Aika blinked. “What?!”

The mirror cracked violently.

The thing inside it pressed harder.

The glass began to break outward.

Ren pulled her toward the exit.

“NOW!”

The hallway lights flickered violently as they ran.

Behind them, the bathroom mirror shattered completely.

And something stepped halfway through.

Aika didn’t look back.

But she heard it.

A voice that was not human.

Not Ren.

Not hers.

Just one sentence echoing through the school:

“RECONSTRUCTED SUBJECT CONFIRMED.”

And then—

All the classroom lights went out at once.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***