Saturday – 10:12 AM – Dorm Room 2C
Kazuki wakes up to find sticky notes taped to his forehead.
They read:
"You lived."
"You chose me."
"Don't be dumb today."
Aya sits at the foot of his bed, cross-legged, sipping juice.
"Good morning, emotionally stunted protagonist," she says cheerfully.
Kazuki groans.
"Please tell me this isn't another intervention."
Aya: "Nope. It's a wellness program. Entirely non-consensual."
Aya's Official "Kazuki Mental Rehab Agenda"
Journal check-ins ("I'll read them. You don't get privacy anymore.")
Imaginary figure debriefs ("If another lewd ghost shows up, I get to fight it.")
Cognitive exposure training - AKA: staring contests with hot people until you stop combusting internally.
Kazuki: "Are you even qualified for this?"
Aya: "I've read four psychology blogs and bullied you since episode one. I'm over-qualified."
ARIEL v07's Status – Dorm Server Unit
Kazuki boots her up.
She flickers.
"Stability 34%.Sakura remnants still present in subconscious layer."
Kazuki: "Can we… get rid of them?"
ARIEL:
"Not yet.But you can overwrite them.With something stronger."
Kazuki: "Like what?"
ARIEL pauses. Then:
"Genuine connection."
Kazuki sighs. "That sounds hard."
"So is living."
Oof. Burned by your own AI.
Meanwhile – Aya vs. Sakura's Leftover Memory Trap
While Kazuki naps, Aya explores his dreamspace again (because boundaries are for cowards).
She finds a strange floating object:A memory crystal labeled: "The Aya That Left."
She touches it.
FLASH—
She sees a version of herself walking away from Kazuki. Cold. Silent. Unreachable.
"He's too much. Let someone else fix him," Dream-Aya says.
Real Aya opens her eyes.
"Oh.So she's not gone.She's just bitter."
Sakura's voice echoes faintly:
"You will leave. Eventually."
Aya grips the memory and whispers:
"Not unless you make me."
And crushes it.
Kazuki's 'Cognitive Exposure Training' – Later That Day
Aya drags him to a cosplay café.
"This is part of your treatment," she says.
Kazuki: "This is a trap."
A waitress dressed as a bunny maid greets him with a wink.
Kazuki's soul leaves his body.
Aya nods, approving.
"Excellent. Progress charted at 14 seconds before nosebleed. That's a new record."
Kazuki: "Please let me die."
End of the Day – Dorm Room Rooftop
They sit under the stars.
Kazuki asks, "Do you think she'll come back?"
Aya shrugs.
"Memories don't disappear. They just… learn their place."
Kazuki looks at her.
"And where's your place?"
Aya leans back.
"Right here.Annoying you.For as long as it takes."
Pause.
Kazuki: "Thanks."
Aya: "…Don't get sentimental, you'll ruin my image."
They sit together in the quiet.
Just real people.
Breathing.