The group walked in near silence, feet crunching against the gritty, broken ground of the Limbo path ahead. The space around them kept warping — subway tunnels that bled into old school hallways, then to flickering streets without a sky.
Yui walked beside Haru, close enough that their arms brushed every few steps. She didn't move away. Neither did he. She liked the feeling of her hand slightly brushing against his. only his, it gave her this warm feeling in her cheeks.
Her voice was quiet, the kind of quiet that came from the center of your chest.
"I miss your sister."
Haru's gaze stayed ahead, but his jaw tightened. He blinked slowly, like holding in something sharp behind his eyes.
"Yeah," he finally said "Sometimes I still turn around and hope I'll see her behind me, then I remember she doesn't exist anymore."
Yui's heart clenched. The air felt colder.
Ayumi and Daichi caught up behind them, their footsteps louder than before, as if the silence had grown too loud to stand.
"We need to keep moving," Daichi said, though no one had stopped.
He just needed to say something. Ayumi looked between Yui and Haru
"Do you think this path is looping?" she asked suddenly, mostly to Daichi.
"We passed that same torn poster twice."
"No. I think it's closing."
"What?" Yui turned. "What do you mean closing?"
"The Limbo's changing again," Daichi muttered.
"Faster this time It's definitely because The Limbo and The Living World are intertwined now.."
The group picked up their pace — not quite running, but faster now, like their bodies knew before their minds did that something was very wrong.
They didn't talk much after Daichi's warning.
By the time they found a wide stretch of ground where the floor wasn't tilted or cracking beneath them, everyone was too exhausted to keep going.
Haru leaned against the wall, eyes half-shut. Yui sat down next to him, hugging her knees, watching the empty hallway ahead like it might start breathing.
Daichi stood with his arms folded, scanning the shadows. Ayumi paced.
It started small — Daichi saying, "We should rest for ten minutes."
And Ayumi snapped back, "Rest? Seriously? Every second we waste here, the more in danger we are."
Her voice cracked in the middle, a little too sharp.
Daichi didn't flinch. "And if you collapse from exhaustion, what then?"
"Oh, so you're the expert now?"
Ayumi shot back, spinning toward him.
"Kaito most definitely died back there to give us time..so yeah, forgive me for wanting to sit here and waste time."
Daichi frowned but didn't rise to it. "I'm saying we need energy and strength to keep going.."
Something in Ayumi's face tightened. Like the weight of everything — her friend's death, the Watcher, the world collapsing — was burning holes through her patience.
"Right. Because you have all the answers, huh?"
Yui looked between them, jaw tight. "Ayumi, he has a point—"
"Of course you'd take his side," Ayumi spat, turning on her. Her hands were trembling, fists tight at her sides.
"I'm not taking anyone's side!" Yui's voice pitched sharper than she intended. "I'm saying you're exhausted. We all are!"
"Exhausted?!" Ayumi laughed, harsh and bitter. "Then maybe stop talking before you say something completely stupid!"
The room felt like it was shrinking, the air thick and heavy, every shadow pressing in on them.
Yui clenched her fists, her temper rising. "You're mad at the wrong person! Daichi isn't the enemy here!"
"No, Yui," Ayumi said, stepping closer, eyes burning. "I'm mad because no one seems to care that everything's falling apart! Everyone acts like it's fine!"
Yui's voice shook, a dangerous edge creeping in. "And you think yelling at me is going to fix it?! I'm scared too, Ayumi! You're not the only one!"
Ayumi's glare didn't falter. "You act like you're not scared. Like you're fine! And it terrifies me because I can see… I can see you slipping away from yourself!"
Yui felt the sting of the words, but she pushed back, her voice low and firm. "I'm not disappearing, Ayumi. I'm trying to keep it together, unlike you, who's ready to let everything burn!"
Ayumi's lip trembled. "I don't even recognize you anymore. You're… not you."
Yui's chest tightened. "Maybe I'm not. But at least I'm trying to survive. What about you? Are you really trying, or are you just… giving up?"
The words hit harder than either of them expected. Ayumi blinked, swallowing against a lump in her throat, and for a long moment, neither moved.
"…I don't like this person you're becoming, Yui,"
Ayumi whispered finally, voice breaking, like she'd already lost something she couldn't get back.
Yui's anger didn't leave her, but now it was tangled with something sharper, colder. "…Maybe I don't like who I have to be to survive," she muttered, her eyes flicking away, refusing to meet Ayumi's.
Ayumi turned, walking away before anyone could answer. The sound of her footsteps faded down the crooked hallway.
Yui sat frozen, eyes stinging, but no tears fell.
Daichi sighed quietly.
"I'll keep watch. You two should sleep while you can."
Haru sat down fully, arms folded over his chest, but his eyes didn't close. Yui stayed curled up, staring at the floor.
Daichi leaned against the wall near the edge of the hallway. His eyes stayed open for a long time. Then slower. Then slower still. Until they didn't.