Airi doesn't remember how they made it out of the wrecked hallway. One moment she was standing amid flickering lights and glitching System interfaces, Ren gripping her arm, the echoes of the Unknown User's words still shuddering in her chest. The next, she's sitting in an empty clubroom, her breathing uneven, her hands cold.
The System has been quiet for a full two minutes. That terrifies her more than the alarms.
Ren stands by the window, arms crossed tightly, as if holding his own frustration in place. Sunlight reflects off his interface, still unstable from the earlier disruption.
"Airi," he says slowly. "We need to talk. No more evasions. No more pretending."
She nods, barely. Her throat feels raw. Every part of her wants to curl into herself and rewind time back to yesterday—before the boy, before the warnings, before being told she was 'chosen.'
But time doesn't rewind. And the System never forgets.
Ren sits across from her. His voice softens. "First… are you hurt?"
Airi shakes her head, though she isn't sure it's true. Something deep inside her feels cracked.
"Good," he says, relieved. "Because what happened out there wasn't random. And I can't help you if you don't tell me what you know."
Airi stares at her hands. "Ren… I tried. The System doesn't let me say it."
His brows lift. "Doesn't—let you?"
She nods again.
Ren's eyes sharpen. "Say the topic."
"Main Quest."
A warning flashes across her interface. Silence Restriction Active.
Ren sees her flinch. "I see." He leans back, exhaling. "So they put a lockout on your speech. That's… unprecedented."
Unprecedented. Another word she never wanted to be associated with her.
She forces herself to look at him. "I'm scared."
He hesitates. Then his expression softens with something almost painfully gentle. "I know. And I'm with you. But Airi—this isn't something we can ignore anymore."
That's when her System suddenly pulses. A soft chime. Too soft.
Quest Sync Event Ally Detected: Ren Takamine Relationship Parameter: Strengthening Automatic Support Protocol Recommended
Airi jerks back. "Wh—why is it showing me this?"
Ren leans in. "What does it say?"
She shakes her head. "Nothing important."
But the truth is: the System is nudging her. Pushing her. Moving her like a piece on a board.
She hates it. But she needs it.
Ren seems to sense her spiraling. "Airi. Start from what you can tell me. Anything."
She closes her eyes. Breathes. "The boy said he's been observing me. For a long time."
Ren tenses, fists tightening. "He said that?"
"Yes."
Ren's voice sharpens. "What exactly did he do to your System yesterday?"
"I don't know. But when we met, my interface glitched. Just like today."
Ren stands abruptly, pacing the room. "This is bad. Very bad. An Unknown User with override-level capabilities? He shouldn't exist. And if he does, he shouldn't have access to you."
Airi hugs her knees. "Why me?"
Ren stops pacing. His expression is a tense mixture of worry and calculation. "That's what we're going to find out."
Suddenly, a piercing alarm cuts through the room. Ren's interface explodes with red. Airi's too.
Unauthorized System Event Detected Source: Unknown User Location: 150 meters east
Airi's heart drops. "He's near?"
Ren moves toward the door. "Stay behind me."
Airi stands, but her legs are unsteady. Ren notices and gently steadies her shoulder.
"You don't have to come if you're scared," he says quietly.
She swallows. "I don't want to be alone."
He gives her a single, firm nod. "Then stay close."
They leave the clubroom, weaving through empty halls. Students have already evacuated to outdoor spaces per safety protocol. The building feels abandoned, its silence thick.
Airi feels the air itself tense.
Her System flares. Danger Level Increasing.
The east wing corridor is darker than it should be. Lights flicker. Shadows bend strangely.
Ren whispers, "He's warping the environment again."
Airi's pulse stutters.
Then she hears it. A slow clap.
The boy steps out from behind a pillar, eyes glitching with that unnatural digital shimmer.
"Airi Kisaragi," he says calmly. "You came."
Ren moves protectively in front of her. "State your intention."
The boy smiles. "My intention is unchanged. She is my priority."
Airi's breath catches. "Stop saying it like that!"
His gaze turns to her—soft, almost curious. "Why? It's the truth."
Ren's voice is steel. "You attacked students. You damaged school property. You interfered with another User's System. If you don't stand down, I'll—"
"You'll what?" the boy interrupts, amused. "Strike me? Overstep your authority? Break your precious rules?"
Ren's jaw clenches. "If that's what it takes."
The boy's eyes flicker. "Interesting."
Airi steps forward despite herself. "Why are you doing this? What do you want with me?"
The boy studies her for a long moment, his glitching irises stabilizing just slightly.
"You're different," he says. "Your System is bound to a protocol that shouldn't exist anymore. A protocol older than the current framework."
Airi shakes her head. "That makes no sense."
"It will," he says. "Soon."
Then his expression darkens.
"Especially once the others arrive."
Ren's posture stiffens. "Others?"
The boy smiles faintly. "Yes. You didn't think I was the only anomaly, did you?"
Airi's System rings violently. Warning: Unknown Entities Approaching Threat Classification: Severe
She feels sick. "Ren—"
"I see it," he says tightly.
The world distorts. Four silhouettes materialize at the far end of the hall, their forms blurred by static interference. Their footsteps don't echo. Their presence feels wrong.
The boy gestures casually toward them. "These are… let's call them observers."
Ren moves closer to Airi. "We're leaving."
The boy raises a hand. "Wait."
Ren pulls Airi back. "Don't listen to him."
But Airi feels something. A tug. Not physical. Digital.
Her System pulses in sync with the boy's presence. Her interface flickers, flashing a message she's never seen.
System Link Attempt Detected Source: Unknown User Accept? / Deny?
Airi gasps. "He's trying to link with me!"
Ren's expression twists with fury. "Deny it! Now!"
She tries. Her finger moves toward "Deny"…
But the option fades. Greyed out. Unavailable.
Ren sees her panic. "Airi—what's wrong?"
"It won't let me deny it!"
The boy's voice slips between calm and something colder. "Your System is responding to mine. It's natural."
Ren steps forward, fury cracking through his composure. "Nobody touches her System. Nobody."
The four observers step closer.
Airi's interface goes white for a full second.
Emergency Override Initiated User: Airi Kisaragi Stabilizing Protocol Deployed
A shockwave bursts outward, pushing everyone back—including Ren.
"Airi!" he shouts.
The boy braces himself, eyes narrowing. "Interesting… very interesting."
Airi stumbles, grabbing a railing to steady herself. "What—what's happening to me?"
Ren tries to reach her again, but a second shockwave erupts, stopping him inches away.
"Airi! Stay with me!"
But her vision distorts. Her System is no longer quiet. It's loud. Alive. Speaking.
Main Quest Activation: Stage 2 New Ability Unlocked: Fracture Sync Warning: Ability is unstable.
Fracture Sync? She doesn't know what that is. She doesn't want to know.
The boy's eyes widen—not with threat, but with something close to awe. "So it's true. You really do have it."
Airi backs away. "Have what? What's happening to me?!"
He steps toward her. Ren moves instantly to block him.
"Stay. Away. From her."
The boy stops. Actually stops. His expression smooths.
"Very well," he says. "For now."
He turns, looks at the observers, and gives a nod.
The hallway distorts again. And all five anomalies vanish.
Everything falls silent.
Airi collapses to her knees, shaking. Ren is beside her in an instant. "Airi! Talk to me. What did they do?"
She looks at her interface. At the new ability. At the pulsing red warnings. At the words she never asked for.
"Ren," she whispers. "I think… they woke something up."
He pulls her into a steadier position. "We'll figure it out. Whatever this is—we'll figure it out together."
Her System pings again. A notification she doesn't want to see.
Main Quest Updated Objective: Prepare for Contact Event Time Remaining: 72 hours
Airi's blood runs cold. "Ren… something big is coming."
Ren meets her eyes, steady and sure. "Then we won't face it alone."
But Airi knows the truth in her bones. In 72 hours, her world will break. No matter how hard she tries to hold it together.
And she doesn't know yet if she'll survive the fracture.