Time passed.
Or maybe… it didn't.
Kairi couldn't tell anymore.
Days bled into one another, blurring into something shapeless.
Morning came without meaning.
Night fell without bringing sleep.
He stopped checking the time.
Stopped answering the door.
Stopped caring.
Sometimes, Kairi would sit in the living room for hours, staring into nothing.
Other times, he lay on his bed, eyes open—
just like that morning.
The last morning.
"…I'm heading out."
That voice.
It kept repeating.
Over and over again.
Like a tape stuck on loop.
One day—
the silence broke.
"…a groundbreaking device capable of reconstructing the deceased through memory data—"
The TV was on.
Kairi didn't remember turning it on.
But this time, he heard every word.
"—Paradox."
"By combining neural scans and digital data, Paradox can recreate an almost perfect replica of a person—"
Kairi's fingers tightened slightly.
"—allowing users to speak with those they have lost."
Silence.
"…those they have lost."
He didn't change the channel.
Didn't turn it off.
He just watched.
The package arrived three days later.
He didn't remember ordering it.
But he opened it anyway.
Inside:
A headset.
A small central device.
Cables.
An instruction manual.
Kairi glanced at it.
Then set it aside.
He didn't need it.
The room was dark.
Only the faint glow of a laptop illuminated the space.
Akane's laptop.
It had been a long time…
since he last touched it.
His fingers hovered over the keyboard for a few seconds.
Then—
he turned it on.
The screen lit up.
Folders.
Files.
Everything still there.
Untouched.
Kairi didn't read.
He simply followed a vague instinct.
He picked up the cable.
Connected it to the device.
The screen displayed:
[External Data Detected]
"…loading…"
Files began to scan.
Images.
Audio.
Text.
All of it—
belonging to Akane.
"Data synchronized."
Kairi slowly put on the headset.
Darkness swallowed the room.
"Initializing…"
A mechanical voice echoed.
Cold.
Emotionless.
"Please provide memory input."
Kairi closed his eyes.
"…Akane."
Memories surged forward.
Her voice.
Her gaze.
Their arguments.
Simple conversations.
"…I'm heading out."
"Memory received."
"Merging data…"
A low vibration filled the air.
"…reconstruction in progress…"
Kairi clenched his hands.
"…please…"
"Complete."
Silence.
Then—
"…Kairi?"
He froze.
That voice.
Slowly—
he lifted his head.
She stood there.
A few steps away.
Akane.
"…you look terrible."
The same tone.
Perfectly identical.
Kairi couldn't move.
"…say something."
"…Kairi?"
His lips trembled.
"…sis…?"
Akane blinked.
"…huh?"
It was real.
Too real.
"…is it really you…?"
She tilted her head.
"…of course it's me."
The answer came naturally.
Too naturally.
But—
Kairi didn't realize—
how natural it was.
They talked.
About small things.
Nothing important.
But to Kairi—
it was everything.
Everything felt right.
Too right.
"…you haven't been sleeping, have you?"
"…no."
"You should at least try."
"…it doesn't matter."
Akane frowned.
"…don't say that."
Silence.
Then—
"…Kairi."
Her voice changed.
Just slightly.
"…you opened my laptop, didn't you?"
Kairi paused.
"…what?"
"I remember… you were just using it."
Her gaze locked onto him.
Unblinking.
"…there's a folder in there."
"…you should check it."
The air grew heavy.
"…which folder?"
Akane stayed silent for a few seconds.
Then—
"…Archive."
"…everything I didn't finish… is in there."
Her voice was steady.
"…you'll understand."
Kairi stared at her.
"…what are you talking about?"
No answer.
She just stood there.
Same face.
Same voice.
But—
something felt… off.
"…Akane?"
For a brief moment—
her expression froze.
Like a glitch.
Then it returned to normal.
"…you should check it."
Repeated.
Exactly the same.
The air turned cold.
Kairi took a step back.
"…you…"
He didn't finish.
Akane smiled.
"…I'm right here."
Kairi turned his head.
The laptop.
Still on.
The folder still there.
Untouched.
Behind him—
Akane stood still.
Unblinking.
Watching.