Sakura didn't move for a while.
Not because she was thinking deeply.
But because her body felt slightly out of sync with everything around her.
Like the world needed a moment to decide if she still belonged in it.
---
The alley behind her was quiet again.
Too quiet.
Not peaceful.
Just…quiet.
Like something had been removed and the space forgot how to react to it.
---
"…so it's not just forgetting…" she whispered.
Her voice sounded thinner than before.
"…it's changing."
---
She looked at her hand.
The same hand she had reached out with earlier.
For a second, she couldn't even remember why she did it.
That scared her more than anything else so far.
---
Sakura frowned.
"…no…"
She closed her fingers tightly.
"…I remember him."
Like saying it would help hold it in place.
---
Her phone vibrated again.
She already knew what it would say before checking.
But she still checked anyway.
---
> **"MEMORY INTEGRITY: 38%"**
---
Sakura stared at it.
"…it dropped again…"
---
Another message appeared right after.
---
> **"WARNING: SUBJECT RESISTING NORMAL ERASURE PROCESS."**
---
She let out a slow breath.
"…normal?" she repeated under her breath.
"…this is your normal?"
---
The air around her felt slightly different when she stepped out of the alley.
Not visibly.
Just… noticeable in a way she couldn't explain.
Like people were adjusting their movements without ever realizing why.
---
A woman passed by her and slowed for a split second.
Their eyes almost met.
Almost.
Then the woman looked away again, confused for no reason she could explain, and kept walking.
---
Sakura stood still.
"…you almost saw me…" she whispered.
---
Her grip tightened slightly around the ring.
Warm. Familiar.
The only thing that still felt consistent.
---
"…Haruto…" she said quietly.
No answer came.
But she didn't expect one instantly anymore.
---
Still, she tried again—but softer this time.
Not forcing it.
Just reaching.
---
The air reacted.
Very faintly.
Like something on the other side had heard her.
---
Then a voice came through.
Weak. Broken up.
But real.
---
"…you're pushing again…"
---
Sakura's eyes widened slightly.
"…I just want to talk to you," she said.
---
A pause.
Then Haruto replied, quieter now.
"…I know."
---
The distortion in the air flickered.
Like the connection was unstable and getting worse every second.
---
Sakura stepped forward a little.
"…where are you right now?"
"…I'll come to you."
---
A long pause.
Not hesitation exactly.
More like difficulty even forming the answer.
---
"…you already are…" he said finally.
---
Sakura frowned slightly.
"…that doesn't make sense."
---
Another flicker.
The connection weakening again.
---
"…Sakura…" his voice softened.
"…it's not just removing me anymore…"
---
Her expression tightened.
"…then what is it doing?"
---
A pause.
Long enough to feel like something was trying to interfere with the answer.
---
"…it's trying to reset the distance between us…"
---
Sakura went quiet for a moment.
"…reset it?"
---
The air around her felt heavier again.
Not threatening exactly.
More like reality preparing to shift something into place.
---
Haruto's voice continued, weaker now.
"…if it completes, it won't just erase me from your world…"
---
Sakura's grip tightened.
"…then what?"
---
A pause.
Then—more quietly than before.
---
"…it'll make it so I was never part of it at all."
---
Silence followed immediately.
Not empty.
Final.
---
Sakura stood there for a while.
Then she said softly, almost to herself—
"…so it's not deleting you…"
"…it's rewriting me around you…"
---
The system responded immediately.
---
> **"SEPARATION EVENT: (...)**
> **"ANCHOR CONDITION:(...)"**
---
Sakura looked up slowly.
"…so this is the point where it stops pretending…" she said quietly.
---
The wind passed through the street again.
But this time it felt directional.
Like it already knew where it was going next.
---
And somewhere far beyond her reach—
Haruto's voice came through one last time.
Very faint.
Almost normal again.
---
"…Sakura…"
---
She closed her eyes slightly.
"…I'm here."
---
A pause.
Then softly—
"…don't let them rewrite what we already chose."
---
The connection broke.
---
And the world held still for a moment longer than usual.