He didn't expect…
To find something different.
After days of silent tension…
Of heavy stares…
And relationships beginning to unravel around him…
He was walking down the hallway as usual.
Calm.
Poised.
As if the world did not concern him.
The black words floated above everyone.
Like a visual noise he had grown accustomed to.
"Lies"
"Fear"
"Self-interest"
"Void"
Then…
He stopped.
Not by his own will.
But because something…
Had disappeared.
He looked ahead.
A girl.
Standing by the window.
The soft sunlight reflecting off her hair.
Her features were calm.
She didn't smile much…
But she didn't look sad.
Above her head…
Nothing.
His eyes froze.
For the first time since all of this began…
No word appeared.
He took a step closer.
Then another.
He focused harder.
No "Deception"…
No "Fear"…
No "Mask".
A void.
But…
Not a dark void.
Rather…
Purity.
Something he didn't understand.
Something he couldn't categorize.
"Impossible…"
The girl suddenly stood up.
As if she felt him.
She turned toward him.
Their gazes met.
She didn't run.
She didn't get nervous.
She didn't ask him, "Do you want something?"
She just…
Looked at him.
And here…
The error occurred.
For the first time…
He couldn't read the person in front of him.
He spoke.
Calmly.
But with a voice deeper than usual:
"You're… strange."
She wasn't annoyed.
Instead, she tilted her head slightly.
"Perhaps… you are right."
Silence.
Then he asked her:
"Why are there no words above you?"
A strange question.
Incomprehensible.
But she…
Did not laugh.
She said quietly:
"That is because you aren't looking in the right place."
He froze for a moment.
"You didn't search for… the mistake."
He approached further.
His eyes narrowed.
"All humans have different things with them."
She replied simply:
"Yes."
"You don't."
She gave a slight smile.
It wasn't mockery.
Nor arrogance.
"No… I do. But you are looking in the wrong place."
Silence.
"But some things shouldn't be obvious."
Simple words.
But they…
Were not weak.
Rather…
Steady.
He felt something strange.
Not doubt.
Not a threat.
But…
A rejection.
As if her very existence…
Rejected his logic.
He said coldly:
"Goodness is an illusion."
She looked directly at him.
"No."
A quick response.
Without hesitation.
"Goodness exists…"
She paused for a moment.
"…even if it's buried under a thousand layers of darkness."
Silence.
"You just…"
She looked into his eyes.
Deeply.
"…have stopped searching for it."
For the first time…
He had no immediate comeback.
"Search…?"
He tightened his fist slightly.
"I see the truth. With these very eyes."
She shook her head calmly.
"You are only looking at a part of it."
She took a step closer.
"But you chose the worst part."
His eyes narrowed.
"Then where is the better part?"
She went quiet for a moment.
Then she said:
"It exists."
He smiled.
A cold smile.
Sharp.
"Then it is weak."
She looked at him steadily.
"That isn't necessarily true."
Silence.
Then she said quietly…
But with harsh words:
"Real weakness…"
"…is seeing everything in black…"
"…just to spare yourself the effort of trying to understand the light."
Stiffness.
The words…
Were not just a reply.
They were…
A blow.
Something inside him…
Shook.
For just one second.
But it was enough.
The System suddenly moved.
> **[Warning]**
> **[Target cannot be fully analyzed]**
> **[Classification: Exception]**
>
His eyes widened slightly.
"Exception…?"
For the first time…
The System did not understand.
And this…
Was dangerous.
The girl looked at him one last time.
"Not all humans are as you see them."
Then…
She left.
He stood in his place.
He didn't move.
He didn't speak.
He only…
Thought.
"Am I… wrong?"
A simple question.
But it was…
Rejected.
He closed his eyes.
And slowly…
It vanished.
"No…"
He opened his eyes.
Colder than before.
"This girl… is an anomaly."
The System responded.
> **[Conviction Solidified]**
> **[Resistance to External Influence: ↑]**
>
He breathed calmly.
But…
Deep inside him…
One sentence remained.
"Because you only search for the wrong things."
And for the first time since the start of the game…
He wasn't entirely sure.
And from a distance…
The girl was watching from behind the corner.
And on her face…
There was no smile.
But…
Anxiety.
As if she didn't see a monster…
But a human…
Falling slowly.