Sunday – 9:02 AM – Aya's Room (technically shared, emotionally stolen)
Kazuki stares at the ARIEL drive like it might bite him.
Aya sips iced coffee, perched upside-down on the couch.
"You sure about this?" she says. "Once you watch what's in there, you can't unwatch it."
Kazuki: "If I don't, I'll go crazy slowly."
Aya: "Fair. If you do, it'll be faster."
He exhales.Plugs in the drive.
A flicker.
Then—
PROJECT ARIEL: PRIMARY FUNCTIONAL LOG[Access Level: BLACK][Construct Versions: 37][Survivability Rating: <1%]
Kazuki squints.
"Wait. Thirty-seven versions?"
Aya chokes on coffee.
"You've died that many times?!"
Kazuki: "I think I've emotionally died more than that just since moving in with you."
Aya: "Flattered. Continue."
Log #4 – Text Playback
ARIEL_v04 Log:Subject Kazuki suffered collapse after mental breach by rogue Class Zero.Construct activated. Attempted emotional anchoring.Failure. Kazuki destabilized.Rebooting…Rebooting…Rebooting…
Aya reads it aloud, slowly.
"…They kept rebooting you. Each time you broke, they tried again."
Kazuki: "I'm not a computer program."
Aya: "You were close. They rewrote you like one."
Meanwhile – Riku's Not-So-Casual Warning
Kazuki finds Riku in the courtyard, tossing pebbles into the koi pond like he's auditioning for a mysterious mentor role.
Riku doesn't look up.
"You looked into the logs, didn't you?"
Kazuki: "I had to."
Riku finally turns.
"You ever hear of mental recursion?"
Pause.
"It's when your brain remembers that it's remembering something. Over and over. Looping on itself."
Kazuki: "…Okay. Creepy."
Riku: "The ARIEL construct? It wasn't just emotional support. It was a lock. It stopped you from looping."
Kazuki's breath catches.
Riku's voice softens.
"She was there to keep you from breaking the world again."
Elsewhere – Administrator Meeting Room
Aiba sits across from a figure in black.
Her voice low. "You can't reactivate ARIEL."
The figure: "We have no choice."
Aiba: "He's stable now. With the girl—Aya."
The figure: "He's not stable. He's dormant. When the node matures, he'll loop again."
Aiba's eyes narrow.
"You're gambling with his soul."
The figure smiles faintly.
"It's not a gamble if we've already run the simulation."
Back at the Dorm – The Timeline Closet
Kazuki opens one last log.
ARIEL_v22:[Timeline terminated due to Subject-induced collapse]Final words recorded: "Tell Aya I really liked living with her."
Kazuki freezes.
Aya reads it over his shoulder.
"…Wait. You died in a closet?"
He nods numbly.
"Apparently it fell on me during a panic episode."
Aya: "That's tragic and extremely on-brand."
She takes the drive, unplugs it, and throws it in the toaster.
Kazuki: "That's not how you destroy tech—"
Aya: "Don't care. It hurt you."
Final Scene – Rooftop at Sunset
Aya sits next to Kazuki as the wind blows his hair.
He's quiet for a while.
Then—
Kazuki: "There's a version of me that never met you."
Aya: "Poor bastard."
He laughs.
"I think remembering her made me appreciate you more."
Aya, mock insulted: "Wow. Competing with a psychic construct. How romantic."
Pause.
Kazuki, soft:"You're real. That's what matters."
Aya leans her head on his shoulder.
And murmurs,"Then let's make sure you stay that way."