“She never spoke this much in the game.

  But this wasn’t her route.

  This was something older.

  Something buried in the back of the disc.”

  GHOST DATA ARCHIVE — NIGHT

  The library is gone.

  Only void remains.

  A fractured horizon. Code lines spiral upward like DNA strands. Deleted characters flicker in place—frozen mid-smile, mid-cry, mid-orgasm.

  Takashi stands at the center, facing Yuri Nanami.

  Her glasses are off. Her hair is unbound.

  This is not the shy girl from Route C.

  This is her source file.

  YURI:

  “I’ve been watching you glitch through the seams, Takashi.

  You’re loud.

  Unoptimized.

  Beautiful.”

  TAKASHI (cautious):

  “…What is this place?”

  She steps closer. Her feet don’t touch the floor—pixels ripple under her.

  YURI:

  “This is where they send the code that doesn’t belong.

  Dead routes. Rejected endings. Loop ghosts.”

  She reaches toward a floating image—a memory of Takashi’s real apartment.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Trash. Blood. His cracked figure.

  

  [FILE: TAKASHI_REALWORLD.IMG] – Corruption Level: 82%

  YURI:

  “Even you, Player 2, were supposed to end here.

  But you didn’t.

  And now the story has a parasite.”

  SYSTEM POP-UP:

  

  [DIALOGUE FLAG OVERRIDE - PLAYER 2 ACCEPTED]

  [GHOST MEMORY ACCESS: GRANTED]

  Yuri wants to make you an offer.

  YURI:

  “You want out, don’t you?

  To burn the code. Break the flags.

  Free them. Free yourself.”

  TAKASHI:

  “I want to end the game. For good.”

  YURI (smiling):

  “Then you’ll need a tool.

  One that can’t be overwritten.

  One that remembers.”

  She opens a hand.

  Floating in her palm:

  A blade made of black wireframe, shimmering with dialogue strings and broken sprite data.

  

  [ITEM ACQUIRED: GHOSTBLADE]

  Damage Type: Narrative Disruption

  Special: Cuts scenes. Deletes routes. Unwrites characters.

  WARNING:

  YURI (whispers):

  “But it comes at a cost.

  Every time you use it… you’ll lose something.

  A memory. A name. A part of who you were.”

  She steps closer. Touches his forehead.

  A soft chime echoes.

  

  [New Slot: Memory Override v1.0 — Available]

  TAKASHI:

  “…What happens if I lose all of me?”

  YURI (gently):

  “Then you’ll be free.

  Or you’ll become the game itself.”

  TAKASHI (grins):

  “Not a bad promotion, honestly.”

  SYSTEM MESSAGE:

  

  [PLAYER 2 CORRUPTION: 47%]

  [PROTAGONIST ROUTE: OBSERVING]

  [WARNING: Ayaka Route Incoming – Estimated Impact: Lethal]

  YURI:

  “The Tsundere Princess is next.

  But be careful—Ayaka’s rewritten her script.

  She doesn’t want love anymore.”

  TAKASHI (tightens fist around the Ghostblade):

  “Then I’ll give her what she wants.

  A fight.”

  SCHOOL COURTYARD — NEXT MORNING

  The game resets again.

  Kana waves. NPCs loop. Cherry blossoms fall.

  And Ayaka Himemiya… stands at the top of the stairs.

  Not smiling.

  Waiting.

  

  “Mr. Sasaki,” she says coldly,

  “I’ve decided to make you my pet.”