Chapter 110: What Yui Wanted

Chapter 110: Chapter 110: What Yui Wanted

Haruki spent the entire afternoon worrying.

Not about Ghost Project.

Not about the missing employee.

Not about anonymous messages.

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Yui.

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Just Yui.

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Which felt ridiculous.

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Unfortunately, it also felt correct.

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The message remained simple.

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Can we talk tonight?

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No explanation.

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No context.

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No escape route.

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By seven o’clock, Haruki had imagined seventeen different disasters.

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Eighteen by seven-thirty.

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None improved his mood.

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At eight, he arrived at the community center.

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The building looked quieter than usual.

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Most volunteers had already left.

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The halls felt larger without children running through them.

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Strange.

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A little lonely.

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Yui waited inside one of the activity rooms.

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Not dramatic.

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Not emotional.

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Just sitting at a table reviewing paperwork.

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The normality somehow increased the tension.

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Haruki stepped inside.

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Yui looked up.

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Smiled slightly.

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Then returned to the documents.

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"You’re early."

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"I’ve been told that happens occasionally."

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A small laugh escaped her.

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Good.

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Very good.

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No.

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That phrase was becoming dangerous too.

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The silence stretched.

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Not awkward.

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Uncertain.

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Eventually Yui closed the folder.

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Placed it aside.

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Then folded her hands together.

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The movement immediately increased Haruki’s anxiety.

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"Okay."

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That word never led anywhere safe.

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Yui looked directly at him.

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No avoidance.

No hesitation.

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Just honesty.

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"I got an offer."

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Haruki blinked.

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"What?"

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The answer surprised him.

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Not because it was shocking.

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Because he should have expected it.

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The community center recently received expanded funding.

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Recognition increased.

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New opportunities appeared.

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Of course they did.

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Yui continued.

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"A healthcare nonprofit in Osaka."

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A pause.

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"They want me to join a new community outreach project."

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The room felt smaller.

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Not physically.

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Emotionally.

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Because Osaka wasn’t nearby.

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Not impossibly far.

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Far enough.

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Haruki remained silent.

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Thinking.

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Actually thinking.

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No immediate response appeared.

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Interesting.

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No.

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Still banned.

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Yui watched him carefully.

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Then:

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"See?"

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"What?"

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The answer arrived quietly.

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"That’s exactly why I wanted this conversation."

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Haruki frowned.

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Confused.

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Yui leaned back slightly.

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"The old you would’ve immediately said congratulations."

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A pause.

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"Then pretended you weren’t worried."

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The statement hit directly.

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Because it was true.

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Very true.

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Instead, Haruki simply sat there.

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Trying to understand what he felt.

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The delay mattered.

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Not because it was dramatic.

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Because it was honest.

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Finally:

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"Do you want it?"

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Yui looked surprised.

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Actually surprised.

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Not by the question.

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By the order.

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Not:

Will you take it?

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Not:

When would you leave?

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Do you want it?

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The answer took time.

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Then:

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"Yes."

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Simple.

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Certain.

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The certainty hurt more than uncertainty would’ve.

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Not because he disliked the idea.

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Because it clarified reality.

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Yui had a future.

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A real one.

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A future not automatically connected to him.

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The lesson wasn’t new.

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The feeling was.

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Outside, a train passed somewhere in the distance.

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The sound faded gradually.

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Neither rushed to fill the silence.

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Eventually Yui smiled.

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Small.

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Nervous.

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Human.

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"I was scared you’d be upset."

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Haruki laughed.

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Not because it was funny.

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Because it was absurd.

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"Why?"

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The answer came immediately.

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"Because you’ve been disappearing."

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The words landed softly.

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Which made them worse.

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Much worse.

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No accusation.

No anger.

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Just observation.

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The last month replayed instantly.

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Analytics.

Leaks.

Publishers.

Ghost Project.

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Work.

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Always work.

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The uncomfortable truth appeared.

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Not elegantly.

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Not dramatically.

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Just there.

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Yui wasn’t worried about Osaka.

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She was worried because he hadn’t really been present even while standing nearby.

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For several seconds, Haruki didn’t know what to say.

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A rare experience.

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A valuable one.

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Then:

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"I’m sorry."

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No explanation followed.

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No defense.

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Just apology.

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The room remained quiet.

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Yui looked relieved.

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Unexpectedly relieved.

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As though she had expected an argument.

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Or an excuse.

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Or avoidance.

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Instead, she received honesty.

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Apparently that mattered.

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The conversation shifted afterward.

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Not solved.

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Shifted.

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They discussed the offer.

The timeline.

The project.

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Normal things.

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Future things.

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Life things.

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For nearly an hour.

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No confession occurred.

No dramatic declaration.

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The story didn’t need one.

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Not yet.

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Eventually they left the building together.

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The city felt cooler tonight.

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Autumn approaching.

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People moved through the streets.

Restaurants glowed.

Traffic rolled steadily.

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Life continued.

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As always.

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Near the station entrance, Yui stopped walking.

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Then looked at him.

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"One more thing."

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Dangerous words.

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Very dangerous words.

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Haruki waited.

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Yui hesitated.

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The first real hesitation all evening.

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Then:

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"If I go..."

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A pause.

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"...don’t wait until I’m gone to decide whether I matter."

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The world seemed to stop.

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Not literally.

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Emotionally.

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Because the statement contained months of unspoken fear.

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Months.

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Maybe years.

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Neither moved.

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Neither spoke.

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Then a train announcement echoed across the station.

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Life interrupted again.

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Perfect.

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Messy.

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Human.

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Yui smiled.

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Not happily.

Not sadly.

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Complicated.

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Then stepped toward the station.

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The moment ended unfinished.

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Deliberately unfinished.

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Because neither of them knew how to answer it yet.

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Haruki watched her disappear into the crowd.

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The city swallowed her quickly.

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People.

Lights.

Movement.

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Gone.

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His phone buzzed.

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System Notification.

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Relationship Analysis Unavailable

Reason:

Insufficient Self-Awareness

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Haruki stared at the screen.

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Then laughed.

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Actually laughed.

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Because for once the system wasn’t being mysterious.

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It was mocking him.

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Fairly.

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Very fairly.

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As he walked home, the public criticism still existed.

The leak still existed.

Ghost Project still existed.

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None of them felt as important tonight.

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Because Yui had finally said the thing both of them had spent years avoiding.

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Not a confession.

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Something more dangerous.

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A deadline.