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Tokyo – Arata's Apartment – 7:12 AM
The sun had not fully risen.
Tokyo's sky was grey, covered in clouds, as if the city had forgotten how to feel warm.
Raindrops still clung to the windows, and a soft wind moved the curtains like slow breath.
Inside the apartment, everything was quiet.
Arata stood near the window, still wearing the same clothes from last night.
His eyes were open, but he wasn't really seeing the outside world.
He was lost… somewhere far back in time.
Behind him, on the old futon, Yuiri slept.
Her breathing was slow and deep, and her fingers were tightly wrapped in the blanket — like she was afraid of letting go.
Arata glanced at her.
> She's still alive. That's good enough for now.
He walked into the kitchen and poured water into a metal kettle. The sound of water boiling filled the silence.
The apartment was small, but today… it felt even smaller — like the weight of the past was pressing in from every wall.
---
7:30 AM – Yuiri Wakes Up
Yuiri opened her eyes slowly. Her body felt heavy, and for a few seconds, she didn't know where she was.
Then she heard it — a soft clinking sound.
She turned her head.
Arata was sitting across the room, quietly placing a cup of tea on the table beside her.
He didn't say anything. He didn't even look at her.
> "What time is it?" she asked, her voice low and rough.
> "Morning. Still early," he replied without turning.
She tried to sit up, wincing from the pain in her side.
> "How… how long was I out?"
> "Since last night. You passed out after we got here."
Yuiri looked down at the cup of tea.
She touched it, felt its warmth, but didn't drink.
> "You could've left me there," she said quietly.
> "I know."
> "So… why didn't you?"
Arata leaned back against the wall. His face was unreadable.
> "Because you didn't ask me to."
The room was silent again.
---
A Moment of Truth
Yuiri finally drank the tea. It was bitter but comforting.
She looked at the strange man in front of her — his expression calm but distant, like someone used to pain.
> "Who are you… really?" she asked.
Arata didn't answer right away.
Instead, he stood up and walked to a small wooden drawer beside the window. He opened it and pulled out an old photo.
He sat back down and showed it to her.
The photo was faded.
In it, two boys stood side by side. One of them looked like a younger Arata.
The other was smiling brightly.
> "That's my brother," Arata said. "Riku."
Yuiri stared at the photo for a few seconds.
> "What happened to him?"
Arata's eyes darkened.
> "NOKRA happened."
---
Flashback – Arata's Past
Riku was a genius — just 14 when NOKRA found him.
He could solve codes faster than their AI. He could remember entire documents after reading them once.
But NOKRA doesn't reward talent with kindness.
They used him. Trained him. Changed him.
Arata was still in high school when his brother vanished.
He searched for months — fighting through layers of lies, false addresses, blocked calls.
And then, one day, he found something.
An access card. A name: Project MORROW.
And a file marked with a red stamp: TERMINATED.
That's when Arata stopped being human.
He stopped dreaming, laughing, hoping.
He became a ghost — a shadow with a purpose.
> "They killed him," he said, voice flat.
"They erased his existence like it was nothing."
---
Back to Present
Yuiri said nothing.
There was no word for what she saw in Arata's eyes — a pain that had no shape, only depth.
> "Why are you telling me this?" she asked softly.
> "Because they'll come for you next. And when they do, you'll need to decide if you want to run… or fight."
Yuiri's fingers tightened around the blanket.
> "I don't even know who I am."
> "That's not true," Arata said. "You just don't know what they turned you into."
---
A Name That Shouldn't Be Said
Arata walked to his desk and picked up a thin black folder.
He opened it slowly.
Inside were files. Medical scans. Notes.
All marked with the same code: YU7.
> "This is what they did to you."
Yuiri took the folder with shaking hands.
As she read, her breathing grew faster.
Memories — images — began to return.
A white room. Needles. Voices calling her by numbers, not names.
Pain. Fear. The smell of cold metal.
Her hands trembled.
> "They were… using me… for memory experiments?"
> "Yes."
> "Why?"
> "Because you're different. You have something in your blood — a mutation that lets you store and project memory in ways no one else can."
Yuiri looked up, tears in her eyes.
> "So… I'm not even me? I'm just… some broken science project?"
Arata shook his head.
> "You're still you. But they don't want you to believe that. That's how they win."
---
A Quiet Understanding
Yuiri wiped her tears with her sleeve.
She looked tired, but her eyes were clearer now.
> "I don't want to run anymore."
> "Then don't."
> "But I don't want to die, either."
Arata gave a small, tired smile.
> "Then we fight. Together."
Yuiri nodded slowly.
For the first time since she woke up in that lab…
She felt like she had a choice.
---
Somewhere Else – NOKRA Control Room
Far away, deep underground, a room full of screens buzzed with data.
A man in a white coat stared at a glowing red dot on the map.
> "We found her," he said.
Another man stepped forward.
Sharp eyes. Black gloves. Cold voice.
> "Then it's time to send Unit-13."
The screen zoomed in.
Target: YU7 – Status: ESCAPED
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