When Airi returned to her room, everything felt… normal.
Too normal.
There were no screams.
No knife.
No strange figure.
As if nothing had happened the previous night.
The bedroom door slowly opened.
"Finally, you're back," Hana said coldly. "Where have you been, idiot?"
Airi stopped at the doorway. "Me?"
"Yeah," Luna replied lazily. "Who else?"
Airi frowned, trying to remember. Her head felt empty, as if a part of it had been neatly cut away.
"I don't know," she answered honestly. "I… suddenly forgot. Where was I just now?"
Rina clicked her tongue. "Excuses. You probably just ran away."
Airi did not respond. She walked inside and sat on her own bed. Her hand gripped the blanket tightly, and her chest felt slightly tight—without knowing why.
Hana glanced at her. "Why do you look so pale?"
"Pale?" Airi touched her cheek. "I'm just… tired, I guess."
Luna yawned. "Whatever. Just go to sleep. We still have sightseeing tomorrow."
The room lights were turned off.
Everyone lay down in their respective beds.
Darkness.
Silence.
However—
Hana stared at the ceiling, feeling an uncomfortable sensation in her chest.
Luna closed her eyes, but strange images kept appearing in her mind.
Rina gripped her blanket, her heart beating faster than usual.
"Why do I feel…" Hana muttered softly. "Guilty."
"Guilty about what?" Luna whispered back. "What did you even do?"
"I don't know," Hana replied. "But it feels like… I did something terrible."
Rina swallowed nervously. "Me too."
They fell silent.
On the other side of the room, Airi closed her eyes.
Her breathing was slow.
Calm.
Yet inside her chest, there was a faint warmth—as if someone had just protected her.
She did not remember who.
She did not remember what happened.
But for the first time in a long while—
Airi slept without having a nightmare.
---
Morning light slipped through the gap in the curtains of the hotel room.
Airi slowly opened her eyes.
A white ceiling. The unfamiliar smell of bedsheets. An atmosphere she did not recognize at all.
She sat up and looked around, frowning.
On the opposite bed, Hana was already awake and staring sharply at her.
"Hey, idiot. You're awake?"
Airi instinctively turned toward her. "Who?"
Rina, who was fixing her hair, stopped. "Yeah, you. You've been acting weird since yesterday."
Airi looked at them one by one with a blank expression.
"Sorry… who are you?"
Silence.
Luna quickly turned toward her. "What?"
Rina smirked sarcastically. "Wow, are you pretending to have amnesia now?"
"What are you talking about?" Airi asked honestly.
Hana scoffed. "Stop pretending you forgot… Airi."
"Airi?" Airi repeated softly. "Who is that?"
Luna stood up. "You're still acting?"
Suddenly, Airi stood up from her bed. Her gaze turned cold.
"I really don't know any of you," she said firmly. "So… don't act like we're close."
She immediately left the room, leaving the three girls in confusion.
---
The hotel corridor was still quiet.
Airi walked slowly, uncertainly. She looked to the left and right.
"Where is this…?" she muttered.
Not long after, Nanao appeared from the opposite direction with several of his male friends.
"Hi, Airi," Nanao greeted her with a smile.
Airi stopped and stared at him for a long moment.
"Who is this guy?"
Nanao froze. "What?"
Behind him, Hana, Luna, and Rina came running after her.
"Idiot! Where are you going?" Hana shouted.
Airi quickly turned toward her, an annoyed expression on her face.
"I already told you," she said coldly. "Don't act like you know me."
In one spontaneous movement—
Airi punched Hana in the face.
Hana staggered to the side.
"W-What?!"
Nanao instinctively stepped forward. "Airi?!"
Airi stood straight, breathing slightly heavily, her eyes empty but firm.
Nanao stared at her, his heart pounding.
This isn't the Airi I know…
The Airi who used to be afraid to even look at them…
He slowly clenched his fists.
"What actually happened to you…?" he wondered.
And deep inside Airi—
Something had awakened.
Not memories.
But instinct.
---
Airi stood stiffly in the middle of the hotel corridor.
Nanao's eyes remained fixed on her. A face she knew… yet somehow felt unfamiliar.
"Airi…" Nanao said softly, trying to approach her. "You know me, right?"
Airi stared at him for a long time. There was no hesitation. No emotion.
"I don't know who you are," she answered honestly. "And I don't know who Airi is."
Hana held her aching cheek. "How dare you! So you're brave now, huh?!"
Airi quickly turned toward her. Her gaze was sharp.
"Who are you?" she asked coldly. "Why are you yelling at me?"
Hana fell silent. Luna and Rina exchanged glances.
"Stop joking around," Luna said uncertainly. "We're staying in the same room."
"The same room?" Airi frowned. "I don't remember ever choosing to sleep with you."
Nanao felt his throat go dry.
"From the beginning," he said carefully, "what… what do you remember?"
Airi looked at the floor, trying to search for something inside her mind.
"…Nothing," she finally answered.
Silence filled the corridor.
Rina whispered nervously, "This isn't funny…"
Airi took one step backward.
"If you claim to know me," she said softly but firmly, "then you're mistaking me for someone else."
She looked at Nanao one last time.
"And you… don't call me by a name that isn't mine."
Then Airi turned around and walked away.
---
Inside her, there was no past.
No trauma.
No fear.
No attachments.
What remained was pure awareness—calm, cold, and sharp.
And without realizing it…
The way she walked, the way she looked at people, the way she reacted—
was no longer the old Airi.
Not a victim.
Not a weak girl.
But someone who was bound by nothing.
---
Nanao stood frozen.
She couldn't even remember… a single detail.
Not me.
Not home.
Not her fear.
"…Then," he muttered softly,
"who are you now?"
---
Airi walked out of the hotel without looking back.
Her steps were quick, as if she wanted to get away from everything.
Behind her, Nanao, Hana, Luna, Rina, and several male students followed.
"Nanao…" one of his friends said softly. "Where is she going?"
Nanao quickened his pace.
"Airi!"
Airi stopped. She slowly turned around, her gaze blank.
"Why are you following me?"
Nanao stood several steps away from her.
"What actually happened to you?"
"What do you mean?" Airi asked coldly.
"You suddenly started acting strange," Nanao continued. "As if you've forgotten everything."
Airi lowered her head for a moment before continuing to walk.
"Sorry," she said as she walked, "I didn't forget."
Nanao frowned.
"Then?"
"I really don't know anything."
Nanao immediately ran forward and grabbed Airi's right hand.
"Wait… where are you going?"
Airi looked at their joined hands.
"I don't know," she answered softly. "I just know that I'm leaving this place."
"Don't go," Nanao said quickly.
Airi pulled her hand away.
"Why?"
Nanao held his breath.
"Because I don't want to lose you," he said honestly. "Because you're my precious adopted little sister."
Airi stared at him blankly.
"I don't know what you mean."
She truly let go of his hand.
---
Outside the story.
Arou stood on top of the hotel building, watching them from afar.
"Hmm…" he muttered. "Looks like I reset her too far."
He smiled faintly.
"Well, I'll just restore her memories. It'll make things more interesting."
---
The next second—
SLAP!
A hard slap landed on Airi's cheek.
"Wake up!" Nanao shouted without thinking.
Airi's body jolted. Pain spread across her face—and at the same time, memories crashed into her mind.
"Ah…!"
Airi staggered.
"Big brother…?" Airi's voice trembled. "Why did you slap me…?"
Nanao froze. His eyes widened.
"You… you're awake?"
Airi looked around. So many people. So many faces.
Then her eyes stopped on Hana, Luna, and Rina.
Airi's body immediately tensed.
"No…" she whispered in panic. "What happened…?"
"Thank goodness," Nanao said in relief. "You're awake—"
But before he could finish, Hana, Luna, and Rina began walking toward them.
Airi stepped backward. Her breathing became rapid.
"No… no… no…!"
She turned around and ran as fast as she could.
"AIRI!" Nanao shouted.
Without realizing it, Airi ran toward the main road.
CRASH!
A truck hit her.
Airi's body was thrown onto the asphalt. Blood immediately began flowing onto the road.
Everyone panicked.
Screams echoed everywhere.
"Airi!!"
"Call an ambulance!!"
Airi slowly moved.
With great difficulty, she managed to stand.
Her right arm hung unnaturally—broken. Blood dripped from her body, staining the asphalt.
She looked at all of them with tearful eyes.
"I'm sorry…" she whispered.
Then, despite her trembling body and the blood continuing to fall onto the asphalt, Airi ran again.
Leaving the screams behind.
Leaving the panic behind.
Leaving all of them behind.