Memories and Life
Wednesday, March 17th
Clan, who had given Koutarou a thorough checkup, adjusted her glasses as she reported her findings to Theia and the others.
“His blood pressure, pulse, and temperature are all dropping. And that’s not all. In fact, all of his vital activities are in decline. Medically speaking... if this continues, Koutarou will without a doubt die.”
Clan had appeared shortly after Koutarou collapsed. The bracelet he was wearing had alerted her that his life was in danger. And after seeing him collapsed like that, she brought him to the Cradle to treat him. Since it was designed to be a research vessel, it was better equipped than Blue Knight to give a detailed diagnose. Theia and Clan had argued about it, but Ruth and Kiriha intervened. In the end, everyone from Corona House was now aboard the Cradle to support Koutarou.
“He’s barely holding on thanks to the medical treatments, but he won’t last for long this way.”
Clan felt a sense of relief as she explained things to Theia and the others.
I made it just in time... Thank you, Alaia-san...
Koutarou had been put in a bed in the lab and had a respiratory device and an IV drip attached to him. There were machines running left and right to help sustain him, but what was actually keeping him alive was Signaltin, which Clan had hidden under the bed. He was deteriorating far faster than even Clan’s technology could keep up with, and if it weren’t for Signaltin, he likely wouldn’t have survived this long.
“What happened to Koutarou?! Kiriha, tell me! You know, right?!”
Everyone was shaken by what had happened to Koutarou, but Sanae was the most affected of all. Of course, that was only natural. Not only was her own life in danger now, but the person she loved most of all was dying right in front of her.
“Based on everything’s that happened, there’s almost no mistaking it.”
Koutarou’s body had been examined with spiritual technology, magic, and science. All three results pointed to a single cause.
“Koutarou is...”
Kiriha hesitated. She had expected this kind of situation might happen, but she was hesitant to say it out loud. That said, she couldn’t afford to be timid or polite right now, so she steeled herself as she delivered the harsh truth.
“Koutarou is having his spiritual energy stolen by you, Sanae.”
“Me?! You’re lying! I would never do something so horrible!”
“Yeah, Kiriha! I can’t believe you’re saying that! There’s no way that Sanae would try to kill Koutarou!”
Sanae and Theia were the only ones to say anything, but everyone had a hard time believing what Kiriha was saying. Surely she was mistaken.
“This is unrelated to what Sanae does or doesn’t want. Her very existence as a ghost is killing Koutarou.”
Not even Kiriha wanted to believe it herself. But if she let her emotions get the better of her, Koutarou would die. So with a sorrowful expression on her face, she continued her explanation.
“Sanae was originally a ghost bound to room 106. She received spiritual energy from two sources to maintain her body: from her real body and from the ley lines near room 106.”
Sanae lived in room 106 as something between a specter and a bound ghost. In order to maintain her form, she drew spiritual energy from her original body and from the environment around her.
“But over the past year, a change has occurred within Sanae.”
“What change?! I haven’t changed at all!”
“You were once a ghost bound to a location, but you’ve become a ghost attached to a person. A possessing ghost.”
“A possessing ghost?!”
Theia was wide-eyed and speechless. It seemed as though she knew exactly what Kiriha was talking about.
“As a result, her supply of spiritual energy had gradually began shifting from the ley lines to Koutarou. Up until now, the amount of energy she’s actually been draining has been slight, so his biggest symptom has only been stiff shoulders...”
“Now that you mention, Satomi-sama has been talking about how stiff his shoulders are for quite a while now...”
“He had me massage his shoulders several times.”
When a ghost possessed someone, they often developed symptoms like stiff shoulders and poor circulation. And since they’d all heard Koutarou complaining about that, the residents of room 106 began to connect the dots on their own.
“But just recently, your source of energy switched over to Koutarou completely.”
“Why?!”
“Sanae, that’s because Koutarou has become more important to you than room 106.”
Room 106 was extremely important to Sanae. It was where she had waited all this time for her parents. But once she’d learned they weren’t coming back, the people in room 106 became much more important to her than the room itself. And the most important of them all was Koutarou.
“Well, yeah, I love Koutarou! But since I love him, I wouldn’t try to kill him!”
Sanae was also aware that she loved Koutarou the most, but she couldn’t believe that she was killing him.
“Sanae, like I said, your will is irrelevant here. Ghosts possess the item, space, or person most precious to them. That’s why you’ve latched on to Koutarou, and that’s what’s killing him.”
Sanae of course didn’t want him to die, but like Kiriha said, it wasn’t about what she did or didn’t want. Ghosts latched on to people and objects out of love, hate, or any other strong emotion. It wasn’t something they had control over. And just like humans needed air to breathe, ghosts stole spiritual energy to sustain themselves.
For a normal ghost, the consequences weren’t all that dramatic. Their victims often complained of fatigue or stiff shoulders, but that was the extent of it. Sanae, however, required a vast amount of spiritual energy. Because of that, she’d started draining it from Koutarou faster than he could produce it. Since her secondary supply of energy—her real body—had grown unstable, she was relying on Koutarou more and more. Koutarou, who only had an average amount of spiritual energy, couldn’t possibly hope to sustain her on his own.
That was one of the reasons why Kiriha had kept the truth a secret from everyone. She knew from the outset that if Sanae learned that her parents weren’t going to return to room 106, her list of priorities would change and she would most likely end up possessing Koutarou. That’s why she’d kept it quiet as long as she could.
“Th-Then Koutarou’s going to die, and it’s going to be my fault?”
Her eyes overflowing with tears, Sanae pointed towards the unconscious Koutarou.
“I’m afraid so, yes.”
Kiriha’s response was short, but it was painful to say even that much. It wasn’t like she wanted to cause Sanae any undue grief.
“At this rate, both Koutarou and I will die... I don’t want that! But if I return to my own body, I won’t know who you all are anymore... and I don’t want that either!”
It was already clear what she had to do, but she was scared to do it. The future appeared hopeless and dim.
“Tell me, Koutarou! What should I do?!”
She ran over to Koutarou and pleaded for an answer. Feeling helpless, she ended up relying on him just like she always did. And that was what was killing him. For better or worse, Sanae needed Koutarou.
“S-Sanae...”
Koutarou opened his eyes when he heard Sanae’s voice. He was conscious now, but could still barely speak.
“Koutarou! You’re awake!”
“Yeah... I have been for a while... so I understand the situation...”
Koutarou had regained his consciousness about the time Clan finished with her examination. His body was aching and he couldn’t muster any strength, so he hadn’t even been able to move. But hearing Sanae desperately calling for him, he just couldn’t stay quiet.
“Koutarou, what should I do? I don’t want to kill you, but I don’t want to lose my memories either!”
Koutarou would know the answer. Sanae hoped that he would tell her what it was, much the same way that young children expected their parents to know everything.
Sanae... that’s for you to decide...
But Koutarou himself didn’t know, so he answered her question with a question.
“S-Sanae... what kind of future do you want?”
Between those few words, Koutarou’s expression distorted in pain. Sanae was stealing spiritual energy from him even now. Even with Signaltin’s protection, it was all he could do to stay conscious.
“That’s obvious! I want to have fun with everyone, eat food, and play games! And I want to see my mama and papa! That’s the kind of future I want!”
Sanae knew what her wish was. She wanted her everyday life to continue, and she wanted to see her parents. But the thought that she couldn’t have both drove her to bitter tears.
“Then... r-return to your body, Sanae.”
“If I do that, I’ll lose my memories! I won’t know who you are anymore!”
Sanae shook her head, large tears spilling from her eyes. Her memories of the past year were irreplaceable to her. She was terrified of losing them. She couldn’t bear the thought of it.
“It’ll be okay.”
But Koutarou shook his head in return. And through the incredible pain, he managed a smile for her.
“How?!”
“E-Even if you lose your memories, I... We will definitely become your friends... We’ll make sure your everyday life... continues...”
Even if Sanae lost her memories, her everyday life would stay the same as it always had. They would become her friends all over again and they would take her back to room 106 where they would play games and eat dinner together. That way, even if her memories didn’t return, Sanae would get the future she wanted.
“Koutarou...”
Koutarou’s answer was something that Sanae hadn’t imagined. Astonished, she stared at his face with her eyes opened wide in surprise. He continued to smile despite the pain.
“Isn’t that right, everyone?”
He then asked for the opinion of everyone else who had been watching over them.
“That’s right, Sanae! Don’t think you can escape from our games just by losing your memories! Since you’ve started this fight, you have a duty to see it through until the end!”
Theia quickly agreed with Koutarou. She answered in true Theia fashion with an emphasis on competition, but that was exactly what Sanae wanted to hear from her.
“Sanae-chan, let’s keep watching Love Love Heart together! I’ll ask the cosclub to record the episodes you might forget!”
Yurika answered in her own way too, and she was in tears just like Sanae. During the past year, the two of them had always been together when they watched their magical girl anime. Yurika didn’t want to watch the end to the series on her own. She wanted to watch the ending together with Sanae no matter what.
“If you have requests for dinner, I’m listening, Sanae. I’ll prepare whatever you’d like when you return to room 106.”
Kiriha knew what Sanae liked. She liked Hamburg steak and curry. She had taste like a child—like Koutarou. But she asked what she would want anyway. She wanted to have a promise between them too.
“Sanae-sama, it’s just as everyone says. You’ll only be losing your memories. There’s no changing the fact that we’re friends.”
“Yeah, Sanae-chan! Even if everyone else hesitates, I’ll talk to you no matter what! So you don’t have to worry!”
Ruth and Shizuka felt the same way. Their eyes welled with tears as they agreed to Koutarou’s plan to make Sanae’s wish come true. They both loved her and wanted to see her happy too.
“Ho! We’ll be waiting, ho!”
“We love Sanae-chan too, ho!”
Even the haniwas joined in.
“...You two be quiet.”
“Mm, mmmph!”
“Fhm, fhmmm!”
Since it looked like the mood was about to be ruined, Clan clapped her hands over the haniwas’ mouths and dragged them out of the room.
Am I feeling envious of that girl because I’ve matured myself?
After shutting up the haniwas, Clan cast a soft glance back at the group.
“Everyone, thank you...”
Sanae wiped away her tears as she smiled. She was really happy to hear everyone say such kind things to her. And at the same time, she was incredibly sad that they would soon part ways. That’s why no matter how many times she wiped away her tears, they wouldn’t stop overflowing from her eyes.
“I love you all too...”
All of their feelings had come together because of the danger Sanae was in. Koutarou and the girls all loved each other in one way or another. And everyone in the room recognized that right now.
“Theia, I will definitely keep playing games.”
“I will be waiting.”
Even though it no longer mattered who won, the games between them were a way to strengthen the bonds between them.
“Yurika, I’ll let you borrow my Love Love Heart stuff.”
“I’ll give it all back to you just as soon as we meet again.”
“Yeah, please do.”
And after all this time, Sanae shared all kinds of bonds with the residents of room 106. Even something as simple as watching anime had been a way to build a friendship.
“Kiriha, I want to eat whatever you’re the best at making.”
“Are you sure you’re fine with something like that?”
“Yeah. I’m sure eating something I’m used to will taste better.”
“All right. I’ll be sure to prepare it.”
Now that they were saying goodbye to Sanae, everyone realized how precious they’d become to each other. She was irreplaceable to each of them, and they all prayed that things would go well so that their daily lives together could continue.
“Ruth, Shizuka, once I’m gone, I’ll leave Koutarou to you. He gets lonely easily.”
“You can count on us, Sanae-sama.”
“I will accept this responsibility as his landlord.”
And they would keep praying as they waited. For Sanae and for the day she would once again return to room 106.
“Karama-chan, Korama-chan, I love you guys too. Let’s play again sometime.”
“Ho! All right, ho!”
“I’m so happy, ho! It’s a promise, ho!”
“I said be quiet.”
“Mmmph!”
“Fhmmm!”
Once she said her other farewells, Sanae finally turned to Koutarou. After hugging him once, she took a step back.
“Koutarou, I’m sorry for keeping you waiting this long while you’re in so much pain...”
“I don’t remember raising you to be a rude girl who said her farewells quickly...”
“I don’t remember that either.”
Sanae gently stroked Koutarou’s cheeks as she whispered to him. As she did, she could feel all of the events that had led up to this day bubble up to the surface of her memory and slowly vanish.
When they’d first met, Sanae had thrown Koutarou’s luggage at him. But then Yurika showed up and their fight was left unsettled. After that, Kiriha and Theia appeared one after another and things got complicated. In the end, they all ended up living together. And that was just the beginning. Sanae was kidnapped, Theia wrote a play, and the underground people even came to invade. Koutarou had even scared them by disappearing for a little while.
Sanae really loved the life she’d been living. Every day since she’d met Koutarou had been grand. And when she imagined losing all of that, she trembled all over.
“I was planning on becoming the perfect incredible woman as your guardian angel, too.”
“And you did.”
Koutarou had been saved by Sanae several times over. Both by her psychic powers and by her bright smile. She really was like a guardian angel to him.
“No, in the end, I’m just an evil spirit. I’m even killing you right now.”
“Evil spirits don’t cry when they smile.”
Beads of sweat ran down Koutarou’s forehead. Sanae tried to wipe them away, but her ghostly hands couldn’t comfort him. She smiled bitterly at herself.
“Ahaha, looks like I couldn’t even become an evil spirit then. In the end, I could only be myself...”
“That’s right. Just make sure you’re the version of yourself you want to be most.”
“Yeah...”
Sanae had been a ghost up until now, but that future was quickly closing before her. Yet with that, she would regain her life as a normal human. She could become whatever she wanted. If she wanted, she could even start a family. Possibilities spread out before.
“That’s right, Koutarou. I’ll give this back to you.”
“Hmm?”
“The charm. It’s important to you, right?”
Sanae removed the charm she normally carried around her neck and put it in Koutarou’s hand. It was the family safety charm that she had been wearing ever since she was kidnapped by the ghost hunters and attacked by evil spirits.
“I gave this to you.”
“You did... but I can’t take this with me.”
Sanae would be reduced to spiritual energy and returned to her body. She wouldn’t be able to take any of her possessions with her, so she was returning the charm to Koutarou for now.
“So give it back to me when we meet again.”
“It’s a promise.”
“Good.”
Koutarou held the charm together with Sanae’s hand. He didn’t want Sanae to go either. He didn’t want to let go of her hand, but he definitely didn’t want her to die. Even if she lost her memories, as long as she was happy, he could endure the loneliness of letting her go. And so he slowly released her hand, but held on tightly to the charm and their memories.
“Koutarou, could you promise me one more thing?”
Sanae wiped away her tears again, and with that, they finally stopped.
“Sure.”
“If... And I mean if... But if I fall in love with you again... after becoming human...”
“Yeah?”
“Would you take me as your wi—”
Sanae wanted one more promise, but she couldn’t finish her sentence.
“What’s wrong?”
“Actually, I won’t say it.”
Instead, she just smiled.
“I feel like making you promise that at a time like this would be really unfair.”
It wasn’t a particularly remarkable one. It was just her normal smile, but it was burned into the hearts of everyone who saw it.
The merging of Sanae with her body would take place aboard the Cradle, as with Koutarou’s examination. The power supply was a problem, and carrying in the equipment wasn’t easy, but they wanted Signaltin nearby as insurance. And so Clan and Ruth managed to successfully coax the others into accepting their plan.
“Are you ready, Sanae?”
Kiriha made one final check, and Sanae nodded firmly without hesitation.
“Yeah. I’m actually scared, but I can’t waste time while Koutarou is in danger, so do it right away.”
Sanae’s body was put in the bed next to Koutarou’s, while ghost Sanae was held inside of large a glass container next to it. The bed and glass container were connected by various cables running through a strange device. The device was what would merge the two Sanaes together, but since it had been constructed in a hurry, its design was far from refined. And because it would be handling a large amount of energy, it would likely be unstable.
“Nee-san, the trial run worked without a hitch. The spiritual energy generator has secured a regulated output.”
“Yurika-chan, do you understand the procedure?”
“I think I’ve got it.”
Keeping the unstable device in check was Yurika’s job. When Sanae was reduced to spiritual energy, Yurika would keep it from dispersing and diffusing. Her role in the procedure was incredibly important. The hunters were operating the device while Yurika stood next to them with her staff at the ready. Their preparations were already complete.
“All right. Then let’s start.”
“Understood. Generator connected. Activating converter.”
On Kiriha’s signal, the two hunters busily began operating the control panel. The device responded with all kinds of lights flashing and various meter needles moving up and down.
“Stabilizer control strength at 20! Stability is still increasing! Yurika-chan, we’re counting on you when the control strength reaches 65!”
“Right!”
While firmly holding her staff, Yurika stared at one of the meters. Her job would start once it passed the halfway point.
“Goodbye, everyone.”
Sanae waved her hand inside the glass container. Her body was being wrapped in a yellow light created by the device.
“Sanae-chan, just leave the rest to me! I will definitely protect you!”
Yurika boldly encouraged Sanae as she gripped her staff tightly, but her eyes stayed glued on the meter. She was aware of just how important her job was.
“Thanks, Yurika. I’m counting on you.”
“Right!”
Sanae was a little confused as to how she’d ended up relying on Yurika for something, but it made her happy, too. Seeing the normally useless Yurika work so hard for her sake was oddly touching.
“Sanae-chan, I’m not saying goodbye.”
“Let us meet again, Sanae-sama.”
After everyone else, Shizuka and Ruth spoke in turn. They were both ready to burst into tears—and a few escaped here and there—but they held back the urge to cry and smiled at Sanae.
“Yeah. You have to come meet me. I will be waiting inside of her.”
Since she could see their auras, Sanae knew exactly how they were feeling. She responded with a smile of her own and nodded at them.
The light enveloping Sanae grew stronger, and eventually she herself began emitting light too. It was a sign that she was being reduced to spiritual energy.
“I’m sorry for not being able to make proper preparations, Sanae.”
Kiriha looked at Sanae inside the glass container with an apologetic expression. She normally didn’t show a lot of emotion, but she wasn’t trying to hide her feelings this time. That was just how serious she was, and just how much she treasured Sanae.
“Don’t be sorry. If it wasn’t for you, I probably would have just up and vanished one day.”
Sanae held nothing against Kiriha. Sanae knew she’d done everything she could, and she was grateful that.
“So don’t worry about it. Instead, you should be thinking about what you’re going to cook for me the next time we meet.”
“I will do just that.”
As the two smiled at each other, Theia stepped forward.
“Sanae.”
Theia’s expression was sorrowful, but her eyes shone with a strong will. Even though she was faced with this adversity, she hadn’t given up hope.
“There was a time when I was worried about being an alien.”
Theia and Koutarou were aliens to one another. The realization that they could never be a normal couple was crushing to her.
“But I decided to overcome it, even if I needed to do so forcibly. I realized resigning myself to a future I was unhappy with and writing it off as ‘fate’ wasn’t very noble.”
“Theia..."
“So you too should overcome the fate you’ve been handed, even if you have to use force. Defy the odds and return to us in room 106. I’ll be waiting for you there.”
Theia was an alien, and Sanae was a ghost. They’d both had very similar concerns about their futures with Koutarou, so Theia felt a sort of special bond with her over that. She also wanted her to grow strong and overcome that fear the same way she had.
“Thank you. I’ll do my best.”
Sanae felt the same way. Theia’s words filled her with courage.
“That’s the spirit.”
“Yeah.”
And just as the two smiled at one another...
“Here we go, Encyclopedia! Energy Stabilizer! Modifier: Effective Time, Four Times!”
With her staff in hand, Yurika started her incantation. The needle on the meter was about to reach the area indicating the machine would become unstable.
By now, Sanae’s luminescence had grown much stronger and her outline began to fade. A large portion of her body had already been converted to spiritual energy. But Sanae wasn’t in any pain. The device and Yurika were protecting her to the utmost of their abilities.
“Koutarou, looks like it’s time.”
“...This year went by so fast.”
Koutarou somehow managed to lift his weakened body up enough to look at Sanae.
“Yeah, but it was fun. I wasn’t sure what was going to happen at first, though.”
Koutarou and Sanae thought back to the day they first met. When Koutarou returned to his apartment, he’d found Sanae there. Assuming that she had snuck in without permission, he simply tossed her out. After that, chaos ensued. It left a strong impression on both of them, and they could both recall it so vividly that it felt like it had happened just yesterday.
“I hope we have another year like that.”
“Of course we will, right?”
Enduring the pain he was in, Koutarou smiled at Sanae. As she was starting to merge with her body, the drain on Koutarou gradually weakening. Though it was something of a welcome relief, he knew it meant that it was time to part ways with Sanae. It was probably because of their strong bond that he wished to be in pain for just a little longer.
“Yeah, I think so. So you have to come meet me...”
“Yeah.”
Sanae had been trying her best not to cry, but when she saw Koutarou nod at her, she couldn’t hold it in any longer. She could feel that she didn’t have much time left. That life as she knew it was about to end.
“Everyone, thank you for everything up until today. And—”
From there, her time came quickly. The light from Sanae grew so strong that it bathed the whole room in a gentle glow.
“I love you, Koutarou...”
The light was warm, but Sanae’s last thought inside of it was that Koutarou’s back was even warmer.
Once she was reduced to spiritual energy, Sanae was transferred through the cables of Kiriha’s device as Yurika protected her. To Sanae, it felt like she was flying through a world of nothing but white. On the other side of that whiteness, her body was waiting for her. Like a meteor crashing to earth, she flew straight towards it.
In the midst of the vast whiteness, images began appearing around Sanae. They were all snippets of memories of Koutarou and the others.
So much has happened...
In an instant, the white world around her was completely replaced with images of her memories. It was like a photo album without any proper order to it.
“Say it with more love!”
“What does that even mean?”
When Sanae focused on the images, she could recall exactly how she’d felt at the time. Every single one of the images she was seeing was an irreplaceable treasure to her.
Huh?
But at some point, she began seeing things she didn’t remember, even though she was part of them.
Could this be how I lose my memories?!
The images of things Sanae couldn’t remember crumbled and fell away like sandcastles in the tide. Sanae felt like she lost a piece of herself for every time one of them disappeared. She knew they were precious memories and didn’t want to lose a single one.
No! No, no, no! Give it back! That’s something important!
But her memories crumbled one after another. Sanae reached her hands out towards the remaining images around her in a desperate attempt to protect them. She was determined to save at least one.
Why?!
But they all slipped through her fingers.
Don’t disappear! I won’t be able to tell who everyone is! Stay with me forever!
Sanae reached out to the Koutarou within her memories, but even that crumbled before her. She only had a few memories left now. Her nearly unlimited memories had been decimated. There were so few left that the world around her was becoming white again, and that terrified Sanae. She felt herself losing who she was—a thought more haunting than death.
I don’t want this! Save me, Koutarou, Koutarou!
As if trying to carve his vanishing memory into her heart, Sanae screamed out Koutarou’s name repeatedly. He was now the only one of the residents of room 106 that she could remember, but she could only faintly picture him in her mind. Then, at last, even that image began to fall away.
Nooooooooooo!
Sanae screamed. Losing her memories meant the end of everything she knew. The thought was unbearable. And then...
“...”
Sanae could hear someone’s voice.
Huh? Wh-Who’s there...?
It was a voice that somehow felt nostalgic, but she had never heard it before. Even stranger, the sound of it was calming to her. She looked around for the source of the voice.
“...”
Before she could find where it was coming from, the voice reached out to her once more.
I’ll be fine? What do you mean?!
What she heard were words meant to give her courage. And when she heard them, her fear began fading.
Huh?!
Sanae then began turning her head in all directions to try and find the source. She spied a glowing red light way off in the distance in the direction she was headed. It was a gentle light similar to that of the rising sun.
Someone’s there... You’re...
At the center of the light was a lone girl.
When Sanae saw her face, she felt like she knew who it was, but she had no recollection of meeting her. Just like the voice, it was someone she had no memory of. Sanae couldn’t tell if that was because she had lost her memories, or if she had never really known her.
The girl had her hands clasped together in front of her chest as if she was praying. She was wearing something similar to a kimono or a shrine maiden’s outfit, but it wasn’t quite in the Japanese style. It had a foreign, unique design to it. And what stood out even more than her outfit was the girl’s hair. Her hair was pure white, but it shimmered with the colors of the rainbow from time to time.
Several globes were floating around the girl too. They were all about the size of volleyballs, but made of a transparent material like glass. Each one of them was glowing a different color. There weren’t quite as many, but seeing them reminded Sanae of the set of twelve different colored crayons she had in elementary school.
What do you mean I’ll be fine?
Sanae spoke to that mysterious girl. She was more interested in her own future rather than the girl right now.
“...”
The girl moved her mouth and answered Sanae’s question, though she was certainly too far away for Sanae to hear her. Instead, her voice seemed to be conveyed directly into Sanae’s mind.
There are several ways to read the information recorded in a spiritual structure...? I don’t understand what you’re saying at all! Use simpler words!
“...”
The girl obliged Sanae’s request and used a simpler expression.
Love is all? Yeah, I can understand that much, but I knew that from the start!
Sadly, the girl wasn’t able to clearly explain herself in a way Sanae could understand. In the end, Sanae was completely at a loss as to why this girl was saying everything would be fine. But even then, their conversation had, strangely enough, calmed her down and eased her fear.
But thank you. Thanks to you, I feel a little better.
When Sanae thanked the girl, she received a happy smile in return. Seeing that, Sanae calmed down even more and finally began wondering who the girl was.
By the way, who are you? Are you a new ghost or something?
Sanae didn’t have any particular investment in learning the girl’s identity. More or less, she was making small talk.
“...”
But the response she got exceeded her expectations by far.
You’re an invader of room 106?! The first and last?! W-Wait a minute, what does that mean?! Hey!
Despite having lost almost all of her memories of Koutarou and the others, Sanae could tell how bizarre what the girl had said was. Wanting more details, Sanae raised her voice.
But before she got an answer, she had reached the end of the white world. Her few remaining memories disappeared and her consciousness flew towards whatever was drawing her in. And now that Sanae’s fears had been alleviated, everything proceeded exceedingly smoothly.
“...”
After seeing Sanae off, the mysterious girl smiled once more before leaving that white world. Any more help would be unnecessary, and she wanted to keep her involvement to a minimum. She knew quite well that excessive interference wouldn’t necessarily lead to a good result. The rest was up to Sanae and the others.
And so, though the road there was terrifying at first, Sanae safely merged with her body.
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