CHAPTER 2 — THE VARIABLE.
The message burned in her hand.
Kyouka. It’s been a while.
She stared at the cracked screen, the rain dripping from her coat sleeve onto the glass. The alley was silent now—no Echo‑spawn, no sirens, no footsteps. Just her. And the Echo.
It clung to her leg, trembling.
Its hollow eyes flickered.
Its mouth opened, but no sound came.
She didn’t need to hear it.
She already knew what it would say.
“Don’t.”
She pocketed the phone and walked.
The train station was nearly empty—late enough that the commuters had vanished, early enough that the night crowd hadn’t arrived. Fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, casting pale shadows across the tiled floor.
Kyouka sat on the edge of a bench, back straight, eyes scanning the platform. The Echo curled beside her, barely visible to anyone who wasn’t cursed.
A janitor passed.
A couple argued softly.
A child stared at her, then looked away.
She didn’t move.
Her mind was replaying the message.
Not the words.
The timing.
Why now?
Moriyama had vanished after the incident.
The lab was sealed.
The reports were buried.
The city moved on.
But she hadn’t.
She had spent two years tracing fragments:
- falsified documents
- corrupted data logs
- erased security footage
- whispers in research forums
- rumors in the Hollow Market
And now, after silence, he reached out.
Not with apology.
Not with explanation.
With data.
Mika’s resonance was extraordinary.
Her fingers curled into fists.
The train arrived with a low roar.
She didn’t board.
Instead, she stood and walked to the far end of the platform—where the cameras didn’t reach, where the shadows were thicker.
The Echo followed.
She pulled out the phone again.
Opened the message.
Tapped the reply field.
Her thumb hovered.
She didn’t know what to say.
She wanted to scream.
She wanted to ask why.
She wanted to say Mika’s name until the screen cracked.
Instead, she typed:
“Where are you?”
The message sent.
The Echo whimpered.
Ten minutes passed.
Then the phone buzzed.
Unknown Sender:
“You’re still precise. I expected emotion.”
Her breath caught.
Another message.
“I’m in Hirasaka. I never left.”
She stared at the screen.
The Echo pressed against her leg, its small form shaking.
Another message.
“You’re ready now. The data proves it.”
She felt something shift inside her—something cold, something sharp.
She typed:
“You used me.”
The reply came instantly.
“I revealed you.”
Her vision blurred.
The Echo shrieked—quietly, but enough to make the lights flicker.
She turned off the phone.
Outside, the rain had stopped
The city glowed—neon signs reflecting off wet pavement, shadows stretching like fingers across the alleyways.
Kyouka walked.
She didn’t know where she was going.
She only knew one thing:
Dr. Shun Moriyama was alive.
He was watching.
And he still believed she was a variable.
She would prove him wrong.
Or become exactly what he wanted.
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