[Sakura Dimension – Dawn, 05:30]
The first sun that rose over Sakura Lake was not warm.
It was tinted silver, cold and ancient, as if borrowed from a different universe entirely. The cherry blossoms didn't sway in its light—they stood frozen, as if awaiting permission to move.
And then—
One by one…
They began to fall.
Thousands of them. Pink, ghostly petals falling from unmoving trees.
A soundless storm of rebirth.
---
[Aya Shirogane]
Aya stirred awake on the grass near the lake, blinking against the flurry of petals.
Her first thought: Is this a dream?
Her second: Why does my chest feel... light?
She sat up. Her clothes were clean, her body fully recovered. No signs of strain. No aches. Even her mental scars felt numb, like wounds dressed in silk and set beneath snow.
Beside her, Kaito remained asleep—peaceful, but pale.
She watched him for a while.
She didn't know why she felt a deep peace inside.
She didn't know what they had done.
She didn't know why—but her heart whispered:
> "It mattered."
---
[System Message – Global View]
> [SYSTEM NOTICE: Psychological Event 1 – Complete]
Recovery Phase Ending in 24 Hours
Current Active Duos: 37
[Newly Restored Duos: 32]
Anomaly Detected: Revival With Memory Lock
Source: Unknown
Condition Stable
---
[Takeshi and Reina] – Reaction to Revival
Takeshi had been meditating beneath a weeping sakura when he heard footsteps.
He opened one eye.
And dropped the bamboo stick he'd been balancing on his forehead.
"Reina," he called, sharp. "Behind you."
She turned.
And gasped.
A man stood there—bloodless, shaking, but very much alive.
Kenji. Her ex-partner. Thought dead inside the Mirror Spiral Room.
He blinked at her.
"I… I was dead. I remember…"
But then his expression twisted in confusion.
"No—I—wait—why am I here?"
Reina didn't speak. She simply ran to him and embraced him tightly, though her eyes were cautious.
Takeshi narrowed his gaze at the scene.
"This isn't natural," he murmured.
"Someone broke the law of death," Reina whispered. "But how?"
---
[Dev and Meera] – Return of the Fallen
They weren't the only ones.
In a nearby valley of springlight mist, a low groan echoed.
Dev turned toward it instantly, drawing his dagger.
Meera placed a hand on his wrist, already sensing it.
The mist parted.
And nine duos—bruised, confused, and emotionally shell-shocked—emerged from the dreamlike fog.
Among them was a pair Meera remembered from the second trial. Aya wasn't the only Queen.
This girl, Kiko Amamiya, had UR potential too. But she had been destroyed—eaten alive by the shadow of her own mother in the Trial.
And now… she walked again.
Alive.
Weeping silently.
Meera whispered, "Kaito… Aya… You two… What did you do?"
---
[Kaito Awakens – Quiet Resolution]
Kaito sat up slowly, his eyes half-lidded.
He could feel it. The tension in the world had shifted.
People were alive who shouldn't be.
He didn't remember how—but something deep in his bones told him the answer.
Aya knelt beside him.
"They're back," she said.
"I know."
She hesitated. "Should we tell them?"
He looked up at the falling petals.
"No. Not now."
Aya nodded slowly. She looked at the other duos—some celebrating, some weeping, others whispering questions no one could answer.
"We changed something."
"Yeah," Kaito replied. "We broke the rules."
"Then why don't I feel guilty?"
He smiled weakly. "Because… sometimes the rules deserve to be broken."
---
[System Interference Detected – Hidden Code Injection]
> [SYSTEM MONITORING]
Class: UR+/Unknown
Memory Lock Anchor: Complete
Duo – Kaito Yamada & Aya Shirogane
Wish Activation Concealed
Penalty: Deferred
Next Evaluation: 3rd Event Completion
---
[Later – Sakura Lake Gathering]
All 37 active duos had gathered by midday.
The mood was one of cautious confusion. Many believed the System had granted a mercy revival as a reward. Others were skeptical.
Kaito and Aya sat quietly among them, speaking only when spoken to.
Dev gave Kaito a long look.
He said nothing.
But later that night, he passed Kaito a folded note under a cherry tree.
It simply read:
> "I don't know what you did. But you did the right thing."
– Dev
---
[System Countdown Begins]
> [24 HOURS REMAINING – SAKURA DIMENSION CLOSURE]
Next Phase: Dimensional Merge Simulation – Event Two
Estimated Duration: 52 Days
Mental Stability Requirement: 70%
Suggested Stat Recovery Protocol: Begin Immediately
---
[Ending Scene – Aya and Kaito]
That night, Aya lay beside Kaito on the sloping hill of Sakura Lake, watching the floating constellations above.
She didn't know what tomorrow would bring.
But for tonight, for this moment…
They were alive.
They were together.
And all the souls who had fallen behind now walked again beneath the cherry blossoms.
Aya whispered, "Hey."
Kaito turned. "Yeah?"
"I'm glad I was paired with you."
He blinked.
She didn't say it with a smile. Or a flirt. Or a blush.
She just said it.
Raw. Honest. Final.
Kaito didn't answer with words.
He reached out, took her hand—and held it tightly.
Together, they watched the stars bloom and die above them.
---