Chapter 10: The Girl With the Broken Compass
"Loyalty is just love wearing a leash. Cut it—and see who still stays."
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Scene: Midnight, Rooftop of Seimei High School
Airi Tachibana sat alone under the flickering red light of a rusted aviation lamp.
The city sprawled below her—thousands of homes, windows glowing with digital lies.
She clutched the USB drive in her hand.
Project: Ragnarok
It pulsed in her mind like a heartbeat she couldn't silence.
Behind her:
A soft voice.
> "Late night therapy? Or are you waiting for ghosts?"
It was Shun Tsukasa—class vice president, and unofficial lapdog of Blue River.
Airi stood slowly.
> "Did you come to drag me in?"
Shun smiled, his eyes cold behind the glasses.
> "No need. You're already in. You just haven't accepted the collar yet."
He held up a photo—taken with a drone.
Airi, holding hands with Kaito. Months ago. Laughing.
> "They think you're emotionally compromised.
I think you're just… confused."
> "You're wrong," she said.
> "Am I? Because you haven't destroyed the drive."
Airi stared at him.
Then at the skyline.
She said nothing.
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Inside Her Mind – Memories Fragmented
She remembers:
Kaito, holding her hand during the thunderstorm in their first year.
Kaito, whispering poetry about stars to her, saying "We're just atoms in rebellion."
Kaito, disappearing.
And then the men in black. The surveillance. The silence.
She asked Blue River what happened to him.
They said he was sick. Dangerous. A schizophrenic.
But deep inside her…
> "That wasn't sickness. That was clarity."
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The Revelation – What's on the USB?
Later, alone in her room, Airi finally connects the USB to her air-gapped laptop.
The screen flickers.
Files unroll.
Encrypted.
Then decrypted using her old birthdate as the password.
> [VIDEO 001 – Project Ashfall: Internal Experiment Log]
Her hands tremble.
Inside the footage:
Children wired to machines.
Teachers feeding scripted lies.
A lab coat passing by with a name tag: Shiranami, Sayuri.
Another file: SHIRANAMI-KAITO_Prototype_Redline.mp4
She watches the video.
A boy—hooked to electrodes, speaking perfect Latin in his sleep.
Then screaming.
Then… silence.
> "This is what they did to him."
> "This is what they'll do to me."
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The Call That Changes Everything
Her burner phone buzzes.
Unknown number.
She answers.
> "You watched it."
Kaito's voice.
> "You should've come to me," she says, voice cracking.
> "I couldn't. You were still part of their world."
> "And now?"
> "Now you've seen it burn."
Silence.
Then:
> "What do you want from me, Kaito?"
> "Nothing."
> "Nothing?"
> "You don't owe me. You never did.
But you owe yourself the truth."
She stares into the mirror.
Her reflection looks older.
Hardened.
> "What happens if I choose you?"
> "Then you'll never be safe again.
But you'll never be blind again, either."
The line goes dead.
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Journal Entry – Airi (First Entry)
> I used to believe that truth and safety could coexist.
Now I see—they're enemies.
I don't know what I'm becoming.
But maybe… the compass isn't broken.
Maybe it's just learning to point toward fire.
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Final Scene: Airi Walks Into the Ashcore
Dressed in black.
Hood over her head.
A single backpack.
The old subway tunnel hums with power.
She walks into the light of the Ashcore.
Kaito turns to see her.
Their eyes meet.
> No apologies.
No tears.
Just understanding.
She speaks first.
> "If I'm going to help you burn the world…
I want to know which part burns first."
Kaito doesn't smile.
He just nods.
> "Welcome home, Airi."
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