Chapter 156: A Fractured Reflection in the Light
"You're not him."
Kato Megumi's voice, usually gentle and full of quiet grace, now held a chill.
"You're not my Azuma."
As soon as the words left her lips, she stepped back—
Out of the sun-drenched classroom and into the dim corridor beyond.
The shift in lighting felt symbolic. The brilliant sunlight still poured through the windows behind her, warming the wooden floor in golden hues, but it no longer reached Megumi. Shadows clung to her form, casting her expression in ambiguity. She stood half in light, half in shadow—like she herself was caught between two truths.
Inside the classroom, Miyamizu Mitsuha felt a cold sweat gather at the base of her neck.
This should've been a place of warmth and light, but her body stiffened with a creeping chill.
From outside, the sharp crack of a baseball bat striking a ball echoed in the air, followed by scattered cheers from the nearby club field. But here, in this small room between worlds, everything felt muted. Distant. Unreal.
She was alone. Or rather, she wasn't alone—but she had never felt more exposed.
"W-What are you talking about?" Mitsuha stammered, her voice thin and uncertain.