Natsu no Replica: Replaceable Summer: 10/06/2021, 21:06 ♪ BGM: Memento Mori ♫ He was laid on a bed in the neuroscience laboratory.  Yuuri and the professor stood next to him and looked at his face. Natsuhiko didn't respond to Yuuri's presence. His eyes were shut.   If you manipulate his memories now, he'll never even be aware of it. ...It still took some time for Yuuri to find her resolve. After a long period of silence, she spoke resolutely. ...I'll do it. Okay... Please begin. All right.Yuuri nodded and looked at the sleeping boy's face. (Looks like it's time to say goodbye, Hikorin...)Yuuri's mind was calm. She resolved herself to be calm at least just this once. (Even if you forget about me, I'll never forget about you, Hikorin.)No matter how sad and lonely the rest of her days would be. She burned the image of his sleeping face in her mind, lest she forget about this day. (Goodbye...)Finally, Yuuri reached out her hand-- --and touched Natsuhiko's forehead.   ♪ BGM: Ominous Ambience ♫ Countless visions floated before Yuuri's eyes. They were memories that were not her own. Rather, they were Natsuhiko's memories of her. Yuuri peered into the first of them.   ♪ BGM: Extra-Sensory Perception ♫  Hey, hey, why are you crying? Hweh...? ...U-um... who are you? I'm Natsuhiko. ...Natsu... hiko...? You're 'Yuuri Kotono', right? Your family just moved in nearby. ...Yeah. Let's be friends. We live in the same neighborhood, after all.It was a memory that Yuuri fondly remembered herself, except this time, she saw it through Natsuhiko's point of view.  (You surprised me at first, you know? You called out to me so suddenly that you seemed like kind of a rough boy to me... But you know, I was happy. Because thanks to you, every day after that was a fun day for me.)But she couldn't just keep gazing at this memory forever. Yuuri focused hard. To erase this memory. And soon enough, the vision grew hazy--      --and it disappeared. {!!!}And at the same time, Yuuri heard what sounded like Natsuhiko screaming. Even though he was stupefied, he probably still felt the damage of memory erasure. (I'm sorry, Hikorin, I'm so sorry...!) Upon which, a different vision floated before her.  It was a memory of a conversation they had quite a while after they had met. Yuuri thought ''Oh, I almost forgot this happened''. When I grow up? There are a lot of things I want to be, so I just can't choose. Hmm... When I grow up... I want to be your bride, Hikorin. Wha... Is that a no? Hikorin, do you hate me? N-no, I don't hate you... but...It was a silly little conversation that only young children could have.  Yuuri felt a little embarrassed herself. But unfortunately, this memory could not be allowed to remain. Yuuri wished hard for it to disappear.  And thus, yet another memory of Yuuri vanished from Natsuhiko's brain. (Okay, that's two down...)Her work was proceeding smoothly. And yet Yuuri's heart throbbed in intense pain. (...!)She felt as if with each memory she erased, she tore open a void in her own mind. Even though it wasn't her own memories she was erasing. (There's still lots more to go... I gotta keep it up...)  Yeah, we read all the way to the end!  Huh? Oh, yeah.  Huh? Well, it's because that's how I met you. If I wasn't a Communicator, I never would've moved to this town.  One by one, she killed all traces of herself within Natsuhiko. With each memory erased, Natsuhiko suffered intense pain-- And the pain in Yuuri's heart grew little by little as well. But eventually, she had erased just about all of the relevant memories. Including the one of them coming to LABO just a few months ago. (There's just one more memory... One more memory, and I'll have vanished from Hikorin's mind...)  But Yuuri gasped once she saw the vision that spread out before her. It was a vast night sky filled with stars all the way across the heavens. The two children looked up at the Milky Way that nostalgic summer night.  ...Yeah.Natsuhiko responded to Yuuri's words. The two of them were next to each other.  ...Hey, Yuuri. Huh? I'll never forget what happened today. I'll never forget looking at the stars with you.Those were Natsuhiko's words.  With that, everything would be wrapped up neatly, and yet-- Yuuri couldn't bring herself to do it.   ...I don't want to forget either, Hikorin. Huh?Within Natsuhiko's memory, Yuuri's tears streamed out. Even though such a memory was impossible-- It seemed Yuuri began to fabricate his memory with her transcendental ability, almost unconsciously. Wh-what's wrong, Yuuri? I don't want to erase this memory...That was the honest desire she had looked up deep within her heart. Her true feelings.  Don't forget about me...!   ♪ BGM: Memento Mori ♫ Once she was back, Yuuri cried tears in the real world as well. And in her blurry vision, she saw Dr. Tenkawa peeking at her. Yuuri...? What's wrong? Did something happen?Yuuri shut her eyes tight and squeezed out an answer. ...I'm sorry, Professor. I can't do it...! !? Yuuri, what are you--!?The professor tried to stop Yuuri. But before she could-- --Yuuri used Senses Sympathy once more.   But all of the memories Yuuri erased still remained deep within her heart of hearts. For the memories she erased were the memories they shared. --Which meant there was only one thing for her to do.  ♪ BGM: Extra-Sensory Perception ♫  Yuuri reconstructed the memories she erased based on her own knowledge. She restored memory after memory.            And then he would once again blame himself and shatter his mind. So Yuuri made her resolve. (I've got no choice but to replace the ''me that's gone'' with a ''me that's there''...!) The night Natsuhiko learned of Yuuri's death three months prior--  Yuuri... ...Yuuri breathed her last breath last night... ... Huh? ... No way. Why did Yuuri...!? That was likely the very moment his mind lost its balance. (In that case-- this memory just needs to be changed!)Yuuri focused to do just that. To change this memory into a new one--!   That's a lie! Yuuri can't be dead!He jumped out of his bed and ran off. He ran down the hall, searching for Yuuri. Yuuri! You're around, aren't you!? Please come out!No matter how many neighboring rooms he called out to, he got no response. Natsuhiko rushed out of the hospital in search of Yuuri.     When he tired of searching, the last place Natsuhiko headed-- --was his own home.  Natsuhiko blankly called out her name. ...Yuuri.But obviously, he didn't expect to get an answer. However, just then, from across the dark room--  Yuuri's voice called out in reply. Yuuri!?Natsuhiko rushed up to her. Thank goodness... you're alive... Hee hee, you thought I was dead? But Mom was saying weird things... I'm not dead at all.Yuuri smiled at Natsuhiko. See, Hikorin? I'll always be right here. I'll always be with you. So please. Don't forget about me.Those were the words she could not tell him in the real world. But they were the words both Yuuri and Natsuhiko wished for. Even if those words were a lie, they sank deep into Natsuhiko's mind--  There's no way I'd ever forget.  ♪ BGM: Silence ♫ The professor murmured in a hollow voice. Yuuri... I'm sorry, Professor... I... couldn't do it.Yuuri felt genuinely sorry. She knew what she had done was inexcusable, but-- ...That's fine.--the professor's voice was kind, which only served to deepen the pain in Yuuri's heart. Let's go before Natsuhiko wakes up... ...Okay.They quietly left the laboratory--   ♪ BGM: Ominous Ambience ♫ Natsuhiko was astonished. That was the whole story of what had happened to him. A complete record of a truth unrevealed to him even when he had dived into Mashiro's memory.  (I was only able to wake up from my stupefaction because of Yuuri...! B-but what happened as a result of her efforts...!?)Of course, Natsuhiko himself was well aware of exactly what happened to him after that. But even so, in order to affirm the entire truth, he pursued Yuuri's memories further.
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