The other Ryouhei didn't attack.
He just stared at me with a serene smile—like he already knew the ending to this story. Like he was the author, and I… just a footnote.
Sera kept her distance.
I stepped forward.
"What are you?"
"I'm the version of you that didn't hesitate.
The one who didn't search for meaning—only efficiency.
The one who used pain, code, and Sera as tools… not as bonds."
I wanted to reply, but my thoughts were a mess.
Because part of me… understood what he meant.
—
The Library began to adapt to his presence.
Shelves rearranged themselves.
Books aligned around him.
As if he were the original protagonist… and I was the patch.
"He's not an illusion," Sera said. "He's a system-validated possibility. If you let him move forward, this place will choose him as canon."
"And if I destroy him?"
She hesitated.
"You could. But killing a possibility doesn't erase it… it just makes it more likely."
—
The Other Ryouhei extended his hand.
"I can integrate you. Turn you into something beyond the margin.
You won't be an error… you'll be the exception that defines the rule."
I looked at his palm.
There were no lines. No fate. Just emptiness.
—
And then I understood.
He wasn't here to replace me.
He was here to tempt me.
Because the system doesn't need heroes.
It needs consistency.
And I was a crack.
He was the resin to seal it.
—
I made a decision.
"I won't integrate."
"Then will you fight me?"
"No."
"I'll rewrite you."
—
From my back, the shadows of the three moons emerged.
Not to illuminate—but to strike through.
Sera stepped back as the system screamed.
Because for the first time…
an Extra decided to edit the script.