The next morning, Takeshi didn't sleep in.
Didn't snooze his alarm.
Didn't scroll on his phone.
He sat up the second his eyes opened, breathing like he'd just finished a race.
His hand still tingled from last night.
The mark had faded again, hiding under his skin like it never existed.
But the memory of what he saw? That was still fresh.
The strange sky. The bowl-shaped world.
And Asami—standing there like it was her home.
---
He got ready fast. School uniform on. Hair brushed once—good enough.
He didn't know exactly what he was gonna say.
He just knew he had to say something.
---
At school, everything looked the same.
No cracks in the ceiling.
No monsters in the halls.
Just students, noise, lockers slamming, and gum stuck under desks.
Takeshi walked into class.
Asami was already there.
Same desk.
Same calm face.
But she wasn't reading her book like usual.
She was just sitting still.
And for the first time—her eyes met his.
She knew.
---
When lunch came, Takeshi didn't go to the roof.
He didn't sit with Rei either.
He walked straight to her desk.
> "Hey," he said.
She looked up.
> "Hey."
> "Can we talk?"
She didn't blink. Didn't smile.
Just picked up her bag and followed him without a word.
---
They sat under the staircase behind the gym.
Quiet spot. No one ever came here unless they were hiding from class.
> "Why didn't you tell me?" Takeshi asked.
> "Tell you what?"
> "About what you are. About Nehvarra. About that blade."
> "Would you have believed me?"
He didn't answer.
She was right.
> "You saw it," she said softly. "That place below. Most don't survive their first step there."
> "But you've been going there, haven't you?"
> "Yes."
Takeshi leaned forward.
> "What are you, Asami?"
She hesitated.
Then looked him straight in the eyes.
> "A Collector."
Takeshi frowned.
> "What's that?"
> "Someone who hunts forgotten pieces of the world. The things Nehvarra hides."
> "And why me? Why now?"
She didn't answer that.
Instead, she pulled out a folded paper from her pocket.
Passed it to him.
> "Meet me tonight. Same mirror. Don't bring Rei."
> "Why not?"
> "Because there are some things only you are supposed to see."
---
She stood up.
Just like that, it was over.
But before she walked away, she paused.
Then said something quiet—almost too quiet to hear.
> "I saw your Drift spark. It hurts because it's too honest."
> "What do you mean?"
> "Your power doesn't lie. It cuts through dreams… even your own."
---
And then she was gone.
Leaving Takeshi with a folded map in his hand.
And way more questions than answers.
---
End of Chapter 19.