"…Where am I?"
A pure white world stretched out in every direction.The sky, the ground—everything was white.And covering the earth like a soft carpet were countless tiny white flowers in full bloom.
I've seen this somewhere before…
A strange nostalgia tugged at Mako's chest.She tried desperately to recall the memory, but before she could reach an answer, she heard a faint cry behind her.
She turned around.
A large cat with shimmering silver fur sat there, quietly gazing up at her.
Its mouth moved silently, opening and closing as if trying to speak.
As if it was trying to tell her something—
"…What are you trying to say?"
She strained her ears, but no sound reached her.All she could sense was the warm, gentle light in the cat's eyes.
Then, in the next instant, the cat leaped forward and wrapped itself around her in a soft embrace.
The feel of the plush fur.The warmth seeping into her body.
…It feels nice.
Without thinking, Mako accepted that warmth and hugged the cat back tightly.
■□■
Suddenly, the warmth faded.
At the same time, Mako slowly opened her eyes.
This place… she knew it well.
A plain, sterile ceiling.The scent of antiseptic.
A hospital room.
"Was that… a dream?"
Shaking her still-hazy head, she tried to piece together last night's events.
—The eerie boy who attacked her.—The mysterious voice.—The way she fought.
Was it just a dream? Or did it really happen?
As she struggled to sort through the confusion—
『Oh? Finally awake, are you?』
A voice echoed inside her head, not through her ears.
"…Huh?"
Startled, she turned toward the voice.
Resting on her stomach was the silver cat from her dream.
Its body shimmered faintly, almost like smoke.And Mako had yet to notice that the cat's tail seemed to connect directly to the base of her own spine.
"You… j-just spoke…?"
Her voice trembled.A talking cat? That only happened in games or anime.
『Is that really something to be so shocked about?』
The cat—no, this being—continued speaking as if nothing were strange.
Mako reached out, but her fingers passed straight through the cat's body.
No physical form…
A chill ran down her spine.
"W-What are you…?"
Her voice dropped, wary and shaken.
『If I must give a name, call me Gin. It will do well enough.』
"Gin…"
『Indeed. Humans once called beings like us something else—'Digital Lifeforms.'』
Digital lifeform?What does that even mean?
Her mind simply couldn't keep up.
Just then—
The hospital door swung open without warning.
"Oh! I thought I heard someone talking—Mako-chan, you're awake!"
It was Yokomine, the nurse she'd met last night.
"Yokomine-san!"
Grateful for a familiar face, Mako called out to her.
"How do you feel? Any pain? Dizzy? Anything off?"
Mako hesitated for a moment, then asked cautiously:
"Um… Yokomine-san. Do you… see anything here?"
She pointed nervously at Gin.
But—
"Huh? Nope. Nothing there."
Yokomine blinked, tilting her head in confusion.
"That can't be… he's right—"
Before she could finish, Mako's body froze.Like she'd been pinned down, unable to move.
Gin's voice shot through her mind.
『Do not say more. You'll only create unnecessary chaos.』
So he's the one causing the paralysis.
And then—
"Uh… i-it's nothing… really…"
Her mouth moved on its own.
He was controlling her.
Yokomine looked a little worried, but didn't press further.
"Anyway, Mako-chan—do you remember anything from last night?"
Last night.
The silver cat, the strange boy, the fight.
It all seemed like a dream, yet Gin's presence proved it wasn't.
"Actually, Mako-chan… do you have sleepwalking tendencies?"
"Eh?"
"Because last night, I found you sleeping in the hallway and carried you back."
Her words hit like a knife.
It did happen.
"Y-Yokomine-san!"
Mako tried to ask more, but Yokomine's device chimed.
"Ah—Onizuka-kun woke up too. Sorry, Mako-chan, I have to run.If anything happens, press the call button, okay?Ugh, seriously… we need more staff…"
Grumbling, Yokomine hurried out of the room.
"W–wait… Yokomine-saaan…"
Mako's outstretched hand grasped at empty air.
Now, only she and the mysterious being remained.
She stared at Gin silently.
Suspicious.Uneasy.Afraid.And yet… a little curious.
Noticing her emotions, Gin spoke again.
『Well, I understand your confusion, and I know you have questions.At any rate… I look forward to working with you.』
A stiff, awkward greeting.
Mako couldn't even process how to respond.Her mouth simply opened and closed helplessly.
I don't understand.But I have to understand.
Her mind churned, caught between normality and the impossible.
And then—
"WHAT IS EVEN GOING OOOOONNNNNNNNNNーーーーーー!!?!"
Her scream echoed through the hospital room like an explosion, shaking the walls.