After that night, Mitsuki stopped sleeping deeply.
Rei noticed it immediately.
She would lie still on the couch, eyes closed, body relaxed—but her breathing never fully slowed. At the smallest sound, her ears twitched beneath the hood. Sometimes she woke up before Rei did, already sitting upright, listening.
Like she was guarding something.
Or someone.
"You don't have to stay if you're tired," Rei said one morning.
Mitsuki shook her head. "If I sleep somewhere else… I might not wake up here again."
Rei didn't like the way she said it.
Too certain.
They still went out together.
Still laughed.
Still shared food and silence.
But Mitsuki's hand never left Rei's sleeve now when they walked.
Her grip tightened whenever a car slowed nearby.
Whenever footsteps followed too closely.
Whenever a stranger looked at her for more than a second.
At school, Rei began noticing unfamiliar faces.
Men who didn't belong.
Too neat.Too alert.Eyes that scanned, not observed.
Once, during lunch, Rei felt a sudden pressure behind his eyes—a sharp, instinctive urge to turn around.
He did.
Nothing.
But his heart wouldn't slow.
That night, Mitsuki did something she had never done before.
She asked Rei to lock the door.
Then the windows.
Then the bathroom.
Her voice stayed calm the entire time.
That scared him more than panic ever could.
"Mitsuki," Rei said softly, "you're safe here."
She looked at him, eyes dark.
"I know," she said. "That's why I'm scared."
She sat close to him on the floor, knees tucked under her chest.
"They don't like it when experiments feel safe," she continued."They start thinking they've lost control."
Rei's chest tightened.
"Experiments…?"
Mitsuki flinched.
Too late.
Silence filled the room.
Thick.
Heavy.
Rei didn't push.
Not yet.
Mitsuki took a slow breath.
"I wasn't born," she said. "I was made."
Rei listened.
She told him about white rooms.Cold hands.Needles.Numbers instead of names.
"They called me a prototype," she whispered."Not a girl. Not even an animal. Just… data."
Her fingers dug into the fabric of Rei's shirt.
"I ran when they stopped looking."
Rei's voice came out hoarse. "They hurt you."
Mitsuki nodded. "They learned from me."
That was worse.
Outside, a surveillance drone passed quietly overhead.
Inside a moving vehicle, a screen updated.
SUBJECT STABILITY: DECLININGHUMAN ATTACHMENT: CONFIRMED
A man watched the data without blinking.
"Emotional deviation detected," he said."Prepare retrieval protocol."
A pause.
"No," another voice replied."Prepare termination."
Back in the apartment, Mitsuki pressed her forehead against Rei's chest.
Her heartbeat was fast.
Irregular.
"Rei," she whispered, "if they come… don't try to be brave."
Rei wrapped his arms around her.
Too tight.
"I don't know how not to be."
Mitsuki closed her eyes.
Something ancient stirred beneath her skin.
Somewhere deep underground, a vial was removed from cold storage.
The label read:
REPTILIAN HYBRID — PHASE ZERO