The first thing Karamori had seen when he came to was Sakura. His shock at her sudden restoration and the relief that he hadn’t killed her reduced him to tears. He ordered Fujinaka to take her somewhere safe and went to find Asahi Fujinaka and Pyrovault.
Sakura had been taken into custody by Noary. And now, here she was.
The silence stretched, but it was heavy with emotion.
Sakura screwed up her face in concentration as she looked at him. Eventually, she looked up at the ceiling.
“Oh, it’s no use!” she cried exasperatedly. “I can’t remember! I’m sorry! You’re someone I knew before I went missing, right?”
“…!”
“Went missing”… Sakura hadn’t been told about Archive or even about the existence of vanits. The story she’d been given was that she’d simply vanished and no one knew why. Karamori had been warned that she had no memory of the last four years, and that to her, it felt like no time had passed since he last saw her.
It made sense that she wouldn’t recognize him. To her, she met him two weeks ago when he was just thirteen years old, and they didn’t know each other for long. He had undergone intense training as a Noary investigator and grown since they last saw each other, so his face and physique looked quite different. Her memories of the time before she turned into Archive might have been vague as well.
“…”
Her reaction wasn’t unexpected. Karamori steeled himself, knowing what he now had to do.
“Oh, sorry. Looks like I have the wrong room.” He gave her an awkward smile, then opened the sliding door behind him.
Medical examinations had found nothing wrong with her. She would be able to live a normal life, ignorant of the world’s distortions.
If he truly cared about her, the best thing to do would be to stay away from her.
Karamori turned around and went to step into the hallway, when…
“Wait! I do know you!”
“…!”
Karamori’s eyes glistened. It wasn’t just the reflection of the hallway light that caused it, either.
Sakura continued to speak behind him. “I recognize your voice! I don’t remember anything from the last four years, but I feel like your voice was with me the whole time!”
Karamori froze in place. He didn’t say anything. No, he couldn’t say anything. His hand shook from how hard he was clasping the door’s handle.
“You’re the one who saved me, aren’t you?” Sakura said to his back. “Having no memory of the time I’ve been gone terrifies me, but I feel like it wasn’t a bad four years because I had your voice… That’s how I felt when you spoke.”
As far as Sakura could see, Karamori didn’t react to her words. He just stood there with his back turned, holding the door half open. She couldn’t see the tears rolling down his cheeks. Nor was she aware of how hard he was clenching his teeth.
He couldn’t turn around and let her see him sobbing. It wouldn’t make sense for a person who entered the room by mistake to cry hearing those words.
“So…thanks,” she said.
Karamori looked down at his feet. She might see that as a nod, or not.
“Take care of yourself,” he told her, doing everything he could to stop his voice from shaking.
He stepped out into the hallway.
“I will…,” replied Sakura. “Come again, okay?”
Karamori closed the door without turning around. He wiped his tears with his sleeves and walked down the sunset-bathed hallway. Archive soon caught up to him.
“…Is that what you wanted?” she asked.
“It’s better this way.” He wiped more tears and looked straight ahead. “Archive. I swear never to stop working as a Canary. Even if I’m freed from Tyrfing’s curse.”
“I see. Then I shall accompany you. Hitsugi gives her consent as well.”
“You don’t have to force yourself. You have no reason to work as a Canary anymore.”
“I am not forcing myself. It is…what I wish to do. That is all.”
Karamori looked at her, eyebrows raised. There was a quiet yet strong resolve in her eyes. He faced forward again and smiled.
“That’s good… Then to mark a new beginning, how about we get some ramen?” he suggested.
“I would prefer something else.”
“Huh?” Karamori looked at her, stunned. “Why? Are you not feeling well?”
Archive gave him a small, awkward smile.
“I am fine. I simply do not like ramen anymore.”
She looked happy as she said that.
A gust of wind brushed against their cheeks, guiding them toward a distant place.
Neither of them knew where that would be.
Only that the sun would be shining there.