Outside, the library’s automatic locks clicked open. The first gray light of dawn bled through the windows.

Emi’s breath fogged the screen. She hit .

It wasn’t a book. It wasn’t a news clipping. It was a , timestamped from exactly one year ago today: USER: ninomiya.h – COMMAND: DELETE SELF – STATUS: COMPLETE The screen went black. Then, in the reflection, Emi saw someone standing behind her.

The search bar seemed to tremble. Then, the results appeared.