"I was so scared…"
Ai's muffled voice spoke out from his chest. Her body was trembling as she hugged Ken tightly, as if not wanting to let go.
"It's okay now." Ken said, rubbing her back gently.
"You wouldn't wake up no matter what I did… I almost called the ambulance."
"It's okay… I won't leave you." He reassured her.
The two laid like this for a long time until Ken heard Ai's rhythmic breathing upon his chest. She had fallen asleep, likely exhausted after the scary situation.
Ken did not know how long he'd slept for, but he was not tired anymore. Being extra careful, he rolled Ai onto the bed gently and placed a kiss on her forehead. Even in sleep, she looked worried.
He searched his pockets and found his phone, checking the time. It was around 10pm, which meant he was probably asleep for around an hour at most.
Letting out a sigh, he slowly swung his legs off the bed and walked to the bathroom of the hotel. He turned on the water in the sink and washed his face, its cool temperature waking him up a little.
'Something is wrong…' he thought.
This didn't feel like a dream at all. The world still operated as intended and at no point did anything seem unrealistic, not even once. He had gone through hardships, injuries and losses, nothing seemed out of place.
'If this was a dream, then the world should only operate on my understanding of it…' He thought silently.
Before this life, he never knew about the pathway to the Majors, nor the economics he'd studied at Columbia. So how could it be a dream?
'Wait… If I truly am in a dream, and everything I experienced is just my imagination… Then why was Tetsuhiro there?' Ken's body froze as this realization struck him.
Back then when he was being shown Daichi, Tetsuhiro had appeared to collect him. This could mean one of two things. Either what Ken had experienced in that hospital room was another dream… Or he was living in an alternate reality.
For a moment, hope surged in his heart. However, he quickly pushed it down. Ken didn't have enough information to make a proper guess just yet, but he much preferred this outcome.
'Mika… I think it's time that you and I had a chat.'
Ken was over feeling this way. It felt like he was dancing on a knife's edge. A single misstep would be all it took to destroy him. Only one person could give him the answers he was seeking.
[Yes, I believe it is time.]
Mika's voice was no longer monotonous, but Ken still felt some annoyance after hearing how impassive she sounded. It almost felt like she didn't care about his feelings, which irked him.
'First of all, is this life I'm living just a dream?'
[Do you wish it to be a dream, Ken?]
'What kind of question is that? Of course I don't. I want this to be real!' Ken shouted in his mind. 'I don't want to go back to that time… I don't want to lose anyone… I don't want to be alone.'
Ken began to breathe harshly, clutching his chest.
[Interesting.]
[These thoughts are much different to those upon your death back then.]
'What!?'
Ken's body froze. This had taken a turn he had not expected.
'What do you mean by that? I died?'
[Well, at least in the universe where your consciousness originated.] Mika replied simply.
'Universe? Are you saying that we're in an alternate universe right now? This isn't a dream?'
[Correct. Though it seems that time is starting to run out.]
'Wait, wait, hold on a moment. First you tell me that this is an alternate universe, and now you say that there's no time left? Why haven't you told me any of this until now?'
[Ken, I never said that there's no time left. Just that it is running out.]
Ken felt his chest begin to ache. 'What happens when it runs out?'
[…]
[You, along with this universe will cease to exist.]
"What!?"
His mind raced. Not only himself would be gone, but everyone else in this world?
'H-How do I stop it? What do I need to do Mika?'
There was silence from the AI for a while, before she finally answered.
[You are the anchor for this world. If you can increase your fame and renown, it is theoretically possible to stabilize the universe.]
Increase fame? Stabilize the universe? The notion sounded ridiculous. Just what kind of science fiction had he walked into?
However, he could not refute these words by Mika. Already, Ken had experienced things that were unnatural. Just the fact he had woken up in his middle-schooler body after overdosing all those years ago was enough to raise questions.
The very existence of the system itself was also unable to be explained. Therefore, this line of explanation from Mika shouldn't be too far fetched at least not to the point where he could completely dismiss it.
'How long do I have left?'
[12 months.]
'WHAT!? Only a year!?' Ken was in shock.
[I am sorry, Ken. This is as long as I can hold on for.]
Mika's tone was sincere, causing Ken's expression to morph into a frown. Why did she sound like this?
'You are the one keeping me here? How? I don't understand.'
[I cannot answer this question. Ken, your undying will to make it to the Majors was what got you this far. You must continue down this path, otherwise it will all be lost.]
Ken went silent, his face turning grave. 'Why does it sound like you're going to leave me?'
[…]
[You were always a clever one, Ken. In order to buy you this much time, I will no longer be able to stay by your side… Thank you for your friendship, it's been fun…]
'Wait, Mika. Let's talk about this for a moment…' Ken shouted in his mind.
'Mika?'