Someone Keeps Drawing His Face
Chapter 12: Someone Keeps Drawing His Face
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🎨 1 — The Doodle That Shouldn't Exist
Aika was in art class when it happened.
They were assigned free-drawing time. No theme. No pressure.
She wasn't even trying to think—just letting her hand move across the sketchpad.
But when she looked down—
There it was.
A face.
His face.
Messy hair. Soft eyes. A crooked smile.
She didn't know his name.
Didn't even remember deciding to draw him.
But her fingers had remembered everything.
Her heartbeat quickened.
The drawing was warm. Familiar. Almost like a photograph torn from another world.
And then, her pencil broke.
Right across his eye.
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🖋️ 2 — The Spiral Journal
At home that night, Aika opened her drawer.
She didn't know why. It was instinct.
Inside was a notebook she didn't recognize.
No title. No color. Just an old leather-bound spiral journal, its corners frayed.
She flipped it open.
The first page:
> "If you find this, it means I failed.
But it also means I reached you."
Her hands shook.
Every page after that was filled with:
Drawings of the same boy
Phrases like "Don't forget me" and "They'll say I was imaginary"
Maps of the school with red Xs over certain classrooms
A line written over and over again:
> "Aika, you're the only one who can bring me back."
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🧼 3 — The Janitor Who Remembers
Aika returned to school early the next morning.
She went to the archive room again, holding the spiral journal tight.
There, she met someone unexpected.
An old janitor sweeping the hallway.
"Lost something?" he asked.
"I'm not sure," she said. "Do you… remember a boy named—"
She paused. The name still refused to surface.
The janitor stared at her for a long moment.
Then he whispered:
> "Ah. You mean the one they tried to erase."
She froze. "You… remember?"
He smiled faintly.
> "Memories are like stains. Even bleach can't clean them all."
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🧩 4 — System Interference Detected
During history class, Aika's vision blurred.
Her textbook warped—pages flipping backward.
Suddenly, she was back in first year, seated in a classroom that shouldn't exist anymore.
All around her:
People she didn't recognize.
But every single one of them was drawing.
Sketching faces. Writing names. Tearing out pages.
On each paper:
That same crooked smile
A line of text: "I was here."
A single name: "Ren."
> "Ren."
The word fell from her lips before she knew what it meant.
And then—
The classroom exploded into static.
She blinked.
She was back in the present.
Her history book smoldering with smoke.
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🕸️ 5 — Glitch Manifestation Event
That night, Aika dreamt again.
But this time—she didn't just see him.
She stood across from him.
Ren.
No longer a memory.
But not fully alive either.
His body flickered. Parts of him were transparent. His voice echoed like it came from a speaker submerged in water.
> "You're getting closer," he said. "But it's not safe. They know you're remembering me."
Aika touched his hand.
It was cold. Electric. But real enough to make her weep.
> "Why can't I hold onto you?" she asked.
He stared into her eyes.
> "Because they built a world where I'm the glitch.
If you remember me fully, everything collapses."
Then the dream ended.
And in the morning—
Her hand still felt cold where she touched him.
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📖 6 — The Class That Isn't Listed
At school, Aika noticed something strange.
Class 3-C wasn't in the attendance files.
She asked the teacher.
"There is no 3-C," they replied, confused. "We only have 3-A and 3-B."
But Aika could feel it.
She wandered the hallway until she found a door. Unmarked. Dusty.
She opened it.
Inside: a completely set classroom.
Desks.
Books.
Chalkboards filled with writing.
But everything was covered in plastic, like the room was frozen in time.
She walked to the window.
Etched in the glass:
> "This is where I stopped existing."
Then—
Footsteps behind her.
A student.
Flickering.
Ren.
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👁️ 7 — His Name Returns
He stared at her.
"Why did you come here?"
"I want to remember you," she whispered.
He looked away. "I don't know if I'm me anymore."
She walked toward him.
"I don't care."
She reached out.
Touched his chest.
The classroom trembled.
Reality buckled.
A name burned into the chalkboard behind him.
> REN ARAKAWA
She gasped.
And then—
The school alarms blared.
Red emergency lights flashed.
Students outside screamed and disappeared into static.
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🕯️ 8 — Consequence Protocol Engaged
The PA system echoed:
> [ MEMORY INTEGRITY BREACH: CRITICAL ]
[ SUBJECT "REN ARAKAWA" DETECTED IN LIVE STATE ]
[ INITIATING REALITY RESTRUCTURE IN T-MINUS 4 HOURS ]
Ren held her hand tightly.
"This isn't just about remembering me anymore," he said. "Now they're going to try to erase you, too."
Aika didn't blink.
"Then I'll go with you."
He shook his head.
"No. You still have a place here. I don't."
But she smiled sadly.
> "You gave me reality.
Now it's my turn."
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🕯️ End of Chapter 12
Next: Chapter 13 — "We Have Four Hours Before This World Ends"