Chapter 1

Welcome, Mafuyu.

...Are you by yourself today?

Yeah. I just came here to relax after finishing my homework.

That's nice...

Oh... Mizuki was here earlier.

She was?

...I don't know for sure.

But I was thinking that I...want to study fashion...and to keep going with Niigo...

But--

...What did she say?

She made a ribbon with some leftover fabric. She said she'd be happy if I wore it sometime.

...I see.

...How are Ena and Kanade doing right now?

Ena's been the same as always. It seems like she was assigned another difficult theme for her art class, so she came to our work session a bit late yesterday.

And Kanade is...

...She's the same too. She seems to be giving a lot of thought to her music.

I see...

(...I'm sure she's still thinking of a way to write a song for my sake...)

(She said that she needs to rework it, so I'm sure she's been thinking about it since then..)

(But...)

...I'm sorry...for worrying you...

...? There's a light coming from the lake...

That light...

Oh, KAITO...

...Did you two come here because you sensed a fragment of feelings too?

A fragment of feelings?

Fragments of feelings are somehow formed from overflowing emotions. Look, there are some at your feet.

These glass shards?

I've only heard about them from Luka, but this is the first time I've seen one for myself...

...Supposedly when you touch them, you can peer into that feeling.

...Mafuyu, when you came here, you were alone, right?

Yeah...

Then that fragment is probably one of your feelings.

Eh...?

I've been here for a little while, but that fragment appeared suddenly just a moment ago.

...So that fragment manifested because I came to the Sekai?

Maybe, but I'm guessing it was a reaction to your feelings. You should check to see what's inside of it.

Even if you tell me to check, I don't know how to do that...

This fragment is different from the others, so if you leave it alone, it'll disappear.

Oh... Luka said something like that too...

Because it's separated from its main part, the feelings will become distorted and then disappear.

...Is this fragment really mine?

Most likely.

...Okay. I'll try it.

--I'll touch it.

This is...inside of the fragment...?

(...What is this fog...? I can't see through it...)

We don't know what could happen while we're here. Stay close.

Oh...!

Hey!

...Miku...why did you...?

Oh...

...Me...?

...Yes. I was surprised to see her fallen over...

But it seems like she's just sleeping, thank goodness...

...I wonder if it's taking the form of one of your memories rather than you yourself.

One of my memories...?

I'm guessing it took on this form because of your emotions.

Let's see if we can talk to her.

...Should I wake her up?

Obviously.

--She won't wake up.

Huh...?

...She won't wake up.

...Another...me...?

Yes. Hello, big me.

And you two are...?

...I'm Miku. And his name is KAITO.

Wow~! You really are the Virtual Singers Miku and KAITO, huh?

It's so cool that I can talk to you like this!

...Is this girl really you?

...I don't know. I don't remember what I was like back then very well...

...Hey, um...Mafuyu...?

What is it--?

...This sleeping Mafuyu... Why won't she wake up...?

I...can't say why...

Because "I" need to come to that realization myself...¹

What...?

But I can tell you just a little bit...

...That "me" has seemed sleepy all the time lately...

I asked her, "If you're so sleepy, why don't you just sleep?" but she told me "I have to stay awake."

...But then she fell asleep, and now she's been asleep for a long time.

Yes...

And these fragments of feelings keep drifting farther and farther away from her...

So I've been following after them and trying my best to keep them from getting lost.

...So this place seems to have been created by that sleeping Mafuyu, right?

And you're the one keeping her together, so that her fragments of feelings don't get separated from her main body.

That's right... But...that's all I can do...

Until "I" realize what "I've" forgotten, she'll stay like this forever.¹

...You've been protecting her all this time, huh?

Thank you...

...Sometimes she'd cut up apples for me. She'd even cut them up into apple bunnies, just like how my mama used to do for me a long time ago.

Even though she wanted it most, she'd always cut it up for me or the even littler me...

And you know something? Whenever she cut the apple, it'd always turn out a little sour... So the littler me didn't really like to eat them.

And she'd say, If it was bigger, it wouldn't fit in your mouth, you know" and she'd keep cutting them in half again and again...

So then they'd turn into really thin bunny slices.

But...

But still... I loved the really bunny apples she cut up for me, and I really loved her too...

So...please...

...You want me to find a way to wake her up, right?

... ... ...I'm sorry...

Don't apologize.

I'll search for my feelings so that she'll wake up.