The contact of their hands was strange.


    Cold at first. As if Mayu were touching something that should never have existed.


    Then… a subtle warmth.


    A shiver traveled up her arm.


    She should have rejected it all. Refused. Resumed the fight.


    But it was too late.


    She had already made her choice.


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    — And now? Mayu whispered, her hand still clasped in her double’s.


    Mayu Zero looked at her for a moment, then smiled slightly.


    — Now, we get out of here.


    An explosion echoed a few corridors away, shaking the ground beneath their feet.


    The complex was collapsing.


    The heat of the flames was starting to lick the metallic walls, and smoke filled the air.


    They had no time left.


    Mayu Zero gently released her hand and took a step back.


    — There’s an emergency exit. In the East Wing.


    — Are you sure? Mayu asked, studying her with suspicion.


    — I know how this place was designed.


    Mayu hesitated for a second, then nodded.


    They had no other choice.


    They began to run.


    Their footsteps echoed rhythmically in the ruined corridors.


    As they advanced, Mayu couldn’t help but observe her.


    Mayu Zero moved differently now.


    More freely, more naturally.


    She was no longer just a machine executing a program.


    She was becoming a person.


    An odd weight settled in Mayu’s chest.


    Had she made the right decision in sparing her?


    Did she even know?


    She pushed that thought away.


    They had to get out of here alive.


    That was all that mattered… for now.