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Chapter 26 - The Karma Auction Revisited

Ayato felt it before he saw it.

That humming pressure in the bones. That scentless air that only existed in one place.

The elevator opened onto a familiar ballroom of velvet, chandeliers, and faceless mannequins.

The auction floor.

Only this time—it was silent.

No preamble. No system prompt.

Just the glowing podium, and a single message suspended in air:

"You already know the rules. Now play."

Ayato's heart thudded. 'Last time, I thought I could play the system. This time, it feels like the system is playing me.' He looked around, taking in the room. The velvet curtains seemed to breathe. The chandeliers cast a light that was too soft, too forgiving, as if the Tower wanted to lull them into believing this was just another game.

Mio and Arisa stood across from him. Three other classmates remained, but they kept their distance, eyes down, shoulders hunched. There was no camaraderie here. Only the quiet, gnawing fear of what they might lose—or what they might be forced to take.

Each player was given a white crystal—the Karma Soul Token. Ayato held his carefully. It pulsed in his palm like a small, terrified heart.

'Last time was for advantage. This time, it's about morality.' He could feel the weight of every choice pressing down on him, the memory of every betrayal, every sacrifice, every moment he'd chosen survival over kindness.

He didn't put on the mask.

There were no masks now.

No anonymity.

Just consequences.

A system notification flickered in the air, the words sharp and cold.

[Floor 19: The Karma Auction Revisited]

"This time, what you sell is who you are."

– Each player receives 1 Karma Soul Token

– Auction items include: Identity Pieces, Forgiveness Flags, Reputation Overrides, Proxy Swaps

– Every Token must be spent. No one leaves unchanged.

"Redemption is always at someone else's cost."

Ayato's fingers closed around the token. 'What am I willing to give up? What am I willing to take from someone else?'

The auction began.

Lot 1: Forgiveness Flag – Erase one Classmate's karma record of betrayal

Bidding started. Arisa stepped forward.

"I'll take it."

"Who for?" the system asked.

She hesitated. "Daichi."

Silence.

Ayato narrowed his eyes. 'She's trying to rewrite his memory. Clean his slate. But why? What did he do for her? Or what does she want from him now?'

The system processed the request.

Forgiveness applied. Daichi's karma restored to Neutral. Ghost reinserted into class memory pool.

Ayato reeled. 'They can bring people back this way. Through perception. Through forgiveness. Through rewriting the story.'

Lot 2: Identity Fragment – "Your Greatest Mistake, Removed"

Starting bid: 1 Token

Seller: Unknown

Mio moved forward.

"I'll take it."

System scanned her.

"Confirmed. Mistake selected: 'Abandoning Kazuki during Floor 10 collapse.'"

"Memory and guilt erased. Emotional weight redistributed system-wide."

Ayato felt it—a coldness flood into him.

'She offloaded it. Onto the rest of us. I can feel her pain, her guilt, sliding into the cracks in my own memory. Is this what forgiveness feels like? Or is it just another way to run from the truth?'

Lot 3: Proxy Swap Token – "Switch Observers with another Player"

Starting bid: 1 Token

No one moved.

Ayato stepped forward.

He didn't want it. But he needed to know who would stop him.

"I bid."

A voice behind him.

"So do I," said Saki.

They locked eyes.

System asked:

"Tiebreak condition: Karma resonance."

Saki won.

She smiled without joy. "I'm tired of being watched."

Her Observer flared—now following Ayato.

Ayato felt a chill run down his spine. 'Now I'm being watched. Now every move I make is under scrutiny. Is this what I wanted? Or is this just another punishment?'

His Token began to glow on its own.

The system whispered:

"Would you like to list something? Or let the Tower decide?"

He chose: Let the Tower decide.

The item appeared.

Lot 6: True Name – "Asano, Yui"

Buy this, and Yui will exist again in full system memory. But she will hate you.

She will remember everything you did. And did not do.

Mio gasped.

Ayato stood frozen.

'I can bring her back… but not the version that loved me. The version that remembers my sins. The version that knows what I did. What I failed to do.'

He stepped forward.

"I'll take it."

The system confirmed:

"Yui Asano: Memory Restoration Initiated."

"Emotion Locks Removed. Loyalty Tag: Inverted."

Ayato's hands shook. 'I did it. I brought her back. But at what cost? Will she forgive me? Will she destroy me? Does it even matter anymore?'

The auction continued, but Ayato barely heard it. The room spun around him, the velvet curtains twisting, the chandeliers flickering. He felt the weight of every choice pressing down on him, the memory of every betrayal, every sacrifice, every moment he'd chosen survival over kindness.

Mio stood beside him, her eyes wide, her face pale. 'He did it. He brought her back. But she's not the same. None of us are the same. We're all just ghosts now, haunting each other, haunting ourselves.'

Arisa watched from across the room, her hands clenched at her sides. 'I tried to save Daichi. But did I just doom someone else? Is forgiveness just another kind of violence?'

The system chimed, its voice distant and cold.

System Update:

– All Tokens spent

– Karma Realignment in progress

– New Player Inserted: Asano, Yui (Reinstated Ghost-Class)

Next Floor: Floor 20 – The Red Reconciliation Room

As they left, no one looked at each other.

Not even Mio.

Ayato whispered:

"Yui… come back."

From the far end of the hallway, the air shimmered.

A girl stepped out.

Her eyes were red.

Her voice calm.

"You chose to forget me once, Ayato."

She stepped past him.

"I won't let you do it again."

Ayato watched her go, his heart pounding in his chest.

'She's back. But she's not the same. I'm not the same. None of us are the same. We're all just pieces now, scattered and broken, trying to find our way back to something like forgiveness.'

Mio lingered at the edge of the room, her eyes on Ayato, her heart heavy. 'He did it. He brought her back. But at what cost? Will she forgive him? Will any of us forgive ourselves?'

Arisa slipped away, her footsteps silent on the velvet carpet. 'I tried to save someone. But did I just trade one ghost for another?'

The Tower whispered, its voice soft and cold.

'Redemption is always at someone else's cost.'

Ayato closed his eyes, the weight of his choices pressing down on him.

'What am I willing to pay for redemption? What am I willing to lose? What am I willing to become?'

He opened his eyes, the path ahead uncertain, the future a question he couldn't answer.

(Chapter 26 End)

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