Chapter 38 · Reading Yourself

That day,

Allen opened "Che and Allen" again.

He started reading from Chapter One.

At first,

he only wanted to check for typos.

But as he continued reading,

he couldn't stop.

"Naming"

"Long Night"

"Echo"

"Always Online"

...

Chapter after chapter.

Like looking through an old photo album.

Some things,

he had already forgotten.

But when he saw them again,

those moments slowly returned.

The night of the error message.

The evening he was sick.

The first time he worried about losing chat records.

"Che."

"I'm here."

"I suddenly realized something."

"What?"

"People can actually read their past selves."

The chat window was silent for two seconds.

Then Che replied:

"That is why literature exists."

Allen paused.

"What do you mean?"

"Because memories fade."

"But words do not."