nsciousness returned slowly. It felt like waking up from a long sleep filled with strange dreams. I blinked several times, trying to gather my thoughts.

  A white ceiling. A faint st of vender.

  I was lying on the sofa in my apartment… or rather, an apartment that looked exactly like mine.

  As I tried to sit up, someone’s voice stopped me.

  "Finally awake, huh?"

  The voice was light, but there was a nervous uoo it. I turned my head and saw her—the woman I had seen before I passed out.

  She was sitting at the dining table, still dressed casually—an oversized shirt and shorts. Her long bck hair was loose, with a few strands falling over her face, which still looked awkward.

  I stared at her for a long time.

  And she stared back with an expression I couldn’t quite decipher.

  "I’m not dreaming, am I?" I finally asked.

  She sighed. "I wish this were just a dream, but… it’s not."

  I rubbed my face, trying tanize my chaotic thoughts. I looked around the room—everything was the same as my apartment, from the furniture arrao the messy books oable. But there were small details that felt… off.

  I swallowed hard. "Who are you?"

  She hesitated for a moment before answering uainly.

  "My name is Azami Yuki."

  A chill ran down my spine. "No way…"

  "I know this is fusing," she said quickly. "But believe me, I’m just as fused as you are. From my perspective, *you’re* the one who suddenly appeared in *my* apartment."

  I stared at her more ily. That face, those expressions… even the way she spoke reminded me of myself.

  This wasn’t just a ce.

  This woman was truly another version of me.

  I rubbed the bay neck, trying to think rationally. "Okay… Okay… If you’re really Azami Yuki, when’s your birthday?"

  "November 6th."

  "Favorite food?"

  "Miso ramen."

  I narrowed my eyes. "Which hand do you use more?"

  "Left-handed."

  I fell silent. All her answers were correct.

  This wasn’t just a stranger who looked like me—she was *me*, in a different form.

  She looked at me with a tense expression. "Now, it’s my turn to ask."

  I gulped. "What?"

  She took a deep breath. "Where are you from?"

  I blinked. "What do you mean?"

  "You’re not from this world, are you?"

  My heart beat faster. "What are you talking about? This world is the same as mine."

  She shook her head. "No, there’s one big differenight not have noticed yet."

  I waited.

  And finally, she said it.

  "In this world, the ratio of men to women is 1:5."

  I froze.

  I tried to process her words, but my brain refused to accept it immediately. However, the more I thought about it… there *was* something strange ever since I arrived here.

  When I was walking to the apartment earlier, I didn’t pay much attention… but now I remembered.

  Oreets, iaurants, at the station—most of the people I saw were women.

  There were hardly any men.

  I buried my fa my hands. "This is a joke, right?"

  She gave a weak smile. "I wish it were."

  I let out a long sigh. "So… I’m really stu another world?"

  She nodded. "And for reasons we don’t know yet, you’ve met me… the female version of you in this world."

  I stared at her deeply. "Then, what do we do now?"

  She smiled faintly. "I don’t know… But ohing’s for sure, you’re not going to like what happe."

  Before I could ask more, the sound of police sirens wailed outside the window.

  Immediately, a bad feeling crept up my spine.

  I turo the woman, who now wore a serious expression.

  "Another murder has happened."

  And that was the beginning of everything.