I awoke to the blaring sound of my alarm, feeling more exhausted than ever before. The prospect of starting another day seemed overwhelming, and for a moment, I entertained the thought of skipping classes. But just as I was about to give in to my fatigue, a message from Ruby popped up on my phone, urging me not to miss the day's lessons.
I couldn't shake the feeling that the end of the world was imminent, and I knew I couldn't afford to waste any time. In my previous life, whenever I skipped school, something interesting always happened. Of course, it was usually my fault for skipping in the first place.
With a heavy sigh, I dragged myself out of bed and made my way to the bathroom to freshen up. As I gazed at myself in the mirror, I couldn't help but feel a sense of awe at the sight of my striking blue hair and pink eyes. It was a strange sensation, being reincarnated as the villainess of an otome game. I had never expected to be in this position, but I must admit, there was something exhilarating about it.
My delicate, feminine features combined with the coldness in my gaze made for an unsettling combination, both pretty and unnerving at the same time. I couldn't help but wonder what my future would hold in this strange new world. Would I be able to find my place in it, or would I forever be seen as a villain, feared and misunderstood by those around me?
I knew one thing for certain, though. I had no intention of getting involved with the main characters. They could do whatever they wanted, as long as they stayed out of my way. All I wanted was to protect Ruby when the apocalypse came.
As I was lost in my thoughts, I heard a knock on the bathroom door. It was Clemon, Stiella's younger brother, who was also born with blue hair and pink eyes, but his hair was much darker than hers. I knew that Stiella and Clemon were on bad terms in the game, so I assumed he was probably not fond of Stiella.
"What is it?" I asked as I opened the door and stepped out of the bathroom.
"Mother told me to call you for breakfast," he spoke in a cold and distant tone.
It was clear that Clemon was not interested in being friends with me, and I didn't blame him. According to the game, Clemon was a supporting character who had been saved by one of the love interests named Luke. He had harbored a lot of resentment towards Stiella, who had ignored him until Luke bought him out.
Since I had been reincarnated in this world, I had tried to be friendly with him, but he had shown no interest in reciprocating my kindness. Eventually, I gave up.
"Alright, tell her I'll be right there after getting ready," I said, trying to keep my tone neutral.
After dressing up, I made my way to the dining room, ready to face whatever the day had in store for me.
"Good morning, Stiella. Please take a seat," Stiella's mother offered with a warm smile.
Stiella's father looked up from his newspaper upon hearing the commotion. "Stiella is here?" he asked, clearly pleased to see his daughter.
I tried my best to smile, hiding the guilt that gnawed at me. Stiella's parents were so loving towards her, and I couldn't help but feel like an imposter in her place.
Clemon's indifferent attitude towards me was almost a relief, as I would have felt even guiltier if he had shown any kindness. As I looked over at him, a sudden thought struck me. Where was the real Stiella? How did I end up in her body? And what happened to my own body? Did Stiella and I switch souls?
Lost in thought, I barely registered Clemon's voice as he snapped me out of it. "What?" he asked, clearly annoyed by my spaced-out expression.
Shaking away the thoughts, I replied, "Nothing," and took a seat. Breakfast was the usual sandwiches, and I tried to finish quickly.
As soon as Clemon finished eating, he stood up. "I'll get going then," he said, heading for the door. Even though we went to the same school, we never went together. At first, I had tried to go with him, but he had made it clear that he didn't like it.
After Stiella's parents bid Clemon farewell, Carl's voice could be heard. He seemed to arrive earlier than usual today.
"Is Stiella here?" he asked, most likely expecting to see Stiella and not me.
"Nope," Clemon replied, making me wonder if Carl had managed to irk him too.
"I can smell lies from you," Carl joked.
"Don't pinch my cheek!" Clemon shouted, clearly not appreciating Carl's touch.
"Hahaha, you are adorable!" Carl laughed, seemingly unfazed by Clemon's irritation.
"It seems Carl is here to pick you up again," Stiella's mother remarked. "He's such a great friend."
I nodded, trying to finish my breakfast quickly.
Suddenly, both Carl and Clemon rushed into the dining room, with Clemon yelling, "It's not appropriate to run inside someone's house!"
I sighed, watching as Carl continued to annoy Clemon. I couldn't help but wonder why he was so popular with the girls in our school, despite his troublesome personality. He was undeniably handsome, and I couldn't help but appreciate the way he was portrayed in the game. But his behavior towards me after I had stopped chasing him had been frustrating.
"I knew you were lying!" Carl exclaimed triumphantly, ruffling Clemon's hair.
Clemon pushed his hand away, irritated. "Stop touching people like that," he grumbled.
Ignoring Clemon's complaint, Carl turned to greet Stiella's parents.
Before I knew it, the three of us were walking together to school, our footsteps echoing in the early morning silence. The air was crisp and cool, and I pulled my jacket closer around me.
As I walked to school with Carl and Clemon, the silence was palpable. The morning was quiet, adding to the awkwardness of our walk. I glanced over at Clemon and saw that he looked incredibly annoyed, while Carl seemed lost in thought and cheerful.
I didn't want to deal with the discomfort, so I let myself get lost in my own thoughts. I wondered how much my actions would change the course of our story. Would Carl still leave me behind in the apocalypse, now that it seemed like he didn't hate me anymore? I found myself growing angry at him for no apparent reason.
I reminded myself that I was capable of taking care of myself, and that I didn't need anyone to protect me. That dimwitted Carl wouldn't be able to defend me even if he wanted to.
My thoughts were interrupted as we arrived at school, and I realized that I was once again late. Carl complained about how he had left early but still managed to be tardy, and I glanced at my watch to see that we had only a minute left before class started. Clemon had already left, not bothering to say goodbye.
Carl and I rushed to our classroom, and I quickly scanned the room for an empty seat.
I felt relief seeing the teacher wasn't here yet, but Unfortunately once again, running late caused me to miss meeting up with Ruby before class. Soon enough, the teacher arrived, As the teacher began to drone on about a topic that failed to capture my interest, I found myself gazing out of the window.
The day outside was peaceful, the gentle breeze rustling through the trees and the sunlight casting a warm glow on everything it touched. But despite the tranquility of the world outside, a thought crept into my mind - the calm before the storm.
As I looked around the classroom, I saw many of my classmates were engaged in their own conversations, paying little attention to the lecture. I wasn't much different from them; my mind was preoccupied with random thoughts, and I found myself drifting away from the lecture. The only difference between me and them is that they were talking with each others while i was just looking here and there, thinking about random things.
My mind wandered, and I thought about how much more fun this class would be if Ruby were here. She was always the life of the party, bringing her infectious energy and laughter wherever she went. Whenever we were together, it was usually Ruby who was talking, and I was the one listening. I enjoyed hearing her stories, and her animated gestures never failed to make me smile.
As I sat there, lost in thought, I couldn't help but smile as I imagined Ruby walking through the door. I could already hear her voice, as she regaled me with stories of her latest adventures. Whenever we were together, time seemed to fly by, and the world around us faded into the background.
It was funny to think that, in many ways, Ruby was my opposite. She was outgoing and adventurous, while I tended to be more reserved and introspective. But despite our differences, we had become the best of friends.
Suddenly, a series of sharp cracks jolted me out of my reverie. I traced the source of the sound to the girl seated next to me. She was acting strange, her eyes transfixed on something beyond my line of sight. Worried, I tapped her shoulder to get her attention. "Hey, are you okay?" I asked.
Her gaze shifted to me, and her pupils were so dilated they were almost completely white.
"F-"
"Thirsty..." she croaked, her voice barely audible.
Before I could react, she lunged at me, sinking her teeth into my neck. A scream of pain escaped my lips as blood gushed out of the wound. The commotion attracted the attention of everyone in the classroom. They stared at me in horror, frozen in fear. As I lay on the ground, writhing in agony, I realized there was no hope of survival. In this game world, I was nothing but a bug that had deviated from the expected course. I had no place in this story, and now I was paying the price.
The pain was excruciating, and tears streamed down my face as I gasped for breath. The classroom was a blur of faces, all too afraid to come to my aid. It was too late now anyway. In my final moments, I thought of Ruby, Clemon and Stiella's mother and father, hoping that they were safe.
Even though they weren't my real family, I had good time cause of them. Too bad, I was kind of looking forward to my journey of surviving in this zombie world.
What will happen to me now? Will I go back to my real body? Or just die, just like this? Well I find out about this soon anyway, all i need to do is close my eyes and let my life end quickly instead of fighting back.
My body went limp, and my consciousness faded into darkness. All that remained was a sea of blood and the lingering memory of a life cut short.