As I pick up the strange letter, my head begins to ache from reading the name of the person who signed it, Flos. I feel like I remember it from somewhere. Wherever it's from, I'm sure I'll get some explanation.
To: Makoto Aikawa
From: The Goddess of Love, Flos
Hi there, Makoto, or should I call you Mako? Whatever it is, I'm sure you're a bit lost. So let me explain how you are in this situation. You see, Mako, we made a little deal. You do me a favor, and I'll let you fix the biggest mistake you've ever made. That was our deal. Now, I'm sure you already know your biggest mistake, but you don't know what I want from you, do you? To put it simply, I want you to redeem yourself. In my eyes, I see you as a waste of potential. You, who had so many options, and were blissfully ignorant of how many people could have loved you if you put in a little bit of effort. It irritates a Goddess of Love more than you'd think. So, I want you to make that up. I want you to have a romance so sweet it would make someone puke. I want you to do this for me. You'll have as many tries as needed, but if you can't do this, you'll be stuck in the past until you succeed. I won't let you leave. Good luck, Makoto, and do be as entertaining as you can. After all, I'll be watching closely.
Love: Flos
As I finish reading, I drop the letter out of shock. I'm stuck in a time loop. That explains how I'm here after what happened with those two, but how the hell does it reset? After all, it only reset when I started to panic. I have to think more about this later. For now, I should probably prepare. After all, if it's the same, then I'll see them soon. I'll see her again, the girl I loved for so long yet still rejected. As I think this, I slap the sides of my face as if I were trying to wake myself up. As I do, my eyes open fully. I don't get any of this, but I guess I'll have to make do. What did she mean by
"I had so much potential"?
I find that a bit hard to believe. I then stand up, stretching as I do, I ready myself, making sure I'm calm for what's to come. This entire situation is so confusing, but I'll have to try my best.
So, to start, I think I'll wash up. As I walk to the restroom to go shower, I sigh, wondering how I'll do this. I keep thinking that as I shower, the water falls on my body making it even harder to think. It doesn't get any easier after the shower, but as I look in the mirror, I see myself. I always forgot how in shape I was. After all, it's good to have an obsession with physical health and, most importantly, skincare. I look at the products I have on the counter: masks, cleansers, and gel creams. I giggle, realizing I was always so careful. I should probably take care of said skin.
As I start, I hear a knock on the door. As I do, I put down the skincare products and go back to my room to get dressed. I throw on whatever clothes I can find and make my way to the door. I look through the peephole and see them again, the women who made me panic last time. As I see them, my heart races for a moment before I take a deep breath and open the door. As I do, I see the same two women I saw last time, and when I see them, I say with a kind smile, "Hey Mio and Nakamura."
The girl with the black hair said,
"Wow, you call my sister by her name and not me. I see how it is," she said with a pout.
"Yeah, sorry about that Shiori. Either way, what are you guys here for?"
"You invited us over for breakfast remember? By the way, what exactly did you plan on making, Mako?"
"I was thinking of making pancakes. It's been a while since I made them, so why not? If you want something else, I'm fine with hearing you out, Mio."
"No, I'm okay with pancakes. I was hoping for something on the sweeter side this morning."
"Then come on in. We've got plenty to do today."
"Hmm, what do you mean by that?"
"Shiori, this summer's been a bit boring. After all, aren't you going to uni after summer? Why not live a little,"
I say as I start to take out the eggs, flour, and milk.
"That's fair, but my schedule is a bit chaotic. So if we're going to do anything, it's got to be sooner rather than later. Plus, I ain't doing a thing without my lovable baby sister, Mio,"
Shiori says as she gives Mio a big smothering hug. As she does this, I grab the baking powder and start to mix the ingredients. I simply listen to these two's sibling banter, and I remember.
"Hey, Mio, what happened to Sato?''
''He's in summer school right now since he failed math."
"Damn, did he have any ideas for summer?"
"I don't know. We could call him if you want."
"I'll call him now."
I bring out my phone and call Satoshi Nakamura, my best friend, and Miori's twin. As I call, it rings and rings. As I mix the pancake batter, making sure it is well mixed and that all the ingredients are incorporated, I hear a young man's voice talking in a mischievous whisper.
"What's up, Mako? You don't usually call me this early. Did something cool happen?"
"No, I just wanted to ask if you have any ideas for this summer. After all, this is Shiori's last summer before uni."
"I don't have any ideas cooking right now, but I'm sure Shiori would love something that could let her show off, so maybe the beach."
"Okay, I'll run that by her. Thanks, Sato."
"No worries, bro. I gotta go, though. Sorry, Mako."
"It's all good. See you later, Sato."
As we say goodbye, I finish making the batter and start making the pancakes. As I look toward Mio and Shiori, I say,
"Sato thought a beach trip would be fun, but it'll be hard to make it work."
"SATOSHI'S A GODDAMN GENIUS!!"
Shiori says loudly, letting go of Miori and fist-pumping the air, startling Miori and me a bit. But as we both see her excitement, we lose the surprise and smile kindly before I say,
"I can get us a place to stay. My family has a small house near Moria Beach. It'll be a squeeze, but it's enough to fit all of us."
As I say that, Miori smiles and says,
"I can ask Mom and Dad to borrow the car"
in a very excited tone.
continuing in the excited voices, Shiori says,
"I can pay for food and snacks. I've got a bit of cash to blow, so I'm down."
As we slowly and excitedly made plans for the trip, I made sure all the pancakes I was making were well-made. But as I do so, I remember one more thing:
"What's our schedule looking like because today's Monday?"
"Oh crap, you're right," Shiori says, saddened.
"I think it'll be alright. We just won't be able to spend too much time there."
"Then, for now, let's just keep thinking about it,"
Mako says with a smile, hopeful that everything will go well.
... to be continued
this will be the last chapter for a little while but i am working on the fourth but i will also be working on a one shot thats been stuck in my head for a long while figuired people come here to find fantasy not some cheesy romance about a guy having relive and fix something he regrets right