Raven's POV
"Like I said, who are you to butt in?!" Maxine repeats, clearly annoyed by Estelle who is in front of me.
"And like I said as well, I'm Estelle Zeller." Estelle repeats as she puts her hands on her hips and sighs.
"You know, this kind of behavior goes straight to the student council and then the principal, right?" Estelle adds.
Making Maxine jolt and avert her gaze. "Tch.."
"Who are you to talk back to Maxine!" One of Maxine's friend states as Maxine crosses her arms.
"Forget it. Drop it girls." Maxine says, clearly not wanting any more trouble.
"B-but.." They try to retort back in defense for Maxine, they are clearly loyal and willing to speak up for her, but from the looks of it, Estelle's words were a bigger impact to Maxine.
"Let's go, we'll be late for class." Maxine says as the girls follow behind her without Maxine ever looking back.
I sigh in relief as I turn my gaze back to Estelle.
She flashes a bright smile at me and waves at me.
"Hey there. You okay?" Estelle asks me with a smile.
"... I'm fine." I reply back to her.
"Man, that sure was scary.. I didn't know what would happen if she didn't back out." Estelle says as she exhales in relief.
'She was scared? Despite looking so confident just now? Wow.. I.. can never be like that. ' I think to myself as I hold onto my bag tightly.
"Hold on a second.. you're.. ah! You're Raven Lunaire, right?! The one who illustrated the school festival theme last year!"
"Huh? Umm.. yes."
"Wow.. so this is what meeting an artist feels like. I'm so honored to meet you, say you wanna be friends?"
"Friends..? But--" I try to reply back but she cuts me off as she takes a step closer to me and smiles cheekily.
"Or better yet, best friends!"
"... Huh.." I stare at her as I try to process her words.
'Somehow, she's very easy going. '
I couldn't help but smile at her in response.
"I think we should start as friends first." I say to her in response.
She leans away and scratches the back of her head.
"Hehe, okay. That works too. Nice to meet you Raven! "
'Later that morning, it was surprising for Estelle and I to realize we were classmates. Even though it was the second day of the first week, I guess avoiding everyone's stare made me not see her within the crowd of people.'
"Say, there's this really nice cat cafe I saw on my way home. Do you wanna check it together later, Raven?" Estelle asks me while we were eating lunch together.
"A cat cafe?" I say, though I wasn't that interested, her giddiness made me say yes.
Once we have arrived at the cat cafe and spend some time there together, Estelle happily hugs a cat who's willingly sitting on her thighs.
"Waaaa.. so blissful. Say, Raven. Don't you think it'll be great to work here!?" Estelle happily asks.
"Eh? Umm.. who knows." I reply softly as I take a sip on my drink.
"I really like cats!" Estelle happily says.
"But.. Estelle, wouldn't it be hard to balance school and work?" I ask her.
"Huh? Oh, I guess I never mentioned. But.. I'm an orphan. " Estelle says with a gentle smile.
"An.. orphan? " I mutter.
'She's just like me. ' My eyes widen in surprise upon hearing her confession to her background.
"I've been working since I was young and I gradually got a much more stable place to stay in." Estelle says as she puts down the cat who goes on to me and rubs itself on my leg.
'I am the same but.. I still live in a shabby apartment. The difference between her and me are like night and day.' I think to myself as I look down, feeling envious of someone I call my friend.
"I'm gonna apply here!" Estelle says happily.
"... If I stay around with you, will I be able to do the same..?" I mutter outloud without realizing.
"...?" Estelle looked at me, confused.
"U-uh.. I.." I hold onto my skirt tightly as I felt embarrassed for mumbling the words out loud.
"You mean.. you wanna work with me too? Of course! That would be so great!" Estelle happily says as she gets up and looks around to the workers.
"Hello! Hello! Is the manager available right now?" Estelle happily says, catching a few cutsomers' attention.
"A-ah, Estelle..!" I get flustered as she happily goes on, catching more attention.
"Come on! It'll be fun! Let's work together Raven!" Estelle says with a smile.
'And that's how everything started.'
The following days start to made me feel some normalcy, a sense of relief for having at least a friend to talk to, to spend my time with.
From mornings, going to school together, talking before class starts, studying together, in the afternoons, visiting me in the clubroom and walking back to the train station.
It would be fulfilling at least for a little while.
'I figured the hellish days would be over, but they only became tolerable, at least, that's what I tried to believe.' I think to myself until the following weeks came by.
"Haha, so pathetic." One of the girls pouts a can of soft drink on me as my art materials are scattered everywhere on the floor at the back of the school.
"Hey, you jerks!" Estelle comes rushing in.
"Ugh, it's that Zeller girl again. Quick, let's go." They leave as soon as Estelle arrives, panting heavily as she tries to catch her breath.
"Jeez! Those jerks.. are you okay, Raven?"
"There's no way I'm okay.." I muttered.
"... R-raven..?" Estelle looks at me with concern as I slowly got up and look at her with an expression I couldn't even tell myself.
All I had was bitterness.
"It's always like this.. you would always come to rescue me.. it's frustrating. Somehow, whenever I try to fight back, they would get progressively worse.." I mumble, feeling the wet dripping coldness of the soft drink all over my body from head to toe.
"Raven.." Estelle says my name softly, I couldn't even see her facial expression as I kept my eyes down.
"This is amusing to you, isn't it?" I scoff.
'What am I saying? Estelle isn't that kind of person.' I think to myself, clenching my fists tightly.
"Ah, I get it. You're also befriending me so you could get close with Axel right? Some sh*tty type you got." I say as I glare down the ground.
I continue to speak nonsensical things without minding the bleep sound, nothing but static in my head as I continue to vent.
"Everyone doesn't even mess with you, you're always so loved. Even the principal's son has taken a liking to you. What the heck, right? "
"Raven.. " Estelle says my name once again.
I hold onto my skirt tightly as I frown. 'Ah, I can't stop myself. Please, leave me alone Estelle. I'm sorry.'
"You're like a heroine.. always the kind and gentle one, aren't you Estelle? Gosh, that kindness of yours.. pisses me the f*ck off. " I said out of spite.
The bleep sound and static became louder to me and I closed my eyes in annoyance.
'Stop.. shut up.' I argue myself as I said one final sentence.
"I.. wish you were in my position." I said as I look up at her.
"..."
Only for the view to be a frozen image of Estelle on a screen.
I look around the area and everything was frozen, the birds, the sky and the static glitch was dense in my hearing.
"... W-what? Estelle..? " I mutter as I look back at her, before my hand could reach out to her, my body was pulled back in a heavy momentum.
With my eyes closed, I was unaware of what had happened, but when I opened them once again, I jolt away from my sleep.
"T-that.. was a nightmare.. " I said to myself as I hold onto my head and then my heart that was pounding.
But before I could process it, I start to notice that my bed became wider.
No, my room was different.
It was more elegant and neater.
"Where.. am I..?" I ask myself as I look at the mirror next to me.
It was still me, except I'm wearing my school uniform.
Then a notification sound popped and my view was blocked by a system like message.
'Your role has been switched. You are now the heroine.'
"Heroine..?" I mutter in disbelief with what I see.
'Data will now be transferred.'
As the notification changed, I saw glimpses of memories I was never aware of.
Memories of all the supposed male leads, routes, timelines and memories I never had.
All of them.
They weren't mine.
'Why? What's with these memories? What's happening to me?' I panicked, my breathing becoming ragged as I start to hold onto my chest heavily.
The pounding of my head and the anxiety rising as I hyperventilate.
'That day, my memories with Estelle was switched, but the only flaw was the fact that I am self aware of everything.' I think to myself.
Within the following days, I find myself locked in my room at the same day over and over.
'It's been Monday forever.. ' I think to myself and then it happens again.
The static noise and glitch of me being in a school uniform.
"... It rewinded the day again." I mutter to myself.
No matter how much I try to starve myself, everything was the same condition in my body.
Stable.
Yet my mind grew mad.
'Failing to comply, will delete the world.'
'Failing to take the role, will delete the world.'
'Failing to be the heroine, will delete the world.'
It continues to notify me, making me look up and hold onto my arms tightly as I closed my knees together in a sitting position.
"The heroine.." As I mutter the title, I think of Estelle.
'Someone kind and gentle. That's how a heroine should be, right?'
I found myself following how Estelle acts, although sometimes I get out of character. The people around me no longer look at me with disdain.
'So this is the heroine role.. ' I think to myself and a smirk crept on my face.
My heart raced in excitement.
"THUD!"
I turn my attention to two blondes and a few girls at the hallway, and there my eyes shook at the very scene.
It was Maxine looking down at none other than Estelle who bumped into her.
"Es..telle.." I mutter to myself as I felt the guilt crawling on my back.
It reminded me of how this is happening and how I'm partially to blame.
"I.. wish you were in my position."
My own words echoes in my head as I remembered what brought this situation.
"Estelle--!" I took a step and run towards her, but as she looks at me she was surprised.
"Eh? Who.. who are you?" Estelle says with a confused expression.
'She.. doesn't reme-'
Before I could finish the thought, I remembered how my memories were switched with Estelle.
"Estelle.. are you.. not self aware..?" I asked and she only looked at me with confusion.
"What the heck? Could you not butt in?" Maxine says as she crosses her arms.
"Estelle..!" I called out to her, but before I knew it, a lot of attention was on us, the students that were watching felt like eyeballs that were ready to get rid of me.
'Failing to be the heroine, will delete the world.'
That sentence alone flashed in my head and before I knew it, I was transferred back to the bedroom.
Estelle's original bedroom.
'This.. this isn't.. what I wanted.. ' I ruffled my head in panic as I stutter.
"I.. I-i'm sorry.. Estelle.. I'm sorry.."
I became the heroine from then on.
Notifications popping.
'Eugene Cross.'
'Bad ending.'
'Axel Slyvius.'
'Bad ending.'
'Nomase Rosenberg.'
'Bad ending.'
'Rogue Fox.'
'Bad ending.'
'Is this what the original Estelle had to go through?'
'It feels heavier than my own role as a side character.'
'A.. side character.. '
I sit up the bed as I came to a realization.
Remembering Estelle's first interaction with me, the day she saved me.
"Hah.. aha.." I start to laugh at myself as I gripped onto the sheets tightly.
"I was nothing but a character she has to save. All that suffering.. just to make the heroine shine? Bullshit*t." I say, frustration taking over as I gritted my teeth.
'I'll be stuck here forever. Facing everything over and over.'
I close my eyes as I hold onto myself.
"Raven?" Estelle's rough voice echoes and when I opened my eyes, I'm back at the train with her.
"I-i'm sorry for passing out! Ah.. I think we are almost in our stop.. " Estelle says softly.
'Estelle.' I looked at her, my sleepiness still in me as she looks at me.
'No, this can't be her. The Estelle I first met and the Estelle switched up in my role are too different from this Estelle.'
I reached out and caress their cheek.
"You shouldn't give me that expression.. I feel guilty enough already, you know?" I mutter softly.
They look at me with a surprised expression and yet all I could do was smile with a bitter reminder.
A bitter reminder that I took everything from her.
Everything.
TO BE CONTINUED