"Eh?"'What did Raven just said?' I frantically panic as I was trying to wake her up."R-raven, are you still half asleep--"My heart skipped a beat.As Raven smiles at me, it gave me an odd feeling.It was a smile that feels sad and upsetting to see.She takes her hand off my cheek and gently gets up as she rubs her eyes as she turns to the door.The train is near her stop and all I could do was watch."Raven.." I muttered her name under my breath."It's a good thing it's Saturday tomorrow, huh? Good luck on painting for your club exhibition." Raven says with a gentle smile as she waves.The door slides open and when she gets off she continues to smile and wave at me."U-uh.. right.." I wave back at her subconsciously.'Wait. Club exhibition..?'I gasp as I remembered Axel."RIGHT! THAT JERK PASSED THE WORK ONTO ME! FUUU--" I slapped my cheeks as I try to get a grip on the situation.'No, no, no.. my abilities as Estelle Zeller could probably back me up and help me be able to do it. I mean, that's a possible variable, right?' I think to myself as I try to reassure my mind from the task."Hahaha, right! I'm Estelle Zeller! I wouldn't be put in this role if I didn't know how to paint! Haha.. haha.." I laugh to try and gain some reassurance to myself.As soon as I got home, I stare at the canvas for a few good minutes in the middle of the night."..." I continue to keep my legs crossed as I sit on the floor.'Any second now.. the memories of an artist should be here in my own body now.'But after another few minutes, nothing has occured.I ruffled my hair in frustration."Ugh.. what's up with this head of mine!? Ah.. no wait."'Could it be that memories can only be retained like the group project informations unlike physical skills?' I think to myself as I ponder the theory.'If so, then I guess that explains it.'"Man, this sucks.. so even if I have the memories of Estelle, I can't exactly have her stats. Well, I guess it's better than nothing." I say to myself and look down at the empty canvas."At this rate, I'll probably be kicked out of the Art Club. ""..." Silence filled the room.Yet somehow at the back of my head, I was able to think of something."Wait a second. "An idea popped onto my head as I was pondering."I'm Estelle now. I don't have to stay in the club with that irredeemable casanova! Alright, then that leaves.. the cat cafe." I mutter as I go on and lay on the floor."I won't be able to earn anything if I don't have a job though.. but, I don't have the same skills as Estelle. I'm only a guy that stays indoor and do games at home." I say as I stretch my arms lazily.'Well.. Raven did offered me a helping hand.' I think to myself as I continue to stare at the ceiling.'I don't have anything scheduled at Saturday and Sunday. So.. maybe I can just try studying the manual that the manager gave me.' I sit up carefully and reach over to the bag and runmage around to pull out the said manual about the cat cafe work training guide.It took an hour or so before I pass out.And by the moment I woke up, I jolt and see the morning sunshine flashing through the window curtain that almost blinded me as it reflected to my mirror then to me who's fast asleep on the floor."Ugh.. I got so bored on reading that I passed out. Thats not good. I need to be able to stay focused." I say to myself and slap my cheeks to gain some determination in my head."I can do this. " I say to myself and see my reflection over the mirror.'It's been days and I'm slowly getting used to this body.' I think to myself.Yet at the midst of that, my stomach grumble."Well, I guess even if I became a girl, I'm still a hungry person." I say to myself.Time flies by, as I remain indoor during Saturday and Sunday.I mostly studied the manual as I planned and finally reached night time.'I can't sleep.. that's not good. I still have school tomorrow.' I think to myself as I look at the ceiling in the darkness.But as I remain awake, at this Sunday night."Creaakk.."An ominous sound of the door creaking breaks the silence of the night, a chill runs down my spine.'What.. was that?' My heart pounds a little faster in my chest as I sit in the semi-darkness of the apartment, the only source of light being the dim glow of the streetlamp outside the window.The footsteps grow closer, ominous and foreboding in the otherwise quiet space. I hold my breath, silently watching the silhouette of someone approaching through the crack in the door."...!" My eyes widen as I get up to see who was approaching from the hallway.It was an intruder, a man dressed in black, holding a bat.I take advantage of the darkness as I quickly hid to the side before he could see me.The intruder moves further into the room, his footsteps growing even closer as he scans the dark apartment. The bat in his grip looks menacing even in the low light, the air tense with the threat of danger.But I remain hidden in the shadows, taking deep, quiet breaths to avoid being detected.'Why an intruder all of a sudden? Argh! Screw it, let's worry about that later.' I think to myself as I look around for any object I could use against the intruder.I'm keenly aware of the disadvantage I have in strength, forcing myself to rely on stealth and quick thinking instead.I looked over to find the empty canvas and reach onto it as I firmly hold it tightly in my hands, weighing it up as a potential weapon.Taking advantage of a momentary distraction, I leap out of the shadows, brandishing the canvas like a makeshift shield as I charge towards the intruder."...!" It took the intruder by surprise and before he could wield his bat, I tackled him with a canvas to his face and kicked him to the groin.The most definite weakness of all men.The intruder grunts in pain as I pummel the canvas into his face and deliver a well-aimed kick to his groin. With the element of surprise on my side, the intruder stumbles backward, dropping his bat and clutching his lower abdomen as he doubles over in pain.Moving quickly, I grab the bat from the ground and aim it at the intruder's head, taking a firm hold of it before forcefully clubbing him over the head."THUD!" The intruder crumples to the ground, unconscious.The silence in the room fills my ears, the only sound being the rush of my own adrenaline-fueled breathing. I continue to brandish the bat warily in case the intruder isn't actually down yet.'I did it.' I think to myself before turning on the light switch and taking a look back to the unconscious intruder.'Man, I didn't think I could do it! Wow, that felt exhilarating..' I couldn't help but feel proud as I stand next to the intruder and crouch down to unmask him.'Just a regular guy, huh..' I go through his pockets.And once I've laid out most of it.There was a small jewelry and few cash on the ground as I stand up again and look over to the phone at the desk.'A thief, huh?' I go on to take the phone and dial the police number."Hello? Can I help you?" An officer responded on the other line."Yes, uh. I need to report a break-in." I state with uncertainty.After reporting the break-in and the robbery, the police arrive in record time and take the unconscious robber away.I find myself sitting in a chair next to the police officers as they take note of my statement about what had happened. I tried not to fidget, the adrenaline from the encounter slowly being replaced by a weary exhaustion.According to the police, the burglars would often choose to go to small apartments like this to steal things.And since Estelle's door isn't exactly full proof security, it was an incident that couldn't have been avoided.'It's a relief that I was awake still, but.. this wasn't part of the game script, right? What the h*ll is going on?'"... Is this changing because of me..?" I felt a shiver run down my spine as the next thought comes in my head.'Am I getting targeted now?' I think to myself.Though, before I could overthink more, Raven comes running with the taxi she just got off to."Estelle!" Raven calls out to me with a frantic expression as she runs to me.Somehow, I felt the anxiety wash over.'Right, I called her to get a place to stay while my door will be fixed.' I think to myself."You're not hurt or anything, right? How are you?" Raven asks me worriedly as she checks on my head, my back and even my shoulder for any injuries.I'm taken aback a bit by Raven's concern and the way she's checking me over for injuries."I'm fine," I assure her, giving her a small smile to try and ease her worry. "Really, I'm just a little shaken up."As she continues to fuss, I can feel a strange mixture of embarrassment and something else that I can't quite identify."You've packed most of your stuffs, right? Where's your luggage? We need to get you to my place, it must have been scary right?" She tells me, her hands holding both of my cheeks as she looks at me with the expression of uneasiness and worry.Her concern is both reassuring and a bit overwhelming. The way she's touching my cheeks and staring into my eyes makes me feel flustered, my heartbeats faster even though I'm trying to play it cool."Y-yeah," I stammer, averting my gaze as I attempt to calm the heat in my cheeks. "I've packed my stuff, it's over there."I gesture to the duffel bag on my front door as the police men are near it, examining the door and getting ready to leave.Moments passed by.'I feel less.. scared now. ' I think to myself as I am I look over to Raven.I was in the backseat of the taxi beside Raven, my luggage at my side as we glide along the nighttime city streets.A long beat passes in a comfortable but slightly awkward silence between us, the car's steady hum filling up the space. It's a weird feeling to be this close to Raven, our legs almost touching on the leather backseat."Thanks for letting me stay over at your place." I say, my voice a bit hushed."It's no problem." Raven says in response as she smiles at me softly.Her smile is like a gentle wave washing over me, causing my heart to skip a beat. I avert my gaze and look out the window instead, the city lights dancing by in a blur.Silence stretches on again, the taxi's headlights cutting through the night. I can't ignore the faint but distinct warmth emanating from her leg so close to mine in this enclosed space.It took awhile until we managed to get to her place, as I hold the duffle bag, Raven opens the door for me and we get inside her apartment.'Still fancy and clean as ever.' I think to myself as I follow Raven who gestures me to put my bag down the couch."You think you can wait here for a bit? I'll have to see if I can find any more pillows and blankets for you." Raven asks me.I nod and put my duffel bag down, the soft cushions of the couch sinking slightly under the weight."Yeah, that's okay," I reply, glancing around the neatly manicured living room. "Thanks again for letting me crash here."I shift my weight back and forth as I take in my surroundings, my eyes idly roaming the room. A part of me is a little nervous to be staying at her place for the night.In fact, it's my first time staying in a girl's place at all.'Calm down, you're a girl now too. You're Estelle Zeller, the heroine's best friend. Get a hold of yourself, you just almost got hurt from a break in, why are you getting worked up over this now?!' I argue mentally to myself as I try to hold my breath subconsciously.The sounds of Raven rummaging around in the background as she searches for pillows and blankets, only serves to make the situation more real.My mind is like a whirlwind of thoughts, my heart thudding in my chest. It's hard to ignore the way my stomach twists into a million knots.'Why am I so nervous? She's only letting me stay over. I'm just here to sleep on the couch, that's all..' I try to convince myself, but the rapid pace of my heart betrays me."Here.. I found one pillow and one blanket. Will this be okay?" Raven approaches me as she holds the pillow and blanket while looking at me.I turn to face her, a small, awkward smile on my face. Feeling a little silly that I've gotten so worked up over staying at her place."Yeah, that's fine," I respond, forcing a casual and nonchalant tone. "Thanks a lot, Raven."I reach out to take the pillow and blanket from her hands, my fingers gently brushing against hers and sending a tingle up my spine."...? You okay? Your face is red. You must have been still scared, right?" Raven leans closer as she looks at me worriedly.'Oh god forbid me.' I look down to see her cleavage slightly exposed from her shirt.'She must have rushed all the way when I called. Raven in her regular clothes.. is the best..!' I think to myself mentally before slapping myself."E-eh?! Estelle!?" She grew even more worried as I try to get a hold of myself."I-I'm fine! I'm fine!" I stammer, my voice coming out a little higher pitched than I would've liked.TO BE CONTINUED