As sunlight crept through the academy windows, Rou shuffled through the halls, his face a mixture of exhaustion and exhilaration. Dark circles sat heavily under his eyes, giving him a slightly menacing look, but he couldn't bring himself to care.
Rou yawns as he muttered to himself
Rou:
[Worth every minute] (a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth as he recalled the countless hours spent savoring the effects of the vial.)
But as he stumbled into his first class, ignoring the curious glances from students and teachers alike, a part of him wondered if he could keep this up without a bit of rest. Still, the sheer energy thrumming in his veins made up for the sleep loss, and he couldn't help but grin.
As the lecture ended and students began to gather their things, Amelia suddenly appeared in front of him, her soft footsteps barely making a sound on the marble floor.
Amelia hesitated for a moment before speaking, her voice quieter than usual.
Amelia:
[U-Um, Rou... are you free during lunch?]
Rou blinked, caught off guard by her sudden appearance. His mind immediately started racing, replaying the events from the game. He had been expecting her to invite Caelum, not him. After all, this was the pivotal moment where Amelia, feeling guilty for her earlier blunder, should have apologized to Caelum for the incident in the cafeteria... But alas, it was him
Here she was, standing in front of him, offering the invitation instead.
Rou stared at her, dumbfounded, his thoughts jumbling together.
Rou:
[Wait, you want to have lunch with me?] (His voice came out almost unintentionally blunt as he processed what was happening. He starts to realize that this was an inevitable outcome for what he did yesterday.)
Amelia looked a little flustered at his reaction, but she nodded earnestly, an apologetic smile on her face.
Amelia:
[Yes... I, um, wanted to apologize again for what happened in the cafeteria. I feel bad about it... and I didn't mean to cause you trouble.]
Rou's mind was still stuck on the fact that this wasn't how it was supposed to go down. He had seen this event play out a hundred times in the game, and yet here he was, standing in the middle of it, with Amelia choosing him instead of Caelum.
He rubbed his temples, trying to process.
Rou:
[... This isn't a mistake, right?]
He half-laughed, though it felt a little strained. In his mind, he was practically shouting-
Rou:
(What the hell is happening?!)
Amelia's cheeks flushed slightly, and she laughed nervously.
Amelia:
[No, it's not a mistake. I just... felt like I owed you an apology for causing trouble, and, well, I thought it might be nice if we talked about it during lunch.]
Rou hesitated, his confusion still clouding his thoughts. Was he dreaming? Had he somehow messed up the timeline that badly? He forced himself to snap out of it and gave her a nod. It was, apparently, his responsibility for changing the course of the event.
Rou:
[Alright, sure. Lunch sounds... fine.]
As he watched her smile, his mind was already spinning, trying to make sense of this sudden deviation from the game's script.
Rou:
(What the hell does this mean? Why is she acting like this?)
But before he could delve further into his thoughts, Amelia turned and began walking away, glancing back at him over her shoulder with a soft, hopeful look.
Amelia:
[Great! I'll see you later, then.]
Rou was left standing there, completely baffled.
Lunch came..
As Rou sat across from Amelia, he couldn't shake the feeling of being in some bizarre alternate reality. The cafeteria around them hummed with chatter, but it felt like the noise was distant, muffled, as he stared down at the plate in front of him. He had spent countless hours in the game watching this exact moment unfold with Caelum and Amelia chatting, not with him and Amelia...
Amelia, completely oblivious to Rou's inner turmoil, was happily sipping her tea and nibbling on a cookie, her eyes sparkling as she chatted about the weather and anything else that came to mind. She looked so carefree, so… normal, in a way that made Rou feel even more out of place.
Rou:
(How the hell did I mess this up so bad?)
Rou, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. He had tried so hard to avoid this very scenario, to steer clear of becoming entangled in the drama of the heroine's romantic storylines. But here he was, stuck at lunch with the very person he wanted to ignore in the first place.
Amelia's voice cut through his spiraling thoughts.
Amelia:
[Is something wrong, Rou?] (she asked, tilting her head slightly, her expression one of innocent concern.)
Rou blinked, snapping out of his thoughts. He had barely heard her over his internal rant.
Rou:
[Uh, no. Just thinking] ( he replied quickly, giving a short, tight smile.)
Rou:
(Great job, Rou!)
Amelia smiled back, clearly taking his answer at face value.
Amelia:
[I'm so glad we could finally have lunch together! It's been kind of crazy, but it feels nice to sit down and relax.]
Rou stared at her for a moment, feeling the weight of the situation. Here she was, so cheerful, so utterly herself, and it only made the whole thing feel even more absurd. He had seen this scene play out a hundred times in the game, but now that he was actually living it, it felt like some strange fever dream.