Ethan
After gaming until midnight, I finally crashed onto my bed, watching anime on my phone to pass the time. The fatigue crept in, my eyes growing heavier with each passing minute.
Man, I'm beat…
Just as I was to close my eyes, I didn't saw Rubielle come in.
"Huh… Rubielle's still not here…?" is the last thing I thought.
And with that, I fell asleep.
That night, I had a vivid yet strangely vague dream. It felt like watching a movie or watching from a third-person view. I saw the moment Rubielle and I first met—when she fell from the sky. Watching it now, it felt like it was meant to happen. Fate, maybe? Is that what I should call it?
Scenes of our daily life flashed by—going to school, playing games, hanging out, cooking, eating, cleaning. It felt like we were just ordinary roommates. I chuckled a little watching it all unfold.
But as the dream went on, everything started to blur. The images became hazier, more distant, harder to grasp.
"Wha... what is this? That never happened."
I saw people fighting with superpowers, like something out of a movie. They were holding something, but I couldn't make out what it was.
Then I saw that same woman again—Agatha, the one who called herself a mage. Beside her was a man in a white coat. Rubielle was fighting them. Is this still a dream? Or is it my imagination trying to fill in what happened to Rubielle last time? Or... is it something else?
Each scene grew blurrier as it went on. Rubielle's face shouting, but I couldn't see it clearly. A man with striking red hair—his figure blurry, but that hair stood out. The sky splitting apart, dark and hazy. And then... a dark, blurry person smiling.
As each scene passed, faster and cloudier, I noticed something behind it all—a silhouette.
"Who's that? I've never met her, but… she feels familiar."
Before I realized it, my hand reached out toward her. But the silhouette turned away, like she was leaving. Then, the tall figure shifted into Rubielle, walking away with this longing look on her face. She whispered one word.
"Goodbye…"
It was almost inaudible, but somehow, I heard it loud and clear. My heart sank. Without thinking, I jumped toward her, thinking I'd never see her again.
"WAIT!"
"Huff huff... huh?"
I woke up, drenched in sweat, my whole body feeling like I just ran a marathon. My heart was pounding so hard it felt like it might pop out of my chest. All those vivid images from the dream? Gone. Just... black.
"What... was I dreaming about again?" I muttered to myself, feeling completely lost as I tried to calm down.
"Wait! Why am I on the floor again?!"
I yanked the blanket off, and of course, there was Rubielle, hogging my bed with that dumb, peaceful sleeping face. Like this was some kind of routine.
"Give me back my bed, stupid!" I grumbled, pinching her nose.
"Nggh... wha?" Rubielle mumbled as she woke up, blinking in confusion.
I don't know why, but seeing her face made me feel... relieved. Maybe it was because of that weird dream I couldn't remember. But whatever it was, I decided to just let it go.
--------------
(Later)
"We should really start studying now, you know? So—"
"Why are you playing on my account?!" I shouted, glaring at Rubielle, who was lounging in my chair, casually gaming on my PC. "If I lose, I swear I'll never let you play again!"
"Relax~," she waved me off, not even looking away from the screen. "I'm smart, so studying is super easy~."
"Wow... sorry for not being a genius," I huffed. "Then at least help me with math!"
"It can't be helped, huh," she replied with a smug grin.
I sighed, turned off the computer, and spread my notes out on the bed. Rubielle plopped down across from me, grabbing my notebook like she was some kind of expert.
"Okay! Let's do this! So... what is math?"
"...Eh?"
"...Eh?"
I just stared at her, dumbfounded. Did I mishear that? What has she even been doing all this time?!
"You... why are you even in school in the first place?" I asked, starting to seriously doubt her.
"O-Of course! To protect you and observe this world!" Rubielle answered, puffing out her chest like it was the most obvious thing.
"No, no... I mean, what are you doing all this time?"
It suddenly hit me—this girl doesn't even have school supplies. I just gave her some paper and a pencil, but all she does is doodle. Sometimes she eats in class, other times she just naps. Oh, and let's not forget how she randomly takes my phone to play games without even asking.
"Here, start with these," I said, handing her my module and a math textbook.
"You can also search stuff on my phone if you want."
"Okay, so it says here math is a subject that deals with numbers, shapes, logic, quantity, and arrangements. Like counting, perhaps? Yeah! I'm good with that!" Rubielle said confidently.
Oh! It looks like she's actually getting somewhere? She grabbed my notebook and module, flipping them open with determination.
"Huh? We're counting, right? What's this? Why are there letters? And what are these weird symbols?" she muttered, practically burying her nose in my notebook.
Yeah... I'd like to ask the same thing to whoever invented math.
I started feeling hopeless about this girl helping me study. I could almost feel tears forming in the corners of my eyes. Is there really no hope here? She claimed to be smart, but she's turning out to be absolutely useless. Waaaah...
Just as I was drowning in despair, I heard a knock downstairs.
"Let me get that first. You stay here," I said, getting up.
"Yeah, sure, sure," Rubielle replied, still glued to the notebook. Is this girl really going to be fine on Monday? I'm seriously worried...
I headed downstairs and opened the door.