The rest of the day passed in a flash. Alter remained in stunned disbelief, half-dazed, watching the scenes play out around him.
This "version" of himself continued his usual antics, never once paying attention to the mocking gazes of the other students.
Then, just as the sun was beginning to set, something different happened.
The chubby boy was stuffing his things into his backpack, yawning as he prepared to leave, when a folded note slipped out of his locker and fluttered to the floor. He blinked, picking it up.
His eyes widened as he read it.
"Meet me behind the school after class."
For a moment, he was silent, then, the biggest, dumbest grin spread across his face.
"Hah! Finally! A confession letter! My time has come!"
He spun around dramatically, waving the note in the air, then immediately went on a rampage around the school, shoving it into everyone's face.
"Look! Look! Look at this historic moment! I have received a love letter! I am officially not single!"
Students groaned, some laughed, others gave him unimpressed glances before walking away.
He continued his parade until he reached Viviane.
She had been casually walking past when he shoved the letter right into her face with an exaggerated grin.
"Behold, Viviane! I know you're jealous, but..."
She stopped dead in her tracks, her piercing gaze locking onto him.
"...What?"
The boy smirked, holding the letter high.
"Oh, you're just jealous! But worry not! If my love life flourishes, I might still have time to grace you with my..."
Viviane's glare alone could have frozen time itself.
Alter, the intangible one, watching from the sidelines, slowly brought his hand to his face, rubbing his temples.
He felt sick, tortured. Each time he was teleported to a new location, the weight of his other self's actions crushed him even more.
His mind screamed for an escape, but the memories refused to stop.
Another shift.
He found himself behind the school.
The sky was dimming, orange streaks cutting through the horizon. The concrete ground was cold beneath his feet, the air tense with unspoken words.
And there, standing just ahead, was his clown of a counterpart, and a girl.
Viviane.
She had her arms crossed, eyes sharp with something seeming close to impatience.
Alter's eyes narrowed. There was something familiar in this setting, the sunset, the color.
He had seen this before. This exact moment, times ago in his multiple flashbacks.
"You actually showed up," she said, tilting her head slightly. "Guess that makes this easier."
The original Alter, the pathetic one, stood before her.
He seemed surprised, his usual nervous grin faltering. He opened his mouth, maybe to say something stupid, but Viviane didn't give him the chance.
"This isn't some love confession or anything," she said bluntly. "I'm here because Aurora asked me to tell you something."
Alter rose an eyebrow, the hopeful light in his chubby counterpart's eyes flickered.
"She's tired of you," Viviane continued, her voice even, but firm. "She doesn't want to deal with you anymore. You keep pushing, ignoring the obvious signs. You've made her life harder, and she's done putting up with it."
The boy took a step back, his smile frozen. "But… she never said..."
"She doesn't have to say it to your face," Viviane cut in, her tone sharpening. "You should've figured it out on your own. Instead, you kept chasing after her like some lost puppy, making a joke out of yourself. And worse..." She sighed, shaking her head. "You dragged her down with you. People started associating you with her. You embarrassed her."
The words hit harder than a punch.
The pathetic Alter's hands trembled. His mouth opened and closed like a fish gasping for air, but nothing came out.
His breath quickened, his shoulders tensed, and then… he crumbled.
His knees hit the ground.
Tears welled in his eyes, the sheer humiliation and rejection breaking him completely. He wasn't even worth the effort of being rejected in person.
She had sent someone else to discard him like trash.
Viviane watched, her arms still crossed, but her voice softened, just barely.
"You're really pathetic, huh?" she sighed. "At least it shows that you're not a complete imbecile. You need to wake up. Stop acting like a fool. Stop making everything worse for yourself. And stop getting in the way of everyone else. We're tired of dealing with a joke like you. Don't ever bother us again."
The memory fractured.
A system message appeared right before the invisible Alter.
[This is the past of an individual.]
The words floated in his vision, cold and absolute. Then, more messages followed.
[Would you like to override this Avatar?]
[YES / NO]
Alter's breath grew unsteady as he stared at the pathetic figure in front of him. The weight of it pressed down on him, suffocating.
He wanted to deny it, reject it outright, but the scene before him left no room for argument.
"No..." His voice was barely above a whisper. "That can't be me. That... thing. That clown."
[Incorrect.]
The system's message was immediate, its words devoid of emotion.
[It is you. It is the version of you that existed in this world.]
Alter's hands clenched into fists. His mind raced, desperately trying to find an escape.
"... Version? What does that mean? He's not exactly me? It's me in this world? Then... I have the possibility to refuse him, right? Can I get another body? Another... avatar?"
But this time there was no response.
His gaze flickered back to the sobbing, broken version of himself. The boy who had wasted his existence chasing after things he would never have.
The boy who had been laughed at, the joke of the school, the nuisance everyone tolerated but never truly acknowledged.
His stomach twisted in disgust. He didn't just hate that version, he felt something deeper, something raw and ugly.
A revulsion so strong it made his skin crawl.
His fingers twitched. He didn't want to be this person. He couldn't be. Even if it was him, even if that face was his own, he couldn't allow it to remain.
His jaw tightened, teeth grinding together.
"No. I won't be him... I refuse to be like him."
[Would you like to override this Avatar?]
[YES / NO]
A choice, simple, cold, final.
His hesitation lingered. Was this even right? Could he really erase someone who had existed? Even if that person was presented as himself, in the end, he was someone with a life and probably a family, so could he erase him like that?
It felt like murder, his past self, no matter how much he despised him, had been real.
But the system resurrected with a new message.
[The Avatar is the identity of the user. This is you. Your past, your actions, your consequences.]
Alter's breath hitched.
"... If this is me... and it's only an avatar Then... that means... What is he? Is he someone who really existed? Someone I'm going to replace?"
[You are your choices. Your past defines your present. This is the version of you in this world, a simple part of you.]
His mind spun as he grasped the weight of those words. If that pathetic version of himself was truly just a part of him, then that meant...
He could be anything.
Not a joke, not a failure, not an embarrassment.
He could start over from there and be something better, anything... but this.
His fingers twitched. He clenched them into a fist.
The weeping, sniveling version of himself on the ground disgusted him, but no matter how deep he buried him, he could always change him.
He was in control.
He exhaled sharply, his decision was made.
He gritted his teeth, his voice steady, resolute.
"Then if it's me, I'll repair the shame you put on us."
There was no place for hesitation.
He calmed his breathing, forcing his trembling fingers to still.
His lips parted, and he whispered the words that would change everything.
"Erase him."
The system activated again.
[Override accepted.]
The old Alter began to dissolve. Pixels scattered like dust in the wind, erasing every last trace of his past self.
Alter didn't look away.
The particles converged toward him, covering him, while the whole surroundings was turning into data.
The system rebooted, then, a new message followed.
[Initializing Project: Perfect Avatar.]