Morning sunlight streamed through Kaitlyn's open dorm window, illuminating the small space with a gentle glow. A cool autumn breeze gently rustled the blinds in its wake, causing them to rattle with a quiet sound like hollow wind chimes.

As usual for the start of the loop, the room felt fairly empty and sparsely furnished. The notebooks and pencils on her desk were neat and precisely organized, while her roommate's half of the room remained entirely devoid of life for the moment. It would have looked completely untouched if not for the disturbed blankets laying atop her bed. It was the only thing that kept the scene from feeling completely sterile.

Kaitlyn took a moment to stand and take in her room once again. She'd been here enough times that the scene was practically burned into her memory—thirty five, to be exact. It was enough that she was confident in being able to describe the place perfectly with her eyes closed, from the order of the textbooks on her shelf to the number of slats on the underside of the top bunk.

Maybe that's a good thing. It shows those memory tricks are doing a lot of work. At the same time, though…

She stepped away from her dorm window with a sigh. She felt numb. Tired, too, despite the supernaturally-restful sleep of a reset loop. Somehow, she didn't think this was the kind of tiredness that she could sleep off, though.

Alright. It's time to get moving.

From her perspective, it had only been minutes since she'd kissed Ian and reset the loop once again. Though she was already feeling pangs of loss shooting through her, the realization that he was well and truly gone would likely take a while to sink in fully. In the meantime, making a plan for the loop might give her something to fall back on.

First, though… I have a couple of things to check.

With a deep exhale, Kaitlyn crossed to the door and opened it. There, sitting just outside, was a small pile of neatly stacked packages. There were three now, just as she'd expected. Finishing Ian's romance route had evidently earned her yet another prize from the game.

And these ARE pretty clearly from the game, she thought, bending down to move them into the room. Even if it wasn't obvious from the timing, the fact that they're delivered here gives it away. No one else delivers to dorms directly, not like this.

Black-and-white printed labels on each confirmed that they were indeed addressed to her. They even had her dorm number and floor listed. The detail would've felt a little creepy to her, but she was well past the point of caring.

She plopped the boxes on her bed and retrieved a pair of scissors from her desk. With quick motions, she sliced through the tape and unpacked the contents of each box. The first two contained a toaster oven and a used laptop, just like usual. They were the rewards she'd earned after finishing Alex's and Philip's routes, respectively. The last and newest box was a neat cube that measured a bit smaller than the toaster oven. She didn't know for certain what it was, but she had a pretty good guess.

Pulling open the top revealed a smallish lavender sphere nestled within. It was about the size of a cantaloupe, flat on its bottom and front, with a straight black seam running through its center. As she pulled it out, Kaitlyn saw the series of four indentations where controllers could be plugged in.

Of course it's a PlaySphere.

It was the obvious choice. After all, hadn't this been the main thread underpinning all of her and Ian's initial meetings? The console had always been instrumental in them bonding and getting to know each other, not to mention the role Bara Bash had played in the romance route.

She ran a thumb across the console's surface. Even if the game he'd made, Grail, had been a PC game rather than for PlaySphere, that didn't erase the lifetimes worth of memories they'd shared with this. Not even close.

I don't need the game to give me this anymore. I can afford to buy it myself. But still… I guess this means I don't have to.

The console opened as she pressed a button on its side, hinging like an overinflated clamshell. Inside, she found a disk already nestled within. A copy of Superior Bash Brethren.

With a long sigh, she closed the console back up and placed it on her desk. A quick check of the box revealed that it also held a controller and power cord. However, there was no monitor in sight. That, it seemed, was one thing she'd have to pick up for herself.

No problem. I'm making enough money off of Kate's Kitchen and cooking that I really don't have to worry about that. I guess the game's already being generous enough as it is.

Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

With that finished up, Kaitlyn stretched and checked the clock. It was still early, meaning she had plenty of time to herself before Heather showed up and moved in. Still, it wouldn't do to procrastinate too long.

Time to actually figure out what I'm doing this loop.

Grabbing her toiletries, she headed for the bathroom to start her morning routine and plan. The deep, dull sense of melancholy she felt from Ian's loss made it clear that she needed another loop off. The real question was, what should she do with it?

Just because I'm resting doesn't mean I can't get anything done. I mean, I'll need SOMETHING to focus on, some kind of distraction. The question is, what?

There were a few options that clearly wouldn't work. Going to Bash Bros tournaments would be a quick way of reopening those wounds before she was ready. In fact, she wasn't sure she even wanted to touch the PlaySphere at all, not yet. Luckily, those were far from her only options.

I can always fall back on the usual stuff—practicing music, cooking, working at the restaurant, lab, programming… I've got plenty of options. But I also want to do more. Something new, maybe.

The thought of heading to Vinny's place once again flashed through her mind. The rebellious blonde male lead would take her in, if past experiences were anything to go by. The problem was, she didn't particularly want to go down that path right now.

Not like I have anything against him. Not at all. The guys are all great. But… Kaitlyn pushed open the door to the bathroom …I also just feel like they don't have the best coping strategies.

Partying was all well and good. She had nothing against it, and being around the guys had helped her get through that dark time in her life after the Alex loop. Regardless, she felt far more in control this time. She didn't need that desperate escape. Instead, she needed to work through her problems and move forward.

I still could go over anyway. It's not like they'd peer pressure me into anything. But… I dunno. Last time I really spent time there, I felt so… stagnant.

As she thought about it more, though, she realized it wasn't the only reason for her hesitation. There was something else, too. The realization that she only had two more romance routes to complete nagged at her. She was over halfway there, somehow. Where "there" was exactly, she didn't know, and the uncertainty made it simultaneously feel like a light at the end of the tunnel and a blade hanging over her head.

Regardless of what the future held though, one thing was certain. After this loop, she'd have to start thinking about which of the last two male leads she'd focus on next—Elliot or Vinny. With that in mind, could she really feel relaxed while living in the guy's house?

The thought gave her some pause. As much as she hadn't really thought of Vinny in that way, it was hard not to now. And that was definitely something she didn't want to touch yet.

I know I'll have to think about it soon. And maybe I will go for Vinny next. But either way, I really don't want to think about it right now.

Shaking her head, she made a decision. She wouldn't head to Vinny's, not this time. She'd find other ways to cope for the moment.

Maybe I should do more running. That's really been helping me lately.

Now that she'd gotten back into the hobby, she found it far more enjoyable and productive than ever before. Something about the feeling of moving and making progress forward cleared her mind and made it easier to think. The fact that it improved her physical health, if just for a single loop, was a cherry on top.

Right. I'll make sure to block out time in the mornings for it. Maybe I'll go back to the schedule I was working with before…

As Kaitlyn brushed her teeth, she frowned at herself in the mirror. Green eyes gazed back, her short brown hair mussed slightly from sleep. She stood straighter nowadays, her shoulders pulled back enough that she didn't look like she was constantly hiding from scrutiny. Still, she couldn't help but feel like she was missing something.

It's a good plan. But I still want to do something a little extra. Maybe I should audit some more classes? Or work on even more new dishes for Kate's Kitchen? Or… take up a new hobby?

She chewed her lip in thought. Taking more classes was always an option. However, taking up an entirely new hobby didn't feel too compelling right now.

Suddenly, an idea flashed across her mind. Oh! I could look into software jobs!

It was something she'd been considering for a while now. She'd built up enough experience and familiarity with software engineering that her actually getting a position wasn't completely out of the question. It would also be a great way to find the holes in her knowledge and figure out what else she should learn. But during the past few loops, she'd had her hands too full to really put the idea into action.

Nodding to herself, she realized it was perfect. It would give her a nice goal to aim for, not to mention be useful for future loops. The more she thought about it, the more she became certain it was the right choice.

Ok. It's settled then. I'm gonna make finding software jobs my goal this loop. At the very least, I can figure out what I need to improve to actually get one.

Once she'd finished washing up and returned to the dorm, Kaitlyn began her research right away. She got changed and settled in to wait for Heather, then pulled out her phone and began tapping search after search into her browser. Endless loops of experience at the career fair had given her a good idea of where to start, so it wasn't difficult to identify some strong contenders. Within the hour, she had a whole list of places to apply for lined up.

Alright. Awesome. I'll have to start working on these later today. But for now…

Kaitlyn looked to the door just as a knock sounded. With a small smile, she pushed herself to her feet and walked forward.

…Time to help Heather move in.