I was getting ready to head back to the girl's dorm when someone walked up to my desk. Axel as well as a majority of the other students had already left the room, so I didn’t know who needed to speak with me.
But when I looked up, I found none other than Sir Riko standing there.
“Hey…can I talk to you for a second Miss Dianne?”
“Hm?”
For some reason, his tone made my heart skip a beat.
“Um…Sure. Just give me a minute to pack up.”
Taking a look to make sure I had everything, I followed behind Sir Riko and the two of us made our way through the school.
While we were walking, I thought I spotted a figure that looked a lot like Axel hanging out on the school rooftop but decided to ignore it for the time being.
Sir Riko continued guiding me through the halls before we stopped at a spot behind the school and he turned to me.
“Um…I guess you’re wondering what I brought you here for.”
I don’t know why he worded it like that, but I was curious. I assumed he wanted to ask me something, but I wasn’t aware of what.
“You see, I know I just got rejected by Xara…but…”
Where was he going with this?
“I think…I might have…”
“Hm?”
“I think I’ve fallen in love with you!”
Hearing that nearly caused my heart to jump out of my chest.
“W-Whaaaaat!?”
“Er…I’m sorry!” shouted Riko. Knowing how sudden this was.
What the heck!? What was going on here?! Did he really just confess to me!? I admit that I’d hoped to make him fall for me, but this was too fast!
Trying to calm my heart, I looked at Riko.
“I-I don’t know what to say. Why would you fall for me?”
“I…I just found it hard not to. You tried comforting me when I was rejected, you hung out with me when everyone else wouldn’t give me the time of day, and you even decided to spend your precious time hanging out at that festival with me! I can’t really explain it better than that. All I know is that I’ve fallen for you! Please go out with me!”
Feeling a sense of joy wash over me, I was ready to shout yes without a second thought. However, right when I was about to do so, Axel crossed my mind. Not the Axel now, but the one from then.
Despite his slight personality change, I still found myself thinking about him. It was strange.
Closing my mouth, I thought things over for a second.
Now that I brought it to my attention, why was the day I saw Sir Riko rescue that kitten so impactful? Sure. It was an amazing gesture, but was that really enough to win my heart?
Feeling conflicting emotions in my heart, I opened my mouth.
“I…I don’t think I can.”
Sir Riko looked surprised for a moment before tears entered his eyes.
“Yeah. I guess that makes sense. I’m not worth it.”
“W-Well it’s not that, it’s just that…I feel like we should get to know each other better. So do you think we could just stay friends for now? At least until we know each other enough that I can give you a definite answer?”
Clearly looking conflicted by my words, Sir Riko cleaned the tears from his eyes and tried to force a smile.
“S-Sure. I guess we can just stay friends for now.”
I put on a smile to cheer him up.
“Thanks. I appreciate it.”
With that, I took my leave and Sir Riko remained behind.
After that, I made my way through the school building when I noticed the figure that looked like Axel was still on the rooftop. Seeing that, I came to a decision.
As I watched the town below like I’d done many times before, I heard footsteps behind me and turned around to find Dianne there.
“Hey,” I said casually with a wave before returning to looking out at the town.
“Hello. What are you looking at?”
“Just watching some of the sites. You can join me if you want.”
“That so? Then don’t mind if I do.”
Dianne walked up next to me and looked down at the town as an expression of amazement showed on her face.
“Pretty beautiful, right?” I asked.
Dianne nodded.
“Yes. It’s incredible.”
I chuckled and then the two of us stood there in silence for a few minutes.
Finally, I decided now was as good a time as any to bring up something that was on my mind.
“Hey, do you dislike me now?”
“Huh!?”
Dianne looked at me, surprised.
“Where’d this come from?”
“Well, you’ve been distant since this morning. I figured it had something to do with how I was acting differently. Am I wrong?”
Dianne clenched her fists nervously.
“In all honesty, I don’t know how to feel around you. When we first met, you had an arrogant air around you. Like you thought of the world as a game you knew how to control.”
“Er…Is that so?”
“But then, when you came back from the dungeon, your air felt more calm and collected with just a hint of superiority. And it remained that way through everything. Even after you got a girlfriend, you still felt like someone I could easily interact with and have fun around.”
Really? With how many people were saying I was acting differently once Xara and I got together, I figured everyone thought that way. But I guess Dianne saw it differently.
“And now, you have a strange air I can’t seem to pin down. It’s like a bit of your arrogance has returned, but not in the same way as before. It’s less like you’re looking down on people, and more like you’re trying to push yourself up. But I still feel like you have a bit of that calm and collected side inside you and the whole thing has me conflicted. It’s like your two sides are clashing with each other to create a new person entirely. And that’s causing my feelings to become disoriented.”
“Does how I act really affect you that much?”
“Of course it does! Otherwise, I won't know if I might've fallen for y-”
“Hm?”
Dianne immediately shut her mouth. Was she about to say what I thought she was gonna say? Maybe it’s best if I don’t bring it up.
“I…Ignore what I just said! Anyway, I’m just saying your new air makes it a bit hard for me to understand how I feel around you which makes me uncomfortable! I’m sorry if saying that upsets you in any way!”
“No need to shout. I’m standing right in front of you.”
“Er…I’m sorry.”
Sighing, I turned to face Dianne.
“I apologize if I make you uncomfortable. But I promise it’s not worth being so stressed about. I still plan to treat you the same as before. I just decided to change my tone since I’m sick of all the royal assholes here at this school.”
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“Royal assholes?”
Seeing Dianne have such an innocent look of confusion almost caused me to blush. She didn’t know how cute she was being right now.
“Just a name I came up with for those jerks. You don't need to think about it.”
Deciding to stop the conversation there, I was turning my head to look back at the town again when Dianne decided to ask me a question.
“Do you think…you could tell me what happened while you were out there?”
“Hm? Sure.”
“That was a fast response! Wouldn’t you be too traumatized to talk about something like that!?”
“Meh. I got over it already.”
“That quickly!?”
I shrugged,
“How about I just tell you what happened?”
“Er…Yes Please.”
After that, I talked with her about what occurred during the trip. From the other students beating the crap out of me, to when Lily kept me imprisoned on a ship for several days, and then how I broke out. However, I did keep the thing about being able to break through magic-blocking barriers quiet. Same as I did when I told the story to Roy and Flynn. It’s not that I would hate mentioning I did something considered impossible, I'd just rather keep it a secret for now so I could rub in the face of those royal assholes later.
By the time I finished, tears were already falling from Dianne’s eyes.
“I can’t believe you went through so much. And how horribly the royalty on that ship treated you. As well as how poorly that one girl acted.”
“It’s not a big deal. I told you before that I was already over it.”
Taking a minute to collect herself, Dianne cleared away the tears and looked down at the city like I was doing.
“Even if you say it isn’t a big deal, it still hurts to hear fellow royalty would treat you so poorly. I fail to wrap my head around why they would treat you like that.”
“Probably to gain a feeling of superiority. They’re pathetic like that.”
The two of us continued chatting for a few more minutes until Dianne began to walk away.
“I should get back to the dorms now. Thanks for talking with me Axel. It was fun.”
“Yeah. Same here. See ya.”
I waved goodbye to her before looking out at the sky. When had it gotten so dark?
Figuring it was time to head out myself, I began to turn around when I heard footsteps behind me.
When I looked to see who it was, I found the MC standing there.
“Riko? What do you want?”
Giving me a rather threatening glare, the MC opened his mouth.
“What were you talking about with Dianne? Were you trying to win her over too?”
“Huh?”
What the hell was he talking about?
“Don’t give me that confused face! You’re trying to form a harem aren't you!?”
Where did this accusation come from!?
I let out a sigh as I rubbed my eyes.
“I don’t know what made you think that, but you’re completely off base.”
“That so? Then how come Xara fell for you?”
“Why are you bringing Xara into this?”
“You’re asking me why?”
The MC clenched his fists in frustration.
“The answer should be obvious! Despite going through all her events, despite treating her exactly as the MC did in the game, she still fell for you! A stupid background character!”
“...”
Silence hung over the two of us. Finally, I decided to speak. My voice gaining a serious tone.
“You’re not from this world either, are you?”
Instead of answering my question, the MC held out his hand.
“I call upon the steel of light. Please lend me your strength to slay my foes. Create a blade worthy of my hand. Blade Creation!”
A bright light sparked in the sky before it flew down into the MC’s hand and he caught hold of it. Swishing it through the air, the MC stood before me with a blade in hand.
“Haaaah!”
Then, he charged at me. Ready for a fight.
Arriving back at my dorm, I walked into my room and relaxed on my bed.
Thinking back on the conversation I had with Axel, it might be weird to say this, but I actually had a lot of fun.
In fact, it didn’t feel any different from before.
Still, he was different now. And after he told me what happened, I was somewhat able to understand his change in personality. I didn’t get it completely, but I probably wasn’t meant to. After all, I haven’t had to face a single thing he has before.
Resting an arm on my head, I let out a sigh.
“Maybe…I should get to know him a little better.”
Up to this point, I’ve only ever tried to just interact with him. I’ve never attempted actually acting as a friend should. In fact, now that I think about it, I’ve only ever just forced him to go along with my personal whims. I’ve never asked him what he’d want me to do. Isn’t being a friend a give-and-take relationship?
No. That can’t be true. Many of the stories my Mother used to tell me had duos where one usually gave more than the other. So what kind of friend should I be to him?
Not sure what to think, I decided to rest on it for now and got under my covers.
I didn’t know how things were gonna go from here on out, but at the very least, I know Axel will be there to greet me tomorrow.
Axel dodged out of the way right before Riko’s strike hit.
“What the hell man!? Are you trying to kill me!?”
“Shut up! You’re the reason this story isn’t going the way it’s supposed to! If I get you out of the picture, then everything should return to its rightful place!”
“What kind of logic is that!?”
Wind started to gather under Axel’s feet.
“After all the suffering I went through in my previous life, I deserve my slice of happiness! So why is it when I’m given a free ticket to a great future, some jackass with an edgy anime look takes everything away from me!?” screamed Riko.
Jumping up into the air, Riko slams down his sword only for a wall of wind to knock him back.
Crashing to the ground, Riko laid there for a few moments before getting up.
“You have no idea what I went through! This reincarnation was the best thing that could’ve happened to me! So why…why do you wanna make my life so miserable!?”
Axel looked like he was starting to get irritated.
“Are you seriously pinning this on me!?”
“Why shouldn’t I? Until we met you, Xara and I were on a one-way trip toward the route of happiness! But now, she won’t even get close to me! You destroyed my happiness!”
Gripping his blade once more, Riko charged forward.
“I call upon the burning flames to bring my havoc! Flame Spread!”
At that moment, Riko’s sword became surrounded by flames as he tried to slash out at Axel once more.
Clearly irritated, Axel summoned a shield of water and the sword dug inside and a loud hiss entered the air.
“Then there was Dianne! She inspired me to keep going, as well as move on! Since Xara left me, I thought she was the next best choice! But then, I saw how close she was to you! And now, I know she’s going to fall for a disgusting womanizer like you!”
“Disgusting womanzier!? I don’t want to hear that from someone who acts like women are routes in a videogame!”
“Shut up!”
As the sword cooled down, Riko tried slashing through the water shield but Axel grabbed hold of the weapon with his metal hand. After that, he squeezed the sword hard enough that it snapped in half.
“Wah!?”
Not giving Riko a chance to react, Axel grabbed hold of him by the shirt and lifted him off the ground.
“I’m done hearing your spew this crap. If you have that much of a problem with me, then come at me with all you’ve got. I don’t have time to deal with this piss poor attitude of yours over such a petty issue.”
“Petty issue!? You ruined my life!”
“Don’t be stupid. I’ve only ever lived my own life. And if that happened to lead to the way things are now, then that’s that. Stop trying to make it sound like I'm some antagonist for you to defeat. I’m done dealing with a weakling like you.”
Tossing Riko to the ground, Axel began to walk towards the edge of the roof.
Slightly bruised, Riko got back up to his feet.
“Hey! Get back here!”
Axel turned toward him.
“I already said I was done here. If you still have a problem, then challenge me to a duel. Although, considering the last time, you’ll probably just lose miserably again.”
“Bastard!”
Not giving him another response, Axel walked off the roof before activating his wind magic and flew off back towards the school dorms.
Watching him fly off, Riko clenched his fists as tears fell from his eyes.
“DAMMIT!”
After that, Riko continued to cry as he fell to his knees and continuously slammed his fists into the ground over and over again all throughout the night.
Arriving back to my room, I saw Vey was already asleep. Although, from the decorations surrounding the room, as well as the fact she was sleeping in a chair instead of her bed, it was clear she was probably setting up a surprise party. More than likely it was to celebrate my return after going missing for so long.
But as I was still exhausted from what just happened with the MC, I thought it’d be best not to wake her and just head to bed myself.
Slipping out of my uniform, I put on a set of pajamas and laid down in my bed.
Nia appeared next to me with a look of both concern and confusion.
“Master, what did that Riko guy mean when he said you ruined his life? He made it sound like he and that Xara girl were destined to be together.”
I patted her on the head.
“It’s no big deal. Don’t worry about it.”
“You sure? It seemed like a pretty big deal to him.”
“Yeah. But I’m sure it’s nothing you need to worry about. So for now, let's just get some rest.”
“Um…Okay.”
The two of us got under our covers.
Nia clung to my chest while I closed my eyes to get some sleep…or at least I tried to. But thanks to today, my mind struggled to take in everything that happened.
From the way the MC talked to me, it sounded like things weren’t going well with Dianne. Weird. I figured she’d be all over him by now with how enthusiastic she was about him before.
I mean, the two of them barely hung out before now, so I guess that could be a reason. She had spent the majority of her time with me up to this point so maybe he thought she’d fallen for me or something. That’s not a hard conclusion to reach, but why does he make it sound like she has her eyes set on me? Does he not realize how obsessed she sounded while talking about him?
Eh. Guess it isn’t my business to dive into their personal lives.
But still, it’s crazy to think he’s someone who reincarnated into the body of the MC. Meaning he’s just as aware of this world as I am. But even if that’s the case, I still can’t respect someone of pitiful as him. So I won’t bother letting his words get to me.
Thus, not wanting to think about it any further, I closed my eyes and let sleep overtake me.