“So, what can you tell me?” Levi stood in front of Aida, arms folded across his chest. He gazed down at her, not a hint of mirth in his eyes.

Aida took a deep breath. “I’m not from this world.” Levi nodded. “I don’t know how I came here, I don’t know why I’m in Aida’s body. I don’t even know what I’m supposed to do. I also don’t know what you all might make of what happened to me - like if you’ll lock me up in a psychiatric ward, convinced I’m schizophrenic or something, or burn me at the stake as some insane form of exorcism.”

Levi’s brow was furrowed. “I don’t recognize most of those words, but they sound bad. I can understand why you wouldn’t admit to anything.”

“Thank you for understanding.” Aida took another breath, as she began pacing. How much should she admit to him? “This…world. It was a game, back in my world. So I isekai’d into this game - but clearly it’s a real world, which is why this is confusing.”

“You’re saying my world - this world - already existed in some form, in your world?” Levi asked carefully. Aida nodded. “Okay, the answer is obvious then…you are from the spirit realm.”

Aida blinked at him. Levi nodded decisively. “Sometimes, spirits will come through for one reason or another - maybe the layer between the living and the spirit world got thin, and you dropped through into Aida’s body.” Aida gaped at him. He was accepting this way too easily.

“Um…how often does something like this happen?”

“Well…” Levi deflated. “Honestly, stuff like this is more along the lines of a myth. The types of stories we get told as kids to avoid doing disrespectful things, like visiting tomb terraces during spirit hours, disturbing the dead at rest…” Aida stared at him flatly. He rallied immediately. “But it makes sense! We get told stories of great masters having to either banish malevolent spirits or guide lost spirits back to their world.”

“And again, how often do these stories crop up?” Aida asked, trying to keep from sounding too combative. Levi deflated again.

“Nothing in modern times.”

Aida sighed, rubbing her forehead. “In these myths of yours, are the spirits already familiar with the customs of your world, or do they wander around, lost?”

Levi nodded thoughtfully. “They are unfamiliar with our customs, which is how they are identified.”

“You’re accepting this way too easily,” Aida accused.

Levi shrugged. “It’s the only explanation that makes sense.” He smirked at her. “And besides, I’ve been reading up on the old legends ever since you spat out your food when Suelina mentioned you kissed Pritchard.”

Aida gagged as Levi laughed, his rich voice bouncing around the trees. “That’s the exact kind of reaction Aida wouldn’t have.”

“Please, let’s not talk about that,” Aida said, nauseated. “But if I can be honest…Aida treated Pritchard pretty terribly.”

“What do you mean?” Levi asked nosily.

“I read Aida’s diary, so I have a rough idea of how she offended Pritchard…and I’m not on her side,” Aida said, shaking her head solemnly. “She didn’t leave the boy with any dignity at all.”

Levi tittered. “Oh, it’s so refreshing to hear Aida be introspective.”

“I bet,” Aida said glumly. “I’m honestly curious as to how Sue put up with her for so long, if she’s as dull as she seems to be.”

“Ah, well…” Levi trailed off. “I think it’s just because they grew up together. Suelina is very loyal, and I guess Aida…isn’t smart enough to betray anyone.”

“You think Suelina will recognize the change?” Aida asked warily, kicking at a tree root.

“Probably not. She’s always been excessively forgiving of Aida. Don’t push your luck, though,” Levi warned. “Out of everybody, I think she would be the most eager to get the ‘real’ Aida back if she knew something was amiss.”

Aida snorted. “Well, good talk. Let’s go back.”

“Hold up.” Aida froze at Levi’s abrupt reversal. “We’ve established you’re from the spirit world. What’s next?”

Aida bit her lip. “…I honestly don’t know.”

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“You don’t want to go back?”

“I…” Aida’s brows knitted. “…my life…wasn’t great. Don’t get me wrong, I love my parents, but other than them…I don’t really have a reason to go back.” Aida blanched, realizing what she just said. She glanced warily at Levi to see his reaction. Would her admission that she wanted to stay in Aida’s body classify her as a “malevolent spirit?”

Levi, to her surprise, was looking at her with compassion. He shook his head ruefully. “I know the moral answer is that taking over someone else’s body and life is wrong, but…I’d be a liar if I said I didn’t prefer this version of Aida.”

Aida said nothing, waiting with bated breath for him to come to a conclusion. He folded his arms, looking up into the trees as he thought. “This might just be a justification,” he finally said. “But since you don’t have any ill intent, I can’t say you need to be banished.” He looked at her, holding her gaze. “And besides, it’s not like we can skip the last year of school to try to restore order.” The corner of his eyes crinkled. “You might be able to help Aida and her parents out by getting her a better job than she could ever get herself. Then maybe after graduation, we can go find a master who will be willing to talk to us about banishing you back to your world, after we set Aida up for success.”

Aida looked at him, flabbergasted. “You expect me to work that hard just to give it all away?”

Levi laughed. “Don’t worry, if we can’t find a master you can keep your life. I even doubt we’ll find one. The last historical ‘record’ - if you want to call it that - of a successful banishment was when Wyndia was first founded. Masters have long lives, but not that long.”

Feeling ill at ease, but also relieved, Aida nodded tightly. Nothing worth doing is without risk, her father’s yuppie accent echoed.

“Hold up!”

“What now?” Aida asked, exasperated as she turned back towards Levi.

“What were you going to tell me about these ‘romantic incidents’ with Suelina?” Levi asked suspiciously.

“Oh. Well, as I said, back in my world, this world was a game,” Aida said promptly. “And in the game, the objective was for Sue to date you, Ezra, and Caleb, and aim for a happily-ever-after ending with one of you.”

Levi stared at her, open-mouthed. “A game…”

“You know what a game is?” Aida asked sarcastically.

“I know what a game is,” he snapped back. He turned thoughtful. “So, you were playing the game? In the role of Suelina?”

“I was going to,” Aida said regretfully. “But I fell asleep.”

“So that means,” Levi said slowly, enunciating every word. “I, along with Ezra and Caleb, were objectives to be won. You had to woo us.”

Aida stared at him, not liking the feral smile that was spreading across his face. “Who were you going to try to date?”

She colored. “None of your business,” she shot back, as Levi’s smile turned triumphant. “You’re such an idiot!” She stomped out of the clearing, hurling insults over her shoulder as his laughs echoed behind her. “This is what happens when I talk to a dummy! Misconstrue everything! I hate you!”

She continued raging as she forged her way through the forest, fighting against brambles that tried to hold her back and kicking at undergrowth that conveniently decided to set down roots in her way.

“I was going to date everyone! You’re all the same! Don’t feel so smug!”

She yelped as vines whipped around her waist, bringing her to an abrupt stop. Levi caught up shortly after, chortling. “Calm down,” he said soothingly. “I was just joking.” He ruffled her hair over her glare. “But let me assure you, I haven’t had as many romantic incidents with Suelina as you are convinced I have.”

“Well, since I’m not playing from Sue’s perspective I guess you would know best,” Aida grumped. “How much do you like her right now?”

Levi paused, his hand still resting on her head. “She’s pretty,” he said thoughtfully. “And the man in me wants to make sure she doesn’t cry. But I don’t feel any particular loyalty for her at the moment.”

Aida sighed, her head dropping. Levi’s hand still stayed on her head, like a hat. “I guess Caleb’s the farthest ahead, then.”

“What does that mean?”

“That means if things keep going as they are, then Sue’s happily-ever-after will likely be with Caleb. Or Ezra,” Aida said, popping her head up as she thought. “I’m pretty sure I witnessed a pretty serious event between them right before you came out from the arena.” She chewed her lip thoughtfully. Since she was so off about Levi’s event count, she probably couldn’t trust her original judgment of what counted as an event or not. But unless she managed to get Caleb and Ezra to tell her the truth about their feelings, the evaluation of Sue’s progress was going to be wholly inaccurate. “Can you get me out of this thing?” she demanded, wriggling in her plant chains. Levi reapplied pressure to her head, tangling her hair even more for good measure.

“Sure thing, droplet,” he said teasingly. The vines slowly unraveled, depositing her on the soft forest floor. Running her fingers through her hair testily, she cast a Levi dirty look as she attempted to straighten the muss.

“You’d better try harder if you want to get with Sue,” she lectured. “I thought you were pretty even before, but given what you’ve said about your feelings that doesn’t bode well.”

“Sure, sure,” Levi said amicably. “I’ll do my best. But by the sounds of it, it’s not only my efforts that matter in getting Suelina her happy ending. She has to court me as well.”

“Well…yeah,” Aida said, taken aback.

“So we’ll just play it by ear,” Levi said sagely. “I don’t want to force myself on her, after all. What did you say about consent?”

“Unbelievable,” Aida muttered as they traipsed out of the woods.