The burn from the sunlight that entered through the window woke you up immediately. You frowned, feeling contempt at the person that opened the curtains, until you recalled that you were in the protagonist's house so naturally it could only be Chen Miao. At the possibility, you quickly turned apologetic. You were just that biased towards him. However, after thinking for a long time, there was something that you found weird.

How did you fall asleep here?

You remembered feeling sick after having a study session with Chen Miao and thenー

ーthen what happened?

You tried to remember but since you remembered nothing, you concluded that you had been sleeping until now. You glanced at the floating chat screen in front of you but the comments were moving too fast that you could barely read anything so you gave up, opting to search for Chen Miao instead.

You opened the door and immediately heard the sound of sizzling in the kitchen. You went to check the source of noise and found out that it was the protagonist cooking himself a breakfast. A smile made its way on your face when you see the two plates he prepared on the counter, but before you got too happy, you rationalized yourself that the second plate might be for his mother instead of you.

After all, if what that system said wasn't a lie, then Chen Miao right now should have known what you had done to him in those previous timelines.

ーstalking, coercion, threat, murder, harrassment.

If you were him, the first thing you would do was to get revenge on your murderer, and yet why does Chen Miao treat you so kindly?

You frowned in confusiom and observed the protagonist as he prepared the meals silently. The man eventually noticed you when he was putting the fragrant rice and the sizzling vegetables on the plate. He instantly smiled, and you recalled how hard it was to see him smile at you like this back when you were still hadn't been able to gain control of your body.

Still, you smile back.

"Let me help you." You went to grab the plates from his hands. "By the way, Chen Miao, where's your mother? Is she still isn't awake yet?"

He chuckled lightly. "I don't have parents."

"Huh? Butー"

You were about to reply but you quickly forgot what you're about to say. You went silent for a while. Yes, of course, why did you assume that Chen Miao has a mother? Before, when you had been stalking him, not once had you seen his parents so why were you so convinced that he had a mother right now?

"I see. I don't have one too," you smiled. "Then can I assume that you make this for me?"

"Who else would I make it for if not you?" He took a seat. "Let's eat."

You nodded and took a seat in front of him. The meals that you had with him was delicious, yet all you can think about is the conversation you had with the system.

"System. Right now, is there any player out there controlling Chen Miao?"

「Hmm? So long as the matter with Kai isn't resolved yet, there will be no player controlling the protagonist.」

"Then, right now, the one I've been talking to all this time, is really Chen Miao?"

「Yes.」

"Then does he know? Does he remember?"

「Yes.」

"Chen Miao," knowing that contemplating over it won't give you a definite answer, you decided to just drop the bomb, putting down your utensils. "Is it true that you remembered everything? That I killed you?"

However, you can't help but have this sense of deja vu upon asking this question.

The protagonist stopped his movement. The food that almost went into his mouth was pulled away. He looked at you strangely. "What do you mean?"

You were taken aback by his question. "I killed you, don't you remember that?"

The man in front of you frowned in concern before he placed the back of his palm against your forehead. "Was your brain fried due to the fever or did you confuse reality with nightmare?"

"No, Iー!" You were about to explain but you stopped yourself at the last moment.

Why would you dig a grave for yourself by explaining the truth when you can act oblivious to the crime you did to him? Sure, this mindset of yours is awful but if Chen Miao doesn't remember a thing, then why should you explain it to him. Ignorance is bliss.

Right, the system must have made a mistake when it told me that Chen Miao remembered.

"ーprobably just had a bad dream then," you deliberately changed the topic. "Ah, that reminds me, where's Kai?"

You glanced at the screen chat but found most of the words there glitching so hard that you couldn't even read them. Naturally, as your attention was away, you didn't notice how the protagonist went rigid for a second at your sudden inquiry.

"Didn't I told you already? He left to go back to his home," Chen Miao simply answered.

"Oh, you did?" You tried to recall and remember that he did say something like that on the day the two of you had a study date. "Then I guess I need to pay him a visit."

You were just saying that to gauge Chen Miao's reaction but who would have thought that he would completely put down his spoon. You noticed that the air started to shift when he frowned at you. His eyes were almost glaring but you couldn't be sure.

"(Y/n), why did you approach me?" He asked, visibly upset. "The two of us... We weren't exactly close in the first place, but why did you choose me specifically to teach you? You could have asked the class monitor or someone else."

"I just like you," that answer just came naturally out of your mouth, without any hint of a maiden's shyness.

"Then what about Kai? Is that too your reason for approaching him?" He smiled bitterly. "(Y/n), in your eyes, am I that easy? Just something for you to play and thrown away once you're bored?"

Your heart throbbed at his accusation and you belatedly realized that the way you're acting must have look scummy in his eyes. After all, you have always expressed your desire of liking him without reserved, and now suddenly, just when he started to respond back to your feelings, you indirectly conveyed your interest on another man towards him.

How could your Chen Miao not be insecured?

Your hand instinctively grabbed his hand, scared that he would look at you coldly and leave. "Ah Miao, that's not it, I justー"

"You just?" He glanced at your hand that was holding his before looking back at you with a look of betrayal.

Damn it, why are you sounding more and more like a cheating partner ready to make an excuse?

"ーI was just worried. You know how Kai seemed to have a few screws loose in his head? After all, he did..." You stopped talking all of a sudden, somehow forgotting what you're about to say. "He did... claim... your... what... to be his...?"

You frowned in confusion, finding yourself forgotten what had completely happened that night before Kai's disappearance.

On that evening, he stalked Chen Miao to his house. You tried to grab him away. Someone opened the door, and you're sure that's not Chen Miao, but then again, who was it? Kai claimed that person to be his...? His what? You groaned, feeling your head throbbed all of a sudden.

The protagonist hurriedly went to support in fear of you collapsing. "What's wrong?"

"Iー my memory is just foggy," you tried to assure him that besides that, you're okay.

"It must have been because of the fever," he felt your forehead. "I don't think you should go to school today. Just stay in bed, I will make sure to inform the teacher of your sickness, okay?"

You smiled helplessly, refusing to admit how laughable that sound; to think that studying physic would give you fever enough to make pieces of your memory turned foggy, you refused to accept that absurdity. There must be something that had tampered with your memory. After all, you're living in a world where you could even doubt your own actions; whether it genuinely something that you do, or it was just something coded by the developers for you to do. Naturally, it's not impossible for your memory to be messed with.

You hugged Chen Miao who was currently supporting your weight in order not to let you fall. Your face buried in the crook of his neck, secretly inhaling his scent to calm your mind down. You started to think back of the past; besides whatever that is that Kai claimed to be his, what else did you forgot?

Earlier, you subsconsciously thought that Chen Miao had a mother, but he told you that he didn't have any. That's true since you have never seen his parents no matter in which lifetimes. However, the system told you that Kai is the player that lost his mother in the previous timeline and is now, stuck inside this game. Then on the day before he went missing, he might have been stalking Chen Miao because he was searching for his mother. A person opened the door and he claimed that person to be, possibly, his mother?

Kai slept at Chen Miao's house that night. The next day he didn't go to school. Chen Miao told you he went home. Then, you two had a study date before you fell unconscious... for a day?

Did you really sleep for a day?

It's possible, but you also can't just crossed out the possibility that you did wake up yesterday and something happened that triggered your loss of memory.

"(Y/n), are you okay?"

The protagonist's voice dripping with concern pulled you out of your thought. You pulled away from him, cold sweat forming on your face yet you nodded your head.

"I'm alright now," you smiled to reassure him. "Ah Miao, your hug is like magic. It really can cure anything."

After saying that, you childishly hugged him tighter.

You couldn't see his expression but you do feel the way his body went tense before he gradually loosened up and wrapped his arms around you, as if he doesn't want to let go.

In his embrace, your mind went back to yesterday, but you couldn't remember anything.

"Ah Miao, was I awake even just for a moment yesterday?" You asked.

"You weren't."

Not even a flinch nor a change of tone in his voice, you concluded.

"Then I really did sleep for a day?"

He hummed in confirmation.

You smiled helplessly in his embrace. "I think I had a nightmare."

Chen Miao was silent for a while before he ended up asking you the content of your nightmare.

"It was something scary, but I can't seem to remember what is it that scare me so much," you told him. "If I closed my eyes, I think I can see it but it was gone before my mind could decipher what it is."

"Then you don't need to remember," the protagonist gently spoke. "You should only remember happy things. Why would you want to remember a nightmare?"

You laughed a little. There was two possibilities in this conversation; either Chen Miao really is oblivious and wanted you to forget your "nightmare" out of concern, or he's just manipulative and wanted you to remain oblivious to the true nature of this world.

But then again, what does that matter? Your Chen Miao has spoken. Naturally, if he doesn't wish for you to remember, then you simply won't.