Hold on a minute, you needed to process this.

It has only been just under half a year since Alastor died and became an apparition. Now, you weren't the brightest in maths, but the math ain't mathing here. If he didn't know who that child was––someone who definitely looked older than one––then...

You whispered in realisation, "... Adoption?"

Alastor's breath hitched and his eyes narrowed in anger––the red in them illuminating.

"I knew it." With every word that bitterly slipped past his lips, you could feel the tension grow heavier. "I should've known they would replace me."

Becoming overwhelmed with negative emotions does not mix well with humans, let alone a vengeful apparition. If this went out of hand, there would be a high chance that Alastor would revert back to his previous apparition form; that he would lose consciousness and act based on pure rage. In fact, it was already impressive he was containing his anger to this extent.

"You're going to do the same, aren't you? The moment I'm no longer useful, you'll find some better apparition to help you. In fact, keeping me around does you more harm than good." A bitter chuckle left him. "The moment people find out about your connection with me, everyone will distrust you."

Alastor's words, though exaggerated due to his emotional state, still held a glimpse of his true feelings. It made you mad. Not at him, but at yourself. Sure, you knew of the difficulties of being a vengeful apparition and tried to offer your support, but with everything going on, you had to admit that thinking about how Alastor felt during all of this didn't come to mind as often as it should.

"What's with that apologetic look?" He scoffed. "Did I get it right? I can't even get mad at you for that––a nuisance, that's what I've always been. I would cause trouble for everyone around me. Why was I born with a stupid curiosity for apparitions? That way if I could've not embarrassed my parents, I could've fit in with the other kids, I wouldn't have gotten harassed every fucking day."

Alastor's hands reached for the bandages on his arms, distress on his expression. In this moment, you were reminded that although he was a powerful apparition, he was still just a kid, a kid who met an unfortunate fate and passed away far too early.

"I wouldn't have gotten killed in the end."

You winced. Killed... I guess that's not too far off from how he died.

You did research and used your knowledge of the game to piece together how Alastor became a vengeful apparition. From what you gathered, the entire incident was swept under the rug, but there was a certain accident that led to the severe injury of a student, that student being Alastor. There were simply not enough clues in the game and information available online for you to come to a concrete conclusion on the full story.

"I..." You took a deep breath. "I guess I should start by apologising, huh?"

"You? Apologise?" Alastor looked at you in disbelief. "I knew you were a sympathetic person, but there's a point where––"

"Okay, let me stop you there," you said. "It's not easy being a vengeful apparition, especially at such a young age, I should've taken your feelings more into consideration. It was neglectful of me."

"I..." He took in a sharp breath. "But that doesn't give me the right to yell at you like that."

"You give me attitude everyday, this is nothing."

He glared at you.

You laughed. "There's the Alastor I know."

"You seriously..." Alastor groaned. "I hate you so much."

"What's new?"

"I'm kind of annoyed that attitude contributed to bringing me back to my senses."

"If it works, it works."

Alastor sighed. "But real talk, you're busy with a million other things, it's not your job to babysit me."

"But I can still care. I hope you can tell me when you're not feeling the best. You've helped me countless times in the past and I want to do the same for you."

Alastor went quiet for a moment, expression contemplative.

"You know..." He seemed hesitant in proceeding, you gave him an encouraging look. "Remember the second phase of the SF trial? Towards the end where you..."

"When I got possessed by the irregular apparition?"

That was definitely an experience you could not forget.

The air around you grew dense. A dreadful feeling of tightness in your chest caused you to panic. Possession, you were getting possessed. Mind a wreck, body weak and vulnerable––a perfect human to take over.

"Pft, that's a wonderful expression! Well then, if you're such an empathetic person, let's see how well you'd handle this." The irregular apparition drew closer and lifted your chin up, hollow eyes crinkling in amusement. "While you're doing that, I'll be taking over for a bit."

Alastor nodded. "The entire time I was trying to fight over it's possession to gain control so that it wouldn't hurt you. I... I took too long and the apparition got you seriously hurt. It was a miracle that it let down its guard and I was able to take over. But..." There was a slight tremble in his voice. "What if I was too late? What if you were gone? What if that was it? What would I have done...?"

You could only imagine the stress Alastor went through. You recalled Alastor's words from a past conversation, the one where you had woken up after the SF trial.

"The situation was out of your control. Well, some of it. Next time, think about the people you'll worry, okay?" Alastor said. "I... Some of it is my fault, too. I should've been stronger to fend off the irregular apparition when it possessed you."

Those words have a heavier weight now that you've had this conversation with Alastor.

"I'd love to whine about how I don't want you to be in danger, but this world is dangerous and what you're doing is even more dangerous," he said. "But I respect your endeavour, so I'm going to do my best to help you because in the past..." Alastor took a deep breath. "In the past I..."

You gently stopped him. "It's okay. You don't need to tell me, open up when you're ready. But just know that I will never willingly leave you. I plan to make it through to the end with my friends by my side, and that includes you. I'm positive the other apparitions appreciate you just as much as I do."

You chuckled to yourself.

"Three apparition children and an apparition wolf. It's a weird family, but it's one that I love and appreciate."

"...Yeah, it is a weird family alright." A rare smile graced Alastor's lips. "But it's not so bad."



===



It was the last day of the year.

Yes, you've spent almost half a year in Anomalous already.

Ever since your heart to heart conversation with Alastor, the weeks went by as usual. Oh! There was a point where you, Amias, and Caleb were forced to work at Cecil's bar for a few nights because you three lost a bet (a story for another day). Let's just say that you're never playing rock paper scissors with the man again.

So, what about Christmas? Surely something cool must've happened? Wrong. Christmas was swamped with work. There was barely any time to actually celebrate the holiday as everyone in the SF was busy with operations or other errands. Somehow you managed to have three interviews and a photoshoot in the span of an hour. When there was downtime, rarely anyone's schedule lined up.

It was a bit of a shame since it would've been fun to spend such a holiday with the Anomalous cast, but the little things everyone did to try and make the day special was heartwarming.

Caleb made pastries for everyone, each tailored to their specific tastes. It would've been more heartwarming if he didn't purposely choose the most inconvenient time possible. Yours was the moment midnight hit. The guy almost gave you a heart attack climbing through your window. You heard that Caleb threw a box of pastries at Elias's face early in the morning.

Amias gave everyone knitted gifts that he made himself, either gloves, scarves, beanies or embroidered handkerchiefs depending on the person (though, he ended up giving you all four). Coupled with that, he even created mini plushies of everyone! It was too cute to not admire. Caleb had way too much fun with it.

Elias sent everyone Christmas cards with a candy cane and a gift card depending on the person's interests. Yours was for a game store. The paragraphs he wrote were borderline sweet and critical. It went from the little things he admired about you to what you could do to improve in the AEI. Caleb tried making one for Elias and Elias sent it back with grammatical corrections in red ink.

Sara gifted everyone skincare and other essentials, each one packed according to everyone's needs (you had to fill in an information sheet prior). The gift was presented so aesthetically you felt bad for using it. It was safe to say you've been enjoying smooth skin and soft hair for the past few days.

Jade, much to your and everyone's surprise, was really good at painting. She gave everyone a whole ass portrait. Yours was of a painting of a library where a shadowed figure was surrounded by ghosts, each one taking an interest in the books the figure had compiled on their desk. The colours and tone matched your room's aesthetic perfectly. You've never hung something up so fast before.

Finn basically shocked everyone with his gift. Yours was a book that you swore was sold out. You overheard Jade being flabbergasted that Finn somehow acquired tickets to a highly anticipated art exhibition that had been sold out literally months ago. Finn also ensured to take time out of the day to spend at least twenty minutes with everyone (it felt like a mother checking in on her children).

Cecil gave everyone drinks in the house to his bar. If you didn't drink he'd give free food. Though, he acted like his entire business went bankrupt when he vocalised his offer (stingy mf). He also dished out compliments to everyone more than usual. Your ego was well fed. Oh! And this wasn't part of the gift (well, it was a gift to your eyes) but his usual green eyeshadow had a touch of red to better suit the Christmas day.

Lyle was surprisingly more into Christmas than you thought. Imagine your shock when you entered the SF living room to see him hanging up and decorating a Christmas tree. He even laid gifts under the tree! Your gift was a sleek set of stationary that was personalised to you. Pencils and pens with your name engraved on it, rubbers and washi tapes catered to the aesthetic you liked, and notebooks.

So! What did you do for everyone?

Elias liked coffee, that much was obvious. But, fun fact, despite not liking sweets as much as Caleb, he really liked mango flavoured things. While the guy was in a rush and had little time to get something to eat, you gave him some vanilla mango muffins you baked yourself (Alastor had to help you). They weren't 5-star Caleb quality, but they were pretty good.

"I was having doubts whether the coffee would get me through the meeting," Elias said. "How did you know I like this flavour?"

"You see, the stars aligned and––"

"You can just tell me if you didn't want to say." Elias sighed, taking off a piece of the muffin and plopping it into your mouth. "Regardless, thank you."

Sara loved sales and fashion, so aside from dumping her all your unused coupons, there was something else she wanted. It was this limited edition set of clothes that were super popular. Unfortunately, during the day of its release she and everyone else were too busy to buy it online. What you did was set up computers and other devices for Alastor and the apparition children + Mochi. With the power of teamwork, you were able to get the clothes for her.

"Oh my god???? (Y/n), I could kiss you right now!" Sara squealed as she peeked in the bag. "How did you manage to get it?"

You thought back to the whole set up you had with your apparition companions. "... I got lucky."

She giggled. "Thank you so much! I'll be sure to wear it ASAP! Oh! If you wanna wear it as well, tell me. I'll be happy to lend it to you."

Recently, Caleb has been very into a particular game. You'd know because you were the victim of his rambles (and then he managed to get you into it as well). You were able to acquire a few limited edition posters for him and other pieces of merch––key chains, stands and whatnot. You were very tempted to take them for yourself.

"Woah~ I was thinking that my room needed a redecoration!"

You nodded. "Mhm, Merry Christmas."

"Miss Support, you're the best!" Caleb pulled you in for a hug. "Hey, come to my room when you're free. Let's hang these posters together."

Finn was kinda difficult to get a gift for. The stuff you knew about him didn't translate well into a gift. After stalking observing the man, you found out that he frequented this specific restaurant and always got the same sandwich order (you also found out he didn't like tomatoes). The next day you talked to the owner and paid ahead of time for Finn and also asked to also throw in the special drink. Needless to say, it worked out well since Finn texted you a picture of the food later in the day.

You received a text. "Thanks for the meal! Would you like me to treat you some time?"

"Finn, that was your Christmas gift."

"And?"

"You're not supposed to pay me back???"

Jade has an interesting hyperfixation. Frogs. Yes, frogs. You had no idea who, what, why, where and how, but this was an undeniable fact you casually discovered when you found out that throughout Jade's childhood she always had frog themed things. However, you had no idea what the hell you wanted to do with that information. That was until you came across a set of frog onesies.

"I got a similar one as well! We can match––Wait, why are you undressing?!"

Jade tilted her head innocently. "I want to try it now."

"You can later!"

She laughed at your flustered expression. How does one laugh so elegantly? "Let's both wear this tonight and match, hm?"

Amias would be happy if you got him a box of tissues, but obviously he deserved way more than that. Amias liked knitting, so you got him a high-quality set that included an assortment of yarns in an array of colours, knitting needles, and other essentials. You tried making something yourself for him, but it turned out terrible. It was supposed to be a simple black wool rabbit with yellow eyes, but it looked really... interesting.

"Amias, I promise you this is not to insult you, my hands just aren't as magical as yours," you said. "But, uh here. It's supposed to be a rabbit by the way."

Amias was at a loss for words for a good thirty seconds.

"I'm gonna frame it."

"No––"

Lyle was another tough one. The guy liked training, preached about health––you almost considered renting out a gym for him or something. But then you remembered a key detail, that he kept a plush from his childhood. With that information, you got a custom plush. It was of a purple angry looking goose with red eyes. You threw in a box of protein bars for good measure if he hated your gift.

"Is this supposed to be me?"

"You said that, not me."

"..."

"So you don't like it? I can take it back since I have protein bars as a backup gift––"

"I never said that. I'm keeping it."

Cecil liked making memories and money. So what you did was set up a nice dinner for the both of you with his favourite wine (it was stated in is trivia). It'll make for a fun memory. Now, the money part? First off, you were paying. Second, the space was reserved in a restaurant near a bar that Cecil considered competition. In short, this was a business move.

"What a fancy set up. Is this your way of asking me out?"

"You know you're too pretty for me. Anyways, you can have fun scoping out your competition here."

Cecil hummed, a sly smile on his lips. "This is going to be an exciting night, isn't it?"

Your support team visited you just an hour before Christmas ended and you all had a mini celebration in the cafeteria. It involved candy canes, cake, and cookies. Despite all the sugar, you still managed to knock out on your bed by the time Christmas was over.

Alright, back to the present. Tonight on New Years Eve all SF members were free!

Currently, everyone was gathered at the rooftop setting things up. Elias had a BBQ going on with Lyle helping. Sara was sorting out the drinks and snacks. Jade and Finn were helping bring in chairs and tables.

Cecil was nowhere to be found. No one could get in contact with him for the entire afternoon and night and no one knew where he was. It was weird. He was the kind of person to text and call back within lightning speed.

... I might have an idea where he is.

"I'll go fetch Cecil," you said.

Caleb looked up from his task. He was in the middle of drawing a picture on a cake. Now, Caleb may be amazing at making tasty pastries and decorating them, but creating pictures? Well... Uh, it could use some work.

"Okay! Come back in one piece, Miss Support."

"Gee, you have a lot of faith in me."

Caleb laughed. "Just looking out for your cute face."

You ignored the fuzzy feeling in your chest at the remark as you left the rooftop. On your way downstairs, you encountered Amias carrying utensils and plates. You two quickly exchanged greetings before you went off to find your favourite flirtatious man.

If memory serves me correctly, according to the Cecil trivia in the art book he has a certain spot he likes to hang out when he wants to be alone.

It was a space just outside the AEI building. A small outdoor area that Cecil literally bought for himself. It was pretty far away from the main facilities and was hidden, so it was hard to come by unless you were intentionally looking for it. You had no idea how Cecil managed to buy the space, but you chalked it up to him having a lot of money and the chairman having no use for the area.

The art book had draft sketches of the space, but the final thing never made it into the official game. Technically, it was still canon information, just never an explorable area. There was limited information on its location, so you relied on inference. You even began to wonder if it actually existed at some point.

"Bingo!" You smiled. "So it is here!"

Okay, you were getting excited. The draft sketches looked pretty cool already, so what would the real thing look like?

You slid the glass door open and glanced around.

"Cecil? You there?"

Your eyes widened as you drank in the details. Pretty lights were strung across the space, casting a warm glow that blended well with the greenery. Fresh air, access to view the night sky––thinking about getting some work done here was an aesthetic thought.

On the wall, there was a well decorated bulletin board. Now, there was already one in the AEI with everyone's pictures being added every now and then (you made a mental note to add some polaroids you collected of your midnight trips with Caleb and Amias), but Cecil had one of his own.

One that stood out to you was a last minute photo Cecil forced everyone to take for Christmas. You snickered at Lyle's slightly blurred face since the guy was scheduled for an operation and needed to leave asap.

However, what surprised you was that there was at least one photo of an SF member for every single day, whether it'll be a quick selfie or a candid photo. You found a few where you were just peacefully reading a book and Cecil snuck in a selfie without you knowing.

He really likes collecting memories, huh?

Cecil was a sentimental character, you already knew that. However, seeing it presented like this made you dwell on the fact a little longer.

Alright, let's not get too distracted.

Onto the man you've been searching for––Cecil. It really didn't take long to find him. All it took was one glance around and you saw him at a table flipping through what seems to be a photo book with a bottle of wine next to him.

"Cecil?"

"(Y/n)?" Cecil's half lidded eyes glanced over to your frame. He gently closed the book and tilted his head. "How in the world did you find me?"

Cecil was a mess, but like––in a hot way. Shirt with a few buttons undone, hair falling over his eyes, jade green eyeshadow a little smudged, and slightly flushed cheeks. The look he's giving you right now is actually criminal.

"Actually, that shouldn't be a surprise from you, huh?" Cecil chuckled softly to himself. "You're always doing fun things."

When you approached the table, Cecil's eyes watched you carefully. You picked up a wine bottle, surprised by how light it was.

"Are you drunk?"

"Just a lil tipsy. My tolerance is usually better, but it's nice to finally have the alcohol take effect. Would've preferred it without an audience, though." Another chuckle slipped past his lips. Cecil was really giggly when he's tipsy, huh? "So, darling, what do you need me for?"

The way he says darling ohmygshdhjeifhq.

"I came to get you. Everyone's celebrating the New Year together."

"Ah, it's already that late? I lost track of time." Cecil hummed before waving you off. "Give me ten, I'll sober up quickly."

You did not expect to encounter Cecil in this state ever. The one time you saw this in the game was a few days before the weapon announcement arc.

You pulled a seat and sat across him. "I can wait for ten minutes."

Cecil shook his head. "Dear, normally, I have full confidence in keeping you entertained. However, tonight is not one of those nights."

"I'll leave you alone if you really don't want me here," you said. "But something tells me you're in need of company."

"Aw, how sweet. Always thinking of others, aren't you?" Cecil rested his cheek against his palm. "The reason why I'm such a hot mess isn't anything unique. Thought about life and I got stressed."

"I'm always willing to lend an ear."

"Thank you, but do you really want me to dump my emotions on you?"

"As your friend, isn't it natural to want to offer support?"

Cecil laughed softly. "I'll be in your debt, then."

"No debt. Friendship isn't transactional."

"Whoops, suppose my business mindset slipped a little bit," he said, words meshed together a little. After a quiet giggle, he said, "Dear, do you know why I was so interested in you?"

Christ, that tone would've made anyone blush.

"You told me in the past, right? It was because I was an anomaly."

Cecil sighed. "You're right. I guess I felt kind of petty because I was interested in you."

"Interested how?"

"Anomalies always catch my eye." He pointed to you. "A support member selected for an SF trial is odd, so you clearly fit the criteria."

"That's right, but it's a lot deeper than that."

Cecil was ambitious, you've established that early on. He liked to surround himself with the kind of people who would facilitate his growth, who wouldn't hold him back. That's why the SF was a perfect place for him, and also why you taking action to work with him in the past was so important.

"It's because I can help you pursue your ambitions."

Cecil nodded as he reached out to pour another glass of wine, but stopped at your concerned glance. "My ambitions gave me fulfilment, it was how I dealt with things when I was younger. I can be a very selfish person because of that. Remember that one time?"

Behind his glasses, Cecil's eyes illuminated a beautiful gold and green. His pupils turned into slits, resembling a snake. Your breath hitched as you felt something sinuously slither around your frame; like a python trapping its prey.

Your limbs were paralysed as a ghostly snake wrapped around them. It wasn't like it was trying to suffocate you, but the presence of it instilled so much tension that it may as well be.

"(Y/n), this is a snippet of how I'm feeling." Cecil chuckled, looking down at his palm. "I feel like I'm going to collapse because of how eager I am to do something. I know you have a wealth of knowledge stored in that cute head of yours, so why aren't you taking advantage of it?"

"You weren't mad at all at the time. I wonder... What if I sacrificed you to pursue my ambitions?" His eyes looked into your own. "Will you not get mad then?"

You were quick to respond. "You won't do it."

"Really?"

"Nope." You smiled. "You care for the speciality force. Look at the bulletin boards, Cecil. It can't get any more obvious than that."

Cecil was quiet for a moment before he laughed. "The alcohol is getting to me." He was tracing circles on the table, his voice uncharacteristically quiet and vulnerable when he said, "Yeah, I've never had anyone to consider family, so I treasure everyone. My ambitions used to protect me, but now I want to use it to protect everyone."

In the original game, Cecil felt alone and died alone. And the cause of his death wasn't even found. He allowed his excessive ambition to consume him because he didn't know what else to do and had no one to stop him.

"You know what? Having a lot of ambition is good."

"Not gonna tell me excessive ambition is bad?"

"Just telling you that won't change much. As you said, your ambitions fuel you. So how about this." You smiled. "Let me in on your ambition, let the entire SF in on it. Be even more selfish, ask for our assistance, demand it."

You sat back in your seat.

"You know, everyone feels the same way." You chuckled, remembering Finn and Elias's words. "You're not special, sorry. Everyone here wants to protect each other. Don't go doing things alone, we don't want to be left out."

There was a moment of silence where Cecil looked genuinely stunned. Then he held a hand to his lips and stifled a laughter, a slight quiver in his shoulders. It didn't take long for him to give up on holding back; his laughter spilled out of his lips as a wide smile brightened his features.

Now it was your turn to be stunned. He's?? So?? Gorgeous??

"You're––pft, haha!" Seeing his expression so vibrant with amusement made you almost fall for the guy right then and there. "You're a gem, you know that? Here I was fully expecting you to not enable my ambition. Give a speech on how I will lose sight of myself and such."

"Look, excessive ambition is still bad." You couldn't help but let out a giggle of your own. "Seeing as you admit how it's bad proves that me telling you the same thing won't do much. You're aware of the repercussions, but you can't afford to cut back on it."

Yes, Cecil's over ambition was what got him killed. But it wasn't as simple as 'just don't aim too high'. It was what gave him purpose, it was what made him who he was today. All you hoped was that he would allow his friends in on that ambition so that he doesn't hurt himself or feel alone.

"Hmm..." Cecil looked at you fondly. "Does reading a lot of books allow you to read others like one?"

"Uh? I don't know?"

He laughed and stood up. "Alright, we should join the others now. Let me get this cleaned up."

You also stood up from your seat. "I'll wait for you outside––"

Suddenly, Cecil grabbed onto your hand. Though it was abrupt, the action didn't hurt at all.

"Before you go..." Cecil took a deep breath. "Would you offer this poor soul a hug?"

His request sounded lighthearted, but there was sincerity in his gentle touch and a hint of vulnerability in his eyes. You nodded and he whispered his thanks. He wrapped his arms around you and pulled you into a warm embrace. Cecil has likely hugged many people in an affectionate setting, so it was no surprise his embrace was so comfortable. However, he held you tightly, as if he was trying to pour his unspoken gratitude into this simple, but meaningful gesture.

"I can't thank you enough." He pulled away from you. "Seriously, thank you."

"As long as you're feeling better." You smiled. "It makes me happy that you're in better spirits."

Cecil playfully booped your nose. "Keep this up and I'll seriously fall in love, don't go giving me more problems."

You rubbed your nose. "Love, huh?"

"Mhm, the scary L word." Cecil held the collar of his shirt to his nose. "Ah, I smell of alcohol. Some of it must've gotten onto you when we hugged." He snapped his fingers. "I have a jacket that would look nice on you. You can quickly switch it out with the one you have on now."

"Why do you have that?"

Cecil chuckled sheepishly. "I have a habit of buying things that remind me of others. The other day I impulsively bought a baking set because the colours reminded me of Caleb."

THAT IS SO SWEET?!

"I'll take you up on that offer, then."

"I'll need a full change of clothes, though." Cecil smirked. "You're welcome to peek while I change."

"Thanks for the offer, but I fear the sight would be too much for my eyes."

Cecil laughed. "Is that a compliment or insult?"

You playfully shrugged. "Take it as you will."



===



The excuse you and Cecil came up with for him being MIA half the day was that there was a business opportunity he could not miss. It sounded in character enough. If someone prodded for more details, commence operation change the topic.

The closer you and Cecil got to the rooftop, the more prominent the smell of the BBQ was from the rooftop. It was almost enough to make you ditch Cecil right then and there.

Caleb was the first to spot you and Cecil entering the rooftop.

"Decided to be fashionably late, huh?" he teased.

Cecil chuckled, holding up a bag. "I bought expensive drinks as compensation. Plus, you guys can leave the cleaning up to me."

"We'll be counting on you~"

Cecil glanced over to you, amusement in his eyes. "I see you eyeing the food. Shall we?"

You and Cecil joined everyone else. It wasn't even three seconds until Amias came rushing over with a plate of food he reserved for you. Apparently Finn helped him make it look presentable.

"Here you go!"

"Amias, you're literally the best."

Amias giggled. "Thanks. Oh! I also brought the sparklers. They were on sale."

Sara beamed proudly from afar. "I knew I was right about that!"

After eating and chatting with Amias for a solid ten minutes, he was dragged away by Caleb. Apparently, Caleb wanted to see between Amias and Elias who would down a glass of alcohol the fastest. You were surprised Elias managed to get roped into the competition.

You went off to Sara and Jade to keep yourself company. During your conversation with them, you noticed that Jade appeared a little distracted.

"What's up, Jade?" you asked.

"Oh." She shook her head. "Sorry, am I ruining the mood? I didn't mean to zone out."

"Don't be sorry!" Sara showed her a reassuring smile. "What's worrying you?"

"I was... thinking about the incident with the silver apparition a couple weeks back. I had a disagreement with one of the citizens. I couldn't calm the situation down." She sighed. "I couldn't even offer support when (Y/n) stepped in to help me."

"Nah, you're fine." You smiled. "That woman was unreasonable anyway."

Sara nodded. "We can't please everyone. Things like that happen."

Jade smiled appreciatively at you and Sara before her gaze settled back to her drink. "I've been told that I'm too naive."

Girl, same.

"Naive?" Sara repeated. "What do you mean?"

"You can't please everyone, you can't save everyone, you can't always do the right thing. I've been told that ever since I was young. I understand what they mean, but I still want to try." She chuckled. "You know, when I was young, I always wanted to be a knight. A knight that never fails to save everyone."

You and Sara exchanged glances, pleasantly surprised at Jade's vulnerability.

"I can relate to that," you replied.

You could definitely relate to that. The amount of times your 'heroic' attitude got you into trouble was quite a few.

"I would naively think that if I tried hard enough I could achieve a perfect outcome." That sympathy would be enough. "I learned that it's not possible."

Jade nodded, a little dejected. "I see..."

"However, that does not mean I need to discard my current attitude."

That caught her off guard. "What do you mean?"

"I still want to be naive, to give people the benefit of the doubt, to help others even when they really don't deserve it..."

'You don't get angry enough, you need to be more selfish'––it made sense. The human heart could only fit so many people in it, the human heart only has so much kindness to give before it became too much.

"... Sure, things won't always work out. However, I think this 'naive' attitude is a nice change of pace in this city, one where death lurks so closely in society. We need people who offer assistance when no one else will." You turned over to Jade. "In my opinion, you should keep your head high and remain as who you are. But remember to consider the feelings of those close to you, treat yourself kindly and accept that there is no perfect outcome."

When you finished your ramble, you were surprised to see that everyone else had begun listening in at some point. Amongst all the eyes, Lyle's one stood out; they were subtly narrowed. He was the main person who critiqued your attitude. Did he approve of your perspective? Respect it?

"Couldn't have worded it better, (Y/n)!" Sara exclaimed. "I feel like you're the perfect person for that kind of advice."

Jade's eyes widened in surprise and her features softened into one of gratitude. She chuckled, her lips curved into a gorgeous smile. It was the way you saw her dimples that got you. God. Why was she so pretty??

"You're right," she said warmly. "Thank you, (Y/n). That was something I needed to hear."

You couldn't help but bashfully grin at her words. "Of course––"

"Miss Support!" Caleb suddenly tackled you from behind. You almost fell over and died a second time there. "What a heartwarming speech, I was so moved."

"Ack––Caleb, get off!"

You managed to push him off after promising to join him in his next baking session. After that interruption, you turned to Jade.

"Speaking of not being able to please everyone..." You grinned and took out your phone. "Wanna see the kinds of things people say about me? Oh, don't feel bad. I find it fascinating at this point."

"Drama? Let me join in."

"Cecil, where in the world did you come from?"

You, Sara, Jade and Cecil had a mini session of sifting through social media. Sara and Cecil did dramatic acts of your hate comments. They were really into it. Everyone else ended up joining and Caleb even brought in a projector. After that, it transitioned to sifting through all the magazine covers everyone starred in. While Cecil and Caleb were teasing Lyle about his first ever photoshoot, Jade turned over to you.

"(Y/n), there's something I've been meaning to ask you."

"Yeah?"

Jade seemed timid for a moment. "Can... Can I pet Mochi?" She glanced away bashfully. "I-I know he's an apparition, but I noticed that I can feel the cool air he emanates. I just want to... try."

"..."

You needed to physically restrain yourself from screaming 'ANYTHING FOR YOU MY QUEEN'.

"Sure! Ask whenever you want. Mochi loves company."

Her blue eyes lit up. You thought you saw literal sparkles twinkle around Jade by how excited she looked. "Really?"

"Really."

You summoned Mochi. Jade carefully approached the wolf and she let out a squeal of delight when Mochi nuzzled his face against her cheek. You quite literally screamed at Cecil to quickly take a picture. Finn asked for a turn to pet Mochi and your wolf companion happily indulged him. Next was Caleb, Amias, Cecil, Sara... Even Elias joined in.

Lyle stood next to you, watching the scene unfold.

"You wanna pet him?"

"No."

"..."

"..."

"You definitely do."

Mochi ended up charging at Lyle in the end, the look of pure shock on Lyle's face was hilarious. Caleb doubled over in laughter, Cecil pulled out his polaroid and Sara pulled out her phone to record.

Chuckling to yourself, you stepped away from the scene a bit.

Alastor? Can you hear me?

What's up?

What do you say we have a mini celebration with just the apparitions later?

... Do whatever.

You smiled to yourself and mumbled, "I bet he's excited."

After some time, you dismissed Mochi. It was nice seeing the wolf so ecstatic. You hoped one day your apparition companions could also call the SF their family.

"Alright, is it time for the sparklers?" Sara asked. "It's almost the New Year."

Caleb grinned. "I can't wait to make dumb New Year jokes."

Elias looked horrified. "Please don't."

Amias handed your sparkler with his usual cheerful smile. You thanked him and he lit up. You had to rub your eyes to double check that puppy ears didn't manifest on his head.

"Alright, gather around for a photo." Cecil already had the camera set up. "It's only a few minutes until the New Year, wouldn't want to miss this opportunity for a pic."

As he was making final adjustments to the settings, he whispered,

"You know, I really appreciate you all. So let's keep taking lots of photos, yeah? I'm the kind of guy who likes to look back on memories."

Cecil made eye contact with you as he said that, an appreciative smile on his face. You were surprised, Cecil had never mentioned this to the team in the original game. And as expected, everyone seemed surprised at the sudden genuine comment, but no one was complaining.

Caleb snickered. "If you wanted me to spam your phone with selfies you should've given me your passcode."

Lyle sighed. "Just give me a warning when you throw a camera at my face, yeah?"

"I'm always happy to lend a hand if you need help carrying around your camera's equipment," Jade added.

Cecil laughed quietly. "Appreciate it, guys."

For the photo, you were squished between Caleb and Amias. With a cheerful heart, you and everyone else held up the sparklers and smiled for the camera.

The moment midnight hit, everyone shouted,

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

Click!

Cecil skipped over to check on the photo. A fond smile graced his lips before he turned his attention to everyone else.

"Okay~ Everyone go do your own thing and pretend I'm not here. I'll be taking more photos."

"Kinda hard to do that when you're eagerly shoving a camera in my face," Lyle mumbled.

"But everyone's so photogenic, how can I not?" Cecil whined. "Well, not as photogenic as me, of course."

Lyle rolled his eyes. "How humble."

"I know."

As Cecil advised, everyone went off to do their own thing. While you were grabbing some snacks, you saw Cecil and Caleb sneaking in an off guard picture of Lyle. Oh, they were successful. Ah, they were caught. Oh dear, now they were running for their life.

The two looked to Elias for help, but were completely ignored. Sara, Finn and Jade spectated (Sara and Finn secretly encouraging it). Amias looked adorably confused. Despite all the chaos, Cecil looked so happy and at peace. Your heart soared with warmth at the atmosphere. The speciality force was seriously the closest thing to family you've experienced.

You snapped a picture of the whole thing and made a mental note to send it to Cecil later.

You walked to the edge of the rooftop and leaned against the railing, lighting up another sparkler. You held it out and admired the illumination, the brightness standing out in the night sky. You snapped a photo of the sparkler and sent it to Eve.

Happy New Year!

You didn't get a response. They must be busy, huh? You pocketed your phone and focused back on observing the city from the rooftop.

It has been almost half a year since you've transmigrated into Anomalous. It's been a hectic time, but one where you've grown so much. What welcomed you at the end of this journey? Would you learn more things about yourself and this world? What kind of relationships would develop?

You glanced behind you, observing the smiles and laughter of your friends. Then a sad thought crossed your mind.

I wonder... Will I have to leave this world early someday?