"Delete the photo."

Cecil winked. "No ♡"

"..."

Amias watched the whole ordeal with Caleb, Cecil and Lyle with a mix of amusement and concern. However, he had to admit, he wondered what kind of photo Cecil and Caleb managed to take of Lyle. He'll secretly ask later.

Jade settled down her glass of wine. "Should we stop them?"

Finn and Sara snapped their heads towards Jade as if she had suggested blowing up a building.

"And ruin the fun––" Finn quickly cleared his throat and presented a professional smile. "I mean, and interrupt their conversation?"

Sara shook her head. "That's just impolite."

Jade knitted her eyebrows together in confusion at the responses. Meanwhile, Amias turned over to talk to you.

"(Y/n), what do you think?"

Amias was left confused to find out that you were nowhere to be found. Huh, where did you go? He could've sworn you were beside him not too long ago.

Yes, he might've overreacted and panicked a little. However, though it took a few seconds of him frantically glancing around, he eventually saw you near the rooftop's ledge. You were alone, idly gazing at the sparkler in your hand with a contemplative expression. Did you want some alone time?

Amias decided to check in on you just in case. When he walked over, you were too lost in your thoughts to notice him. Amias was about to gently call out to you, but when he saw the way the sparkler's illumination graced your features and reflected in your eyes amidst the backdrop of the night sky, he was speechless for a moment.

So pretty.

"Amias?"

He flinched. "Y-yeah?"

"I didn't see you there, my bad. I was lost in thought."

"It's fine. What were you thinking about?"

It took you a moment to respond. You glanced over your shoulder. "How lively everyone is."

Amias laughed and followed your gaze. "That's understandable."

"Mhm."

Your voice was softer than usual and your expression was hard to read. There was a mix of subtle emotions; sentimentality, contemplation and something else Amias could not put his finger on. Whatever it was, it made him feel more distant from you.

Amias ignored the unpleasant feeling in his chest for the time being. Lowering his voice, he asked, "Do you celebrate the New Year back in your world?"

You seemed a little caught off guard by the question.

"Kinda? I've called friends for countdowns, attended parties, and celebrated alone. But nothing like this that's for sure," you responded. Your lips then curved into a warm smile. "This is nice, gotta be a favourite of mine."

Amias returned your smile. "Well, it's going to be like this for the upcoming years, huh?"

"..."

"... (Y/n)?"

Again, that sense of distance was creeping up in Amias's heart. He hated it, he was afraid of it.

Amias told himself that he didn't need to know everything about you, to answer every question he had about you. However, what he did need was to be by your side. And this bad feeling he was getting was obscuring that one need.

"Oh, sorry. Zoned out for a moment. It's been pretty tiring these days." You laughed softly. "But yeah, I suppose so."

Why did your words have a string of uncertainty to them? What could you be hiding that led to his behaviour?

Was there... a time limit to how long you could be here?

The thought made Amias's blood run cold. You? Leaving? The idea of waking up and not being able to greet you good morning instilled dread within him. It was just now that Amias realised that the less he knew about you, the easier it was for you to slip from his grasp––the harder it is for him to find a way to stay by your side.

"Amias, whatever you do will never be a burden. Ask me as much as you want. If you need my help don't hesitate to come find me."

"I don't know––"

"I promise," you said, expression bright with sincerity. "I promise that I will never push you away on my own accord."

You said you'll never push him away, that meant you'd never willingly leave him, right? Then was there some external factor causing you trouble?

Amias's bright gold eyes darkened for a moment. It was a stark contrast to his innocuous and kind features.

The system.

Amias's thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of explosive crackles and booms from up above. He glanced up to find the dark night being painted with vibrant hues.

"Ohh, the fireworks are starting!" Sara exclaimed.

Caleb smiled. "This is a pretty sick view, huh?"

"Alright, you guys know the drill," Cecil said. "Photos."

"Set a timer," Lyle suggested. "You're never in the photos."

"That's because I was afraid I'll make you guys look bad."

"..."

Your expression glowed with amusement. That sight was almost enough to melt away all of the negative emotions bottled up inside of Amias.

With a smile, you turned to him. "Let's go join them."



===



How in the world did it come to this?

Tonight was going to be a night where you received adequate sleep. A rarity. A national treasure you may even add. Sleep required peace and preferably no company (Mochi and your apparition friends were fine).

Currently, you have company. Specifically, two apparitions and a beautiful blond.

Yes, Kein, James and Shen were back. Imagine the heart attack you got when you were in the middle of getting ready for bed only to go to the window to close the curtains and see silver eyes staring right back at you.

Seeing Shen again was kind of awkward. The last time you had a proper conversation with him was when you and your girlfriends pulled that concert stunt. AKA, when you tried to get rid of him.

"You guys were careful to not get caught, right?" you asked with a sigh, slipping into frog-themed slippers that Jade bought you.

The three were gathered in your room again in the dead of night as well. Kein sat in front of your desk with his hands politely on his lap, James stood near the window reading off a magazine he snatched from your room, and Shen just followed wherever you went.

With a smile, Kein beamed, "Of course!"

God. That smile was way too pure. And the way it showed his canine teeth? Seeing how sunny and bright his expression was? Sensational.

Okay, calm down, (Y/n).

"There's no need to doubt my skills," Shen said.

"..."

"James, your silence is scaring me."

James tightened the AEI jacket wrapped around his waist (his waist was so snatched). With a shrug, he said, "Good."

For the sake of your mental health, you'll chalk it up to James messing with you.

James was such a sweetheart in the flashbacks, why did I get stuck with this version?

You took your eyes off James, intending to go over to sit on your bed. Your heart almost evicted itself when you saw a levitating jacket. The culprit? Shen. He had brought a jacket from the coat hanger over to you.

"You'll get cold," he said, blissfully unaware that his nonchalant act terrified you. "Please wear more layers."

"Oh, thanks." You slipped on the jacket. It was the one Cecil bought since it reminded him of you. "That's actually very considerate of you."

At your compliment, there was a proud twinkle in his eyes. Shen proceeded to grab a scarf, gloves, and several more layers of clothing for you.

You raised a hand. "Okay, that's enough."

"Why are you wearing so little layers anyways?" James asked.

"I was actually in the middle of stripping before you three barged in."

"Oh."

You jumped onto the bed and Shen didn't hesitate to move beside you. You weren't going to lie, it was kind of cute seeing him follow you like a puppy.

"Anyways, so we're discussing more details about our collaboration," you said with a clasp of your hands. "If we're gonna talk teamwork, we're going to need to allocate roles."

Kein raised his hand like an eager student. Shen shot the blond a confused look, James didn't pay much attention to it, and you were trying to not smash your pillow to express how cute Kein looked.

"Yes, Kein?"

"I'll sneak into the lab! If I get caught, I just need to leave and people will forget about me," he explained. "Plus, I'm pretty confident in my skills."

You asked, "You know your way around?"

He gave you a cheerful okay sign. Man, if this was a cutscene, you would've taken 8372847 screenshots.

"Yup! I've got many successful attempts under my belt."

"I admit, I lack information on the logistics of the weapon announcement," Shen said, "Even the location is unknown to me."

"Oh, I know the location."

James raised an eyebrow. "And I'm guessing you're not going to tell us how?"

"Course not." You cleared your throat. "Anyways, the weapon announcement will take place in..."

You explained to the three the location. As expected, you received varying looks of doubt and surprise. Kein was the least doubtful, but the most surprised. Shen was a balanced mix of both. James straight up looked like he didn't believe you.

"If that's the location..." Shen mumbled. "Alright, I think I'll interrupt the weapon announcement and cause a distraction."

That was pretty much what happened in the original game.

"Distraction as in destroying everything in sight I'm assuming?"

"Precisely."

Shen continued to explain his intentions and plans. Everyone agreed with it for the most part.

"The biggest threat would be Eve," James brought up. "Since we know nothing about them."

Shen nodded. "Ah, they are quite the mysterious figure."

In the original game, Eve only made an AI appearance on a big screen. You were going to assume a similar thing was going to happen here. And despite the chaos that unfolded during the weapon announcement arc, no one encountered them. They didn't step in once. So even if you managed to see them in person, you doubted they would make a physical appearance just because of your interaction with them.

A mysterious figure indeed.

You thought about your role in this whole plan. Honestly, it was hard. There were a lot of variables that you didn't account for, your connection to Eve being one of them. And you were so sure you were going to work with Cecil and Amias––your allies––that you were stumped when it came to these three.

"There's going to be a mountain of information in the lab and a lot will be restricted behind passwords and computer screens," James said. "Kein, do you think you can gather all of that?"

Kein hummed, expression serious. "Maybe I could... learn to hack?"

"And how would you do that?"

"Videos online!"

Silence fell over the room.

"You know," you began. "Cecil knows his way around the lab as well. Plus, he's pretty adept with technology considering he used to be part of the operation design division. And Amias can teleport, that's gotta be useful––"

"Hold on a moment, please," Shen interrupted. "Are you suggesting we involve others?"

The silver apparition didn't seem pleased by the prospect.

"Not a suggestion," you clarified. "I'm going to involve others."

Cecil would kill you if you didn't let him in on such an ambitious operation.

"Oh, but I won't tell them about my truce with you guys. I was planning to work with others before you guys came into the equation. I'm just a little heads up, you know?" You looked over to Shen. "Oh, come on. You cannot tell me you don't have your own hidden agendas. At least I'm being honest about mine."

Shen frowned, but he didn't argue any further.

James looked over to you, eyes narrowing slightly. "Question, when did you join the AEI?"

"That wasn't a sudden question at all."

James chuckled sarcastically. "Look. Either you answer or you don't."

When did you join the AEI? That question actually came up in the past. Thankfully, that was easily confirmed through a quick check of your records. Though, that was a little annoying to find considering the passwords you needed to go through since upon initially transmigrating into this world you had no idea how to log into your accounts.

"Six years ago give or take."

"I was alive during that time," James said. It was odd seeing green eyes that almost perfectly mirrored Caleb's show so much suspicion. "I would've for sure noticed if someone like you was in the AEI."

"I was a pretty quiet person up until recently," you said, shrugging. "Anyways! We've come to a consensus to expose the chairman, right? Now, here's where our paths diverge." You pointed to Shen. "I'm assuming you want to shock the citizens, reveal the information as cruelly and abruptly as possible."

"And I'm assuming you would like to opt for a more subtle move," Shen responded.

"Yup."

Once again, silence swept across the room.

This was an expected issue.

In the original game, Shen successfully throws the city into a canopy of chaos and doubt by revealing the experiments the AEI conducts behind the scenes. However, the true nature of the weapons was still shrouded in mystery since he lacked allies to help him gather the needed info. This time, however, he just might be able to reveal everything.

You didn't want to turn the city upside down in panic. Yes, the sense of structure the AEI provided has corruption behind it, but you still need the city to remain in order to slowly change its beliefs. Your goal wasn't like Shen's, you didn't want to do a hard reset.

Shen tilted his head, glancing at you. "This is quite the issue, isn't it?"

"To be fair, I doubt things will go as planned," James said. "Is there really a way to appease everyone's goals?"

"That's a fair point," Shen replied.

"I can share the information with you guys," Kein suggested. "And whatever happens from there and what everyone decides to do with the information is up to them."

"So the moment all of us get the information, our alliance is terminated?" you asked.

"Kein has the upper hand in this deal," Shen said, cold silver eyes showing no trace of amiability. "After all, he can very easily hide information."

"I wouldn't do that!"

James sighed. "He wouldn't."

For once, you agreed with James.

Shen frowned. "You two are acquainted with him. I am not. I'm sure my doubts are justified."

Your gaze trailed to the floor in thought for a moment. There was a plan you had in mind, but it was a little rocky. But it was the best one you got.

"How about we do this instead."

At your words, all three pairs of eyes were on you. And after you gave the three your two cents on the matter, you received looks of doubt and confusion once more.

Kein's eyes widened. "That's..."

"This goes beyond knowing a few things behind the scenes," Shen said. "(Y/n), you've got everything planned out."

"You guys would need to trust me on this because." You gave them a thumbs up. "Because I have no explanations to offer."

"I trust you!" Kein exclaimed with zero hesitation. "Everyone has their secrets, so I understand if you can't reveal anything."

Shen raised an eyebrow at Kein. "You're... very naive."

Honestly, you could not fault Shen for saying that.

Kein simply chuckled at Shen's comment. "Yeah, I know. But I think this city needs less suspicion and more trust."

The silver apparition frowned. He didn't come off as patronising or rude, he simply could not understand Kein's mindset.

"I think it's kind of sad that trusting others wholeheartedly is so hard these days. What's so wrong about wanting to see the good in people?" Kein was quiet for a moment. A smile was still present on his lips, but a sad look reflected in his eyes. "That's why, I want to create a world where being good isn't a crime, that good people don't die because they want to help others."

Kein paused for a moment, a contemplative expression on this feature. Then he laughed softly.

"It sounds silly, huh? A perfect world doesn't exist, but I'll handle the consequences to create one." Kein looked at his palms. "I've already become this state anyway."

Kein said something similar to Amias in the past and honestly, besides his lovable himbo antics, his ideology contributed massively to him being your favourite character. Sure, he didn't have as much screen time as others, but his character gave you comfort.

Maybe it was because you didn't receive as much affection as you would've liked growing up or maybe it was because you were stressed with everything in life when you stumbled across Anomalous, but the idea of someone being pure-hearted and good-natured made you feel safe. It was also why you liked Jade so much since she had similar values.

However, the reason why Kein was your favourite had to do with his backstory.

"I don't think it's silly." You felt Shen's stare on you. "My goal is pretty similar to yours."

Kein smiled. "I had a feeling you'd feel the same way."

You returned his smile. You wished you could say more, but you weren't about to drop a heart-to-heart conversation with Kein when the other two guys were around.

"Moving on. James, I left your role ambiguous in my plans because 'tagging along just for the sake of it' doesn't really help me accommodate to your goals."

James didn't seem all that engaged, it looked like his mind was wandering. In fact, seeing his calm demeanour made you do a double take whether this was a discussion about a literal break-in at a high-security lab that could tilt the entire city upside down depending on how it went or a casual Tuesday conversation.

"Helping Shen with the distractions sounds fine to me," he responded.

"How about you fight Shen instead?"

"Sorry?"

"You were a very well-loved exorcist, I'm sure despite being an apparition you still have supporters. If we do things correctly, the majority might even accept you. A good portion has accepted Mochi and the apparition children, we've already paved the way for you," you said. "It'll give you a chance to fight alongside Caleb rather than against him."

James narrowed his eyes. "What makes you think that I want to fight alongside my brother? Didn't you remember what I said?"

"I won't be trying to hurt you anymore." James sighed. "I realised that it won't solve anything. But one thing's for sure..."

James made a move to punch Caleb, but his fist simply phased through his chest.

"Don't think of me as your brother anymore. Sorry, but the older brother you loved is gone. I'm just an apparition with his memories now." He smiled. It looked a little bitter. "It's best if you live with that."

Of course you'd remember. And despite James intending his words to come across as a deterrence, you actually saw it as something pretty hopeful.

"Your choice," you said. "It was just a suggestion."

There were a few unanswered questions about James's death. For example: Whatever happened to his corpse after this death?

The game implied that James died whilst Caleb was carrying him, but in fact, he was still barely clinging to life. When he was taken away for medical treatment, it was too late to save him. Before he died, something was injected into him. Something that tampered with his sense of self preservation.

James had a great sense of self preservation because he wanted to keep protecting his younger brother. However, because his self preservation was tampered with, his true goal was obscured. Hence, we witnessed his hostility towards the younger brother he was supposed to be protecting.

However, James was slowly changing.

Before James left, he glanced over his shoulder. He seemed hesitant about what he was going to say next.

"How's Caleb doing?"

You were surprised at the question and by how quiet James's voice was. Now that you thought about it, he was acting a little quieter than usual ever since the start. Was this question weighing his mind the entire time?

"He's doing better."

James nodded. And with that, he left your room.

Honestly, you would love to talk to him about it, but you weren't all that close to him. However, you definitely wanted the two brothers to meet again in a setting where they weren't enemies.

In response to your question, James mumbled, "... I'll figure it out on the day."

Hey, that was better than a no.

"Is that all we have to discuss?" Shen asked.

"I have nothing else to add," you said.

Everyone else agreed.

"Alright, perfect. Everyone, please get out. I really want to sleep."

James did not hesitate to leave. Mans dove head first to phase through the wall the moment he had the chance. Wow. Okay. Kein bid you goodbye with a cheerful smile before exiting. That sight restored ten years of your life. Shen was the last to leave. Right before he did so, his gaze shifted towards you. The eye contact made you take note of his long lashes; a gentle reminder of the envy you felt for this man who was blessed with gorgeous eyes.

With a soft smile, he whispered, "Sweet dreams."

He left before you could respond. Okay, that made your heart flutter. Just a little. A little.

You gave it around a minute before you collapsed onto your bed. You sighed in relief. That was a heavy discussion.

As you began making preparations to go to bed, there was a soft knock to your right. You looked to the window and were surprised to see Kein. You immediately rushed over to let him in.

With a sheepish smile, Kein said, "Sorry for disturbing you. I know you wanted to sleep."

I'd do anything for you, king.

"Nah, you're fine. Come in." You stepped to the side so Kein could enter your room. "What's up?"

"Well!" Kein opened his mouth, ready to answer. "Well..."

You shot him a confused look. "Well?"

"Sorry, I didn't really think this through." With a hand on his chin, he tilted his head to the side in thought. "I guess I didn't feel like I was finished talking yet."

"Oh, did you want me to relay the news to the others?"

"No need." He smiled. "I just wanted to talk to you."

He did??? You managed to not double over and scream at how unimaginably happy you were as of right now.

You asked Kein to take a seat before you began the conversation.

"I kind of wanted to talk about my condition a little more. I realised that I've never really told anyone about the details," Kein said. "Not even James knows the full story."

"It makes it so that no one remembers you, right? Even after they've encountered you?"

As always, it felt weird asking questions you already knew the answer to.

"Mhm! You know, as sad as it sounds, I was pretty relieved when I first discovered it," he said. "After all, I won't get scolded for doing dangerous things if no one knows who I am."

Welp, that totally didn't hurt your heart.

"Do you want to know why I'm in this state?" Kein's eyes were almost sparkling. "Hm?"

"Y-yes?"

"Great!" He giggled. "It was because of a wish I made."

"A... wish?"

"If I recall correctly, the book reads that there used to be a world where apparitions didn't exist. However, one day a human changed that."

The silver apparition summoned a snowflake and it hovered just above his fingertips.

"On the brink of death, their desire to make a wish was so strong that the universe had to grant it; they wished for a second chance at life. Since then, a new law has been applied to this world."

Kein nodded. "When I was about to die, my mind could only think about one thing. I didn't want to die yet, I didn't want to give up, I haven't accomplished what I needed to do. But I also didn't want to hurt my friends anymore by involving them in my plans."

You raised a hand. "Wait, wait. Hold on. Backtrack."

"Hm?" Kein adorably tilted his head to the side, an innocent-like confusion in his expression. "Sorry, what were you confused about?"

Don't. Fangirl. At. His. Cute. Confused. Expression.

"You said you were about to die? That's kind of a big bomb to drop, don't you think?"

"That's shocking?" Kein furrowed his eyebrows before a light gasp left him. "Oh! That is shocking!"

I love him.

Well, you knew about the lore, so it wasn't really a shock, but you were surprised to hear Kein mention it so casually.

Oh, right. For the readers out there. Yes, Kein was on the verge of death in the past. Why and how? Massive spoilers.

Moving on, the concept of a 'wish' before an individual died was an ambiguous phenomenon, even for an Anomalous fanatic like you. There were two instances of it being mentioned: one was the story you discussed with Shen. The other was Kein's case.

"Whoops, it felt so long ago that I forgot that it was kind of a big deal." Kein laughed. Mans laughed about his own death like he accidentally got a paper cut or something. "There's a lot to explain. Should I start from the beginning? Or should I give you a condensed version? But there would be a lot of context you need––"

"Kein, it's okay." You laughed when his expression grew progressively panicked. "You don't have to get into the details as of right now."

Kein showed you a thankful smile.

"Alright, where was I at...?" Kein snapped his fingers. "Oh, I remember now! So I got what I wanted. I came back as a human, not an apparition. And my condition makes it so that my friends don't have to worry about me. However... Well, I'm a little afraid."

His voice grew quiet towards the end.

"It's a little lonely being forgotten. Sometimes I'd have nightmares of disappearing altogether." He laughed softly. "However! Having you and the two others remember me is reassuring. Especially you since you're not an apparition."

Kein opened up to Amias and Cecil about his worries later in the game. You were touched that he felt close enough to you to tell you this and you definitely did not almost tear up upon hearing his words (maybe you'll bawl into your pillow later at night).

"I'm sure you won't be forgotten forever," you assured him. "Like you said, I remember you. There's hope, right?"

He laughed. "I think so as well!"

"Not think, you know." You returned his smile. "Who could forget someone as lovable as you––"

Oh fuck. You accidentally let one slip out. Honestly, you were surprised it didn't happen sooner.

And to your surprise, a furious blush crossed Kein's features. "L-lovable?"

Now you were getting flustered at him getting flustered. "Sorry! I didn't mean to say that out loud!"

"Lovable..." Kein laughed. "I haven't gotten a compliment like that before!"

"What kind of compliments do you get?"

"Well, lots of different kinds!" That was such a flex, but knowing Kein he was just telling the honest truth. "A few confuse me, though. Someone said I'd look good in their bed. Do they mean their bed sheets match my appearance?" He looked at you. "(Y/n), do you happen to know?"

Oh, dear.

"... I have no clue."

Well, Kein was attractive. Gorgeous long blonde hair that complimented his warm and vibrant personality, purple eyes that resembled amethyst gems, and a smile that could unite nations together. You were not surprised others had their eyes on him.

Kein glanced at the clock and a light gasp left him.

"It's this late already? I shouldn't keep you awake. A good night's rest is important!" He stood up and smiled at you. "Thanks for hearing me out! I feel a lot better after talking to you."

The conversation was cut off pretty abruptly with unanswered questions that would leave anyone confused if they didn't know Anomalous like you did. Well, not like it mattered to you. When it came to Kein, you weren't caught up in making sure information was exchanged optimally like with Elias or Shen.

"Feel free to come visit whenever."

What you meant to say was: Please come back.

"I'll try!" Kein walked over to the window. "Have a goodnight."

You waved goodbye to Kein and you couldn't help but notice how the soft luminous glow of the moonlight graced his features. It kind of made you reflect on how surreal it was to be in a position where you were able to interact with a character you adored from what was supposed to be a fictional video game.

You replied, "Goodnight to you as well."