"What's on your mind?"

The typical friendly smile graced Yusei's lips as he looked up from his laptop, expecting an answer. You stopped typing and wondered how did I get here? Oh, right. Yusei suggested that you spend time with him during lunch brainstorming and organising future events for the school. It was only yesterday where you discovered a fragment of your past, but you honestly had already forgotten you had actual responsibilities outside of the game.

"Just the past," you responded with a shrug. It was vague, but technically the truth.

Yusei hummed in response and continued on working. Thankfully, he didn't pry any further. The sound of typing filled the student council room. It was a little relaxing, but your thoughts kept wandering back to what happened in the memory you saw. Whenever that happened, a heavy feeling would weigh you down and your eyebrows would furrow slightly in conflict. Seeing Aimi during class was hard enough and you didn't manage to muster the courage to confront her about anything yet.

Since you were working on a shared google docs, you wouldn't be surprised if Yusei noticed your inconsistent typing and the mistakes you made. But he didn't say anything about it and silently corrected your mistakes.

"Let's end it here for today," Yusei said. "Want to have lunch together?"

You blinked, confused. It wasn't odd for Yusei to let you go off early since you kept complaining about doing too much work, but he'd always work to the very end. There were times you felt a little guilty and forced yourself to spend your precious lunch doing work.

"It's not disguised as a student council meeting, right?"

"Of course not. I just want to spend some time with you."

...

Okay, he's starting to scare me.

"Uh, sure." A normal and casual hangout with Yusei? The biggest plot twist of the century. "Let's go."

You two packed up and head to the cafeteria. On the way, Yusei bought you your favourite drink from the vending machine. You accepted it, terrified and baffled. Why was he acting so nice today?

"Yusei..."

"Yes?"

"Are you okay? Do you have a fever?"

Yusei chuckled. "(Y/n), I assure you that I feel completely fine."

"Uh huh..."

After getting food, you and Yusei settled down in the cafeteria. You fully expected the conversation to be awkward, but surprisingly it was fine. If you really wanted to push it, you'd say it was enjoyable. Yusei led the conversation well and you two discussed about recents events at school. Heck, he even spilled some gossip, to which you were maybe a little too invested in.

"Yusei, you know a lot of things that happen around the school."

"Seeing drama unfold is entertaining."

"Not sure how I should take that."

"Think of it as me fulfilling my duty as a student council president by keeping myself updated on the latest news," he said. "And I just so happen to be entertained by it."

You laughed. "Very sly."

During the conversation, your attention was drawn to a group of students that just sat down on the table next to yours and Yusei's. You didn't pay them too much mind, aside from kind of being annoyed at how loud they were, until they began talking directly to you.

"(L/n)-san! I heard you used to date a certain someone," one of the girls said, followed by a series of giggles. You recognised her to be one of Himari's ex-friends from her atrociously heavy makeup. "Genji-san, right?"

Instead of being frozen in shock, you mentally slammed your head against the table. You were wondering when word would get out that you were the idol's ex, and now it has finally come. Seriously, he was the least of your worries. Nothing but an annoying hindrance that stemmed from a past that wasn't even yours.

"Yeah, we used to date," you responded. You also didn't fail to see Yusei's subtle glance towards your direction. "So, what about it?"

"Oh, nothing, nothing. Just didn't expect our beloved vice-president to be into playboys. Didn't you get the short end of the stick? He just threw you away!" She laughed. "Poor you. You know, you can try getting back together with him. He's single at the moment."

Her friends all laughed along with her.

"I heard that you were crying and begging him to stay with you."

"Aw, how pathetic. He didn't even love you one bit."

"Geez, how desperate were you?"

For a moment, you wondered if you'd get away with punching a whole group of students and began calculating what bones you could break that'll result in the smallest repercussions. But, thankfully, you still had reason in you and refrained from doing anything drastic.

[ Memory unlocked: (Y/n)'s Past ]

You blinked. The previous (Y/n)'s past? That will definitely be worth checking out. The conversation probably triggered this feature. Looks like these girls were good for something.

"Kiyama-san, was it?" Yusei said, referring to the student who first spoke to you. "Please correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't you the one who was rejected by Genji-san several times? He's someone who doesn't mind who he dates, right? I find it amusing that despite that you didn't manage to capture his attention."

The girl's face went red. "N-no! That's absurd! Why would he reject me––in fact, who would even date a perv like Genji-san!?"

"I think you should be careful with your words." Yusei smiled kindly, but it didn't reach his eyes. Then, he lowered his voice. "Insulting an idol doesn't make you look good."

The girl––Kiyama, looked around and noticed the looks of disapproval and glares. Even if Genji was infamous for being a bit of a playboy, his music was good and he had a dedicated following. Not only that, Yusei had an eloquent way of speaking that gave off the impression that he was right no matter what. Kiyama sent one last dirty look at you before huffing and leaving the table, her friends following behind.

"Uhm, thanks for the intervention," you said.

"No need," Yusei replied, an amused look in his eyes. "Like I said, I find drama entertaining. I forgot how loud people can be when they're riled up. I've been around you too often."

"Wait, what's that supposed to mean––"

"(Y/n)! Hah, I found her first," a male voice called out.

"Shut up, when was it a competition?"

"Yeah, yeah. That's what a sore loser would say."

You perked up at the familiar voices. That banter; yup, it was the Kasumi siblings. First, you were pleasantly surprised to see them. Next, you were terrified because you remembered that you had completely forgot to reply to Kai's text.

"Kai, I am so sorry that I didn't respond to your text please don't kill me."

Himari shot Kai a look of disbelief. "Did you threaten her or something?"

"What? No! Why would I do that?" Kai turned to you. "It's fine, you were probably tired or something. But I was still worried! How are your injuries?"

"They're fine. It wasn't that bad," you replied. "Thanks for the concern and for carrying me to the first aid."

Without a word, the two siblings grabbed chairs and sat next to you. Himari on your left and Kai on your right. Yusei didn't seem to mind and you were baffled for a good few seconds.

"Open your hand out," Himari said. When you did as she asked, she placed a rectangular box in your palm. "This helps for scars."

Seeing it up close, it looked to be some sort of cream. Most likely for the long cut on your arm. Aw, so she was thinking of you?

You smiled appreciatively. "Thanks! I'll be sure to use it."

Kai grinned. "I'll tell you what. When I told Himari what happened, she rushed to the nearest pharmacy. They were about to close and she charged in––"

"Kai, shut up," Himari snapped.

He stuck his tongue out. "Too late, I've already told her."

You were sure that if you weren't in the middle of these two, a physical fight would've taken place. While the siblings bickered, Yusei stifled a chuckle, which caught their attention.

"Oh, don't mind me," Yusei said. "I just find it heartwarming how much you two care about (Y/n)."

"I mean, yeah. She's our friend," Kai said. "(Y/n), why do you hang out with such weird people?"

"I wish I knew myself."

You've never seen Himari or Kai interact with Yusei before, so this was an odd group of people to be with at lunch. While the three were talking––well it was mainly Kai boasting about winning the basketball match yesterday––you saw Kashi. The idol met your gaze and his eyes lit up as he excitedly waved at you. Before you could wave back, he was swept away by a crowd of people who wanted to talk to him.

You recalled your most recent interaction with him.

You turned around to leave, but Kashi grabbed the edge of your sleeve.

"Wait, (Y/n)."

"What?"

You didn't mean to, but your tone came off annoyed. After all, it was clear as day you needed to be somewhere, especially to someone as observant as Kashi, so you were a little frustrated at the lack of acknowledgement.

Kashi paused for a moment. "Nevermind. Sorry for keeping you here.

Okay, you were feeling slightly guilty that you were a little harsh to him back then. Maybe you should clear things up with him before some misunderstanding happens. After all, though Kashi acted like nothing was wrong, that was exactly the problem. Acting.

"Where are you looking?" Himari asked.

"Oh, I just saw Kashi," you said. "How are you guys, by the way? Did you manage to clear things up with him?"

"I guess? I just told him I acted kind of like a bitch because it was annoying seeing him change so much," she said. "His music back then was a lot better––in my opinion. There's just something off about him now. But I know it's none of my business to pry. So yeah, that's that."

You nodded. Well, she wasn't wrong. You knew Kashi was experiencing a lot of difficulties in self love and you offered to be a means of support. However, after learning about your past you had doubts that it was the right move. Can you help others when you were so unsure of yourself? You wondered; if you gain all your memories from the past, would the you now change? If so, how much?

"Hey, (Y/n). Are you free tomorrow after school?" Kai asked.

"I think so. Why?"

"Let's hang out! There's a new arcade that opened and I wanna win all the prizes." He smiled widely. "You'll say yes, right?"

You chuckled at his eagerness, but you had the urge to reject the invitation and spend your time preparing for the game. After all, you had no idea what was going to happen and were anxious of losing again. The idea of having fun made you feel guilty. But then again, Kai was a target in the past. Perhaps sticking by him wasn't such a bad idea.

"Sure. Well, unless Yusei calls a random meeting."

Yusei chuckled. "Don't worry, I'll hold off for tomorrow."

"... Just tomorrow?"

"Mhm. generous, aren't I?"

You sarcastically rolled your eyes. "So generous."

Kai glanced between you and Yusei.

"Oh, you wanna join us?"

Though Yusei hid it well, you could tell he was a little caught off guard. "Me?"

Kai shrugged. "Yeah, why not? The more people, the higher chances of getting prizes."

"I appreciate the invitation, but I'll be busy," Yusei replied.

"Welp, sucks to be you."

You glanced over to Yusei. For some reason, even though his words and tone came off as completely casual, you felt like he regretted rejecting the offer. Let's not think about it. Worrying about others at the moment will only unnecessarily increase your burden.

The table was lively thanks to Kai and Himari's bickering every other minute. You and Yusei would often exchange amused glances as the siblings were at each other's throat. Then, the discussion veered to the event your and Yusei's family were holding together.

"It's an invite only and our parents told us to handle the invitations for students," you said. "Don't worry, you two will definitely be getting one."

Himari and Kai both said 'obviously' at the same time. They glared at each other and you had to prevent another fight.

"There's going to be a performance as well, right?" Himari asked. "That's all anyone's talking about at this school."

"Yeah with Kashi and Genji-san," you said.

Kai made a face. "Ugh, with the redhead? Why can't you like––kick him out or something?"

"Honestly, I wish he wasn't attending, but it's not like I can do anything about it."

Himari looked thoughtful for a moment. "What if we break his leg?"

Kai shook his head. "Eh, he can still sing like that. What if we––"

"Guys." You looked over to Yusei. "Can you say something?"

The purple haired student blinked, feigning confusion. "I don't see the problem with this conversation."

"Not. Helping."

You sighed and Yusei chuckled at your unamused expression. Whilst the three engaged in chatter––Yusei decided to indulge the Kasumi siblings in rumours and they were surprisingly very into it––your thoughts began to wander. Now that you thought about it, the next death in his chapter would probably take place during the restaurant event. Genji seems to be the perfect target since one: he was just introduced. Two: had some connection with you. Ugh, did you really have to save the guy?

Eventually, lunch came to an end. You bid goodbye to everyone and head towards your classroom. Whenever you noticed Aimi, you'd walk the other direction and you ended up taking the long way back. However, before you could reach your classroom, you were pulled aside by a certain someone.

Hayami. Not her twin sister, it was the Hayami that made your blood pressure rise. She was holding onto your sleeve with a frustrated look.

You glared at her. "Class is starting. Let go."

The student flinched under your gaze, but tightened her grip. "What the hell is your problem?"

"My problem?" You wanted to laugh. No context, no nothing. How the heck did she expect for you to know what was going on? "What are you on about?"

"Today at lunch! You were hanging out with... with..." She groaned. "Why did Yusei cut ties with me?!"

This girl was seriously–– "How am I supposed to know??"

"It's obviously your fault! And you even befriended my sister––ugh, why does everything always go wrong when she comes in the picture?"

You were simply baffled. The actual audacity of this girl. This is what she pulled you aside for? Yusei cutting ties with her was probably because he had no use for her or something, you weren't bothered to think deep into it. And now she was complaining to you?

"Hayami-san, I don't give a damn about you and your problems. I didn't do anything, it was your incompetence that led you to where you were." With ease, you snatched your arm away from her grasp. "Now leave me alone. I don't have the time nor care enough about you to listen."



===



"I'm surprised," you said, closing the door behind you. "Didn't think I'd get answers this early."

"Guess that's fate for you, huh?"

The familiar sweet floral aroma enveloped the flower shop and there Seiji was with his usual friendly smile, his presence truly complimented the space. After school, you received a text from him that his parents would be out for a few hours and he asked if you were free. Of course, you took up the opportunity and went straight to the shop. Now was the perfect time to finally have your questions answered. After this conversation, you'll leave with either a weight off your shoulders or more burden to bear. You hoped it was the former.

You were caught off guard when you saw snacks prepared on one of the tables, cookies to be precise. You sat down and shot Seiji a curious look.

"My explanation is going to be long, so help yourself if you want," he said, sitting down on the seat across from you. "So, do you have any questions or should I just start from the top?"

"Explain first, then if I have any questions I'll ask away."

"Sounds good to me! Alright, guess I'll elaborate more on the dream I experienced and what happened after."



===



The first time Seiji met you, you visited his flower shop.

He was carrying a mountain of novels and had to use his leg to close the door behind him. Placing them on the counter, he mumbled to himself, "I should really stop forgetting to return these." When he glanced up, he noticed your presence.

"Ah!" A welcoming smile graced his lips. It didn't take long for him to realise that your features matched the person he dreamt about. Weird. He's heard of cases where dreams could reflect reality, but never thought too much of it. "Welcome! Were you waiting long? My mother's a little busy right now, so I'll help you in her stead."

"I just got here," you replied. "Actually, this is the first time I've entered a flower shop, so I'm a little lost here."

"No worries! I'll be glad to be of assistance. What are you looking for?"

"Honestly, I don't really know much about flowers. I'll trust your judgement."

"What's the occasion? A confession?" he asked playfully. "That's bold. I'm rooting for you."

You laughed before shaking your head dismissively. "Let's just say that it's for a soon to be friend."

The male's smile widened. "Well, I better make sure these flowers don't disappoint. What's the friend like?"

You cleared your throat.. "Well, she's..." You paused for a moment. "She's bold and...very direct," you said. "Uhm, will I sound shallow to say that she's also really pretty?"

Seiji laughed and went to prepare the bouquet. As he was doing so, his mind couldn't help but continuously wander back to the dream he had. Maybe it was just a strange coincidence. Though, he wondered why he dreamt of you harming someone else. He probably had too much of an imagination. After all, he was recently very into the thriller genre for books and comics.

Once Seiji finished wrapping up the flowers, he presented them to you with a bright smile. When you purchased them, you asked for his name. Then, instead of leaving it off as that and leaving the shop, you initiated a conversation. It was the typical small talk, one that wasn't significant. Seiji expected this to be a fleeting interaction, that once you left the two of you would become strangers again.

"Well then, it's natural that we exchange numbers?"

Seiji was taken aback for a moment. Rarely––no. In fact, no one was ever this forward in befriending him before.

"Smooth," he commented. "Are you hitting on me?"

"Is it working?"

A chuckle escaped his lips. "Head over heels."

After you left the flower shop, he prepared to leave for school. However, as he was about to leave, something stopped him. He had to blink several times and even rub his eyes to confirm what was in front of him.

[ Would you like to participate in the game? ]

A... floating holographic screen? For a moment, Seiji believed he was dreaming again. But after staring for a few minutes and collecting his thoughts, he confirmed that he was, in fact, not dreaming. For a few minutes, he silently stared at it, not daring to do anything. Seiji wondered, did this have any connection to you? He pressed decline and the screen disappeared.

The next interaction Seiji had with you was at the hospital.

"Hello! You must be Seiji-san's son, right? Come right on in!"

Admittedly, he was a little nervous meeting you again as he clutched the bouquet of flowers close to his chest. There was lingering guilt at the fact that he didn't contact you at all despite getting your number, but he hoped this interaction made up for it. Seiji liked to think he was fine when it comes to socialising in general, but maintaining friendships was always a difficulty.

Politely, he thanked your mother and greeted everyone in the room before turning to you.

"Yo! It's been a while, huh?"

You smiled at him. "Wanna call this a coincidence or fate?"

Seiji chuckled and approached your hospital bed, presented the flowers, and replied with, "fate sounds more romantic. Here, I have a gift for you. Think of it as a wish for a speedy recovery."

You laughed under your breath before thanking him and accepting the flowers. Your gaze lit up for a moment and he admired the spark in your eyes. Then, you playfully smiled.

"I see that you're already falling for me."

"Aw, was it too obvious? I didn't get to confess yet."

"Don't worry, I'll feign ignorance for your sake."

A few words were exchanged before your mother ushered Seiji's and your father out the room. She then winked at you and whispered 'go get em' before waving goodbye and closing the door. Though you sighed and shook your head at your mother's antics, there was a smile on your face. You gestured for Seiji to sit on the chair beside your bed.

"Does your mum want you to seduce me or something?"

"Probably, but I'm not exactly in the best condition to do so. A shame. Unless you're into girls with raspy voices on the brink of collapsing."

"Hey, I like to think I'm open minded."

You laughed. "We haven't seen each other in a week and we're already like this. Should I be concerned or impressed?"

The male shrugged. "We naturally get along. I don't banter like this with a lot of people."

Well, it was more like he didn't form close enough friendships to engage in playful banter.

Conversations took place, laughter was shared, silly antics were done and, before he knew it, time flew by when he was in your company. Seiji was able to share his interests with you and you listened with a genuine heart. Though, in the back of his mind was the holographic screen he saw a while back mentioning a 'game' coupled with the foreboding dream he had right before meeting you. However, he didn't let that taint his opinion of you.

Seiji didn't let people into his heart and didn't have close friends. There were several reasons. One, he'd oftentimes immerse himself in books and comics and many people didn't want to befriend someone who was often in their own little world. There was also the fact that he had many things to worry about at home and couldn't find the time to reach out to others or hang out. It frustrated many and the friendships he did make were quickly severed.

"Does he look down on everyone? I feel like I put in all the effort when he does nothing."

"He's always off in his own little world. It's kind of creepy sometimes."

"Right? No matter how much I talk, his reaction is always the same. A polite smile, it looks so fake."

"You know, I never see him get angry. I have an idea. What if we trash that flower shop of his? I bet he'll finally react. Who knows? We can finally see him get mad!"

It was an unpleasant memory that seemed to never want to leave his mind. Who would've thought some people would go to such a far extent to get a reaction out of him? Seiji admitted, he wasn't the best person to be friends with. But he never had any malicious intentions, he never wanted to hurt anyone.

For a while, he blamed himself for everyone's animosity towards him. Yet, that slowly changed when he became friends with you. You always visited his shop without fail, you were open to what he had to say, you took genuine interest what he had to share, bantering with you was fun and carefree, and never once did you ask for anything in return for going the extra mile to visit him. Never once he was worried about not being a good enough friend. So, his feelings towards you were simple; a friend he treasured.

One day on a peaceful afternoon, Seiji had an interesting customer at the flower shop. The young man entered the place while sweeping back his hair and taking off his green tinted glasses. From the dramatic entrance, Seiji thought there were cameras around and some sort of film shooting was taking place. Carefreely, the customer leaned over the counter and grinned.

"Question, do you know someone named (L/n) (Y/n)?"

Wary of the question, Seiji responded with, "Why?"

"Ah, so you do know her." He laughed and got off the counter. "Hm, how should I introduce this? Explaining would be too much of a hassle. Maybe a practical approach would be better."

The young man snapped his fingers.

[ Maybe this will jog your memory? ]

Seiji almost dropped the vase he was cleaning. Gently, he settled the vase down, then he took in a deep breath, rubbed his eyes, then looked back. Yup, it was still there. A part of him was tempted to do the classical 'pinch yourself to check if you're asleep' but figured that it was best to skip the part where he questioned what in the world was reality anymore and get some answers.

"This is going to be a cliche question," he began. "But, who are you?"

The individual grinned. "You're taking this a lot better than I expected."

Seiji probably had an easier time accepting the situation from the books, comics, and shows he had indulged in the past. He wasn't going to lie and say that he hadn't thought about what would happen if the fantastical elements from the stories he read occurred in real life. And, as absurd as it was to think, he had his answer right there.

"I'll cut to the chase. Yes, the holographic screen has a connection to (Y/n). Long story short, your best friend is not from here, but another world."

What.

"... Uh... So, like transmigration? Or was it reincarnation?"

"Transmigration. She came here at the start of the school year with no memories of her past. Currently, she's playing a fun little game I designed to gain said memories back."

The young man continued to explain the rest of the 'game' you were participating in. He explained the conditions, briefly summarised what has occurred thus far, and vaguely outlined your experiences. The entire time, Seiji listened attentively.

"You're understanding quickly. Makes things a whole lot easier for me."

"Well, I read a good amount of books and comics that centred around reincarnation or transmigration," Seiji replied. "So, what does that have to do with me?

"Currently, she's in a little predicament. She's about to lose the game."

"Lose?"

He nodded. "Let's just say she doesn't notice a certain brunet tailing her."

Seiji wanted more details, but a part of him assumed time was short. "What happens if she loses?"

"Something she'd consider worse than death."

"I..." Seiji would love a good minute or two to process all the new found information, but at the mention of you 'losing' the game prompted him to ignore the questions, confusion, and any reservations he had. "I'm assuming you're telling me this because there is a way I can save her?"

"Bingo. It's either she fails and has fun experiencing the consequences, or a new addition to the game happens to occur and the system updates right before she fails," he said. "Which also happens to interrupt the game, thus saving her. So..."

A snap of his fingers, a holographic screen flashed in front of Seiji again.

[ Would you like to participate in the game? ]

Green eyes glimmered playfully and the young man cocked his head to the side. "Wanna become that so-called interruption?"

Seiji was quiet for a moment. "Why me out of all people?"

"Don't think too much about it. There wasn't that much thought put into it." He shrugged. "You had some qualities that tick a few boxes."

Qualities? There were more questions he'd like to ask, but he had a feeling that the young man in front of him wouldn't give the answers he wanted. Seiji's gaze fell onto the holographic screen. He had an idea of what laid ahead of him, it was easy to walk away and not trouble himself. After all, he also had a lot on his plate and walking into something with only a vague idea is not the smartest decision.

His eyebrows furrowed. But you were a friend he treasured, you were someone he enjoyed spending time with. Losing you... His heart sank at the thought. There was no way he could turn his back to you. Seiji didn't have much time to rationalise his decision, so he went with what his instincts told him. With a determined nod, he said,

"I'll participate."