Yesterday, in the morning you woke up early with a groan, begrudgingly flipping your blanket off and dragging your body out of bed. The moment you checked your phone a beautiful reminder dragged you right back to bed again. Yup, the first term of school was finally over and you've progressed onto the summer break. Granted, you were still supposed to bury yourself in books and study hard, but it meant you could sleep in all you wanted.

However, this fact also meant the event with Yusei's parents was nearing. Even if school was on pause, the game you were in sure wasn't. You were sure that you were prepared for the event clothes wise. At least, that was what you thought.

A heavy groan escaped your lips, the bright morning sun acting as a grim reminder that you were unfortunately currently not sleeping in anymore.

Seiji noticed your unamused expression. "Hey, this is your fault for not buying clothes you actually like for the event."

"... Okay, look."

Yup, last night when you checked the dress you bought for the event, you physically recoiled in distaste. You swear it didn't look this ugly back then. It was the one you selected randomly out of spite during your encounter with Ichika since you didn't want to buy what she recommended. Sure you felt one percent more powerful when you rejected her suggestion, but now you had to go buy a new dress. Jokes on you.

Seiji had texted you prior if you wanted to come over to his place and discuss plans for the event––aka, how you were going to prevent people from dying. The two of you have been interacting regularly through text ever since that little talk. It felt weird discussing the game so casually to someone else, but you were slowly getting used to it.

The conversation went a little something like:

Seiji

Morning! My parents are out for the whole day today, wanna come over?

You

Lmao, it sounds like you want me to come over to make out with you or something

Seiji

Is that a suggestion

You

Stop.

You

Anyways I'm panicking rn becux I don't have something to wear for the event. I don't think I can come.

You

Becausw*

You

Oh my god.

Seiji

Lmao

Seiji

Anyways, that's cool! Wanna shop for something together then? I'm pretty much ready to go

You

Uh I'm still in bed

Seiji

The weekend's busy, you should go early before there's nothing good left to buy

You

Ughhdshdh

So, here you were at the shopping mall with Seiji. He said he needed to do some quick grocery shopping, which was either actually true or he said that to make you feel better for taking up his time. Maybe even both. One way or another, he was accompanying you.

"Okay, Seiji-san. Shopping with you is cool and all..." Your eyes looked to the large shopping cart you were pushing. You took in a deep breath and resisted the urge to throw the cart down the escalator. "Respectfully, why the fuck is he here?"

A familiar young man with green hair and eyes sat in the shopping cart, a drink in his hand and either blissfully unaware of your seething rage or was ignoring it. The young adult lifted his tinted glasses up and grinned. With the most smug tone you've ever heard in your life, he asked,

"You called?"

"..."

Your eyes shot to the escalators. "I'm going to do it."

Seiji placed a gentle hand on your shoulder. "(L/n)-san, no."

In short, the system, in the flesh, decided that it'd be a great idea to intrude in the outing you and Seiji planned.

You glared him. "If you value your bones, get out."

"Oh, c'mon. You really want a murder scene to take place?"

"It'd be funny if it's you."

"Guys, guys. Let's just wrap this up quickly," Seiji intervened. "(L/n)-san, we can just leave the system in the shopping cart. I think buying the clothes first would be better anyway."

You let go of the shopping cart, purposefully giving it a good shove as well. "Good idea."

Unfortunately, the system hopped out of the cart without an issue. "Man, you guys are no fun. Why would you treat a friend like this?"

You and Seiji both asked, "Friend?"

You grinned at the system's offended expression whilst Seiji placed a hand over his lips in surprise and whispered a quick apology.

"Wow, I'm hurt." He tilted his head. "Also, quit calling me system. I'm out here as an attractive young man for crying out loud!"

"Then, what do we call you?" you asked.

"I dunno, give me a name."

You shrugged. "I'm uncreative. Go, Seiji-san."

"How about Es?" He suggested. "You know, like S for system. But spelt with an E in front."

The system pondered it for a moment. "I––"

You cut him off. "Whether you like it or not doesn't matter."

"... So why did you wait for me to respond––"

You cut him off again. "Alright! Let's start with that store over there."



===



Current status: in the changing room while Seiji and Es were browsing random dresses outside.

It was a hassle having to constantly change clothes and you were on the verge of choosing a random dress just so you didn't have to deal with it anymore.

"... I'm starting to realise that I am kind of lazy."

Maybe you should fix that habit of yours.

After putting on the dress, you did a quick twirl and stared at your reflection. A hum of contemplation left your lips, eyes narrowing at the mirror as if that would somehow change what was staring back at you.

"Hm, not sure," you mumbled. "I'll get their opinions."

The moment you opened the curtains, lo and behold Seiji and Es were sitting on the couch in the middle of trying on heels.

"What are you guys doing?"

Es replied back, "We were bored."

"... Okay then." It was better for your mental health if you didn't question any further. "Anyways, thoughts? I'm not really sure about it, but a part of me wants to buy it because I hate having to continuously change outfits."

"Oh, that looks nice! But we should keep trying out new dresses, I don't think it's your style," Seiji said. "Maybe we can find something a little more casual so you can wear it for other occasions. Saves money."

"Yeah, that colour does not suit you," Es added.

You looked over to the system. "I'm going to ignore you." You looked over to Seiji. "And I'll follow your advice."

The moment you turned around, about to enter the changing rooms again, you caught a glimpse of an all too familiar student with purple hair.

That's not––oh god, it is.

It was Yusei, and in his casual clothes nonetheless. Somehow, he still manages to give off the air of a student council president with how neatly he presented himself. You figured it was fine to wave and say hi to him, but then you remembered who your company was––well, Seiji was fine, but you did not want to be caught associated with the system.

I'll just ignore him––nevermind, I just made eye contact. Is it too late to look away now and pretend I never saw him? Oh, now he's coming closer. Wow. My luck today sure is something.

"(Y/n)?"

"Uh." You sheepishly coughed in your hand. "Fancy seeing you here––Wait, why are you here?"

"I just finished buying something to wear for the event tomorrow," he said, holding up his shopping bag. "I was going to browse a little before heading home. Then, I caught you staring at me."

"Okay, you didn't need to add in the last part," you said. "But, you? Last minute for something?"

"I was busy studying for exams."

Yusei glanced over at Seiji and Es. The two were still in the middle of trying on heels; you never have felt this embarrassed before.

"... Are you with your friends?"

Almost. Almost, you were going to say no.

"Yeah––"

The system suddenly placed an arm over your shoulder––how the hell does he walk so well in heels?––causing you to stumble forward. You shot him a glare at the sudden intimacy. He ignored you and showed a peace sign to Yusei.

"Hello, hello! Don't mind my good looks. I'm her––"

You did not hesitate to throw him off you. If Yusei was hiding his confusion on your relationship with Es, he was doing a great job at it. The male simply fluttered his eyes in brief surprise and said, "You two are lively."

"Ignore him, he's a stranger." There was a gasp from the system and you ignored it. You gestured to Seiji. "He's a friend of mine."

The white haired male smiled. "(Y/n) talked about you before!"

"She did?"

You nodded. "Yeah, complaints."

Yusei chuckled. "Guess that's still something." He glanced at the dress you were wearing. "Hm, the colours don't suit you."

The system perked up. "See? That's what I said!"

While you tried to elbow the system, failing miserably, Yusei was in thought. He briefly glanced around the shop and his eyes lit up for a moment.

"I've been in this store a few times, I think there's something here that'll suit you."

"This is not some scheme to make me indebted to you, right?"

"Am I that untrustworthy?"

"Do I have to answer that?"

In the end, you ended up agreeing to his offer. Hey, it saved you time. And plus, it was safe to say that the dress he picked out did indeed suit you. The price was also pretty reasonable, so that was a bonus. You purchased it, begrudgingly thanked Yusei for his help, and were about to split ways until something caught Es's eye.

"Oh, (Y/n). Look!" He grabbed onto your shoulder, much to your annoyance, and pointed towards something.

You followed his gaze. "A photo booth?"

"Wanna try it out?"

No.

"Oh, that looks fun!" Seiji exclaimed. "I always wanted to keep photos of my friends and I in my wallet."

"You consider Es as your friend?"

"Hey, I took offence to that––"

"Anyways, let's give the photo booth a shot. Yusei, wanna join us? It won't take long if you're planning to bury your face in books after this."

While Es was complaining to Seiji about your 'rude behaviour' Yusei checked his watch before nodding. "Sure, I don't mind."

And thus, the four of you headed towards the photo booth.

"Oh, there's a bunch of props on the table behind the booth." There was a pair of huge sunglasses that had a fantastically elegant moustache underneath. You placed them on and glanced at the small mirror provided. "Hot."

"Pft––"

Imagine the shock on your expression when you saw Yusei stifling a chuckle before it turned into him actually laughing out loud. No chuckle of amusement, no princely charm. It was just simple laugher. To be honest, you were stunned for a moment.

"... I don't know if I should take offence to the fact that you laughed or not," you said.

"Take it how you will," Yusei said, his expression brighter than usual, and he picked up the same pair of glasses as yours with a different colour. He turned over to you. "Well?"

"Ugly."

"Now who's the one that should take offence?"

Es suddenly appeared behind you, greeting you with a rough ruffle to your hair. He was matching fedora's with Seiji. "Okay~ Enough flirting, let's go take some hot photos."

The four of you squished inside the photo booth. You were on the edge with Yusei pressed up against you.

"I've been in more spacious areas," you mumbled to yourself.

Yusei's face came a little closer to yours. "I don't mind it."

"Dude, what."

"I was hoping you'd get flustered."

You pointed to yourself. "You want me to get flustered wearing this?"

"Now that you mention it, that would be a nightmarish sight."

"Hey."

From behind, Es tapped your head. "Alright~ No arguments. Everyone look at the camera and don't be discouraged by my good looks."

The photos came out rather fun, Es definitely stood out just like he wanted. For the first one or two takes, you were a little stiff, but you could tell in the later photos you had loosened up a little; you almost thought you were just a regular high school student hanging out with her friends. However, you buried the idea as quickly as it came to mind.

"Doesn't this look good, (L/n)-san?" Seiji asked, you could almost see sparkles glittering around him.

It was an odd memory to treasure considering the company, but you remembered Seiji mentioning he didn't really hang out with any friends. The experience must be different for him. You nodded in response and his expression glowed even brighter. Was it possible for someone to look this pure?

"I should be heading back now," Yusei said. "I'll see you at the event tomorrow. It was nice meeting your friends as well."

"Yeah, I'll see you there."

Seiji cheerfully waved goodbye whilst Es gave a lazy gesture and said 'see ya'.

You expected that conversation to be the end of that, but Yusei didn't leave just yet. His gaze lingered on you for a moment in thought. Seiji and Es exchanged confused looks, then Es ended up dragging Seiji to a nearby store. You overheard him whispering something about 'private time' and were left baffled to be abandoned alone with Yusei.

After a brief and awkward silence, you asked Yusei, "Did you have something important to say to me?"

He shook his head. "Nothing, nothing. I was just wondering how a lot has changed."

"Changed?"

He tilted his head to the side briefly. "My feelings towards you?"

"... Why did you say it like a question?"

Yusei chuckled. "I don't know."

You literally had no idea how to respond. "Uhm, I guess my feelings towards you have changed as well."

"Oh?"

You gave him a thumbs up. "I went from hating you to tolerating you a little bit more."

"..."

"At least pretend to look touched."

Yusei laughed, again it was the carefree and unrestrained one. He sure was acting more friendlier to you by the day, huh?

"Well, it's an improvement," he said.

He took a few steps closer to you, eyes locked onto yours and face a little too close for comfort. You furrowed your eyebrows in confusion and though you were tempted to snap back with a witty remark, something about the thoughtful look in his eyes made you shut up. After what was probably a few seconds, Yusei backed off and nodded to himself.

"Yup." He smiled. "Seems like I've gotten a little more attached."

Attached? "Hey, what did you mean––"

Before you had the chance to finish your sentence, Yusei's phone rang.

"Oh, an important call. I'll see you tomorrow, (Y/n)."

"Wait hold on––"

And he was gone. Honestly, if this was a regular life you were living and Yusei wasn't some potential yandere, maybe your heart would've skipped a beat; this would've been the start of some cute high school romance blossoming. You sighed and rubbed the back of your neck, it was tiring having to try and keep up with how people felt towards you. Attached. Just why did he have to be so vague about it? And what did you even do to warrant that kind of comment?

The event's tomorrow, I'll be keeping an eye on you, Yusei.



===



The location changed from the shopping mall to Seiji's room. You sat on the chair, spinning around whilst Seiji wrote on the white board on his wall; the contents pertaining to the event tomorrow.

"Are you sure this is okay?" You pointed at the system. "How are we going to explain him if your parents come home?"

Es sat on Seiji's bed. Well, he was more so laying down on it and making himself way too comfortable. "I can disappear. Just make an excuse of a video call or something if they ask about a voice."

"But what if that looks suspicious?"

"It won't. I'll be smooth with it."

"But––"

"You're just looking for an excuse to kick me out at this point, aren't you?"

"Tch."

The system laughed and pinched your cheek, resulting in a smack across his hand.

Seiji sighed. "Back to the main topic. We need to figure out an approach to the upcoming event. (L/n)-san––"

"Oh, call me (Y/n). We're technically close now. It's weird if we're still on a last name basis."

Normally, the person you befriend would ask you to call them by their first name prior, which is why you were very late on the train with Seiji. Plus, your relationship with him was awkward at some point. It still is a strange dynamic now, but you've been feeling less tense around him lately. Emphasis on less. It wasn't like you completely threw the towel and decided to devote all your trust into him.

"Sure." He smiled. "You can call me by my nickname, Kei."

"Sounds good to me."

"So, let's talk about Shichirou-san. He seemed like a nice person when I met him today," he said. "But what is he like in your opinion?"

"We've been getting along pretty decently," you said. "However, at the start our relationship was uh, a lot more hostile?"

You explained in detail your early encounter with Yusei, especially these specific lines he told you:

"Ah, those eyes of yours," he said. "I hate people like you."

"And, I've concluded that you're someone I prefer to not work with." There was a short pause and the male's eyes darkened as his tone dropped into something far more conniving. "Rather, I prefer to go against you instead."

Wow. Recalling it all made you realise just how much your dynamic has changed with him.

"Oh, and there's this as well."

You summoned the holographic screen and displayed Yusei's information.

Additional Information:

Despite his good reputation with the students, he is rarely seen attending social events outside of school. Though the students feel like they're close with the kind male, after school hours, no one knows what he does. Some would try and question, however, no one ever got far. And, any rumours that surfaced due to that were immediately taken care of.

Shichirou always academically performed exceptionally well and outshone many in various fields. It may look like natural talent as he makes it appear seamless, but he is a very hard worker. In fact, maybe a little too much of a hard worker.

He's good with words, but even better at using people for his disposal. Be careful, he can get very crafty and unpredictable.

"But yeah that's that, should we brainstorm ways he'd get rid of Hayami-san? I feel like she's the most likely target. I can always use my feature to double check."

"Woah, woah. Slow down, before that we need to think of the reason why he'd want to harm her. The chapter summary feature got removed as a penalty, right? We'd need to theorise the sequence of events ourselves."

Kei gestured to the bottom of the screen where it read 'He's good with words, but even better at using people for his disposal. Be careful, he can get very crafty and unpredictable.'

"This is also something we should keep in mind."

You pondered for a moment before ultimately saying, "Yeah, got no clue on what else to say."

The system suddenly leaned over you from behind, it also didn't help that he was abnormally tall so you really thought you were going to fall forward on the chair.

"Oh my god, get off––"

"Wow, you're not really great at thinking are you?"

"Don't cut me off you f––"

Kei loudly clapped his hands. "Settle down, settle down. Es, can you give (Y/n) some personal space?"

"Hey, why am I the one getting told off? She's the young one."

"If you're older, then wouldn't it make sense if you actually acted mature?"

"..."

"He got you."

"He got me."

"Can we get back on topic now?"

You and the system nodded. "Yes sir."

Kei sighed. "Okay, so. I'll throw in a theory to move this conversation along. What if Shichirou-san has feelings for you and hence would want to harm Hayami-san because of what she did? I assume he's sharp, so he must've suspected her involvement in the fire incident."

"Feelings for me?"

"You don't look convinced."

"Uh, well." I mean, I guess I can see that? But it feels so weird to think about it that way. "I just can't think of a reason why he'd like me."

"Well, does he like Aimi-san?"

You flinched at the mention of the blonde student, your past with her resurfacing. Kei sent you a sympathetic look and you shook your head, silently telling him to not worry about it.

"I haven't seen significant development between them."

"Then, for now let's just speculate you're the target of his affection."

"I really don't like thinking about these things," you admitted. "I wish it was just Aimi-san so that I can focus on preventing deaths and not worry about other people's emotions towards me and such."

"(Y/n), you should really use the backstory feature to your advantage. It may be tiring, but trying to be in their shoes a little will help predict their actions. Who knows? Maybe you can somehow talk them out of certain things," Kei said. "However, it can take a mental toll on you. So, feel free to come to me to vent."

You smiled. "Thanks."

The system grinned. "Aw, teamwork."

"Get out."

Though you appreciated Kei's words, they didn't magically make your reservations disappear. You kept to yourself your speculation on Kashi's feelings for you. Just for now.

"Welp, let's leave it here for today. I'll try to think of some speculations when I can. Make sure to keep in contact with me during the event."

"You got it."

"Ah~ Seems like the meeting's over." The system jumped off the bed and did a dramatic twirl. "That was fun. I wish you good luck for tomorrow!"

And with a snap of his fingers, Es dissolved into pixels and disappeared.

"Finally, he's gone."

Kei took a photo of the whiteboard, then proceeded to rub off its contents. "Are you going to leave now?"

"Probably. I should get some sleep before tomorrow. It's a big day."

"Sounds good! You need to get some rest. Make sure to text me if you're worried about anything."

Sometimes, you'd get thrown off guard by his kindness. This was one of those moments. "Right."

"Oh, is it too much?" Kei turned around. "Sorry, I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

You shook your head. "It's a me thing, don't worry."

Kei escorted you out of his room and into the flower shop. In the middle of saying goodbye to him, the door opened and three high- schoolers entered. A twinge of agitation struck you. The sign clearly said closed and the lights were turned off, there shouldn't be any customers.

"Oh my god, you were right! She is here."

Oh.

A bitter laugh almost escaped your lips. Man, fate really was mocking you as of right now. Those high school girls, they were the exact same one from the previous (Y/n)'s past. They were the same ones who mercilessly bullied her.

Seriously... Just what the hell?

A bitter feeling collected around your throat and you almost thought you'd choke on it. For a past that wasn't yours, you sure were reacting strongly. Was it anger on behalf of the previous (Y/n)?

"The shop is closed for today," Kei said in a polite tone as always. You almost wanted to reprimand him for showing basic courtesy. "If you want to purchase something, please come back tomorrow. The opening hours is on the website."

"Oh, shut up," one of the girls sneered, the one you assume was the 'leader' of the group. You remembered that she was the one who ripped up the notebook. You don't know her name, so you'd just call her as the girl with fake eyelashes. "What is with this place anyways? What a dump."

The moment that annoyingly high pitch tone reached your ears, you had to fight back the urge to throw hands.

"Didn't you hear him?" You sighed. "Leave, the shop's closed."

At least this time you were in control of your speech and actions. You weren't just going to stand back and remain silent.

The girl in the middle, the one with fake eyelashes, stepped forward. She probably expected you to shy away by her presence, but you simply folded your arms and stood your ground. The intimidation this girl evoked was in the negatives, you'd be generous to say it was zero. The most arduous thing right now was dealing with the urge to punch her right then and there.

"Wow, seems like you've grown tough over the years, huh?" She snickered. "Little scared (L/n)-san all grown up."

Go get a life. Seriously.

Kei placed a gentle hand on your shoulder and whispered, "(Y/n), are you okay?"

Right, he doesn't know about the previous (Y/n)'s past in great detail. You kind of skimmed over it, refraining from going into the details of the bullying since recalling it made you feel immensely unpleasant.

"A new boyfriend? Wow, you sure move on. I was going to surprise you with someone very special."

Special? Don't tell me––

A dreadful chime echoed through the flower shop and a certain redhead stepped in.

"Surprise~" Genji waved playfully. "Thought I'd drop by."

You were appalled to say the least. "... How did you know––actually, how did you all know I was here?"

"Pft, did you think he went looking for you? Coincidence. Don't get your hopes up," one of the girls said. "A few weeks ago we saw you enter this shop and we decided to come back today."

"Oh, so you were stalking me."

"What?! Are you deaf? I said––"

"Now, now. It's just a simple reunion," Genji teased. "No need to get heated, sweetheart."

Surprisingly, the girl ended up being flustered by his words, especially with the pet name towards the end.

That attitude of his. Again, Genji was treating the situation with a light heart. Just what did he take you as? Though it wasn't you who experienced the bullying, Genji doesn't know that. With complete knowledge that these girls were unpleasant company that would be the catalyst for traumatic memories to resurface, he continues to perpetuate it.

"Kei said to leave, you're basically trespassing. The shop isn't open," you said firmly. "What do you even want from me?"

Genji laughed. "Kei? Oh man, how friendly."

The girl with fake eyelashes eyed Kei, to which you felt disgusted at. "I guess he doesn't look too bad, but of course Ryuu is better."

Are they even listening? What the hell is their problem?

Is it just fun to pick on you?

Kei stepped forward, his hand reaching for his pocket and taking his phone out. "This will be the last time I say this, please leave before I report it to the police."

The student rolled her eyes. "As if that would do anything, stop being so dramatic."

Kei didn't respond and simply began typing. You were sure he put the volume on full just to spite her words, to which you found amusing. The students, aside from Genji, exchanged panicked looks. One of the other girls stepped forward and made a move to snatch the phone off Kei's hand. You immediately stepped in and grabbed onto her arm.

With a scowl, your tone dropped as you coldly warned her, "Don't touch him."

A hint of satisfaction settled your boiling rage when the girl flinched under your glare. She hastily tried ripping her arm off your grip, to which you held on for a few seconds before letting her go on purpose. You laughed when she stumbled backwards. Okay, maybe you weren't so annoyed anymore. Dealing with them was easy.

"Kei, it's fine. No need to report. It's too much of a hassle for people like them––"

"(L/n)-san, I didn't expect you to be the violent type," Genji said. "That was a little rude of you."

You looked at the sniffling girl clutching her arm. Okay yes, it was a little red, but that was nothing compared to what the previous (Y/n) went through.

"Oh, c'mon. It's not that bad." You rolled your eyes when the girl's sniffles grew louder. "You're the one who provoked me first. Not to mention the past bullying."

"Shut up!" The girl screeched. "So what if I did?! You––It was because you were so stupidly timid back then! Who wouldn't want to bully you? It's your fault for doing nothing about it! And guess what? It was fun seeing you on the floor and––"

"You should stop talking." You dug your nails into your palms. "Or I swear I'll make you shut up myself."

You weren't sure what expression was on your face, but it was enough for Kei to send you a concerned look.

"(Y/n)...?"

Genji stepped in front of the girl, defending her.

"Don't do something you'll regret, (L/n)-san."

"Oh." You covered your mouth. Hah... The audacity of this man.

The past kept flooding, overwhelming your mind. The previous (Y/n)'s desperations screamed at you: how she wished Genji would defend her properly when she was bullied, how she wished he'd take her situation a little more seriously, how she hoped he'd acknowledge what she was going through a little more.

And now you were welcomed with a sight of him defending the girl that physically laid hands on the previous (Y/n)! How spectacular.

You had no idea what happened, maybe something actually snapped inside you. Who knows. You acted on pure instinct as if someone was puppeteering your movements, and you were more than happy to oblige in the strings that led your limbs. Calmly, you walked up to Genji and made direct eye contact with him.

It started off with a smile, then a sharp sound echoed through the flower shop followed by heavy silence. Many shocked gazes fell on you at what you just did. Your palm stung a little, but the relief that flooded your heart was much more overpowering.

You had just slapped Genji with incredible force to where he even stumbled back.

I would say that I'm worried it'd leave a mark since he's an idol and all, but that was only if I cared.

Eyes glaring at him with an immeasurable amount of hatred, one word left your lips,

"Leave."



A/n: Ngl, that Yusei interaction was NOT planned. But here it is anyway.