It was as if your palms had suddenly become glass. The sweat from your hands that had accumulated from the sheer apprehension from reading the text had almost caused your phone to slip from your grasp. Your mind screamed and pleaded for your body to move, to run, to do anything instead of just standing there with your eyes glued to the digital device as if locked in an unbreakable trance.

You desperately tried to rationalise the situation as an onslaught of hopeless and futile thoughts clotted your mind. You reasoned with yourself that maybe, just maybe your actions for today had somehow changed the future. But, of course, there was no way to know for sure unless you checked for yourself.

Eventually, you snapped out of your stupor and severely castigated yourself for your moment of hesitation before bolting towards the direction of the rooftop as if it were a race against a time bomb that'll explode any second. Your shoes echoed obnoxiously throughout the empty hallway, mind hazy as if it were filled with a thick layer of fog.

An oppressive pressure weighed you down at the repeated images of Kasumi's death that flickered throughout your mind like a cruel horror film, serving as a constant reminder of the appalling consequences should you fail.

Taking a sharp turn, your shoes emitted a shrill screech against the polished hallway floors at your abrupt change in direction. Due to your haphazard action, you had almost fallen forward, but you managed to catch yourself as your hands grabbed onto the rails of the stairs.

Pulling yourself up with strength fueled by adrenaline, you frantically rushed up the stairs, opting to take two steps with each stride to get to the rooftop as soon as possible. You almost slipped on multiple occasions, each time ending with you holding onto the rails for dear life before accelerating your pace and repeating the same mistakes again; your rationality was overshadowed by your panicked state and frustration for the stairs that seem to stretch on for centuries.

Unable to even find the luxury to let out a sigh of relief at the sight of the approaching double doors leading to the rooftop, you immediately slammed them open. Due to the force, the doors collided violently against the wall, eliciting a thunderous slam that could be heard from even the lowest floor of the colossal school building.

Your eyes vigilantly searched the vast rooftop, breath collapsing on you while you struggled to keep your posture steady from the small remnants of energy left in your body. And, like a magnet, your eyes were immediately drawn to Kasumi and Utari.

You almost allowed a cry of relief to rip from your lips. Oh thank god, I'm not too late. However, it was apparent that the two were in the middle of a conversation before your arrival. Everything was all going according to the text, you had just intervened successfully. It wasn't over yet.

Thanks to your clamorous entrance, the attention from the two individuals were focused on you. Both of them reflected the same amount of surprise and shock by your sudden appearance. And, the fact that you were ravenously gasping for oxygen had only amplified the confusion from the two.

A disconcerting silence heavied the air and the intensity of Kasumi and Utari's gazes pressured you to give an explanation for your abrupt presence.

"I...I heard...commotion from down-downstairs," you lied between exhausted breaths. Your thoughts were a train wreck, you were surprised to even get a comprehensible sentence out. However, when those very words flowed out of your mouth, you mentally cringed at your poor lie before waiting in thick apprehension for a response out of one of the two individuals.

Your eyes locked with Utari's, the action prompting yesterday's conversation to flood your mind. You tore your gaze away from him, still feeling uncertain in regards to your feelings towards the male. Especially after witnessing a far more vulnerable side to him.

A curious hum slipped by the idol's lips as his eyes observed you head to toe. His gaze had only caused your discomfort to amplify. You mentally cursed at yourself, there was no way he was buying that lie of yours.

"Ah, sorry for bothering you," Utari said kindly as an amused chuckle parted from his lips. He shot you a knowing look, sending a silent message he was well aware that you weren't here just because you heard some commotion. "It was just a minor disagreement that's been resolved. Right, Kasumi-san?"

The male looked over to Kasumi with an affectionate smile that is more than capable of capturing and melting the hearts of many. However, a subtle ominous look reflected in his eyes that conveyed one message: play along.

Either oblivious to his warning or bravely ignoring it, the brunette's eyes narrowed in vexation before letting out a short laugh of disbelief. Though you commended her for not shying away by standing her ground, with the knowledge that this very behaviour eventually led to her death only made your anxious state skyrocket.

"More like you decided to turn it into a disagreement," she spat back. "All you needed to do was answer why you––"

"Let's not do this in front of (L/n)-san," Utari interrupted and looked over to you, a terrifyingly amiable smile gracing his lips. "She seems to be very worried. I wonder why?"

"Let's just end this conversation," you said dismissively before approaching the brunette. At this point, the idea of your actions being considered as suspicious or rude was the furthest thing in your mind. Your sole focus was getting Kasumi out of here as soon as possible.

You grabbed Kasumi's arm without any warning and began leading her away without a word. Expressing clear indignation, the brunette shot you a piercing glare and didn't think twice to rip her arm away from your grasp. "What the hell? What do you think you're––" However, her words were caught in her throat when her eyes looked up at you.

Though it was subtle, your fingers were slightly trembling. And, despite your best attempts to conceal it, you had flinched when she tore herself away from you while a look of fear momentarily flickered in your eyes.

Of course, Kasumi didn't pick up those subtle changes in behaviour. But what she did realise was your quiet state. It was enough of an indicator that you weren't your usual self. Maybe it was her simpler way of thinking as she immediately assume that you were always cheerful and annoyingly exuberant.

But, why? What was it that caused you to act this way?

You gave her a tight-lipped smile. "Please, come with me for now. You can shout at me all you want later, I'll even leave you alone from now on. Just please."

You knew that you had consented to participating in this game, you knew that your objective was to prevent deaths, you knew that this sort of encounter was inevitable. Yet, there was nothing you could've done beforehand to prepare yourself from the sheer trepidation that consumed your being at this moment.

If you fail, Kasumi dies.

...If you fail, what will happen to you?

What were the consequences of failure again?

As your mind flooded with a deluge of anxious thoughts, Kasumi's forest green eyes stared at you. A quick glimmer of confliction gleamed in her eyes underneath the frustration. She bit down on her red lips, frustrated at the fact that she was so confused about her own emotions. She hadn't felt this way since junior high.

With a loud and annoyed huff to suppress all her thoughts, the female harshly grabbed onto your arm, shattering you out of your oppressive thoughts. "So? Are we going or not?" she snapped. "Hurry up or else I'll change my mind."

As you were pulled out of your thoughts, you were left faintly dazed. Your eyes had fluttered a few times before you had finally registered her words.

Kasumi was actually complying with you?

Your lips curved into a grateful smile as you took her hand, chuckling in amusement when her cheeks deepened into a prominent red hue at the action. She shot you an annoyed glare, but didn't make any attempts to pry your hands off her.

You happened to catch a glimpse of her other hand occupied with the bouquet of flowers you gifted her. When Kasumi realised what you were looking at, she quietly mumbled with a huff, "I'm going to throw them out later, don't get your hopes up." You send her a playful yet doubtful glance at that.

A sigh of relief escaped you, thankful that things went smoothly. However, a question that stubbornly resided in your mind was: what did Kasumi and Utari talk about that drove to her murder?

"Ah, you're already leaving?" Utari asked. "I was actually hoping to talk to you a little longer. Especially about––"

"If you want to talk, let's do it tomorrow," you said quickly. You couldn't help but accidentally slip in a brief and anxious glance towards the edge of the rooftop. "School's got me tired and I wanna head home."

"Oh..." Utari mumbled. "Of course~" he hummed, voice unnervingly solace as he stepped off to the side, kindly gestured towards the exit of the rooftop. His accustomed charismatic smile played on his lips as his eyes reflected a deceptive friendliness.

You felt a weight of discomfort suffocate you. Too skeptical of the male, you halted your movements and stayed still like a statue glued to the ground. Kasumi noticed and gave you a harsh tug on your sleeve, leading you on ahead herself.

You avoided eye contact, feeling uneasy under Utari's amiable gaze. You desperately wanted to not be afraid of him, to be able to confidently stand your ground and face him head on. However, it's not as easy as one would imagine. In the moment, all you wanted to do was get out of there.

"Did you think that I was going to push her off the roof?"

What?

In an instant, your head swerved towards the idol's direction. Was he that observant? However, regret immediately dawned on you when you were met with a surprised yet intrigued look from Utari. He obviously didn't expect such a strong reaction out of you.

"I didn't think that was actually the case. It was just a farfetched guess," he mused.

Again. Again, he was messing with you. You placed all the blame onto yourself for falling for his trap despite knowing his nature.

"How strange...but that reaction does seem fitting when you think of it," Utaru mumbled. "(L/n)-san, is it difficult?"

"What is he talking about..." you whispered under your breath. You looked over to Kasumi as if she'd have the answers.

The brunette let out an exasperated sigh. "Hell if I know," she whispered back, leaning closer to you. "He's been acting weird ever since I brought up––"

"What are you guys whispering about?" Utari questioned while taking a step forward. He tilted his head to the side, displaying an innocent curiosity like a child who's interested by another's conversation.

"I was about to bring up what I was supposed to tell Aimi-san." Kasumi's eyes sent a threatening glare. "You know, the thing you so desperately try to hide," she seethed.

You glanced at Kasumi then back at Utari whilst your mind was spinning in confusion. Hiding something? Did her death have something to do with her exposing it? Your breath hitched at that thought. If that was the case, then if she ends up telling you...

Alarmed at the thought, you quickly spoke up. "You don't need to tell me anything, let's just go––"

"Oh! It's fine if you tell (L/n)-san," Utari chirped. "Besides, she's the same as me. There's nothing to hide."

Kasumi remained stunned, her frustration only increasing as the male continued to display such perplexing behaviour. You turned your attention back to Utari, waiting to see if he'd elaborate further. However, he simply sent a patient and benevolent smile your way as if he was waiting for you to continue the conversation, to go out of your own way to ask him yourself.

In other words, he was preventing your departure by using your own curiosity against you. And, as much as you hated to admit, it was working.

"Kasumi-san," you said. "Can you please leave?" You'll at least get Kasumi out of the scene to not further endanger her. You can think of it as distracting Utari so she can get home safely. Sounded like a solid enough plan.

"What? Why do you get to stay––"

"Kasumi-san," you repeated her name, voice firm and clearly expressing that you were not going to put up with her stubborn nature. "Please learn to read the mood."

The brunette's eyes briefly widened in surprise at your harsh tone before her gaze eventually hardened into a resentful glare that caught you off guard. Sure, the female had glared at you on several occasions, but this time the hostility in them felt far more genuine. "So in the end, you're just like everyone else..." she mumbled in disbelief.

Before you could reply, she had already left the rooftop with a loud slam of the door.

Just what was that about? Were you too harsh? Did you say something wrong?

You furrowed your eyebrows, why were you thinking that it was your fault? Kasumi clearly was acting inappropriately and you only told her off a little. Without the harshness in your tone, you wouldn't have been able to get past her stubborn nature and she wouldn't have left. Was that so hard to understand?

It doesn't matter now anyways. At least you had gotten her to leave. Even if she hated you in the end, it's not like you needed to befriend her in the first place. You didn't need to make any friends in a world you didn't belong in.

You turned your attention back to Utari and buried your thoughts on the brunette. "Utari-san, what do mean by us being the same?"

"Ah..." Utari looked off to the side with a bittersweet smile at your question. "Did you forget?" he let out a bubbly and cheerful chuckle, however, you could sense the strain in it. "C'mon, (L/n)-san! You should know this. I told you when we first met, you even said that you had a similar experience."

Your mind drew a blank on what he was suggesting. Every moment when he referred to the past, your regret on not reading his past interaction with the previous (Y/n) deepened. You could only regretfully stare at him with uncertainty at his desperate and futile attempts to help refresh your memory that never existed in the first place.

Your silence caused Utari's smile to fall. Disappointment and hurt reflected in his grey-blue eyes before he swiftly overwrote it with another chuckle, this one was more strained than the last. It was like his facade was progressively crumbling with every fake display of cheerfulness.

"Did it really mean nothing to you?" he questioned, voice quiet and fragile. "You didn't just forget, right? Not when I remember so clearly..." The male paused, an unexplainable fear settled in his eyes.

"You just pretended to, right? You wouldn't forget. You're just like me, you—" Utari stopped himself, his lips curved into a sorrowful smile once he realised how his efforts were only furthering your confusion. "I...I'm not making any sense, huh?"

"I..." You were frustrated with yourself, frustrated that all you could do was just stand there while Utari was slowly falling apart in front of you. "I'm sorry. I just––"

"No, it's okay." Utari waved his hand in a dismissive manner. "If you really don't remember, then it's not your fault. Sorry for acting so emotional, I'm usually better at controlling myself than this." He looked off to the side before sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck, his gaze fixated on the ground and avoiding your eyes.

"Ah! Also, sorry for doing all those mean things to you. No reasoning behind it can justify my actions so...sorry." He gave you a wide smile, facing you directly but unable to meet your gaze. "Ah, is it okay if you leave? I'd like to be alone for a bit."

"Oh..." You held back the urge to further question the male. An aching feeling painfully punctured your heart, it only hurt more when you could only reply with a simple, "Okay, well then...goodbye."

You were unable to hold back sneaking one last glance at the idol as you opened the door. Utari noticed your gaze and caught your conflicted expression. The male shook his head with a smile, mouthing the words 'it's okay' and sent you a friendly wave goodbye before you closed the doors to the rooftop.

A sigh escaped from you, your heart heavy with emotions and your mood melancholic.

Yes, there was a part of you that was tempted to explain that it wasn't that you had forgotten him, but because you weren't the (Y/n) he knew from the past. But, of course, who the hell would believe that?

You also couldn't just give him reassurance when you lacked the knowledge of what was tearing him apart, it'd be selfish to give him that false hope. You weren't the (Y/n) he met back then, and you weren't going to pretend to be her.

As those thoughts circled your mind, you turned a corner and had almost bumped into someone. "Oh sorry––" You halted mid sentence when you were met with a pair of round crystal blue eyes. The girl flinched at the sight of you before meekly looking away, seemingly using her blonde pigtails to hide her face.

"Aimi-san? Uhm, you okay?" you asked.

"Ah! N-no it's nothing," she squeaked. Aimi then quickly recovered and faced you while sending an apologetic smile your way. "Uh-uhm, I need to go. See you tomorrow at school!" The female rushed up to the stairs, heading towards where Utari was.

"Ah, that's right," you mumbled. "It did say that Utari-san was originally supposed to walk her home until Kasumi-san intervened." Though, her frantic behaviour was a little odd.

You glanced over your shoulder. Perhaps Aimi can cheer Utari up, something that you were unable to do. The heroine brings comfort to the characters whilst you momentarily interfere in their lives to prevent any deaths from taking place. Then, you'd disappear and allow the story to continue on its own. Seems fitting enough.

You felt a buzz emitting from your phone and immediately checked the device.

[Staged Cleared! Chapter one status: COMPLETE]

A wave of relief washed over you like a refreshing breeze. It was over, you had succeeded. However, ruining your moment of peace was the reminder that you had only cleared the first stage. You still had who knows many more to get through.

???: Hey! Congrats on your very first win ;)

(L/n) (Y/n): So, do I get my reward or...

???: Someone's impatient. No words of victory?

(L/n) (Y/n): Gonna be honest, it hardly felt like a victory. I just felt...lucky

???: Eh, well, I'd be concerned if you were good at this sort of thing from the get go. You'll improve over time :))

???: You're gonna have to

You raised an eyebrow at the text, feeling apprehension at the thought of the game ahead of you. Just how much more difficult is it going to get from now on? Actually, how long does it last in the first place?

(Y/n) (L/n): Question, just how long exactly is this 'game'?

???: About time you asked that question

???: It lasts until graduation

You mentally slammed your face against a wall. One whole year?! You were seriously questioning if your sanity won't be completely eroded away by then.

(Y/n) (L/n): Wonderful.

(Y/n) (L/n): Okay so, according to your previous words, the reward is either a new feature or a memory of my past life?

???: Yes yes. Glad to see you were paying attention. So, which one you picking?

You halted your typing for a moment and took the time to carefully think your options through. Yes, a new feature would probably make your life a little easier, however, one of the main purposes of your participation in the first place was to get your memories back. Living a life with no knowledge of yourself isn't exactly comfortable and you'd like to find out more about the type of person your original self was.

(Y/n) (L/n): My memories

???: Thought you'd say that. Can't blame you though

???: Alright! I'll do just that. However, I'd like to add, I don't particularly recommend that

(Y/n) (L/n): What do you mean?

???: Hm...to put it simply, I'm going to crank up the difficulty justttt a bit for the next chapter specifically. The special rule for chapter two is: if an individual gets severely harmed due to the male lead, you'll get penalised.

You knitted your eyebrows together, displaying obvious distaste towards the additional rule.

(Y/n) (L/n): What's the penalty?

???: Basically, with each penalty results a feature being taken away from you. For example: I can permanently remove the chapter summary feature away from you if one person were to obtain a severe injury. You'll never be able to access it again, even in future chapters.

???: And, if you keep on getting penalised and eventually run out of features, it'll result in you failing the chapter itself.

I'm sure you've noticed that I never stated the consequences of failure, right? Let's just say: the fear of the unknown is much greater, is it not? :)

(L/n) (Y/n): Great. Love it.

So, why exactly are you against me getting my memories back?

???: Well...

???: The feature will probably help you greatly. The amount of victims in the next chapter, give or take, totals up to...

An unsettling silence hovered over the air, the apprehensive atmosphere progressively growing more tense with each second spent on you waiting for the next line of text.

???: Around three dead and more than fifteen severely injured ^^





A/n: This chapter was so hard to write ohmygod

With the amount of times I rewrote it with different directions and scenarios, I can create a whole book full of AUs of this chapter smh. I'm not too sure how well I executed and conveyed Utari's character. Hopefully I did alright? I hope it didn't turn out cringe ifeofkwqufm

What are your thoughts? Are opinions on our idol changing or does everyone still hate him lmao. I'd love to see what everyone thinks!