Chapter 201 - Sneak Peek For Another Story

Note: Before we go on to Vol. 4, I just wanted to share some other stuff that I have written, for pretty much no reason at all except for fun.

Anyway, volume 4 starts tomorrow! I won't be doing an interlude this time, we'll be heading straight to it and I'll probably leave the continuations of the interludes for the time between Vol. 4 and 5.

Again, if you aren't interested to see this, you can just ignore this one and come back tomorrow!

ALSO: For anyone who was reading the Adventurer's Academy, the rewrite is just about done, and I'll be posting chapters regularly for that story again soon. 

For anyone who is interested in this though, here you go:

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Alter-X

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Miko yawned as she sat up on her bed, stretching. The sun was peeking in through the curtains, landing on her eyes. Her bra, which she'd taken off before sleeping, was on the floor, next to her jeans. An empty bottle of wine was in her drawer. As in, her only, singular, individual drawer.

[Ugh, what time is it?] She thought, looking to her right to check her alarm clock. It read 10:20 am. [Huh. Fine. I guess I'll get up.] 

She walked to her bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. Her short raven hair was messily falling over her eyes. Her eyes moved down to her body, which was so bony, she tried to remember whether she'd had breakfast the previous day. Or, any days before that. Shaking her head, she continued with her morning casually, as this sort of thing was normal. 

A dozen minutes later, she was tying her hair up into a small bun, walking into her living room. The tv at the back was still on. [Oh, I forgot to turn it off.] Instead of proceeding to do just that though, she walked into the kitchen and made herself some coffee. Then, she looked at some bread she'd bought a few days ago and sighed. 

[Ugh... Do I even want to eat though? I'm not hungry.] She thought and so, she walked over to her couch with just her coffee. 

As she sat down, the morning news played out on a local New York channel.

At 18-years-old, Miko was convinced she was destined to live the rest of her life as a shut-in with no friends. Early on into her childhood, her parents had passed away in a car accident. Miko was sent to live with her grandparents, who she'd lived for most of her life. She got a job at 16, and after saving up, rented out a small apartment just a few months ago. 

And now, she was a perpetually lonely mess. Still, this was the life fate had wanted for her. 

Her phone rang, startling her. 

"U-Uh, h-hello?" Miko asked, her voice so low she worried the person at the other end of the line wouldn't hear her. 

"Miko?" 

"O-Oh." It was her boss. "Good morning." 

"Morning. Listen, could you come in a little earlier today? Mary's sick, so she can't make it." 

"Um… what time?"

"5:00 pm."

"U-Uh… y-yeah. N-No problem." Miko replied, struggling to even get simple words out due to the two unfortunate facts that she was: 

1. Painfully shy. 

2. Not used to human interaction. 

"Perfect. See you later." 

"Y-Yeah." 

As her boss hung up, Miko groaned and flopped onto her back. [Why am I like this?] 

By the time she found the energy to keep her day going, it was already noon. She stood up and walked over to her room, where she found a few sheets of paper thrown carelessly around her floor. They were drawings she'd made recently, none of which she'd been so happy about. One featured a man with the kind of physique that would put Zeus to shame, pulling back an arrow made of lightning, about to launch it. Another was of a female knight with a sword made of flames. Well, these were the ideas. 

In actuality, they looked like kindergartener doodles. 

[Why do I even try?] She thought, crumbling up one of the papers and throwing it across the room. 

With nothing to do, for now, she opened up her laptop and emptied her mind, watching one video after another to pass the time. 

And so, hours went by as Miko laid down on her bed. She nearly fell asleep a few times, but at 4:00 pm, she got up and got dressed, putting on her black McRonald's uniform. She barely looked composed, but people at her workplace didn't care so long as she made her fries at the speed that she usually did. 

So, forgetting to turn the tv off again, she walked out of her apartment, locked the door behind her, and exited into the streets of her hometown. 

It was a thirty-minute walk to McRonald's, one that she usually spent just daydreaming. She would think about what she'd draw next, or a post she'd seen that got her heart racing. Regardless, her mind was normally empty at this time. 

This day, of all days though, something unexpected happened. As she turned a corner, she looked ahead and found someone walking towards her, her arm linked with someone else's. The woman had red hair, blue eyes, and a dazzling smile that was on full display. 

Miko's heart froze as she saw her. 

Her. The girl who'd taken Miko's heart and cut it into little pieces. 

[Fuck.] She kept her eyes low and lowered her McRonald's cap. [No, no, no, no…] 

The two girls passed Miko by, and she thought she was in the clear. 

She *thought*. 

"Miko?" She heard a kind voice ask behind her. 

Sighing, she turned around, hoping she didn't look as awkward as she felt. 

"Uh… Hi, Nat." 

"Huh?" The other woman asked. "Nat, who's this?" 

"My ex." Natalie clarified. "Miko, it's good to see you." 

"Y-You too." 

As Nat's eyes scrutinized Miko's body, the raven-haired girl felt herself blushing. Nat looked disappointed. 

"Miko? Are you okay?" 

"Uh, y-yeah, I'm... I'm g-good." Miko looked away. 

"Are you sure? I mean, you look..."

"Naaat~" The woman next to Miko's ex-girlfriend started, "come on. I'm hungry." 

"… Right." Natalie smiled back at her. Then, she looked back at Miko and gave her a smaller smile. "Take care of yourself, Miko." 

"… Y-Yeah." 

And so, the interaction ended. Miko breathed a giant sigh of relief she hadn't known she'd been holding. Shaking her head, she kept moving. The relationship with Natalie had lasted a little over a year. And, well, if Miko had, to be honest, it was the best year she'd ever had. However, towards the end of the relationship, Natalie grew concerned that Miko wasn't taking care of herself, and Miko was growing more and more distant until, eventually, Natalie told her it would be best if they went their separate ways. 

In truth, Miko wasn't sure she'd fully recovered from losing that pillar of support. Of course, she hadn't truly appreciated it until the breakup happened. 

[Whatever.] She closed her eyes as she walked. [Just… just take it a day at a time, I guess.]

Continuing on her path, something knocked her out of her daydreaming. [What the…?] She looked ahead and found a crowd of people, surrounding a building. [What are they doing there?] She asked herself, and almost instantly, she received her answer. 

An explosion happened that shook the ground and made her fall down. 

[WHAT!?] She thought, watching a charred desk fly out of a window and land in front of her. 

She could hear sirens in the distance. 

"W-What's happening?" She asked someone standing by. 

"I don't know," the man replied, "but there are still people in that building!" 

"Seriously?" Miko tried to look through the windows from a distance. She couldn't see anyone, but she could certainly hear people crying for help inside. 

[I hope the firefighters get here soon.] She thought. [Sure would be a shame if people died here needlessly.]

Another explosion happened. 

Another object was sent out into the air. 

Miko squinted. It was a large metallic chair. 

She didn't register that it was coming straight to her until it struck her right on the head. 

And so, Miko died. 

--

The world faded to black. She couldn't feel, hear, or see anything. She tried to open her eyes, but couldn't do so. [Uh, where am I?] The space she was in felt somewhat cold. [Am I dead?]

However, soon, before she could get any more confused, words appeared in front of her. 

{….}

{Your case has been analyzed by members #7 and #6 of the Overseers Organization}

{You have been offered a chance to be a part of the Second Chance Program}

{Do you want a second chance?} 

{Yes} {No}

Regardless of where she was, Miko still had her memories. 

She could still see herself, as she had been. The phone never buzzed because no one would send her any messages. The mailbox that only ever received work or school-related letters. The holidays she spent alone because she had no one to talk to and had lost the one opportunity she'd had for a longtime friend in Natalie. 

Seeing all of this flash in front of her, the answer was simple. 

She thought of hitting the {yes} button, and suddenly, everything around her flashed white. 

And a blank body with no features materialized in front of her.