Chapter 23

"All rise. Bow."

The whole afternoon session ends quite eventless.

Well...almost...

Except for the occasional dangerous glances coming from the heroines, especially the class rep and the childhood friend, I have been able to enjoy my alone time. Those have certainly become rarer and rarer in just one day.

Would you believe all those events have happened in just a day!? It certainly has felt like more than that to me! If an author takes time to write my story, it will probably need around a month just to get to this point.

*Hic*

How long has it been since the last time I could enjoy being behind the curtain? Even without eyes, tears can still manifest themselves on my face magically. Do not question them, please...I really have no idea where they come from.

Honestly, I wish I could have more alone time until Han finally makes it to the end of the story. Sadly, that will not be the case. One of the heroines will eventually get their hands on him before he can finish anything, ending his life. As a matter of fact, I am more curious about how he will die this time than hoping for a win. A new killing method will be greatly appreciated. Everything has been a little stale these past few trials.

Talking about Han, I need to check.

Ah, our main character is sleeping safely and soundly on his chair. All according to the schedule. Besides me, who deliberately tries to stick to the storyline, only he and Kurokawa are trustworthy right now. Lying on the desk with his face in his arms and drooling on one side, the guy must be having a good dream. Damn, he is just so carefree. I am kind of envious of that.

Ignorance really is bliss.

But just that carefree part only. I am not envious of Han's fate. Not at all!

Still, you have to really give it to this man. Missing out on all the signals sent from his childhood friend is already an achievement.

Then again, if someone was throwing me signals, I would think that they were being kind or considerate only. Unless that someone throws themselves onto me just like what Laura did, never would I have guessed they had feelings for me. That is all because I am a complete jackass to things like love.

Reality is often disappointing, is it not?

HOWEVER!!! Things are different now.

Very much different.

Rather than having my free time waiting until Han gets himself killed, now I am affiliated with one of the crucial side characters. Even more so, that side character is supposed to jump-start the main plot!

Laura, oh Laura.

Wherefore Art Thou Laura? That is Shakespeare's, by the way.

"What are you thinking?"

Speaking of the devil...

"I thought you had a council meeting?" My face turns to the class rep standing just inches away from me. At that moment, I catch an alluring sight.

Laura tilts forward slightly with her head leaning a little to the left. Not just that, she uses her hand to brush her hair behind her ears, showing me the most feminine side of her. And instead of maintaining her usual serious look, Laura has a faint smile at the corners of her lips. Thanks to that, she appears to be more of an enhanced version of her past self to me.

I can not describe it very clearly since it is a subtle change. Although I guess a suitable euphemism would be a transformation of the class rep's aura. From being a prisoner, she is...free.

What a weird feeling...

What am I even talking about?

Laura is just beautiful. That is basically it. She is simply captivating, so much that I forget to breathe.

Not that I need to, though.

*Ba-dump*

NO! Not you! DO NOT BEAT FASTER, YOU DUMB ASS!!! She is not someone we can be aiming for!

*Ba-dump*

I know she is pretty, but she is not ours! Listen to me, heart! We must not get too attached to any girls in this world! They are either going to die or be utterly mad! Do you want to get broken or what?!

"Pft. Why do you keep staring at me like that? Is there ink on my face?" Laura tries to hide her laugh with her hand.

Why the frick are you so cute!?!

*Ba-dump*

Bad heart! BAD! NO!

Eh!? What is Laura doing?

Suddenly, she comes close to my ears. I can actually feel her warm breath on my face as she whispers.

"If you so desperately want to know more about me, I can always help you with...a private lesson. Just. The. Two. Of. Us."

I have goosebumps all over my body because of that.

*Sproing*

Inside my pants, something is rising, and it is not a particular hero holding a shield...

*Ba-dump*

Do NOT pump more blood down there, god damn it!

"Um...I would hate for you to lose your precious time on someone like me. I heard that Han has been having a tough time with his studies since he slept all the time. Why don't you go bothe...I mean, help him?"

Nice, C. Passing the ball to the main character is always better! Although I feel a bit of loss and guilt inside for pushing Laura away, the story has to continue.

Sorry, class rep. Maybe we can be together in another life. How long until that is not an answer I can give you.

Ugh.

This feels really bad, but I need to be stern to reject Laura and bring the story back on track.

I am such an asshole...To all men out there struggling to have a girlfriend, I apologize.

"Don't say it like that!" Laura raises her voice at me. There is a particular sense of urgency in the way she talks. Quite strange, if I am being honest.

Startled, I just stare at her, not saying a word. My body clearly moves a little further away from her. I did not think she would lose her composure because of me.

At that instance, Han, Rachel, and Kurokawa instantly pay attention to my location.

"Sorry. That was rude of me." The class rep looks at me apologetically.

Then she stares directly at my face with a sharp look.

"Nonetheless, I am not looking forward to being with anyone else except you, C. Please understand that. It pains me that you try to group me with someone else."

I do not feel so good either, really...

"Understood. I apologize." I bow my head down slightly toward Laura.

After so many resets, this is the first time I have had someone to talk to. And now, for the sake of the plot, I am abandoning them. Am I going to let Laura experience the pain I have felt all these years?

...

I can not do it.

The loneliness kills people, literally. I know that feeling very well and how depressed it can be.

"Don't worry, C. We have LOTS of time together from now on. You will not be alone as long as I am here." The smile comes back to Laura's face, radiating its magnificent shine. To be able to witness this smile, I am really blessed.

After Laura finishes her sentence, I feel a warmth inside my chest, even though not quite sure why she emphasized it. Nevertheless, it did not stop me from being delighted.

The tears once again manifest themselves on my blank face. And I can very clearly feel them running down my cheeks.

It...is...heartwarming...

"You have no idea how much that means to me, class rep."

With arms behind her, Laura smiles brightly. Her chestnut hair sways softly with the motion of her body.

"Trust me, C. I have at least a small idea of how you feel!"

"Really?" Doubtful, I ask.

"I'm not saying anything! You have to get the words out from my own mouth!"

Right, everything is not the same. But this "difference" is what I desperately need.

For ages, I have craved such straightforward words.

For ages, I wanted to have someone I could really talk to. Someone unbound, unburdened, free from the system itself like me.

A friend, a companion.

The current bug has helped me achieve just that.

...

Then I will change the plan slightly. Rather than forcing Laura on Han, I will try to help her without messing up the story. As long as the story progresses how it should be, we should not have another reset.

"Here, let me help you get up." Laura extends her hand.

"Thanks!" I reach for Laura.

Feeling the soft hand of the class representative, I am immediately filled with gratitude. It keeps building and building until a certain breaking point. Like a glass too full of water, the feelings inside my heart overflow.

At that moment, the corners of my mouth twitch and move to the sides.

*Gasp* *Gasp* *Gasp*

I can hear people gasping for air. Most prominently would be the person holding my hand.

"Look at you, C, smiling from ear to ear! You are so handsome!!" Laura looks at me with bewildered eyes. There is only the reflection of me inside of those hazel-colored irises.

"I would not say that, haha."

It is a bizarre feeling, but I do not hate it.

Because this is the first time ever, I can feel myself smiling.

"Thank you, Laura." I clench my hand tightly, and the other hand does the same thing.

Laura opens her wonderful lips. From there come the best words I have ever dreamt of hearing.

"I'm here now."

Truly, thank you...