Chapter 32

"No. I decline." Immediately, C gives me a strict no.

As expected, he does not want to.

Right after that, in my head, the familiar inner voice of that guy appears.

[What is she thinking? Doesn't she know that the question is utterly stupid?]

One would think that the inner voice does not have a tone on its own. That would be completely wrong.

C's thoughts always have a tone, and he can also sound flabbergasted, surprised, or anything else, for that matter. The world inside his head is so vast that his emotions can be heard at any given time. Despite the quiet appearance, he thinks a lot.

Right now, he is dumbfounded by my question.

I know, C. I know that my request is dumb.

But what can I do? I just can not be waiting for my body to be taken away from me by the system, can I?

[Why do you keep pushing this, Rachel? Even worse, your childhood sweetheart is standing right there. Even though he seems clueless, I think you do not want to be alone with him. At all!]

Of course not. Why would I want to be like that? I do not look forward to losing control of everything again. At lunchtime, I could hardly do anything on my own.

Anything with Han feels fake and fabricated, and it brings my heart to a boil! Each passing second of being under control is worse than hell.

This is my body. Similar to Laura, I would love to be able to escape from the damning shackles I feel whenever I am trying to do something.

How she managed to do so is still mysteriously hidden. While I am struggling my best just to stay away from Han, she is being a disgusting thorn in my eyes by linking hands with C.

"I would love you to stop forcing your way into my boyfriend's house. And I think Kurokawa can say the same thing." Standing before C, Laura stares at me intensely.

To be honest, despite wanting to rip her head off, I would love to ask her how to get the constant influence of the system. However, I do not believe that the class rep will share that information.

Hearing Laura, Kurokawa turns to me.

"It is indeed inappropriate. You already have a promise to keep, right?"

So now you two are on the same team?

Not just her, but my alleged childhood sweetheart also jumped on the boat.

"I think we should go, Rachel. It is getting late, and we are just standing by idly. The time for my favorite anime is coming, too."

[Tut-tut-tut. Rachel, Rachel, Rachel. It is now three against one. I do not know what you have in mind, and I do not care. These people are going to be by my side. Muahahaha! So be a good little yandere and go home with Han.]

"Only I will go to C's house. The rest of you can go back to where you came from." Says Laura.

[Eh? Hold on? When did I say that you could come to my place? It is but a bunch of pencil lines!]

"C agreed for me to walk home together with him. Therefore, I will. Simple as that." The bookworm leans a little more toward C. Since she is closer to me, I can notice that a bit easier than the rest of them.

Laura probably notices that, too. That was why she chose to block his front.

[*Sigh* I did make that mistake. Can I just say I was wrong, and you all leave? Is that too much to ask for? After all, you girls should not be here right now. I really can not see why you would group up like this.]

We are like that because of you. Though I am sure that I will never tell you that.

With that small exchange, I know all of them are joining forces to push me toward the script. To be fair, I knew that from the beginning. The past iterations have shown how much of a threat I am. Them isolating me is understandable.

Still, backing up does not even cross my mind.

"Oh no! Please don't think of it like that. We're friends, right, Han? Friends should be spending time with each other. Don't you think so too, my childhood friend?"

"Y-yes!" The guy next to me squeals. I had to use my stares to make him behave like that.

[Since when did we become friends? I have been alone all this time, mind you.] C says nothing but thinks to himself.

That breaks my heart.

To be completely honest, the blame is not on C or Han for not helping me. Han is a mere pawn that can be disposed of at any given moment. As long as I keep him alive, this reset C has been talking about should not occur. Since there is still the influence of the system, I can not really do anything to him.

Unless I become free.

On the other hand, C has been mentally scarred. He lives inside a shell made of excuses and lies of his own making. The pain this world caused has made him terrified of any changes. Even though he was so desperate in the past to get me free, the current him needs help. My help.

[My hand is once again tightened by Laura's. The warmth inside of her palm calms me down.]

I clench my teeth but try not to make a sound.

"I'm not just your friend. I am also your girlfriend." She shows him a disgusting smile.

[Hic!]

But Laura! Laura stands in the way. She is the true culprit here. Thanks to her and Kurokawa's combined efforts, it was possible to shun me.

"I will always be here for you, C. If anything happens, you will have my back." Kurokawa speaks up in a hurry as if not looking to lose.

Their eyes and actions have made it clear.

Why? Why are they so vehemently trying to do so? In reality, should they also be fighting?

It should not be because of my nature. No. The two of them are not scared of me. The reason should be something else. Something unnoticed.

[Um...thanks?]

"Hey, C! Don't forget that I am your friend, too!" Han joins in the conversation while waving his arm.

[I would not want to be involved with you. Since the surprise confession at lunchtime, I already have a target.]

...

...

Lunchtime.

That must be it.

All that I could gather after coming into the classroom after lunchtime was meaningless. There must have been something else. I just need to find out what that something is.

Thinking about that, I am starting to get pissed again. Calm down, Rachel. Do not let it get into your head.

That bitch. She made her advancement right when he was weakest without me knowing. There was no way for C to reject someone as straightforward as her. He has been living under depression and was voided of any physical touch from anyone. With that, a caring gesture from literally anyone from the opposite sex would be a huge deal.

And even if he did reject, I would say she would not have given it up.

It should not have happened. I was supposed to be the one to make the first move. Yet...He is with her now.

Think! Think!

The system must have less control over her than me for unknown reasons.

I will not let go with just that, Laura. As long as I am still around, you will never have him! Absolutely not!

[Although the protagonist of this story is a beta guy with a skull thicker than a stone, she still has to think of his feelings. At this rate, their relationship will be spoiled.]

C is thinking about something redundant again. There is no such "relationship" whatsoever. It never existed in the first place.

Han does not think of me as a love interest. And I myself am starting to feel detached from him.

Seeing someone cheating on me with other women, I would rather have someone else.

But to do so, I need more freedom. How on earth did Laura manage to get C?

I do not think she can openly say things like "I love you" or anything. The shackles placed upon me did not allow me to speak like that.

Wait!

I have been thinking this from the wrong angle. If I can not get the answer from Laura, I can just get the answer from C's thoughts!

The corners of my lips turn into a smile.

[Why is she smiling? I know you are beautiful already, so stop flaunting it. Geez!]

Hehe! Praise me more. This is better than hearing it by a billion times.

"Hey, guys, let's walk home while talking. I don't want to stand here forever."

[Thank god!]

"YAY!!! Anime time!!" Han shouts.

"Also, how did the class rep and C become a...c-couple?" I try my best to keep a happy face.

Laura instantly stares me down. The amber color can not hide the tension in her eyes.

"I would like to keep that a secret."

"It's improper to ask that question, Rachel." Kurokawa does the same thing.

Just shut up, nerd.

"Eh? I'm also curious." As usual, Han is clueless.

"If Laura doesn't want you to know, I have to respect her."

[Hmmm. I mean. I did not really think it would happen at all. The class rep was just pulling me up from the chair. When I touched Laura's hand, she suddenly got emotional and started crying and hugging me. I swear I did not do a thing to her.]

*Piiii*

I get a death stare from Laura. Hahahaha. Bitch!

It is physical touch!

"Oh well, I will never know how your relationship started, sadly."

[It is literally nothing. I just touched Laura, and she started crying. That is it. Now I am feeling bad...]

Taking advantage of the situation, I continue my attacks.

"Then why don't we all have dinner at my place tonight? If you are done, you can go home, C. We will be handling all the preparations! You all just need to be there, eat dinner with us like dear guesses."

[That is a very enticing offer... She is going home with Han, and I can avoid explaining the house. Two birds with one stone. It is not like I have never been there while they were having dinner. With Laura and Kurokawa, I do not believe she will kill me. I also feel guilty for not saying the event at lunch. Hmmmmmmm!!! Not going to lie, but I would like to eat for the first time. Uk! Let me just swallow my saliva first!]

"Okay." He nods.

Yes!

YES!!!!

[There is no way she will drug me.]