𝒜 westerly wind blew across the snow-tipped peaks of Kinai's northern countryside, great evergreens stretching up to the skies to meet the yawning abyss of darkness above. It was early enough in the morning that the birds had just begun to sing, the silhouette of the moons fading as the golden sun peeked over the horizon and lit the world awash in its glow. Wooden carriage wheels cut through ice and snow until they made it onto a dirt road, the horses at its head snorting and flicking their manes as they trotted along the beaten path.
Aiko sat alone in the coach, her russet-colored head leaning against the back wall as she daydreamed. After packing her bags and frantically checking over her new academy uniform for any stains or wrinkles, she'd loaded her belongings into the back and prepared for a long journey across the kingdom. Megumi Academy was located in neutral territory near the southeastern edge of the continent, where the weather was mild and there were few people around for miles. Reading up on it, she'd discovered that the school itself was actually built inside of a large crater — rumor has it that the crater was formed thousands of years ago when the goddess herself came crashing down to the earth and gifted mankind with mastery over magic, blessing them with the ability to wield the elements as a sign of her good will.
Of course, that was only a rumor. Nobody really knew when or how mages came to be, though everyone had their own explanations that ranged from somewhat plausible to completely nonsensical. That was all a bit outside of the scope of Aiko's mind, however. She lounged back and yawned loudly, rolling her sore shoulders as she stretched her arms above her head. Having to wake up so early and get ready wasn't doing her any favors, and it wasn't long before she fell asleep on the leather seat, her head pressed up against the window as she closed her eyes and let the carriage rock her along into dreamland.
✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ
"I don't know about this, Ai. Attending such a big academy could be dangerous." The soothing, sagely voice of her grandmother floated to her ears, ever the cautious woman. It was that very caution that had kept them safe for all these years, she knew, but there was no way that she could just ignore an invitation from the headmaster of Megumi Academy.
"Oh, don't worry about it, nana. Everything's going to be just fine! It's one of the most secure places in the country, after all." Aiko had reassured her as she'd stuffed another sweet roll doused in lemon in her mouth, a bit of citrusy juice spilling over onto her chin. "I'll write to you every week - promise."
The elderly woman let out a sigh as she tucked some of her granddaughter's hair behind her ear, the age lines in her face growing deeper with concern. "If it were up to me, I'd keep you far away from that damned prophecy. What if you run into that cursed girl at school? Goddess, to think they'd even let a child of darkness into the academy."
Aiko shook her head, gently taking her grandmother's hand away from her face and placing it back at her side. "It's just a dusty old text, nana. The prophecy isn't actually real. What's the worst that could happen?"
When the heroine awoke once more, she found herself face to face with the most grand view she'd ever laid eyes upon. The carriage descended into the valley below and Aiko stuck her head out of the window to watch as yellow and orange leaves fluttered on by, a slight chill in the air signaling the beginning of autumn. From the big clocktower in the square, she could tell that it was less than ten minutes until noon — in others words, the very same hour she was meant to show up for the opening assembly. The driver had just barely made it in time, the rickety old wheels sliding to a stop as he reined in the horses. Aiko shot up out of her seat and fumbled for the campus map that had been enclosed in her letter, her hazel eyes wide as she scanned over the crumpled paper. Oh no. Where's the meeting hall?
She practically busted the doors down in her hurry to exit the carriage and grab her heavy, overstuffed bags from the back, though the added weight of them didn't seem to bother her much. After accidentally hitting the coachman in the face with one, she turned red and quickly bowed her head a few times as she backed away. "Sorry. Thank you!"
There was no time to linger. She had only a few minutes to find the meeting hall, and with such a huge campus looming ahead of her she was afraid it would take at least half an hour to make it from one side to the other. Her panicked expression only deepened as she attempted to decipher the map, silently cursing herself for never having been particularly skilled at navigation. As she looked up she noticed that there were almost no other students near the front, likely because they were already at the assembly. Spotting a boy walking by himself, Aiko rushed over to him and waved, her white uniform skirt rustling with the movement.
"Hey! Are you heading to the assembly, too? Can I walk with you?" She smiled at him in a friendly manner, her head tilting to the side as she watched him acknowledge her. The dark-haired boy leveled her with a blank, disinterested gaze before turning his face away a moment later.
"No. I'm not going that way."
Aiko paused. "Eh... Huh? But it's about to start... Wait, where are you going?"
She watched incredulously as he began walking in the direction of the woods bordering the school grounds, his strange behavior prompting her to do a double take. "W-wait, wait! Can you at least tell me where the meeting hall is?"
He paused with his back still turned to her, but she could see him angle his jaw from behind and slightly nudge his head to the left. Tearing her eyes away from him, she turned to look down the path he'd indicated, soon spotting a big central building with a pointed roof some ways down, though it was partially hidden behind the foliage. Based on the way that students were still making their way inside, it was probably a pretty safe bet to assume that that was her destination. "Oh! Thank you so mu-"
The moment she'd turned to look at him once more, she'd found that he was already gone. Confused, she spun around a few times to see if she could spot him. No dice. Nevermind, I don't have time for this! The grand clock would soon strike twelve, and if she hadn't stepped foot through that door by then, she would be late. Goddess forbid she was tardy on her very first day.
Aiko's heeled boots struck against the cobblestone path as she ran towards the main building as fast as she could, a light sweat forming upon her brow while she sprinted. It certainly didn't help that they had to build everything so far apart, and she found herself wishing she could have a word with the architects who'd designed such a labyrinthian institution. Luckily, she was pretty sure she had just enough time to make it inside. With a singular goal in mind, the girl effectively shut out everything else around her, her legs straining as she vaulted over a hedge instead of going around it and landed smoothly on the other side.
Well, almost.
In the split second before she crashed into a stranger, the only thing she could see was a flash of pink hair, the color so bright and vivid that it nearly blinded her. She let out a shout as their bodies collided, the force of her impact so strong that it toppled the both of them. Aiko fell on top of the figure that she vaguely registered as a girl, the feeling of a soft, feminine body beneath her own serving to cushion the blow somewhat. That didn't stop her head from reeling in the aftermath, stars dancing around the edges of her vision while a thin trail of blood streamed down her nose.
Aside from the pain, however, there was something else that assailed her senses. Flashes of imagery, places foreign and strange, faces she'd never seen before — memories. Her eyes widened as they hit her all at once like an oncoming train, the sensations so sudden and violent that she felt as though her heart would stop. She experienced the entirety of another life in the blink of an eye, overpowering emotions coursing through her and causing her body to shake uncontrollably. What was this? All at once, she felt friendship, warmth, love, desire... She was staring into the eyes of a girl who meant everything to her, reaching out for her with unspoken ardor on her lips, melting into the tenderness of her embrace... Only for all of it to be ripped away as two bright lights flashed at her and a deafening sound drowned out her thoughts. Those positive feelings quickly turned to fear, despair, agony, and bitter denial. She was dying, struggling to take in her last breath even as her mind refused to succumb to the darkness. Over and over, the same line replayed in her head like a broken record, uttered by an unfamiliar voice that once belonged to her.
``— I want to see her again.``
These recollections of a past life were hers. Every sight, every sound, every taste, every scent, everything she'd ever touched and everyone she'd ever met. Her parents, her siblings, her friends, her soulmate... All of them were once a part of her life in another world. And this world, the land of Kinai, and even the boy she'd briefly bumped into earlier... She recognized them all from a video game she'd once played.
This is... The Light Maiden's Quest for Love!? And I'm... I'm the heroine, Aiko Hikari!
When she came back to, she realized that she was still on top of the young woman, her cheeks flushed and her chest heaving as she panted from the exertion of running so fast. Only a few moments had passed between the initial collision and her regaining her memories, but it had felt like hours while she was watching her former life play out in front of her. Now she was finally able to get a good look at the person she'd run into, her unfocused gaze sweeping over those sharp amber eyes and that familiar head of long pink hair. That's the villainess!
Air crashed into her lungs almost painfully as Aiko scrambled to get off of her, her head still spinning from how hard she'd hit the floor and the overwhelming sensations that came after. In a daze, she realized that this was one of the first scenes in the game, part of the prologue where the heroine arrives at the academy and is first introduced to her mortal enemy, the villainess Rin Koizumi. If she remembered correctly, this was the part where she'd be severely lambasted for bumping into her.
Unfortunately, she was too dumbstruck by everything she'd just learned to try and think of a creative way out of this situation. All she could do was fall back on her butt and stare slack-jawed at the other girl, her hazel eyes brimming with tears that even she hadn't realized were there. Everything she'd just witnessed was so intense, so heavy that she couldn't help but tear up. She couldn't quite explain it, but she missed that girl from her memories terribly.
"Ah, I-I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" Aiko apologized profusely as she bowed her head to Rin, droplets of blood leaking out from her nose and staining the grass beneath their feet. "Please forgive me!"
Her shoulders tensed up as she readied herself to be rebuked by the noblewoman, but even that mattered little when she was now faced with the staggering reality of her situation. Hells, nobody would ever believe her if she told them about it. She hardly even believed it herself.
As the morning sun started to shine across the trees on the wast garden and through the huge glass-window of the dining room, where a pink-haired woman, still drowsy from waking up just a few moments ago enjoyed her morning coffee and a brunch-like breakfast prepared for her before she'd need to depart for the school she'd be living in for the next few years. Despite the lavish and delicious assortment of foods from bacons and eggs to toast all the way to cakes and other desserts she was all her lonesome in the huge dining-hall that could house over a hundred guests. Only exception being the maid who stood in the corner eyes closed, hands in front of her ready to serve the young Lady of the house whenever she needed.
"... So it begins today..." Rin Koizumi thinks to herself as she takes a sip of her coffee with cream and lets out a little sigh. If she could decide she'd rather not go to the academy. If she could decide she'd already be disowned by now, banished to the edge of the Kingdom to a little house where she could wither away with the memories of her past life, trying her best not to forget the times she had with the only person she ever felt any kind of connection to, but alas this was not meant to be. Deemed as a harmful person she'd be kept under a strict surveillance in the academy while the teachers would do their best to make sure she would not be a threat to society. Even if the young woman was deemed harmless she may eventually get what she desires, but that will be very unlikely.
She was born as a villainess, and with accursed powers meant only to destroy, and that's what people would see her as. A demon who'd be better off dead, someone that needs to eventually die for the sake of the Kingdom.
All the painful memories and the lot she was dealt with in this ridiculous new life she was granted made the yellow-eyed, constantly bored and apathetic looking woman loose all her appetite, and after finishing her coffee she stands up to get ready for her departure. "Feel free to take some if you want." she says with a flat voice to the maid as she exits the room.
After an hour a fancy carriage is waiting at the front of a beautiful manor. A group of maids were busy running up-and-down the stairs to carry all the luggages that had been packed for the Rin. The scene looked more like the villainess was moving out entirely rather than just going to a boarding school, and that was because it was essentially the case. Previously warm, caring and doting mother and father of the woman had grown distant and cold ever-since they learned that she had inherited a rumoured dark powers. Neither of them wanted anything to do with her, and when she was out of the academy she was to move to live a small apartment at the downtown that they had gotten for her.
When the last maid had ran up the stairs to announce to the pink-haired woman that everything was all set Rin walked down the stairs, now wearing her school-uniform, her hair down as usual and a pink rose hair-ornament in her hair. The maids were lining up the outer side of the stairs, all bowing to the mistress leaving the house she had been living the past 18-years of her life. At the foot of the stairs a butler was holding open the carriage door and lightly bowing as well. Rin looked around to see if her parents had come to see her off, but of course they hadn't. Not like she expected or wanted them anyway. As she took the first step inside the cart the butler Ronove finally opened her mouth.
"Please take care of yourself Young Mistress."
In the cold household the old man Ronove had been the only one who even tried to be there for Rin when her parents distanced herself from them, however after the information of her powers was starting to circulate and become common knowledge even he took his distance. A little taken-aback of his wishes her eyes widen a little before she replies back to him.
"You too Ronove. Be well."
And with those words the door to the carriage was closed, and the driver took off. An occasion that was normally celebrated and filled with tears of joy was unceremoniously over, and the new life of the villainess... As well as the main-story in the game The Light Maiden's Quest for Love was now about to start, with the notable difference being that this 'game' that she once played in her past life with the person she holds so near and dear was now her new reality, and after her untimely end by her own hand she was now reincarnated as the antagonist of the game, and essentially the whole current world she resided in.
Was this some sort of twisted payback due to her ending it all so soon? Or was there some other reason she got a new chance in life? She did not know, nor particularly care. Even if it was an act of mercy from some higher being the fact that she was put into this world, and the fact she regained her memories at an early age was the highest form of torture for her, and she would not forgive any God from toying with her like this.
Ride to the Academy was relatively short for her, but it was long enough for her to recap her objectives for the following years. She would stay away from everyone. Not cause anymore trouble, but also to use her evil reputation to her advantage to make sure no-one would mess with her or try to get close to her. After regaining the memories of the past she had started to prepare herself in many fronts if worst came to be. She knows the basics how to fight, she knows how to cultivate plants and crops and prepare basic meals, also her survival skills were pretty on-point. Since nobody paid any mind to her, or were too scared of her she could read all the books she want and do any sort-of unladylike things to hone her skills, though due to her nature she only bothered to learn basics.
However when it came to her magic she used more effort. Both to control it so she could avoid any unfortunate accidents like one she had with the assassin prior to her enrollment, and so she could know the true extent of them, and if there were any alternative uses for the unique powers that she was cursed with. So far her experiments had not yield any results, but one thing Rin was actually looking forward to in the academy was to possibly get more knowledge of these abilities of hers
There were also two more objectives:
Do not interact with male-leads unless necessary
And do not interact with the main-heroine under any circumstances
If she could minimize her role in the story, and just be a background-character then all would go well she thought to herself. One of the male-leads gets the heroine, if Rins powers go berserk they would slay her, and they'd get their happily ever after. If her powers didn't go berserk she could just let the days pass by until it was her time to move on, and maybe kill the rumors of dark-magic meaning inherently evil with her, but that was most likely wishful thinking.
Not even realizing that they had arrived at their destination while immersed in her own thoughts Rin suddenly hears the rivers voice. "We have arrived Miss Koizumi." he announced as they pulled at the gates of the academy. "I will move your belongings to your dorm so you can go to opening assembly already." he added as the pink-haired woman stepped out of the carriage. There was still 20 minutes till the assembly, so she decided to took her time to get there, but would start to regret her decision shortly after.
Immediately when she stepped out of the carriage and started to walk towards the meeting hall people more and more eyes started to look her, glued to the woman who is said to bring destruction and ruin to whole kingdom. Soon Rin could hear people whispering, see them pointing at her. Some were clearly belittling her, snickering to one another and calling her names. Others clearly backed away and were startled. She could also hear some people claim that she murdered an innocent person in cold-blood at the banquet few months ago. Knowing it was in-vain to even try to correct these people she continued her walk, trying her best not to let the oppressive atmosphere get to her, keeping the apathetic expression on her face the whole time, just looking straight ahead, and without even noticing picking up her pace to get away from the piercing gazes and judgemental word.
Sooner than she thought Rin found herself at the front of the meeting hall, but instead of going inside she decided to go to behind the nearby trees near the pathway and wait there till the heroine had went inside. She knew that the CG where the villainess and heroine would meet would triggered before the assembly in front of the door, and if she could avoid it all-together or alter the course of how it goes it would benefit her plan greatly. She kept glancing towards the door while leaning against the tree with her arms crossed. The clcok kept ticking, and the heroine was nowhere to be seen. "Do I really need to go first and forcibly trigger the scene..." Young woman thinks before letting out a frustrated sigh and putting her forehead on her palm. "Such a bother..." villainess says just before something unexpected happens.
She hears some rustling next to her, and manages to see a glimpse of something before omething... Or someone falls on top of her. She fells down on the ground, not hurting herself too badly, but still the weight of this random person making her uncomfortable. Rin then looks up and sees an unexpected sigh.
The heroine. Aiko Hikari was on top of her. Unintentionally pinning her down on the ground
"... But this was not where the CG takes place... What is she doing here?" Rin thinks to herself as she tries her best to not let the surprise attack to show on her face.
Few seconds pass till Rin finally opens her mouth, frowning and putting on the preplanned act immediately.
"Move." she says in a cold tone, trying to immediately draw distance and line between the two opposites in the story. And once the brown-haired heroine had stood up she followed in-suite, patting down her back and butt to get most of the dirt off of her as the woman, who was now sobbing and bleeding from her nose profusely started to apologize from her.
Letting out a frustrated sigh Rin takes out her handkerchief and extends her hand towards Aiko.
"Take it. It is a real pain if people think I am bullying you." she says and waits for the herointe to take up on her offer, her tone basically demanding the woman to take it.
Once the handkerchief was taken out of her hands she quickly turns her back to hazel-eyed young woman and starts to walk towards the meeting hall. "No need to return it. Consider it paid back by coming in at least minute after me and never speaking to me again unless necessary." Rin says as she walks in the hall, leaving the heroine of the 'story', and someone she is much more familair with than she could ever think of to hopefully wait till she has been getting to her seat, while once again causing a commotion among the student-body, which most had already gathered in the hall.
After casually walking to an empty seat where one of the instructors guided her she closed her eyes and put her hands on her lap. Hoping that despite the things not going like they did in the original work this encounter wouldn't cause any noticeable differences in the story that would make her life any more difficult.
The first thing that came out of the villainess' mouth was one simple order, ice-cold and straight to the point: move. As soon as she'd done so, the pink-haired woman wasted no time in dusting herself off, but the sight of it only made Aiko feel even worse. Yes, she'd had no choice in running into her, since it was programmed into the game — and yes, Rin Koizumi was supposed to be a mean, unsympathetic character — but she still felt bad for knocking her down and getting her all dirty. It did raise a few questions, however. Was Rin even a 'real' person? Was anyone in this game conscious, like she now was? Perhaps she herself wasn't even fully in control of her own actions, just following some predetermined script even now... The thought was enough to send her spiraling into an existential crisis, at least until she was brought back to her senses once more by the handkerchief that was shoved into her hands.
"Eh...?" Her voice was small suddenly, her glassy eyes wide with astonishment. Aiko sniffled, completely taken aback as she gingerly plucked the cloth from the other's fingers. "You're giving me this...?"
Even if she wasn't exactly gung-ho about it, Rin was offering her something to wipe her face with. Her line about not wanting people to think that she was bullying her was strange, and definitely not one that she remembered from the original game. In fact, the whole scene seemed... off. Was this even the right spot for them to bump into each other? Perhaps her new memories were a bit hazy, but she was almost certain that the villainess should have started shouting at her by now.
Aiko was left dumbfounded for a time as she watched her darker counterpart turn on her heel and make her way into the assembly building, leaving her with only a few frigid words in parting. Her fingers subconsciously tightened over the handkerchief as she felt her heart begin to beat faster in her chest, a million different thoughts running through her head. At the forefront of them all was an intense, burning desire to find out why the villainess was acting differently than she was supposed to. Did there exist alternate timelines even within a game world? Her head spun trying to grasp it all, but before anything else she used her sleeves to wipe the tears from her eyes, quickly dabbing the handkerchief against her bloody nose.
Without thinking, the heroine's feet began to move seemingly all on their own. Before long, she was going directly against the girl's wishes, hurrying after her and into the busy meeting hall. Her eyes scanned over the seats until she spotted the back of that beautiful pink head, a storm brewing in her chest. She had to get to the bottom of this.
Luckily, the people next to Rin scooted away as though they were afraid to sit so close to her, leaving an open seat ripe for the taking. Aiko swooped in like a vulture and snatched it up, practically falling into the chair in her haste. Once she'd steadied herself and narrowly avoided an embarrassing accident, she reached for the noblewoman's arm, firmly gripping onto it before she could get up and leave.
"Wait," she began, a determined look on her face. Even with her slightly red, puffy eyes and the presence of smeared blood around her nose, Aiko had taken on a completely different tone from before. "You left before I could introduce myself — I'm Aiko Hikari. Thank you for the handkerchief."
She gave the pink-haired maiden a bright smile, beaming at her despite the strange looks that the people nearby were giving the two of them.
"Didn't Koizumi-san just push that girl?" A thin, black-haired girl said to her freckle-faced friend, but in typical otome fashion the two of them didn't even bother to keep their voices down, making it so that they could clearly hear every single word.
"Yeah, she did, didn't she? What's up with that?"
Aiko turned to the gossiping girls and frowned, her brows furrowing with annoyance. "She didn't push me. I bumped into her. Don't make things up just because you feel like it." She chided the students for spreading false rumors, ignoring their offended expressions as she turned back towards Rin. Right, she wasn't supposed to know her name yet. This was, by all means, the first time they'd ever officially met. Her hazel eyes met with amber ones as she peered into them, reluctant to retract her grip. "I'm sorry. I know you didn't want me to speak to you again, but I couldn't help it. I'm interested in you!"
The awkwardness of such a statement was completely lost on the heroine, her face remaining just as serious and determined as before. Despite dropping what sounded exactly like a love confession, Aiko retained her hold over the other's wrist, staring deeply into her eyes. She opened her mouth to speak again before she was interrupted by the sound of the headmaster shushing the crowd as he held up a small crystal, the magical qualities of the gem amplifying and projecting his voice across the room. He looked more like a fancy-pants aristocrat than the head of a school, his flamboyant emerald green suit contrasting his long white hair, pants tucked neatly into the heeled boots that he wore.
"Everyone, please stay in your seats until the assembly has concluded. I know you're all ready for another exciting year at Megumi, but we've got a few bases to cover before we can kick off the semester. Welcome back to all those who are returning to our fine academy, and a warm welcome to all of the new students in our midst! As I'm sure you've come to notice, this award-winning institution..."
He continued on talking, his booming voice drowning out the silence that had fallen over the audience. Aiko tuned him out completely, pausing to let go of Rin as she chewed on her lip anxiously. How could she focus on some long, boring speech when she had so many other things to ponder right now? Leaning over to her unwilling neighbor, she cupped her hand next to her ear to whisper something to her. "Could you tell me your name?" She inquired softly, pretending like she didn't already know it. If Rin looked in her direction, she would find that the heroine was smiling again, the lack of hesitance in her gaze suggesting that she either didn't know or didn't care about the villainess' unfortunate reputation.
Without ever replying to her question if villainess was seriously doing her a favor she left the heroine of the story all by her lonesome in the yard, hoping that she'd follow her simple request, and that this would be the end of their relationship. She knew fully well that she was acting out of the script, part of her wished that it would bring about huge causality-effect that would make the torment that she went through end much sooner, but as long as she had her memories and peace she wouldn't mind playing things mostly by the story either. She would be lying to herself if she'd claim that she'd remember every little scene and storyline from the otome-game despite playing every route of it, but in her mind she thought that she did a decent enough job to alter things slightly and make things easier both for her and the heroine, but also not to derail things in direction that would bring about some huge story-altering disasters.
After getting seated she let out a small relieved sigh. The piercing, judgemental gazes and whispers directed at her would make anyone uncomfortable, but at least she could just get through the game-portion as fast as possible, without any distractions or obstacles in her way now after she pushed the heroine away so directly...
... But of course that was just wishful thinking, villainess was already in her own little world so she didn't realize that the brown-haired heroine had dismissed her instructions, stormed in and now was actively looking for her, and of course finding the woman with unusual hair-color among the sea of students easily. After Aiko had managed to scoot her way next to her she felt a warm touch in her hand, which made her jolt a little and pull her hand back a little, but the one who had took a hold of it just wouldn't let go, and once she looked next to her she saw the all too familiar face of Aiko staring at her. "What are you doing? Let go!" she said in an annoyed and stern, yet fairly quiet voice as to not attract any more attention to herself before the woman talked to her.
However a sincere 'thank you' and a smile made the expression on pinkettes face soften a little. It was rare that anyone showed her any kind of affection, and somehow the smile reminded her of the person near and dear to her in the past. After blinking her eyes twice she let out a little "hmph" and looked away to hide the faint blush on her cheeks. "You're we---"
Rest of the words get stuck in her throat as she can hear people already weaving blasphemous and untrue stories of what had just transpired. "Did someone see us? I was sure there was no-one around so why?" Rin thinks to herself, her pupils growing smaller and her heart skipping a beat due to a shock. "Did I already fail? Is the story going to repeat itself no matter what?"her composure is starting to crumble, and slowly but surely a panic settle in, but to her surprise the person she least expects chimes in to defend her.
After making the gossipers to eat their words and make them clearly offended Aiko returned to speak with her. However the scene that just unfolded made her even more determined to draw a line between the two. While the heroine somehow made her think of her lost love by some miracle, and made her drop her guard a little for a while she would not repeat that same mistake again. The cold, stern gaze was back, and the flush completely gone. The mood was like straight out of the shoujo-manga, and while not the most romantic of places the heroine of the romantic visual novel of course would be able to create a romantic mood anywhere she went, but the villainess job was to bring that mood down, and this was no exception. With an annoyed sigh she finally spoke.
"Can't you see that by being near with me you're making my life more difficult?" she says calmly, staring straight into her eyes while speaking. "Better direct that interest and curious nature towards something or someone else Hikari-san. You don't want to be assosiated with a cold-blooded murderer right?" she continues before leaning forward next to her ear and whisper.
"Please. This is for the best." she whsipered before directing her gaze towards the headmaster, pretending to be listening whatever he was speaking. In the game his speech served as an introduction to the setting and school in general, and she was already familiar with it. So she'd rather spend her time on coming up with measures to remedy the accident before, and make her just a forgettable NPC in the world that no-one would interract with. She knew her words were extremely harsh too, but she was a villainess after all. So she was just playing her role. Despite the little sting she felt in her chest after saying something so mean and hurtful to a person who just helped her she had to just roll with it.
However despite finally managing to get her hand freed the heroine was insistent. and kept relentlessly approaching her despite her shutting them down twice now. The indifference started to turn into a slight anger as she turned towards the heroine. "Now look here you..." she muttered angrily before that smile again made her swallow the rest she wanted to say, again throwing her completely off the loop. And despite promising to steel herself even more the smile again made her blush slightly, and remind her of the light of her life in her past life. "..." she stayed quiet for a few second before once more turning her head away from her.
"... Rin Koizumi..."
She replied and once again directed her face at the headmaster going on about something about the history of their esteemed academy. Honestly she could care less about that now, since her head was filled with the memories of her past love that Aikos smile managed to bring in surface. She cluctched her hand against her chest and looked downwards, trying her best not to shed any tears in public.
"It's just a few years... And even if I don't make it there's always a chance I'll meet you on the other side..." this thought brought her a little solace. and after a minute of staying down she lifted her head again like nothing happened, her stern, emotionless gaze decorating her face as usual.
At first, Rin seemed receptive to her gratitude, the slight blush on her face filling Aiko's insides with warmth. Maybe we can really become friends after all. She thought, idly admiring how pretty she looked when her face flushed as pink as her hair. For a villainess, she looked more like an angel, so soft and pure that it caught her off-guard when the girl snapped at her all over again.
Aiko's face fell as soon as her fellow student reprimanded her for refusing to obey her order, a guilty expression clouding her features. It wasn't fair that Rin had to be the target of so much bullying and negativity just because she was born with dark magic. Nobody trusted her, nor even took the time to get to know her as a person all because of some stupid prophecy. Besides, she wasn't really a cold-blooded murderer — at least, not unless she made the wrong choices and got a bad end. She shuddered at that thought, wondering if there was some way she could avoid branching down that path. The game had technically just started, so there was still time to try out a new method. What would the original heroine have done in this situation?
They fell silent for a bit as she considered it, but she settled on asking her question anyway, hoping it would clear the awkward and tense atmosphere between them. Aiko decided that she couldn't get enough of Rin's blushing face, the sight of it causing her heart to skip a beat as she struggled to maintain her composure. Damn, she's so cute! Get it together, me!
Exhaling softly, she tucked a few shorter strands of hair behind her ear and nodded. "Rin-chan, huh? We're in the same year and all, so feel free to just call me Aiko. That's what friends do, right?" Tilting her head towards her neighbor, she placed her hands in her lap and shot her a sympathetic smile. "I understand your feelings, but I think you have it all wrong. Having friends who will support you through thick and thin... I refuse to believe that could ever be a bad thing." This time, when she took Rin's hands it was done gently, simply holding them in her own rather than trying to keep her anchored to the spot. "I would never be ashamed or embarrassed to be associated with someone who does such kind things for others."
The handkerchief had meant more to her than the villainess could ever know. She was still dealing with all of the uncertainty and consternation that accompanied her newly-regained memories, so even a simple gesture like that made her feel like she wasn't entirely alone in this whole thing. Besides, Rin sort of reminded her of the girl from her memories, and it wasn't just because she was a little bit attracted to her...
"I'll work hard to become a friend that makes things easier for you. Count on that!"
Grinning cheerfully, she released her hands and stood as soon as the announcement finished moments later. The villainess could try to push her away, but Aiko Hikari wasn't one to back down from a challenge. Rin Koizumi must have been connected to the changes in the game and befriending her was surely the best way to figure out what was going on, as well as prevent an unfortunate bad ending from occurring. Otherwise, she'd have to try and romance one of the male love interests, but she wasn't even remotely interested in any of them. Shoot, I'd forgotten about them... I saw Thane earlier, but where are the others?
Before they could talk more, all of the first-years were directed to head to the stage to be assigned their new partner for the rest of their time at the academy. Since they would also be dormmates and share most of their classes together, it was a pretty big deal. Practically bouncing on her heels, Aiko got into line and stopped in front of the headmaster when she finally made it up to his post.
"Take an oracle lens from the jug, Miss Hikari. Your partner will be revealed to you when you hold it up to the light."
His mysterious smile accompanied with the fact that he already knew her name confused her somewhat, but she heeded the headmaster's words as she plucked a small, oval-shaped crystal from the container in his hands. It was perfectly flat and delicate, with a glassy surface that reflected her astonished expression right back at her. She cupped it in her palm before shifting to hold it between her pointer finger and thumb, one of her eyes squinting as she raised it in the air and watched the candlelight refract in glittering rays across the lens. A familiar pink-haired young woman materialized in the glass, her sharp amber eyes and disapproving expression recognizable to the heroine instantly.
Excitedly, she clutched onto the lens as she bounded over to Rin, overjoyed at the thought of being able to spend more time with her. "Yay! We're partners, Rin-chan!" She was probably much more enthusiastic about it than anybody else in the meeting hall, her exuberance attracting the attention of multiple pairs of eyes, yet she didn't seem to mind. Characteristic of her upbeat personality and her tendency to ignore personal space entirely, she looped her arm through the other girl's and grinned. "I can't wait! Want to walk to the dorm together now? Aah, actually, I'll probably just get lost if I go on my own. Come with me, please?" Aiko begged her new partner, her hazel eyes big and pleading like they belonged to an attention-starved puppy.
Villainess wondered out loud, loud enough to make the attention of the nearby students get attracted to the admittedly odd-pair interacting at the entrance ceremony. Some whispers started to be heard around them wondering why the pinkette let out such a loud outburst, and some wondering if the descendant of a former large noble-family really tried to befriend the notorious villainess who was more known about her violent tendencies and quite nature than anything else. However most of these whispers were shut down when the pink-haired woman looked around her with a stern pissed-off expression and piercing gaze, after all nobody wanted to be the next victim of the so called 'blood-red rose of the Koizumi-family', a nickname she just learned was made of her thanks to some girls calling her with it.
After the initial surprise she had calmed down and listened Aiko go about friendship and kind-deeds. "How naivé can this woman be?" she thought to herself, till she remembered that she was dealing with a heroine from an otome-game. Most of them believed in this sort of idealistic bullcrap that was hard to swallow to someone who had spent most of her life in solitude. She hated this outlook of the heroine in-game, and she hated it even more now that it was laid-out to her, the one who had lost all the meaning to her life, and was cursed to play a part of this frace instead of getting her eternal rest, and the chance to meet up with the one for her in some other timeline or universe.
"What I did is called a basic decency. Even the most vilest of people know how to use that, and most know how to use it to their advantage. Don't read too much into it in your own convenient way Hikari-san." she didn't change her way of speaking to a less formal one despite the request. She was adamant at keeping her at arms length of her, and didn't plan on making merry with her anytime soon, but she also came to realize that this girl went with her own pace. "I think she was never this tenacious in the visual-novel..." Rin thinks to herself, and after hearing her declaration to try and be her friend no matter what the annoyed looking woman let's out yet another sigh of frustration. Something that she will most likely have to keep doing more than she would like.
"A thorn on my side... Just what I needed..." she comments in response to her declaration while looking at her straight in the eyes, and her radiant smile once again stirring something up deep within her. A memory that was always painful to remember, but one that she never wanted to forget. A flash of a person she still loved so dearly overlapping with the heroine for a split second, making her eyes grow wider and make the hue of red appear on her cheek once more, and then turn into an angry scowl and huff as she turned her attention to the teachers in the front of the hall going about the rules and other technicalities to the students.
She directed her attention to the teachers at the right time, since it was now time to decide the pairs and dormmates for each first-year student. Rin could practically hear people praying the gods not to get paired with her, some wishing that they'd get paired with their besties and other excited and some less-escited whispers about this highlight event. She patiently waited her turn, which never came since a familiar face came running towards her after it was her turn to take oracle lens, shouting the fact that the two were a pair.
"WHA?!?" she managed to let out before seeing her own silhouette on the lens that she was holding. "This can't be real! If this world wants me dead this much then maybe the one responsible for this sick joke shouldn't have me being reincarnated here in the first place." the frustrated villainess thinks before feeling a firm hold on her arm, and seeing the heroine literally being tangled around it. She tried to wave it to get her loosen her grip, but to no avail "Let go! Why do you lack the basic understanding of personal boundaries you... " she shouted as the pair attracted more and more attention around them, and once she realized that she calmed down a little. However in actuality her warm embrace and the overly-excited, affectionate personality was something that she could not totally hate. Blushing even more she looks around her and then Aiko.
"Just let go!" she says and forcibly pulls her hand away and walks to the principal. "What's our room number headmaster."
"You're lucky pair Miss Koizumi. It actually seems you get a scenery room 312. It's at the top floor of the dormitory, end of the hall on the right and looking outside of the Kingdom." headmaster who seemed to be rather amused at the performance the two put on explained and conjured two keys with their magic. Without a word she took them and started to walk off the hall. People clearly whispering about her rude behavior and giving her mean looks. It seemed that the amber-eyed woman was about to leave Aiko to her own devices before she turned around.
"Stop daydreaming and follow me Hikari-san. However if you try to take my hand again I will leave you behind." she proclaimed and continued walking, not looking if the woman decided to follow her or not. She just wanted to get this over with and do the bare minimum to avoid her faith. She had already failed to keep things civil and calm, so she might as well flaunt her villainess nature a little, but not to an extent that would cause trouble for her or Aiko.
Rin's outburst shocked Aiko nearly as much as the other students, her hazel eyes widening in surprise. Has she never had a friend before...? The heroine thought, saddened by the possibility. She couldn't remember the villainess' backstory being touched on very much in the game — mostly, Rin Koizumi just existed as a side character that showed up every once in a while just to belittle the protagonist or get in the way of her spending time with the love interests. Beyond that, she'd never really considered what her life at home or even in the academy could have been like, but it was clear that she was mistrusted and ostracized by the people around her, including some of the teachers. It must have been difficult... More difficult than Aiko could even imagine.
That was why she only smiled sadly in response to her scathing comments, an awkward chuckle escaping her lips. What Rin needed was friendship and compassion, even if she didn't know it yet. She was sure that a little bit of sunshine could melt the ice in her heart, and she was determined to provide that warmth, no matter how hard her unwilling companion tried to push back against the idea.
Seeing her astonished and outraged reaction to their partnership was actually kind of humorous, with the heroine being too tone-deaf to realize that she should've been offended. As Rin thrashed her arm about to shake her off, Aiko laughed brightly, hanging onto it tighter as though they were playing a game. Her athleticism helped her successfully hold on for a while, but eventually her grip was broken when the pinkette successfully slipped out and began to walk off. "Aww! I was having fun." She pouted, but didn't attempt to grab her again.
The headmaster procured their room keys and the brunette flashed him a grin as she took hers, pleased that he didn't treat Rin badly like the others. "Thank you, sir!" She called out to him before trailing after her new partner, an idle thought striking her then. Did this ever happen in the original game?
"Got it~! But hey, did you forget? It's Aiko. Ai-ko. No need to be so formal!" The heroine practically skipped along after her, her spirits lifted compared to before. "Hehe, but, I don't think you could leave me behind if you tried. I'm pretty fast, you know? And strong! See?" Beaming with confidence, she flexed her muscles for Rin only to realize that the long sleeves of her uniform made them appear almost invisible. So much for showing off... "Um... anyway, yeah, let's do this!"
On the walk there she kept obsessively checking to make sure that her boots were laced up and her tie was on correctly, since she was particularly prone to clothing mishaps. Her grandmother had helped her get ready, but she was still finding it difficult to get the tie and all the buttons done correctly. What's more, she wasn't used to wearing a skirt all the time — only during occasions when her nana wanted her to dress nicely, but most of the time she'd donned men's breeches or leggings at home and in the marketplace. Many such times she'd been mistaken for a boy while wearing baggy clothing and covered in dirt, so the academy's strict dress code felt odd to her. Am I supposed to feel this exposed? She thought, wondering how other female students dealt with dresses and the like every single day.
After following the cobblestone path from the meeting hall to the girls' dormitories over on the western edge of campus,
Aiko glanced up at the building looming above them, her attempts to remember the path they'd taken forgotten completely when she saw it. "Wow! So this is where we're going to live for the next four years!" Her hazel eyes sparkled as she bounded up to the doors, taking in the stylized hedges and flowering azalea bushes that made up the edges of the garden surrounding them. It was no wonder that Megumi was the most sought-after academy for up and coming mages all across the continent. Where else would they ever get to experience such beauty while studying under some of the most powerful spellcasters in Kinai?
With a satisfied hum, Aiko trailed behind Rin as the two of them made their way through the bustling crowd. All of the other first years were looking for their rooms too, while the older students were simply lounging around in the lobby or helping guide the newbies. One perk of sticking with the villainess was that the crowd always seemed to part for her — many were afraid of her deathly touch and shied away immediately, while the more stubborn ones could be convinced with one of her signature icy looks cast in their direction. Aiko found herself impressed by this useful ability. It's like Rin-chan has a superpower!
The pair arrived in front of a shaft powered by wind crystals, the magic coursing through it manifesting in a column of air that blew up from the ground and led to the many floors that rose high above their heads. After waiting for another couple to take their turn, Aiko turned to Rin and grabbed her hand tightly. "S-sorry, I know you said not to take your hand, but- but I'm scared of heights!" She admitted, her lips quivering at the corners. "Uuaah... I really don't want to do this, but... I-I'll show you how brave I am, Rin-chan. Come on!"
Filled with conviction, the heroine stepped into the glass chamber with her partner, their bodies becoming lighter than air as the wind currents began to lift them towards their destination. "Aaaaaaaaahhh! I change my mind! I change my mind!"
She flung her arms around Rin and wailed the entire way up, right until the very moment where they reached the top floor and were safely deposited on solid ground once more.
Realizing she still had the poor girl clasped against her, Aiko released her and took a step back, a nervous chuckle accompanying the way she began to wobble down the hall in an attempt to regain her balance. "I... I think I'll just take the stairs next time. Y-yeah! It's good exercise." Deciding that that was the excuse she would go with, Aiko followed the headmaster's directions and began walking down the hallway until she found Room #312 on the right, a golden placard flashing the numbers in their faces. Without waiting around, she inserted her key into the lock and turned it, the metal hinges squeaking only slightly as she pushed her way in.
The space they were greeted with was well-lit and cozy, tall windows with parted red curtains letting plenty of sunshine into the room. There were planter pots hanging from the ceiling as well as luxurious banners and rugs draped across the walls and floors that showed off their intricate designs and top-notch stitching. Bunkbeds were posted up against one wall, clean white sheets and downy red pillows calling out to her and practically begging her to lay down and take a nap. A window seat sat adjacent to them, while the sliding door that led to the balcony caught her eye in the corner. Two sturdy, redwood desks were separated by a bookshelf and bordered by a walk-in closet that had more than enough room to fit their uniforms and any other clothing they wanted to wear. As soon as she'd taken her first step inside, Aiko dropped the overstuffed bag she'd been carrying with a heavy thud and looked around. I remember this from the game! It looks just like that one background CG!
Delighted, she padded up to one of the windows and peered down at the sprawling landscape below. "Amazing, you can see the whole valley from up here!" She exclaimed, wisps of her short hair falling into her eyes as she turned abruptly to face Rin. "Hey hey, why don't we go back down and look for our classrooms together? See, I've heard that partners share pretty much all of the same courses, so I think it'd be a good idea. Here's my list." She smiled and handed her the scroll that had her classes listed, her brows raised as she waited patiently for the other to make her decision. "I could go for something to eat, too. How about you?"
Rin walked at a brisk pace, not bothering to check if her roommate was following her in suite, but the familiar, cheerful voice coming right behind told her that she was keeping up with her fine enough. Once again the heroine tried to close the distance between the two fated to be apart from one another, but the villainess kept her gaze in front of her and gave out a blunt reply. "Hikari-san will suffice just fine." not even entertaining the idea of going to first-name basis with the brown-haired young woman she soon found that they had caught-up with her, and tried to show off her muscles, but the attempt was in vain due to the uniform getting in the way. Rin just looked at the display with her stern look. "I heard there is a comedy-club at the school. Seems like you'd be a perfect candidate for it." she throws a clap-back at her the face still unfazed as she continues to beeline towards their destination.
After a short walk they arrived to their destination. Girls dormitories, however from the outside it looked like a pretty typical mansion for a huge family, or extremely old, yet lavish hotel. To the pinkette this display didn't cause any notable reaction. She had grown-up in a blessed household and abundancy of everything, even when her family started to avoid her, so seeing someone getting so excited over something like this was definitely new to her. In-fact she could already picture some of the high-class ladies complaining about how 'shabby and small' the dorms were for them. The beautiful sight of Azalea bushes in full-boom didn't stop her stride at all as she walked into the lobby of the dormitory.
When she opened the door with a small creak the buzzling, warm atmosphere that could be heard through the door suddenly took a turn to an awkward silence and hushed whispers. It was clear that Rin was not welcomed there, but there was little anyone could say or do about it. The school didn't allow any special arrangements to be made unless the reason was extremely good one, and most of the things about the villainess were just exaggerated rumors painting her in bad light. Some words like 'murderer' and 'cold-hearted' could be heard among the whispers as the yellow-eyed villainess continued walking, parting the crowds of students in her way as seemingly everyone were uncomfortable around her, save from the one that the villainess wanted to be uncomfortable around her and keep her distance.
The duo finally came to to the shaft that worked like an elevator would in this fantasy world. There was a small line, and people seemed to be in a hurry to get to their own floors after the notorious Koizumi had stepped in line, and soon enough it was their turn. Rin was already going to nonchalantly take it, but the voice Aiko stopped her by taking a hold of her hand. "What did I say about the handholding?" she raised her voice a little, before seeing that the the puppy-like woman was actually looking quite scared, and despite that trying her best to overcome this hurdle in front of her. Instead of pulling her hand away forcibly she sighs and shifts her gaze to the side. "Just let go of it immediately when we get to our floor..." Rin consedes and steps into the wind-crystal powered shaft with her partner.
Pinkette was already really familiar and gotten used to to this kind of travelling method, but it was extremely clear that Aiko was not. When the wind starts to carry the two to their floor the panic clearly settled in with the hazel-eyed woman. "Just look in front of you and stay calm." Rin tried to console her, but instead of calming her down the woman was now literally hanging from her squeezing her into a tight hug. "What do you think you're doing?! Let go this instant you...!" she said while a tint of red rose to her face. "If someone sees us like this I will make you sleep in the corridor tonight!" she threatens as the two land safely to the top-floor.
Still being in a tight grip of the heroine she glares down at her, looking her with the piercing eyes as she takes the few steps back, laughing nervously and suggesting that she'd take stairs next time.
"Yes. I think that's for the best." she said with a cold voice, but despite her cold voice and gaze there was that warm blush on her cheeks showing that the villainess didn't exactly mind it, but found this to be extremely embarrassing, and of course if anyone saw them some weird rumors would start to circle around, but hopefully there was no soul in sight, and Aiko managed to avoid the villainess's wrath this time. She let the heroine go before her as she stayed behind trying to calm down, take a few deep breaths and get her normal, unfazed expression going and the blush away.
She watches as Aiko opens the door to their new shared room together, and gets surprised how cozy and warm it looks and feels. It was decorated well and the plants in the room were taken care of really well. It honestly looked more like some suite from one of the higher-end hotels in capital than a student dormitory, but the villainess didn't mind it. However after the initial surprise a flash of inspiration seems to struck her and her pupils grow a bit larder. "This was from the game wasn't it..." she thinks to herself and takes a more careful look of the room, which confirms her suspision as well.
Villainess's stuff had already been brought to the dorm, and put in their rightful places while she was in the entrance ceremony. The driver really did more than was necessary, but at least she could just sit down and relax for a little while. However the thought of relaxing a little was cut short by the excited Aiko, who was ready to go and explore every nook and cranny of their academy it seemed. While the urge to refuse and let the brunette go and explore all by herself was huge she thought that seeing the classrooms would be good idea, and they hadn't eaten anything so getting some food wouldn't go amiss either.
"If you promise to get me a cup of coffee from somewhere then sure." she said half-jokingly. Her energy levels were starting to go down and she could really do with one, but she could get it herself as well. And immediately after blurting this nonchalant comment out she realized that if people saw heroine fetching her a drink it would be labeled as bullying or rich girl being mean to someone not-so well-off. She shakes her head as she backpedals. "Forget it. Let's just go." she says and starts to walk towrds the door.
"And if you cling to me like previously without a warning you will sleep in the balcony. Even if nobody sees us." she declares and starts to walk towards the stairs and wind-crystal powered shaft. This time she actually looks behind her and checks if Aiko was following her.
Wow, Rin-chan thinks I'm funny! Thought Aiko, her smile returning as the two girls walked to the dormitory together. Even if she couldn't convince the villainess to use her first name, at least she was making some amount of progress — never mind the fact that it had been meant as an insult, something she didn't seem to grasp fully.
One thing she'd noticed even while panicking about entering the wind shaft was that Rin Koizumi was surprisingly patient and caring when she wanted to be, a side of her that had never been explored in the otome. It only made the heroine even more curious about her new partner, interested in finding out just how this version of the villainess differed from the original. Now that she knew the truth of this world and her past life, she was determined to get a good outcome for everyone involved, including the male love interests. The best way to do that was by befriending the woman before her, a feat that wasn't even possible in the game. Though, she did remember wishing for a hidden romance route involving the villainess back when she first played, having liked her design from the very moment she set eyes on her.
In the end, even if she'd ended up with a scolding and shaky knees, she couldn't help but feel happy. She'd gotten to hug Rin and see her flushed cheeks again, rewards that made the whole ordeal totally worth it.
While Rin's expressions were difficult to read at the best of times, Aiko got the feeling that she appreciated the atmosphere of their new dorm, too. She smiled as she watched her look around, gazing fondly at the pinkette almost like she was an old friend. After a moment, however, she caught herself and looked away, a slight blush on her cheeks. Oops, I shouldn't stare too much... what if she thinks I'm some kind of pervert? She rubbed her arm for a moment, glancing back up when she heard the other's comment.
"I could go for some coffee!" Aiko responded enthusiastically, ecstatic that Rin had actually asked her to do something. As far as she saw it, this was her chance to prove how great of a friend she could be. Good friends did nice things for each other even without being asked— so she resolved to go above and beyond and get her the biggest, tastiest coffee they had. Ignoring her request to 'just forget it', she beamed brightly and instinctively went to reach for her hand. However, the pinkette's sharp warning reminded her that she had to respect her boundaries, her own hand falling back to her side as she bit her lip. "Aww, alright."
Pursing her lips in a pout, she followed Rin to the stairs, making a concerted effort not to touch her. Who knew that holding back her affection could be so difficult?
"Well..." Aiko glanced at her map before going any further, though she had trouble making sense of it. "I think we should go to the cafeteria so we can get our energy up. It's, um... it looks like it's near this grey thingy in the center." The 'thingy' she was referring to was a fountain, and the cafeteria was right beside it. "And we're right here, so... I think I know the way. Okay, race you to the bottom!"
Without even waiting to see if the villainess would accept her challenge or not, she began bolting down the stairs, surprisingly agile even while wearing heeled boots as she practically flew down them all the way to the ground floor. Upon arriving, it looked like the heroine had barely even broken a sweat. "Phew! I'm really feeling the burn now. How about you, Rin-ch— eh?"
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Somehow, even after all of the antics and missed directions, the pair arrived at the cafeteria unscathed. It was still too early to start celebrating, however. As they passed by the fountain and made their way towards the cafeteria's entrance, they were hindered by the crowd that was forming up ahead, swarms of female students flocking in front of the doors as they surrounded a tall blond man. For all intents and purposes, he looked like a prince, his shiny golden hair and perfect smile dazzling the first-years. Male students envied him, throwing jealous glares in his direction as their female classmates fawned over him openly, their high-pitched giggling and cooing sounding like a chorus of wild geese.
"Umm..." Aiko hesitated as she stared at the wall of squealing girls in front of them, her hazel eyes darting over to Rin. This was Seiichiro Kagawa's fanclub, a serious source of trouble for the heroine in his route. For that reason, she felt a bit nervous as she looked for a way to get through them, trying to squeeze her body through the gaps in the crowd to no avail.
"Hey! Stop pushing!" A green-haired girl snapped at her, scowling as she shoved her back. "Wait your turn like the rest of us if you want to talk to Kagawa-senpai!"
Stumbling back with a confused look on her face, the heroine waved her hands about, trying to dispel the tension in the air. "Oh no, I think there's been a misunderstanding. I'm not here for him, I just want to get into the caf—"
"Oh my, are you hurt?"
Parting the crowd, the young man strode towards them with long, elegant strides, seemingly fixated on the two girls in the back in particular. Both Aiko and the green-haired girl next to her gawked as he strolled right up to the former, an easy smirk playing at his lips. While the other first-year had turned red from her neck to her ears, the brunette instead became pale, the color draining from her face as he singled her out. Oh, no... Seiichiro was my least favorite love interest... She groaned internally, tensing up when he held a hand out to her invitingly.
"Would you like me to help you to the nurse's office, ojou-chan?"
Thrilled screams erupted around them when they heard the nickname, comments ranging from 'Kagawa-senpai is such a gentleman!' to 'why is he paying attention to a plain girl like her?' ringing in Aiko's ears. Floundering beneath his violet-eyed gaze, she clutched her skirts tightly and shook her head. "Oh... no, no thank you! My friend and I just want to pass through, if that's alright."
Seiichiro raised a brow, his eyes sliding over to Rin. They narrowed slightly when he saw her, a knowing gleam flashing within them. "Ah, is that how it is? Well, go right on ahead."
She could feels tons of death glares on her as she inched her way past the blond and his followers, a sinking feeling forming in the pit of her stomach. Without meaning to, it seemed like she'd already made enemies with a bunch of his rabid fans. "Eheh... thanks..."
Before the two of them could finally escape, Seiichiro stopped Rin with a hand on her shoulder, leaning in to whisper something into her ear. "Koizumi-san, isn't it?" He smirked, ignoring the heroine's worried gaze as she turned around to see what was going on. "I look forward to getting to know you this year, as well." Aiko bristled, wanting to warn her partner of his true nature but finding herself unable to do so without revealing her knowledge of the game and subsequently having to explain her absolutely unbelievable story of reincarnation and alternate universes. No, Rin would probably think her demented if she told her any of that. So, she kept her big mouth shut, ready to jump in at a moment's notice if things went awry.
After giving out her initial warning and seeing Rins face turn to a pout the villainess decided to add something that might come and bite her back later. "If you're a good girl then I just might give you some kind of reward later." she said this in a nonchalant and casual tone, not really thinking about it. In her mind this was just her getting Aiko a coffee or something if she managed to not put her into odd situations. And without adding anything else she leads the way out of the dorm-room.
Rin dug out her own map. "It isn't too far away gladly." she commented, and saw something interesting past the cafeteria itself. She was about to tell Aiko about it, but then the pinkette saw the cheerful brunette sprinting past her and challening her to a race, however she was not about to jump into her offer, and just walked at her own phase. "How does she have all that energy... It is like..." a flash of her belowed once again enters her mind, but with a gentle slap on her cheek she tells herself not to compare the light of her life to an otome-game heroine gone stray from her route, and walks at a leisure pace towards the cafeteria.
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When she was nearing the cafeteria at her own comfortable pace the cacophony of squeals and shouts of the fangirls grew louder and louder, while still keeping her ice-queen like neutral expression on her face inside she was already bracing for getting a headache from all the noise, and maybe even brace for some pushing and glaring if she dared to approach one of the four objects of obsession this otome-game world had. In her mind she cursed her past-self for not paying attention when the first flags were to be raised for the love interests, since it was clear that one such event would be happening in a bit.
"I wish I would've stayed behind and arrived little after our overly-excited heroine here..." she thought to herself, but on the flip-side this could be good way to see if the Aiko of this world is after the male-lead in the cafeteria, if this was the case she could put on some performance and get them even closer and chummier with one another, get the two together, have her peaceful school-life and get her solemn end in this world. With the plan in mind she approached the cafeteria and soon saw the flock of adoring fans of a certain blonde mans fanclub.
"Great... It is the most annoying bunch and man of them all..." villainess thinks as she sees the fanclub, pissed-off men and the blonde playboy in the cafeteria. While she honestly was not a big fan of any of the romance-route candidates Seiichiro Kagawa was her least favorite due to the playboyish behavior and how his lines and behavior came across to her in her playthrough. She was the type that would be popular among the 'normies' in her head, and the picture made the lonesome girl who was always shunned by those type of people have her own prejudiced outlook of him from the get-go.
Rin looks at the commotion without saying anything. Only her neutral expression turns into a slight frown as she is about to adress Aiko, who is already trying to get past the rapid fans, and getting already showed around and yelled at by them. "I was just about to give her a tip or two... " she sighs "But I guess this works, since this world always favors her."
And just as the pinkette finishes her thought the fanclub departs in the wake of the blonde man. It seemed like moses parting the sea of gushing women, which almost made the yellow-eyed woman smile faintly and chuckle a bit, but she was too focused in seeing what would happen between Aiko and Seiichiro.
Things seemed to be going according of her faint memories at first, but then she notices that Hikaris face had went pale, and there was clear discomfort painting her face. This sight makes Rins eyes open wider as she sees something she didn't know was possible. Heroine outright despicing a male-lead, and on their first real interraction. "How?" is the first thing in her mind. While the script seemed to go off rails somewhere this was something she thought was impossible in a romance mostly written in stone with a neutral and equal start to them all. Her eyes glued to the scene she started to think of any possible reasons for this, and only when Aiko directs the attention to her and she can feel the gazes get directed at her instead of the main-character of this world does she snap out of it, and the first thing she sees is Seiichiros piercing, clearly displeased gaze.
However she didn't care about the stares. She had already gotten used to it, and despite not really wanting to give Aiko, who for some reason was so attached to her any wrong ideas of her she also felt that she needed to help her out of the situation. She approached her while giving mean stares to the girls talking bad about her or glaring at her. This was one of the perks being the villainess at least, and she could explain it to Aiko as her just looking around if she got some weird idea in her head.
"Let us go then Hikari-san." she said as she once again started to lead the way, and passed the flirtatious blonde man, and felt his hand on her shoulder. She looked him directly in the eyes without saying anything. With her face unchanged she took a hold of his hand on her shoulder and brushed it aside.
"Sadly our feelings on that are not mutual Kagawa-kun." Rin replies and shoots a mean glare at him, before hiding it behind her normal, uninterested facial expression. "Now if you'll excuse us..." she does a little bow with her head and follows the heroine deeper into the cafeteria.
School-cafeteria was a large hall filled with rows of tables and chairs. Every seat had the tableware set to them and there was a baskets of bread, some butter as well as a can of water designated for every pair on the table. The food was served in a buffet-style line where one could find regular homecooked meals popular among both commoners and wealthier families, but also some fancier foods that most commoners had only heard about. If you managed to get into school the breakfast, lunch and dinner were all payed for you, so as long as you were on time you could eat as much as your heart desired in here for free, however since it was at the beginning of the afternoon the chefs were busy prepping the dinner and making the tables there was no food to be found, but in two or three hours this hall would be filled with students enjoying their meal.
"It seems that we have to wait a little for the dinner." she says and passes Aiko by "However since we were after coffee and some bite there's something I spotted on the map past the cafeteria itself.", now guiding her to a door at the back of the cafeteria, and swinging it open.
Beyond the general dining area there was a café, where students could buy various sweet and salty snacks and baked-goods as well as order various drinks. Since most people at the school came from prestigious families where money was no object they also had some fancier treats on offer, though students as well as faculty-members and employees did get a discount when buying things from there.
The atmosphere in the café portion was relaxed and comfy. Some students were reading novels, others having a little study-groups, while some were just enjoying chatting and eating various baked-goods that were displayed in a glass-display.
"Welcome." worker at the counter welcomed them and bowed a little as Rin approached the counter and started to look at the menu, which gladly was filled with things from her previous world as well as some special items clearly from the games world, as well as one cake that you could give as a present to your favorite man in the game if you so wished, and if they happened to like sweets. She always wanted to give it a go, and now was her chance to do so.
"I will take latte and a slice of the Megumi's Special Cake." she said to the cashier and then looked at Aiko.
"And she will have..." she paused letting the brunette state her order.
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