Chương 44: Ch.43— An Expected Outcome

The bell rang, signaling the end of the class. Around Amy, students immediately began shuffling papers, closing notebooks, and standing. Amy, however, remained seated with her gaze fixed on the self-proclaimed Goddess beside her. The woman was gathering her things just like every other student in the room. She slid her notebook into her bag, adjusted her uniform's collar, and stretched her arms above her head without a care in the world...

then, noticing Amy's gaze on her, she turned and tilted her head with a smile.

"Yes, can I help you?" Amy kept staring at the Goddess for a few more seconds, then ultimately let out a long sigh before standing up from her chair. The woman was clearly starving for attention, and she showed it by coming all the way here and coincidentally sitting next to her… Amy had nothing to talk about with her; everything that needed to be said was already done. If a conversation occurred, it wouldn't be her who started it.

"Amy!" Mira—or rather her clone—bounced towards her, her previous panic about the quiz completely gone, now her face was bright with relief.

"That was amazing! I thought we were done for, but you—" She paused, seeming to remember they were in a classroom full of people who might overhear. She lowered her voice.

"Thank you. Seriously. You saved my life back there." Amy's jaw tightened, and a whisper in the back of her mind reminded her of the past. She considered for a second just telling her otherwise, that nothing she had done had helped her in any way, but she forced herself to nod. This is an illusion, not the real Mira, she reminded herself.

"I really owe you one. Actually, I owe you like a million. My mom would've grounded me for a month if I'd gotten detention again." The clone turned to gather her own things—or tried to. She didn't have her bag. She'd forgotten it at home.

"Ugh, I can't believe I forgot my lunch, too! Now I have to buy something from the cafeteria, and you know how expensive—""Excuse me?" Both Amy and the clone turned. The Goddess stood there, her expression perfectly friendly and approachable. Great. Here we go…

"I'm sorry to interrupt," the Goddess continued.

"But I couldn't help overhearing. Are you two heading to the cafeteria?" The clone blinked, adjusting her glasses as she studied the grown-ass woman cosplaying as a high schooler.

"Oh! Um, yes? I mean, I am. I usually bring lunch from home, but this time I forgot my bag. Maybe Amy..." She glanced at Amy uncertainly.

"I didn't bring anything."

"Right." Mira nodded at her.

"So yeah, we are going to the cafeteria."

"Perfect!" The Goddess's smile widened— Christ, what an annoying smile.

"I'm new here, and I haven't really made any friends yet. Would it be okay if I joined—""No," Amy immediately said. Both the clone and the Goddess turned to look at her. The Goddess stared at her with amusement while the clone's eyes shot up in surprise and fixed on her with a mix of shock and disbelief. Amy did not care.

"How about you go annoy somebody else. Seriously, nobody wants—""Amy!" The clone said, seemingly finally able to come out from the shock.

"That's not a nice thing to say!" Amy felt a bit of irritation at the interruption. She turned her head, fully ready to tell the clone to mind her own business; however, upon seeing the face of the person she had known since little, she had trouble even getting the words out. In the end, she just bit her lip and sat back down, then slumped into her seat with a frown.

"I'm so sorry about my friend," Mira said after some hesitation, turning back to the Goddess with a mortified expression.

"She's not usually like this. I think she might be coming down with something—she's been acting weird all morning." Amy felt her eye twitch at the sight of Mira—no, the clone—apologizing to that woman.

"It's perfectly alright," the Goddess said with a clearly fake hurt expression.

"Everyone has bad days."

"That doesn't make it okay." The clone insisted, then turned towards Amy, looking at her with disapproval.

"Amy, I understand that you may be having a bad day, but that doesn't excuse you from acting like that… like a bully." It took a little more than a second for Amy's brain to catch up with the words her friend just uttered. But once she did, her entire body went rigid, and for a moment, air was taken out of her body. Her hands began to shake slightly where they rested on her lap. She could feel her chest tightening, that familiar sensation of something cold and heavy settling in her stomach.

Mira continued talking, oblivious to the effect her words had.

"—I know you're tired and probably not feeling well, but that's no reason to take it out on someone who's just trying to be friendly—" Amy's gaze had wandered somewhere along the admonishment dropped to her desk, unfocused. The trembling in her hands spread up her arms. In the corner of her eye, she could see the Goddess staring at her with a completely blank expression. There was no amusement or satisfaction on her face, just... observation. Amy imagined herself being judged, and hated it. Hated the scrutiny.

Hated that this woman could see her reaction. Hated that she reacted at all. The Goddess studied Amy's form for a long, silent moment. Then, as if nothing had happened, she patted Mira's shoulder and redirected her attention towards her.

"So…about the cafeteria..." Mira paused mid-sentence, blinking at the sudden topic change.

"Oh! Um, yes. The cafeteria. Right." She adjusted her glasses, then put on a forced smile.

"They serve lunch starting at noon. The food's pretty decent, actually. Nothing fancy, but my mom says it's better than what she had when she went to school here."

"That sounds perfect." The Goddess smiled warmly, as if the previous scene had never happened.

"Would it be alright if I joined you both? I promise I'll be good company. And perhaps..." her gaze flickered briefly to Amy, then back to Mira, "... your friend might feel better after getting some food in her. Low blood sugar can make people quite irritable." Mira's expression softened immediately.

"Oh! You might be right. Amy, when was the last time you ate something?" Amy remained silent, still staring at her desk. Her hands had stopped trembling, but only because she'd clenched them into fists.

"See? She probably hasn't eaten all day." Mira made a decision, nodding firmly.

"Okay, yes. You should definitely come with us. I'm Mira, by the way. And this is Amy, though she's my best friend and is always super nice... normally."

"How lovely to meet you both." The Goddess's smile remained perfectly pleasant.

"My name is—" she paused, as if considering, "—you can call me Saklas."

"That's a pretty name! Are you perhaps a foreigner?"

"Oh, no. I'm from here. It's just a nickname I like to use since it fits me somewhat."

"Oh, I see. Then nice to meet you, Saklas." Mira said with a smile.

"Okay, let's head to the cafeteria before the lunch rush starts. The line gets really long if you wait too long, and—Amy?" Mira had turned toward her, finally seeming to notice Amy's rigid posture and unfocused stare.

"Amy?" She leaned closer, her voice dropping to a worried whisper.

"Hey, are you okay?" Amy blinked slowly, her mind gradually coming back to the present. She forced herself to uncurl her fists and look up, trying to hide her discomfort as much as possible. Mira was staring at her with concern, her previous annoyance completely gone. Behind her, the Goddess stood with her bag over her shoulder, waiting.

"I'm fine," Amy managed, though her voice came out rougher than intended.

"You don't look fine." Mira frowned, then glanced around the classroom. Most of the other students had already left. She moved closer to Amy, lowering her voice even more.

"Is it…is it like that time of the month…?" Amy's eyes widened slightly at the question, and she felt heat rush to her cheeks—not entirely from embarrassment, but from the sudden guess.

"No, Mira. It's not that…" She said while trying to avert her eyes.

"It's just… nothing." Mira's gaze stayed on her. Amy could see her bite her lips and a visible frown appear on her face.

"Whatever it is, please keep it under control… I truly just don't like seeing you act mean to people… It's not like you." Amy's jaw tightened. And the urge to defend herself rose from her throat, but she quickly shut it down. It did not matter. Nothing about this was worth it. Convincing Mira—the clone—that the woman beside her was the incarnation of Satan itself gave her no benefits. Moreover, it would be just too time-consuming, and with a low chance of succeeding. So really, it did not matter…

"Come on." Mira suddenly said, reached out, and gently took Amy's hand, tugging her up from her seat. Her grip was warm and soft.

"Let's get you some food. You'll feel better, I promise. And..." she leaned in even closer, her whisper barely audible, "please try to be nicer to Saklas, okay? She seems really sweet, and she's new, and I know you're having a bad day, but you really hurt her feelings earlier." Amy stared at the girl in silence, wondering if she should just go with the flow or run and get the hell away from here. In the end, she decided neither. Only silence, that was her response.

Mira seemed clearly dissatisfied with her answer, but did not push anymore; instead, she just tightened her grip on her hand and turned towards the Goddess, forcing a smile.

"Alright, we're taking way too much time here. Let's just go before all tables get taken." Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. The Goddess nodded with a smile of her own. Soon, the three of them were on their way towards the cafeteria. Amy was on Mira's right side, and the Goddess on her left. -————-　■　-————- The cafeteria, just like the rest of the city, was a yassified version of the one Amy remembered.

Long tables arranged in neat rows, large windows letting in natural light, and the smell of freshly cooked food mixing with the chatter of students. Basically, heaven compared to the actual one. They'd managed to get their food and find a table near one of the windows. Mira sat across from Amy, with the Goddess—Saklas, she liked to call herself—positioned between them. Amy used her spoon to pick at the chicken with rice, which Mira paid for, but did not really eat; she was just moving the grains around her plate.

Beside her, Mira and Saklas were deep in animated conversation.

"—and that's why I think Madam Chen is secretly a primordial vampire," Mira was saying, gesturing enthusiastically with her hands.

"Have you seen how her eyes seem to stare into the soul?"

"Curious theory," Saklas responded with genuine-sounding interest.

"Though I believe vampires are supposed to avoid daylight entirely, aren't they?"

"Maybe she's a modern vampire," Mira suggested, pushing her glasses up her nose.

"Like, she's adapted to the times. Uses really strong sunscreen or something." Saklas laughed—a light, pleasant sound that made Amy's grip on her spoon tighten.

"That's quite creative. You have a wonderful imagination."

"Amy says I read too many fantasy novels," Mira said, glancing at Amy with a smile.

"But I think you can never read too many books, right?" Amy didn't respond. She was too busy staring at the rice on her plate, watching the steam rise from it.

"Amy?" Mira's voice pulled her back.

"You haven't eaten anything. Come on, you need to eat." Amy rolled her eyes before forcing herself to take a small bite. The rice was warm, perfectly cooked, with just the right texture. It tasted just like she liked it.

"So, Saklas," Mira continued after giving Amy a small nod accompanied by a grateful smile, "where did you transfer from? I don't think we've ever had a new student join in the middle of the term before."

"A city school," Saklas answered smoothly.

"My family moved here recently for... work reasons."

"Oh! Which city? Amy's family is originally from the city, too! Well, her mom is. Her dad grew up here, but her mom was a city person, which is why Amy has that—" Mira stopped herself, glancing at Amy with sudden uncertainty.

"Sorry, is it okay if I talk about that?" Amy shrugged, not looking up from her plate. Mira took that as permission and continued.

"Anyway, Amy's mom gave up her fancy city life to move here. Super romantic, right? Like something out of a storybook. She fell in love with her dad and just decided to stay." Amy's chopsticks stopped moving.

"How lovely," Saklas said, and Amy could hear the smile in her voice without looking up.

"True love conquers all obstacles."

"Right?" Mira beamed.

"And they're still so in love even after all these years. Actually—" She suddenly perked up, looking at Amy with excitement.

"I'm going to Amy's place for dinner tonight. It's her parents' anniversary." Amy finally looked up, confusion flickering across her face as she tilted her head. She understood the words coming out of Mira's mouth, yet couldn't process them. Mira's smile faltered slightly as she looked at Amy.

"Don't tell me you forgot?" Parents' anniversary. My parents. Together. Having an anniversary dinner…? Amy opened her mouth, closed it, then opened it again. No words came out. Mira frowned, then scratched her neck uncomfortably.

"Do you not want me to come…? I already told your mom I'd be there. It would be rude to cancel now... Plus, I also told Mrs. Henderson I was going, she would get confused if she didn't see me there." Mrs. Henderson. Going to dinner. At Amy's house. For her parents' anniversary. None of this made sense. No, that wasn't quite right. It made perfect sense. That was the problem.

"I..." Amy's voice came out barely above a whisper. Her mind raced, wondering what to say. Eventually, she just decided to go with the flow.

"I just forgot."

"Oh, thank goodness!" Mira said, her shoulders relaxing immediately.

"I thought maybe you didn't want me there or something. But yeah, your mom said dinner's at eight, and Mrs. Henderson is bringing one of her paintings as a gift—she's been working on it for weeks. It's supposed to be a surprise, so don't tell your parents I mentioned it!" Amy nodded mechanically, but inside, her mind was racing. Her parents' anniversary. Her mother and father, married, celebrate together. The last time that had happened was... was...

The manga chapter retelling her backstory flashed through her memory. It had been heavily dramatized but still mostly accurate. That had been the last time. After that, they would never get close to each other within a few feet. But here, in this place, in this perfect fantasy— An epiphany reached Amy, and suddenly, everything started making sense. She believed she had just discovered how to pass the trial. It was just a theory, so she needed to check if it was true.

She stared at her satchel and then at Mira and all the people in the cafeteria. Better do it in a more private place. Amy stood up abruptly, her chair scraping loudly against the floor. Several nearby students looked over at the noise.

"Amy?" Mira asked, startled.

"Where are you going?"

"I remembered I needed to do something..."

"But you barely ate anything—""I'll be back," Amy said, already moving away from the table. Amy was halfway into taking a step when her stomach decided to make its opinion known with a loud, embarrassing gurgle. She froze mid-step. Several students nearby turned to look, and she could feel heat creeping up her neck. Behind her, she heard Mira's barely suppressed giggle. Amy stood there for a moment.

The numbness that had been carrying her through this whole nightmare suddenly seemed very inadequate protection against basic human embarrassment. With a resigned sigh, she turned back to the table. Mira was trying—and failing—to hide her smile behind her hand. Saklas, meanwhile, didn't even try to hide hers.

"Forgot something?" the Goddess asked innocently. Amy didn't respond. She just grabbed her barely-touched plate of chicken and rice, balancing it carefully in one hand while adjusting her satchel with the other.

"Amy, you can't just walk around school with—" Mira started, but Amy was already moving again, this time with her food. Before long, Amy was already pushing through the cafeteria doors. The hallway was full of students doing their own thing. Amy walked quickly, taking small bites of rice as she went, her mind already focused on finding somewhere private. The food was good—annoyingly good, just like everything in this place.

She turned a corner, heading toward what she remembered as a less-traveled section of the school. The courtyard should be—"Amy?" She stopped, closing her eyes briefly in frustration. Then she looked behind. It took her a second to recognize him. The baker's son stood a few feet away. His face was already turning that familiar shade of pink.

"Hey," he said, then seemed to realize how inadequate that greeting was.

"I mean—uh, hi. I saw you earlier, and I wanted to—that is, I wanted to talk to somet—" Amy took another bite of rice, chewing slowly while he fumbled through his words. She really didn't have time for this.

"—I've been wanting to say it for a—""Sorry," Amy interrupted. She gestured vaguely with her plate.

"I'm a little busy right now." She started walking again before he could respond, not looking back to see his reaction. Behind her, she heard a quiet "Oh. Okay then." A small part of her—a very small part—felt a little bad about that. But the larger part of her brain was too focused on more important things. Like figuring out how to pass this trial. Like getting back to her companions, who were probably fighting for their lives right now.

Like— The courtyard came into view, and Amy felt something in her chest loosen slightly. It was mostly empty, with only a couple of lovebirds too busy making out. Perfect. The space was small, nestled between two wings of the school building, with a few benches scattered around and a single large tree providing shade in the center. Amy had spent a lot of time here in her actual school days, usually avoiding other students.

She made her way to the most secluded bench, the one half-hidden behind the tree trunk, and sat down heavily. She reached for her satchel, and she carefully pulled out Libris. The book was still damaged, causing a dark feeling to rise from Amy's stomach, and she quickly pushed it down.

"Libris?" she whispered, even though she knew it was still sleeping.

"I think I figured something out." The book didn't respond, of course. But Amy continued anyway, speaking quietly to her unconscious companion.

"I'm going to need your help to confirm it, so... thank you." Amy held Libris gently in her lap. She took a breath, opened it, then reached for the connection that had formed between the two—the new ability her status screen had called Shared Fate and helped her see long-term futures. This ability did not work like Fate's Road; it did not use mana. Instead, it had a fixed number of times that Amy could use it, with an unknown amount of time in between. So even the current weakened Amy could do it.

Amy closed her eyes and pushed through. The world shifted. She was still sitting, but everything had changed. Now she was on the ground, and the courtyard was gone. The school was gone. Instead, she stood on a familiar road, the one leading to her childhood house. The sky above was full of dark cracks like shattered glass, and through those cracks, she could see something—nothing—void. The sky was literally falling apart. Amy's gaze dropped to the house ahead. It was burning.

Flames consumed the structure from the inside out, and the smoke billowed into the fractured sky. She could hear screaming from inside—multiple voices, overlapping, desperate. Her mother's voice. Her father's voice. Mrs. Henderson. Mira. Even a dog. Amy stood on the road, watching. Just watching. Her face was blank in the vision, completely expressionless as the house burned and the people inside screamed for help that wouldn't come. The vision faded. Amy's eyes opened slowly.

She was back on the bench, Libris warm in her lap. Her plate of half-eaten rice sat beside her. For a moment, she just sat there, processing what she'd seen. Then, quietly, a sound escaped her.

"Heh." It was soft at first, barely more than an exhale. But then it came again.

"Heh. Heheh." Her shoulders started shaking slightly. The sound built in her throat, and before she could stop it, laughter bubbled up. It wasn't hysterical. It was too tired for that. But there was something genuinely amused in it, a dark humor that she couldn't quite suppress. Of course. Of course, that was the trial. It made perfect sense in the most twisted way possible. The trial wasn't testing whether she could resist temptation. It was a test of conviction. How badly did she want to save her real companions?

Enough to destroy this perfect fantasy? Enough to burn down everything she'd ever wanted? The answer was obvious. This wasn't reality, only a fantasy. As long as she knew that, she could never live here. Still. The method—making her literally destroy her parents' anniversary dinner, killing the idealized versions of everyone she'd ever cared about—that was just... funny.

"Haha... of course... what did I expect..." Amy clutched Libris against her chest, her laughter continuing in quiet bursts. It hurt, in a distant way.

"Amy?" The voice made her look up, still chuckling softly. Saklas—or rather, the Goddess—stood a few feet away, alone. No Mira following her this time. She tilted her head, studying Amy with those impossible galaxy eyes.

"What's so funny?" she asked, taking a step closer. Amy tried to answer, but another laugh escaped instead.

"Heh... you already... know..." The Goddess tilted her head, then shook it with a smile.

"Actually, I made sure not to look into the future for this one. I wanted to see how it ends without spoilers." She took another step forward, her gaze shifting from Amy's face down to the book in her lap. Her eyes shone for a second, then widened slightly.

"Oh," the Goddess said softly. And then, inexplicably, a small sound escaped her too.

"Pfft." Amy's laughter cut off, and her eyes widened as she stared at the Goddess, watching that small, barely suppressed sound escape from her lips. The Goddess was trying not to laugh either. This bitch, the origin of all my misfortune, is laughing. Amy's shoulders trembled slightly. Her hand came up to cover her mouth, but it was too late. Another sound escaped.

"Pfft—" And that was it for Amy. Whatever dam had been holding back her emotions was completely shattered. The laugh that burst from her chest was loud and clear. The Goddess tried to maintain her composure for approximately three more seconds. Her hand pressed harder against her mouth, her eyes squeezed shut, but her whole body was shaking now. Then she broke. Her laughter joined Amy's, bright and clear.

She stumbled forward, her legs apparently giving out from the force of it, and collapsed directly into Amy's lap, nearly sending both Libris and the plate of rice tumbling to the ground. Amy barely managed to catch the book with one hand while her other arm flailed out to grab the bench for balance. She teetered there for a moment, half-standing, half-sitting, her body bent at an awkward angle as she tried not to fall while simultaneously laughing so hard her stomach hurt.

The plate of rice did fall, scattering across the ground in a small explosion of grains and chicken. Neither of them cared as they kept laughing, attracting the attention of the couple who looked at them like they were crazy. If only she actually were.