The Butterfly Effect
"Th-thank you so, so much for, for helping me."
"Oh, it's nothing. Don't worry about it."
My hands were piled high with books. Every single one of them belonged to Aris. The academy library had no limit on the number of books a student could borrow. You could take as many as you wanted. But even so, I doubted any student other than Aris would ever borrow over twenty books at once. Even the librarian had looked a bit taken aback.
But while there was no limit on the number of books, there was a strict return deadline: one week. Is it really okay for her to borrow this many?
Well, I suppose I could just ask her directly.
"By the way, will you really be able to read all of these before the due date?"
"O-one or, or two days is, is plenty."
Apparently so. I knew she was a bookworm, but this was far beyond my imagination.
"You must really love books, Aris."
"Y-yes! I, I really, r-really love them!"
Aris answered energetically despite her stutter. Her voice cracked slightly at the end, but I decided to politely pretend I hadn't noticed.
"B-books are, are truly w-wonderful. In, in a single b-book, there is a, a person's th-thoughts, and a, a whole w-world. When you explore th-that world, y-you completely lose track of t-time. He-he..."
Seeing her voice trail off, she likely had more to say, but she seemed to have cut herself off because of her severe stuttering. Aris was deeply embarrassed by her own speech pattern.
And yet, even this was a massive improvement. At least she could speak now, even if she stuttered. When she was a child, she couldn't speak at all.
The original novel, Dawn Swordsman, was filled with characters who had tragic pasts or suffered from deep trauma. I mean, just look at Lucia. She absolutely despised her own true nature. It was pure self-hatred. Aris's past wasn't particularly bright either, and her stuttering was a direct result of that unfortunate childhood. So, the least I could do was look upon her with warm, supportive eyes.
Like Lucia, Aris lived in the dormitory. It was the same building, which made sense since all first-years shared the same dorms. However, we were on different floors; Aris lived on the second floor below me.
"I can just leave them here, right?"
"Y-yes! I-I will definitely r-repay your k-kindness today!"
Aris clenched her small fists tightly as she spoke. The sight was so adorable that I couldn't help but chuckle.
"No need. It was really nothing. See you in class tomorrow, then."
"Y-yes!"
With a wave, I stepped out of Aris's room. I caught a brief glimpse of the interior, and it was exactly what I expected of her. The entire space was packed with books, and the faint, comforting scent of old paper drifted through the air.
Alright, I should head back to my room and do some reading of my own. I need to diligently study the structure of the human body to see how it all fits together.
Smiling, I walked down the hallway toward my room, but my expression suddenly faltered as a thought crossed my mind.
Wait... is this really okay?
Didn't I get acquainted with Aris way too early? I mean, we're in the same class, so knowing each other's faces is only natural... but that's not what I mean. In the original story, Lucia wasn't supposed to get close to the other students until the second semester. Yujin only discovers her true nature during the summer break, and she becomes friends with Aris around that time too.
I had absolutely no intention of changing the flow of the 'original plot'. If anything, I wanted to ride the wave as safely as possible. It would be highly problematic if the future shifted just because I got to know Aris ahead of schedule.
I doubted a minor interaction like this would change much, but there was always the butterfly effect to consider. A tiny ripple could easily snowball into a massive disaster down the line. In Arin's case, she was naturally sociable and a bit of a busybody, so it wasn't a big deal. But Aris was different. She was a girl who had just as few friends as Lucia.
"Ah, let's not overthink it."
I let out a self-deprecating chuckle. I was getting way too serious over a simple conversation. It wasn't as if I had interfered with the bond between Yujin and Aris.
Come to think of it, how did Yujin and Aris actually get close in the first place? The decisive turning point was an incident that would occur a month from now, but they had already known each other before that. Given Aris's personality, there was no way she would have approached him first.
Let's see... let's try to remember.
If I recall correctly... she was carrying a massive pile of books she had borrowed from the library, tripped over her own feet on the main street, and fell. Yujin just happened to be passing by and helped her up, which served as the catalyst for them getting to know each other, right?
"...Wait, uh, huh?"
Suddenly, a cold sweat broke out on my back.
...Their bond. I didn't just ruin it, did I?
No, surely not. Aris loved books to death. She just said she could read over twenty books in a day or two. That meant she would be visiting the library almost every single day, right?
Let's just trust in the bond between the protagonist and the main heroine. They'll meet like destiny soon enough. Right?
"He, he-he..."
Aris stomped her feet in excitement, unable to hold back her giggles. She had already done this more than ten times. Even while she was in the middle of reading, the memory would suddenly flash in her mind, causing her to break into a silly grin.
Aris loved this exact moment. Sitting in her chair and turning the pages, a brand-new world would unfold before her eyes. The letters transformed into vivid pictures in her mind, guiding her to a vast, distant realm. Normally, she would be so entirely focused on her book that all other thoughts were completely shut out, but today was different.
"He-he..."
Another giggle escaped her lips. Perhaps finding the display utterly exasperating, an annoyed voice echoed in her mind.
“You're distracting me. Stop giggling and turn the page. I'm done reading this part.”
There was no one else in the room. The voice did not come from the outside, but from deep within her.
Sorry. I'll read it quickly.
Aris quickly speed-read the text and turned the page. Her mind fell quiet once more. She pulled herself together and focused on her reading. When reading a book, one had to give it their undivided attention. That was the basic courtesy one owed to the author who wrote it.
"He-he..."
But she ended up giggling again. Aris kicked her legs back and forth and twirled a strand of hair around her finger.
“Oh, seriously.”
Unable to bear it any longer, 'she' snapped irritably.
“What is wrong with you? What has got you so incredibly excited since earlier?”
He-he, it's just... it's been so long since I talked to another person...
“Ha, what do you mean 'so long'? You talk to me every single day.”
But you're 'me', Frey. I mean talking to 'someone else'. I wonder how long it's actually been... It feels like it's been years.
Up until now, whenever communication with others was necessary, Frey had always taken over. Aris would hide in the depths of her consciousness, and Frey, taking control of the physical body, would handle the interaction. It had always been that way ever since Aris ceased to be alone.
In fact, this time had been no different. When Lucia first spoke to her, Aris had tried to hand over control to Frey as she always did, but...
But back then, you told me, Frey. You asked how long I was going to keep hiding. You told me to face someone directly this time. He-he, did I do well? I stuttered a lot... but still, didn't I take a good first step?
“Yeah, you did fine for a first try,” Frey muttered half-heartedly.
Deep down, she felt proud and impressed. But getting this worked up over a few words with a classmate? They still had a very long way to go.
Lucia-ssi... she was such a good person. She checked to see if I was hurt when I fell, and she even helped me carry my books all the way to the dorm...
“She looked a bit airheaded, though. Just like you.”
Hey, Frey. I... want to become closer friends with Lucia-ssi.
“Sure, knock yourself out.”
Sensing Frey's lukewarm response, Aris spoke up hesitantly.
Since I stutter so much, Lucia-ssi might end up disliking me... Frey, could you...
“No way.”
Frey let out a heavy sigh. Of course, since Aris currently held control of the body, it wasn't a physical sigh.
“I told you. You need to start standing on your own two feet now.”
But...
“No 'buts', Aris. You were just gushing about how happy you were to talk to someone 'directly'. And now you want me to become friends with her instead? Would you really be satisfied with that?”
Aris slumped. Frey wasn't wrong. Every single word she said was absolutely correct. But for Aris, who had left all social interactions to Frey for the past several years, suddenly trying to get close to someone on her own was an incredibly daunting task.
Won't she be disappointed if I approach her? I mean, I'm nothing special, and I stutter so much...
“That's fine. You're cute, Aris. Just go up to her and smile. She'll probably swoon on the spot.”
Eh...?
“If that's too hard... well, right. Recommend a book to her.”
A book?
“Seeing how she was at the library, doesn't she like books too? Probably not as much as us, but still. Think of it as a thank-you for helping you carry the books. Recommend a few good ones. Use that as an excuse to talk to her. Easy, right?”
Aris blinked her round eyes. Recommend a book? If it was about books, she had all the confidence in the world. She had read countless books across various genres. Among them, there were plenty of masterpieces she had always wanted to recommend to someone. She didn't know what kind of genre Lucia liked, but she was certain that out of all those books, at least one would perfectly suit Lucia's taste.
“It's easy to talk to someone if you share a hobby. People naturally feel closer when they have things in common. Well, Aris? Feeling motivated?”
"Y-yes!"
Aris nodded vigorously, even letting out a rare vocal response. Pleased with her reaction, Frey's voice softened slightly.
“The first step is always the hardest. Aris, don't just wait for her to come to you. Go to her yourself. I'll support you, so don't lose heart.”
"Yes, I-I'll, g-give it, a try."
Clenching her small fists, Aris steeled her resolve. Frey felt a wave of anxiety wash over her, but she firmly suppressed it.
Well, it should be fine. If Lucia had been a guy, Frey would have stopped Aris immediately. Men were far too dangerous for the innocent Aris. But since she was a girl—and a girl who had the decency to lend a hand to someone who fell—it should be fine.
If not, Frey knew exactly what she had to do. If that Lucia girl turned out to be a villain trying to take advantage of the innocent Aris...
“I'll just bury her.”
"Huh? What did you say?"
“Nothing, just talking to myself. Don't worry about it.”
Aris was already rummaging through the mountain of books piled in the corner of her room, carefully selecting titles to introduce to Lucia.
Frey watched her quietly, swallowing her mixture of anticipation and anxiety.