The Stranger and the Nameless Boy
And now, in the present.
Seron was facing her first love once again.
She squeezed her eyes shut, her heart burning with anxious longing.
"Back then... I didn't even get to ask your name."
She had been too young, leaning entirely on the boy's kindness, failing to ask for his name. Seron had regretted that day for years.
"I attended so many social gatherings after that, but I could never find you."
Seron had always been plagued by bad luck. No matter how hard she tried to find him, they kept missing each other. It was truly a cruel twist of fate.
Yet, Seron had finally met her first love again. And in the most unexpected of places.
But.
I say it once more.
Seron was unfortunate.
My expression remained frozen as I looked at Seron.
Seron had reunited with her first love. But her first love was not here.
The Vikamon who had shown her what first love was no longer existed in this world. The only one standing here was me—an imposter who had stolen Vikamon's place.
I was not Seron's first love. I was merely a shameless thief who had usurped his identity.
It hit me all over again. I was nothing but a stranger who had stumbled into the Flame Butterfly Chapter.
The reality I had constantly pushed aside and ignored was finally rearing its ugly head.
Seron slowly opened her eyes. Her gaze, filled with love, locked onto me.
No. Those eyes shouldn't be looking at me.
But Vikamon was not here. Furthermore, I had no idea how he would have treated Seron. I hadn't been there on that moonlit night.
"Could you... tell me your name?"
Seron asked the question she had failed to ask all those years ago.
My name. Hearing her question, my lips trembled.
Was I Hanon Airey? Vikamon Niflheim? Or...
My feet took an involuntary step backward. The sudden movement disheveled my clothes, and in that moment, a sword-shaped pendant slipped out of my pocket.
Seeing it, Seron's eyes widened slightly.
"That..."
Damn it. It was a mistake born of panic. As I hastily hid the pendant, Seron stared at it for a moment before letting out a hollow, self-deprecating laugh.
"...So Sweet Potato, that idiot, was the one who called you here."
She seemed to have rationalized the situation on her own. It appeared she assumed Vikamon had come here because I had given him the pendant and asked him to.
Fortunately, this spared me from having to clear up any misunderstandings.
In the meantime, I struggled to gather my scattered wits.
"...I'm sorry. The boy you knew is no longer here."
I looked at Seron's face. She looked utterly devastated. My words just now were tantamount to rejecting her feelings.
As I opened my mouth to correct myself, Seron bit her lower lip, then forced a tearful smile.
"It's alright. Because the girl from that day is still here."
Her words stirred an indescribable emotion within me.
"...I'm sorry."
Unable to face Seron any longer, I turned and bolted. As I hurried down the hallway, I quickly tightened the bandage around my neck.
My appearance gradually shifted back into Hanon's. My reflection rippled across the windowpane. But my true self was nowhere to be seen.
I barely managed to stop my hand as it reached out toward the glass.
Calm down.
I never imagined I would falter over something like this. Without realizing it, my mind was slowly being eroded.
The crushing pressure and anxiety of having to prevent the bad ending. And the inescapable truth that, in the end, I was nothing but an outsider. These two weights were silently crushing my soul.
"You!"
Just then, a familiar voice reached my ears. A flash of honey-blonde hair caught my eye. She rushed over to me, her face pale with worry as she examined my expression.
"What's wrong? Are you okay?"
Cold sweat was pouring down my pale face. Seeing this, Isabel reached out to wipe it away.
Slap!
I reflexively slapped her hand away.
Isabel, too, was a character of the Flame Butterfly Chapter. Moreover, she had constantly projected Lucas onto me. I didn't want her hands touching me under those pretenses.
I froze.
Too late, I realized I had reacted far too harshly. But the damage was already done.
Isabel slowly lowered her rejected hand, then quietly stepped up to stand right beside me. She didn't say another word.
"...I just feel a bit sick to my stomach. Leave me alone."
"Okay. I'll wait here until you feel better."
"You don't need to—"
"You did the same for me," Isabel interrupted.
"That day, you followed me of your own accord, didn't you?"
The day Isabel had gone to the walls of Jerion Academy. I had stubbornly followed her.
"And even before that..."
Isabel muttered to herself, as if searching for an answer she hadn't quite found yet. Then, shaking her head, she looked up at me.
"So, I have the right to be stubborn too."
I couldn't find any words to reply. But there was one thing I realized.
Reflected in the window, Isabel's eyes met mine. She was looking at me, and me alone.
The sunflower was looking at the moon, not the sun.
For some reason, that simple truth felt like it was breathing a fraction of the warmth I had lost back into my chest.
Thanks to the time spent with Isabel, I managed to regain my composure. Today made me realize that when your mental state is fragile, being alone is the most dangerous thing you can do.
When I told her I was fine, Isabel beamed brightly and walked alongside me. Her smile looked genuinely happy.
Before I knew it, the sweltering summer heat had broken, and autumn was slowly creeping in. Looking at the maple leaves changing into vibrant colors, I couldn't help but feel they resembled me.
After all, I, too, was slowly being dyed in the colors of this world.
"Isabel."
"Yeah?"
Hearing her name, Isabel turned to look at me.
"Thank you."
Despite my cold treatment, she had stayed by my side, and thanks to her, I was able to pull myself together. When I offered my sincere gratitude, Isabel let out a soft giggle.
Then, she suddenly leaned her face close to mine.
"So, does this mean you're calling off the boycott?"
"No, that's a completely separate matter."
My face went deadpan. Where did this main heroine get the idea she could just bypass the plot like this?
"But you said you were grateful!"
"Being grateful is one thing, but I still have to do what needs to be done."
"Wow, you're so cheap!"
Isabel huffed and puffed, showering me with playful jeers, but I merely snorted.
As if a little nagging would sway me. Compared to the verbal abuse I had endured from other women so far, this was practically adorable.
My gaze drifted back to the window. The season of the boycott was finally right around the corner.
Now, all that's left...
...is to make sure Iris gets her hands on the boycott.
Alright, the table is set. All you have to do is pick up the spoon. I'm going to turn the student council completely upside down.