“I think we need a break.” Rae takes a stretch and pushes away from the desk, doing a little spin in her chair. I noticed it had wheels but I didn’t realize it was so mobile. Rae finishes her spin and stops, facing me. She must have noticed me observing the motion of the chair because she grins. “Do you want to spin me?”

“I’d rather take you for a spin.” She tries to hide her reaction but the best she can do is a cute pout and a deep blush.

Claire , leave her alone. Spin her in the chair like she asked.

“Sorry, yes, do I just …?

“Yup, just give me a push and then keep pushing, like a merry go round,” She says, refusing to acknowledge my first comment. No Fun.

“A merry what?”

Rae looks almost offended. “Seriously? You were missing out as a kid.”

I still have no idea what she is talking about. “Maybe, but I was still very spoiled growing up.” I stand up and give the chair a push as directed and it spins her in place. She pulls her legs up to her chest and curls into a ball in the chair.

“Faster!”

I give her a few more pushes, finding a good rhythm and letting her pick up speed as she starts to laugh. I giggle along with her.

“Okay, okay, okay, that’s enough! Oh, woah.” I help Rae slow down and when she finally comes to a stop she wobbles in her seat, trying very hard to not fall out. “Oh, this sucks.” She laughs again. “Give me a minute to, woah…”

She eventually regains her equilibrium and settles down, a goofy smile on her face. It reminds me of when she would play with the girls when they were still young, running around and chasing each other.

“Is it alright if I make some tea?” Rae asks once she can get up from the chair without  losing her balance.

“Of course. Catherine? Do we have tea?” I inquire at the sofa.

“It's all in the middle cabinet, bottom shelf. Cups are in the right cabinet.” Catherine’s voice comes from over the sofa.

Rae gets up and goes to the kitchenette, pulling out the needed elements. “Would you two like some, and if so what kind?”

The sofa declines, but I think I would rather like to have some of Rae’s tea. “Yes, please. Thank you, Rae.”

“Umm… how would you like it, Francois-san?” She asks.

“Just the usual… Oh , apologies. Any flavor you like is fine, just a dash of sugar if that’s available.” Of course she doesn’t know how you want it, Claire.

She nods and sets to work making the tea. I can spy something akin to a kettle, and she frowns as she plucks a few small pouches from a tin. She mutters “whatever” under her breath. She drops the pouches in a pair of cups and fills the kettle with water from the sink. I notice there is a thick cord attached to the back of the kettle, and she pushes one end of the cord into a hole in the wall. Oh, this is like powering a phone, isn’t it? “Is that also electric?”

“Hrmm?” Rae looks up after she finishes setting up the kettle. “Oh, yeah. It uses electricity to heat up the water. Pretty much everything is powered that way. Don’t stick your finger in the socket, or anything else, like a fork. Don’t stick anything in that's not a plug. That could kill you.”

“Noted.” Electricity is akin to lightning? It's astonishing that they have it available in the walls. I will have to ask about it later. Soon I can hear water boil in the kettle and steam rise up. Rae pours the water into the two cups, mixes in the sugar and brings me a steaming cup of amber tea once it is done steeping.

“Here, let it cool off for a bit.” She lowers herself into her chair, blowing on her cup before setting it and mine down on the desk. “So, you’re not doing too bad for your first day, at least with what we have gone over so far.”

From someone else it might have sounded patronizing, but I know Rae. “I think this would be easier if I hadn’t been out of the academy for so long. We used to be teachers, but we have been retired for a while now.”

“Really? You’re still doing well; it’s not easy stuff.” She blows again on her cup of tea and ventures a taste, quickly recoiling from the heat. She sticks her tongue out when I giggle at her.

After a minute I give my tea a test. it’s still quite warm, but I don’t mind. My proclivity for heat and heat resistance persists in this life, it seems. The tea has an odd taste here, however though I can’t quite put my finger on how or why. Is it poor quality or is this just typical here?

“Do you not like it?” Rae asks, her face scrunched in worry.

“Oh, it’s just different. It’s not like the tea we used to have back home.” I hope to assuage her worries. it’s just tea, after all, and it’s still quite serviceable.

“Sorry, that's all you had and the stuff in a pouch is never as good as the loose leaves but you didn’t have any and I’m not saying I’m a master at steeping tea or anything but—” She is much too worried over such a small thing. The tea is just a change I will have to get used to, like so many of the other changes I’ve recently experienced.

I cup her face gently, interrupting her rambling. “Rae, it’s fine, please don’t worry about it.” I only realize what I have done as she stills and turns completely scarlet. “Oh.” I pull my hands back. “I apologize for that, I …”

Claire, there is teasing and then there is being intrusive.

Rae just nods and pivots her chair away from me, her blush still evident from the tips of her ears and back of her neck.

That was too much, Claire! Just control yourself. You aren’t a slave to your baser instincts!

I hazard another glance at Rae. God, she is so cute like this. It’s truly unfair.

Claire, control yourself!

I think I finally understand what it was like for her when we first met. Rae tests another sip of her tea and seems content with the heat this time. She is still unable to look in my direction.

I will just have to resign myself to letting her recover from her embarrassment. We finish our tea in silence, and she gets up and takes the cups to the kitchenette. When she returns she is more collected, but only slightly. She fidgets with her hands.

Should I say something? It looks like she is working through a thought in her head.

“Francois-San?” I am ready to be told I am being overly forward.

“Yes, Rae?”

She gulps. “I think it might be good to spend some time doing something more… recreational later, to help you relax and acclimatize? We don’t have classes on the weekend.” The last part is forced out as a squeak.

Is she…? “Rae Taylor, are you asking me on a date? ”

I don’t mean to sound so—wait, her face just shifted. I said something wrong again and upset her. What did—

“Oohashi.”

“Pardon?”

“Oohashi, Oohashi Rei . Please call me Oohashi, not …”

Oh.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—”

She smiles weakly to try and mask her disappointment. “I understand Francois-san… and I know it can be hard to adjust but please call me Oohashi for now, especially when we are in public.”

I hear an echo in my head. ‘ But in private is okay, right, Claire-sama?’

Stop that.

“I will try. I am sorry if I have made you uncomfortable Oohashi…san”.

Rae’s smile becomes more genuine. At least I haven't completely ruined this moment.

“ Sooooo? ” She reddens once more.

“Hrmm?”

“Would you like to take a break with me over the weekend?” Her voice trails to a barely a whisper as she utters the last word.

Without meaning to, I lean in and whisper. “Could you speak up?” CLAIRE! “Yes!” I say quickly, ignoring my last comment that slipped out so she doesn’t have to respond to my overbearing teasing any further. I pull her into a hug and giggle like I am a teenager again. oh, I missed this.

Wait! Claire, give her space, what are you— Rae starts to giggle and returns the hug. Oh thank goodness! We are both smiling and laughing now. This is perfect. I love her so much.

“Please get a room,” the sofa says in exasperation, and we both just laugh some more.


Yu ends up sticking around despite our tense conversation, but their brothers leave shortly after my parents do. Rod and Thane at least manage to help Dad put together quite a bit of stuff before they leave. My old desk is all set up, as well as my old shelves and a dresser. I guess unpacking will be easier now, though I wish my parents didn’t bring so much stuff with them. I really don’t need all of this.

“Is something wrong?” Yu ask as they lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling. It feels so nostalgic—we used to talk about everything when we were younger, just like this. Even after all this time they are still good at knowing just what’s on my mind without my having to say a word. I just wish they would acknowledge that it goes both ways.

I crouch down next to a box. It feels heavy and I’m willing to bet it’s full of books. “Yeah, I told Mom she didn’t have to bring so much.”

“Well, your mom actually wants you to be happy. Unlike some of us.” There is a bitter edge to their voice. When it’s just the two of us, it’s one of the few times they let their guard down. Mostly.

“Yu.”

They sigh. “I know. I know. It’s not fair for me to say that about mine.”

“Christ, Yu, you don’t have to defend her. I know how much she sucks. Sure, it’s not fair to compare our mothers like that, but I know yours doesn’t exactly have your best interests in mind. Please don’t pretend like it’s okay.”

I can practically hear Yu chewing on their lip. “She does care, in her own way.”

Jesus Christ. She cares about using you! I can’t get into this right now. I need to change the topic or else this is going to blow up.

“I’m glad you came by.”

Yu stays quiet on the bed. At least they aren’t arguing the point further. Against my better judgment, I decide to bring up another delicate issue.

“I was also wary of Claire at first. Don’t forget that. But I trust her now.”

“I can’t believe you moved in with her. You didn’t even tell me about it before you decided.” Yu sounds offended. It’s not like I had anything else lined up. Like, did you think I could move in with you or something?

“Did you know I had to convince her to let me pay rent?”

Yu pushes themself up to look at me. “You’re shitting me.”

“No. It’s true.”

Yu waits for me to reveal the joke, but there isn’t one.

“She just asked you to move in for free?”

“Yep. Rei was moving in with her and that would have left me alone in the dorm. I would have either had to pay for it myself or get another roommate. Claire said that would be stupid and that I should just move in with them. The money is not a big deal to them. I’m sure her family has nearly as much as yours. Or more.”

“Money sucks,” Yu mumbles as they settle back down onto the bed. They don't elaborate further.

Guess we’re done with that conversation.

Time to open this first box. Inside is manga. I can see several volumes of Frieren and Dungeon Meshi stacked inside. I can’t help but pull one out just to flip through the pages. My collection is nowhere near as big as Rei’s, but I really love the few I do have. And if we hadn’t had that in common, would I have ever connected with Rei in the first place? That’s a sad thought to ponder, even if Rei can be a giant pain at times.

Time to put these in their new home, at least for now. It would be easy enough to arrange them on the shelf in the same order I had them in at home. Should I do something different, though? Maybe? Probably, it’s a good chance to organize everything better than before, I guess. Though I should probably unpack it all before reorganizing, right?

The next box is full of novels.

“I forget how much of a nerd you are sometimes.” Yu’s voice is surprisingly close, making me jump. When did they start hovering over me like that?

“Excuse you?”

They laugh. “Come on, you have so many fantasy series, and like, is this Lord of the Rings in English?”

“You can speak English, can’t you? You can read it yourself.”

They pluck the Fellowship from the stack and grin. Yu… They flip it open. “Well, my German is much better, but I’m sure I can manage. ‘In the house of Elrond, and it is ten o’clock in the morning. Said a voice. It is the morning of October the twenty-fourth, if you want to know.’” Yu manages to produce a pretty decent English accent. I’m pretty sure they are trying to imitate Sir Ian McKellen, but the deeper cadence just sounds wrong coming out of their mouth.

“Give that back.” I managed to snatch the book out of Yu’s hand and put it back in its place.

“Can’t believe you went the extra mile and got an English version of the trilogy.”

They’re really going to keep teasing me about it, aren’t they? “I like the series, but I also needed to practice my English. It made sense.”

“Sure. Just like it made sense to start listening to English DnD podcasts. Definitely not because you’re a huge nerd.” I can see Yu smirking out of the corner of my eye. God, Yu can be such a shit.

“I’m not ashamed to say I like fantasy, Yu.” It doesn’t take long to divide the novels into stacks by genre. The fantasy stack is bigger, but the sci-fi stack is a pretty decent size too. I do like fantasy way more, though. Time to crack the next box. This one is much heavier.

“I’ll bet your mom also sent your DnD books.”

Sure enough, when I open the box the Dungeon Master’s guide stares up at me. Mocking me. Of course that’s the one I open when Yu makes that comment.

Yu laughs.

Despite their teasing, I can’t help but feel fond of these books and glad that Mom packed them. I’ve never had a chance to really use them. I mean, I’ve read through the rules, mostly, and I’ve read some of them several times at this point. I just never really had enough people to actually run a game. Convincing Rei to play would be like pulling teeth. I know Yu would if I asked, but two people is hardly a group.

Maybe…

“You still want to run a game, don’t you?” Of course Yu can tell.

“I…yeah. I don’t know who I would get to play, though. Except you, I hope.”

Yu shrugs. “I wouldn’t say no to giving it a try. I don’t know if it’s my thing, but I also don’t know that it’s not my thing. But yeah, not sure who else we could ask. Rei’s never been interested. And it’s not like her new girlfriend would want to either.”

Claire?

Honestly, that’s not the worst idea. And maybe she could convince Rei to give it a try. Rei would do anything for her, after all. I can always ask, and the fact that we live together would solve so many of the scheduling and location logistics.

Yu quickly notices the thoughtful look on my face. “No. You can't be serious.”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“But you’re considering it now. You're going to ask Claire to play with us.” Of course Yu is throwing a fit.

“Yes. What? You think she won’t? Or are you worried she will?”

Yu makes a sour face.

“What did she say to you?”

Yu groans. “She didn’t say anything. It doesn’t matter.”

“God, Yu, do you really think I believe that? She obviously said something, or let something slip, and you’ve been hyperfixated on it since then. You had no issue with Claire until recently. First it was funny that Claire was chasing after Rei, but then out of nowhere she’s suddenly a problem? Come on, Yu, it’s just me. Tell me what’s bothering you.” Please, Yu…

“She didn’t say anything. It wouldn't make sense.”

“What wouldn’t make sense? Try me. Please.”

Yu groans again. “God, I can't even explain it. It was just the way she said something. An implication she made.”

“Implication?” At least this is finally confirmation that Claire did let something slip. “She’s uncannily perceptive.” Even without all her cheaty forbidden knowledge about us.

“She doesn’t know me.” And yet it seems she does, Yu.

“Sounds like someone doesn’t like being seen.” Yu’s glaring at me. Shit, I didn’t mean to say that out loud. “Yu, I wish you could tell me about whatever this is…”

Yu just huffs and jumps back on the bed to lie down again. Guess that conversation is over. They’re shutting down a lot of conversations today. Yu…I wish you’d let me in, even just a little.

Regardless, I can tell it’s pointless to press the issue further. I should focus on unpacking these endless boxes. Mom really did send everything, didn’t she?

I should ask Claire to play DnD.

It’s actually a good idea, isn’t it? Yu is assuming she won’t want to because it’s nerdy or otaku-y, but Claire really likes Dungeon Meshi. And I think she’s made it through a big chunk of Persona with Rei at this point too. She’s legitimately enjoyed all of it, and I


 can’t imagine her turning her nose up at the suggestion of a DnD game. If anything, I imagine it might be interesting for her. She’s probably never even heard of it before. And I know for sure if I hook her first, Rei will follow. Rei has always been a gremlin who prefers to lurk in a dark room by herself, but I bet I won’t even have to try if Claire asks her. What would appeal to Claire the most? The roleplaying, right? I’m sure she would enjoy the plot and mystery elements too. Would combat be too much for her? If we start at level one then hopefully the rules won’t overwhelm her. And of course Rei will be there to help her too. If Rei is good at one thing, it’s min-maxing and optimizing.

Damn, it actually does seem like a good idea.

And I really want to run a game.

Still, we would need more than just three players. Catherine does not seem like promising prospect. We’ve gotten to the point where we can, like, make jokes, but I think something like DnD would be pushing it. She’s always the first one to bounce, and I can’t imagine she would want to get cozy with a bunch of new strangers.

Maybe Yu could ask Thane? I’ll see after I ask Claire, I suppose. I think Thane might enjoy it, as long as he doesn’t mind being around all of us. He should let himself relax and have some fun too. Yu’s not the only one who’s stressed out.

I’ll think about it. I should probably let things settle down a bit before proposing this, since we just moved in. I’m sure things are going to be a bit chaotic here for a while. It sounds like Claire is still cramming her studies of, well, being a human who grew up in this world. And Rei mentioned she might be interested in changing courses.

So yeah. Maybe after things settle down. I’m not even sure what kind of game I would want to run, either. Should I start with a prewritten module? Or should I write up my own thing? God, where would I even start with that? I’ve never run a game so maybe that’s not the best idea. Anyway, there’s no reason to rush into it.

I just know I want to run a game.

And who knows, maybe it will get Yu to lighten up around Claire.

Or maybe it will just turn into a mess.

Okay, I’m not letting that happen. I can manage at least that much, right?


We arrive so early that no one else is even here yet. I try to quickly cover a lot of the course basics and the material we’ll be covering. Francois-san is impressed with the calculator, and I’m reminded of how convenient a lot of modern conveniences are. We can’t really dwell on any one thing too long because we have way too much to cover. I feel overwhelmed by the scope and I have no idea how it must feel for her—

“Who is this ?” A high-pitched voice interrupts my explanations.

I look up and a taller girl glares at me. Oh, it's that brunette that hangs on Francois-san all the time, and the pink-haired girl is here too. Huh, I swore the pink girl was the one with the freckles.

“Loretta-chan!” Francois-san jumps from her chair and gives Lackey One a hug. It catches both of them by surprise and Lackey One blushes. Francois-san grins and enjoys the hug before moving on to to Lackey Two. “Pepi-chan, it’s great to see you two.”

Both of them are silent. Lackey One’s blush seems to be a feature now. Ha. Lackey Two finally breaks the silence. “Where did you go yesterday? We tried messaging you but you didn’t answer. And what is she doing here?” She does not sound pleased.

“Oh, sorry, I wasn’t feeling terribly well, and I was meeting up with my Rei, I mean, my new tutor. I was just busy.” Francois-san tries her best to make the explanation sound plausible, but selling a lie isn’t really a strength of hers as it turns out. One more point in favor of the argument that she isn’t lying about all of this, I suppose. Not that I doubt it at this point. But she called me—

“R-e-i?” Lackey One croaks out.

Francois-san gets flustered, only now realizing her mistake. The mistake she keeps making . “Oh, yes, Rei-san, Rei Taylor, I mean, Rei Oohashi.” Oh no, she’s really fumbling now. I have to help her.

“Yes, I’m Oohashi Rei . Francois-san needed a tutor and we met yesterday. We had a lot to cover and Francois-san wasn’t feeling well. She got light headed and had to lay down for a bit. She’s feeling better now, but we had to rush this morning to finish covering the materials, and you know how it is when the coffee hasn’t kicked in yet.”

Lackey One, still blushing, just stares at me. Oh get over yourself. Lackey Two is quiet, analyzing Francois-san intently. She can sense that something is off. She glances at me for a moment, reminding me of a cat, and then turns back to Francois-san. “Fine, but she better not get any ideas about hanging around too long—”

“Excuse me?” Francois-san’s voice chills and Lackey Two stops mid-sentence. It sends a pleasant shiver down my spine. “That is my tutor you are talking to, Pepi-chan. She wouldn’t be my tutor if she wasn’t extremely capable and I expect the two of you to treat her with respect.” Okay, I need to unzip my hoodie I wasn’t expecting that and it’s suddenly very warm in this classroom.

“Claire-chan?” Lackey One looks aghast.

Lackey Two eyes Francois-san, then turns and glares at me. “Fine, come on Loretta-chan, lets get seats. Let’s talk later, Francois-san, okay?”

“Of course, see you soon.” The ice is gone from Francois-san’s voice. Her normal cheeriness has returned, and it doesn’t even feel forced.

Lackey Two just nods and drags Lackey One a few seats over. One glares at me the whole time, and wow I do not care.

“Sorry, that was rude of them.” Francois-san says after they sit down, and she places a hand on my knee, giving it a soft squeeze.

I let out a nervous chuckle. I swear I can function, “Oh, I don’t really care about what they think or say. If anything, it would make them suspicious if I did. I’m just supposed to be your tutor.”

“Well, it’s not like I didn’t already make a disaster of introducing you.” She sighs. “But it’s just not possible for me to  act like the Claire they know. I have some ideas of how I might have acted before, but I’ll have to get people used to the new me eventually. Those two were always my close friends before. Even if no one else caught on, they would notice. It might be easier to just explain it to them.”

“Really? Are you sure? The more people we rope into this, the harder it will be to control. If the wrong person hears about it they could use this against you. You could even get sent to an asylum or something, I don’t know.” That would be the worst outcome, and if it spins out of control I won’t be able to help her anymore.

“I understand, but they will need some sort of reason for my change in behavior. And I do trust them, but you are right. I just want to consider the options.” She looks defeated for a moment, then meets my eyes. There’s a playful fire in her gaze. She smirks. Oh no. “I could just tell them I fell madly in love with you.”

Seventeen, nineteen, twenty-one, fuck… “Francois-san, please, we’re in class .” At least she’s keeping her voice low.


Fuck all my clothes are just geeky.

“Misha? Does this look okay?”

I turn to Misha, she’s got a better idea of fashion then me. This shirt looks okay right? She's working on something on her laptop though.

“Yes.”

She’s not even looking!

“Miiiiishaaaa, come on, I need your expertise. I don’t want to look dumb when I’m out with Francois-san”

She sighs, “Look Rei, you are so out of your field with her. You literally can’t match her.”

Ugh, what a sucker punch. This is a mistake…

She sighs again, “Rei, if she likes you, just dress how you want to. If she is telling the truth I doubt she cares, does she even know what’s fashionable anymore?”

“Hey, she still looks gorgeous!”

Misha does not look moved.

“...I guess she is dressing kinda differently, sorta? But she still looks amazing.”

Misha turns back to her work. “Come on Misha, don’t you have something you can lend me?”

“No.” She is intent to return to her work, “Stop stressing out, has she even ever said anything about it?”

“Ummmm…”

“Come on Rei, you said she was married to you before right? Even if she flirts with you half as much as you-

“She IS!”

“Are you trying to convince me or yourself?”

“She is Misha, she is always getting close, there are so many touches, and glances, the other day she cupped my face and….” Oh god, I could have melted there, all she had to do was lean in. She should have. What I am thinking, that’s too much! I don't want her to kiss me? But I DO! I want her to step all over me! I want her to sear me! Make me hers! Ruin ME! Say my name…

Rei…

“Earth to Rei”

“Huh?”

“God you're hopeless,” When did Misha get up? She pulls my gray hoodie from my closet. “Here wear this one, it’s much better that your old ratty zipper hoodie”

“I love my P5 hoodie!”

“Yah and it’s also beat to shit, here, also go in these shorts.” She shows the articles to me. I haven't thought about this gray hoodie in a while. The sleeves past the elbows are green and a star in a black circle sits on the elbows. It's one I don't wear too often, it’s… I don’t know, it feels too loud for me. The shorts are black running shorts, and well … a little short.

“These show off a lot of legs…”

“It’s been a warm May Rei, and I’m sure your wife will love the show.” She forces the clothes into my hands and reaches into the closet again. “One more suggestion...” She pulls out a green rimmed cap and drops it on my head. “Hrmm, yah I think that works. You owe me.” She says nonchalantly and returns back to her work.

“Ummmm…” Is this really good? “Isn’t this kinda boyish?”

There is a pained sound that escapes from Misha, “It’s all your getting Rei. Trust me, it works.”

It’s not like I have a better look figured out.

“You’re going to be out after ten right?”

“Yes, I will get this paper done if it kills me.”

“Okay, I’m probably going to bring Francois-san over after.”

“Here? It’s small, didn’t you say her dorm room is big?”

“Yah but I’ve been there everyday since this started, her roommate hasn’t said anything but… I think it’s been a lot? Francois-san thinks we should give her some space too.”

“Fine, I mean it’s your problem to deal with, I’ll be back in the evening, I’ll probably shoot you a text when I’m incoming.”

“Thanks Misha”

“Sure, good luck with your date.”

“It’s not a date!”

It’s kinda a date.


“God, what is with her?”

Rae is still frustrated with Manaria, even after we have walked a bit back towards our dorms.

“You didn’t have to come, I do appreciate it but I could have managed.”

“But she was… Claire, she's suspicious.”

“What? No, she is just trying to rile you up.”

“What? Okay, maybe yes, but she was asking you questions. Like, I really don't think that was… the main goal? Claire, she was asking you about your mom’s company. She noticed when you didn’t have an answer. What would have happened if I wasn’t there?”

“Oh… I don’t think it... I could have managed. And honestly I do think she was trying to rile you.”

Rae pouts, “Maybe… what a pest.”

“She’s… she’s made poor choices. The Manaria I knew hated herself for it, and she seems no different this time.”

“ Poor choice ? She said she sexually assaulted a girl.”

“Because she is trying to get a rise out of you Rae, and she hates what she did. She got involved with her maid and it was messy, there was no communication. She thought Eve acquiesced to her authority, her station. And Eve thought she made a mistake and ran. I don’t condone what happened, Manaria hurt Eve. And I don’t know what happened here either. What really happened. Manaria seems convinced to sell herself as some sort of monster, but even with my ignorance I can see what a farce her story is. But of course she is playing this stupid game again. Wallowing in her loathing and content to play the role.”

“If you say so… I just…”

“You don’t have to like her.”

“I… sorry, she really does seem like… I know she’s family.” Rae is being too apologetic.

“Yes, and goodness gracious is she infuriating. If she would just be honest… Gah. I can’t force it.” infuriating!

“I mean it’s not your responsibility to fix her stupid problem.”

I sigh, “I know, but I do want to help. And I doubt there are few people who understand her in the way I do.”

“Well. Her problem. She should sort her shit out first and then maybe you help her.” Rae pouts.

“You never did like her.”

“I can see why.” Her disdain is quite cute.

I let out a breath and sigh… “You're right, I suspect. This won't be something we can remedy soon. I hope it didn’t sour the day too much.”

“Oh… I mean it’s done now… did you want…?”

“Could we? It’s been a long weekend, but I would not say no to getting cozy and playing more Persona.”

Rae grins, and red dusts her cheeks. “Yeah, totally. I would… be happy too…. If you want to…”

I close the small gap between us, and slip my hand into hers. It stiffens at first from the surprise, but quickly relaxes and we lock our fingers into each other.

“Perfect.”


Melia is silently reading over Claire’s test. She hasn’t even picked up a pencil to mark it up yet. It can’t have been more than five minutes since Melia called time but I want this to be over already.

God, how is this worse than when Claire was still taking the test? After several more minutes of torture, Melia finally puts us all out of our misery.

“Girls, it’s not going to go any faster if you’re all watching me.” Melia says, looking up from the test and neatly moving it to the side.

“Sorry, Mother. I don’t think we can help it.”

“It’s going to take me a while to go through all of this. Perhaps you three could go for a walk? Get a coffee? Some fresh air might do you some good.” She looks pointedly towards the front door. I can’t help feeling like she’s trying to politely tell us to get out.

I’m not sure I need more caffeine in my system, but burning off some of this energy might be nice.

“A walk is probably not the worst idea,” Catherine agrees.

Claire sighs. “It’s probably not. Do you know how long this will take you, Mother?”

“At least forty more minutes. Maybe up to an hour. I’m not rushing this—I want to be thorough and fair.” She sounds so calm and matter of fact about it, in contrast to all of our jittery nerves.

Claire is gripping one of her shirt sleeves and twisting it, a cute nervous gesture. “Sorry, Mother. We don’t mean to pressure you.”

“Claire, it's quite alright,” Melia chuckles. “Fresh air will help. And you three can let out some of that energy.” I hope so.

“She’s right, Claire.” I rub her arm reassuringly, and Claire sighs again, nodding. We spend the next few minutes getting ready for a quick walk around the neighborhood.

Once we’re on our way down the block, Catherine is the first to break the uneasy silence. “I didn’t mean to sleep that long. I’m sorry. I meant to be there.”

“It’s alright.” Claire says reassuringly.

“I couldn’t sleep,” Catherine mumbles. “Too nervous.” I’m not the only one worried about potentially losing Claire.

Claire smiles and wraps an arm around Catherine. “I had trouble sleeping too. It’s hard for me to get a sense of how well I did. There was so much.”

Catherine hums. “I don’t know how much more preparation we could have done.”

“We did a lot.” They both look at me as I say that. “We did. We did so much in such a short time. We should give ourselves credit for that.” I sound more positive than I actually feel. My stomach is still full of butterflies. I can only imagine how Claire feels right now.

“I hope it was enough,” she says. “I worry I mixed up a lot of things. The Greeks with the Romans. Time periods. Names.”

“Were you able to answer everything?” Catherine asks.

Claire gulps. Oh no. She looks slightly ashamed. “I tried to.”

“What were the questions that tripped you up?” God, I sound mortified.

“One—” One? There was more than one? “—was about chemical notation. I couldn’t remember everything on the periodic table. I think Iron is F-E for ferrum, correct? But there were several I wasn’t sure of. I didn’t recognize I-R.”

“Iridium?” I ask unhelpfully, which causes Claire to sigh.

She takes a deep breath. “There was also something about Frankenstein’s monster? I had no idea what that was about.”

“Fuck.” Catherine swears under her breath. “Shit, I can’t believe we didn’t include that in our English literature overview.”

I’m not sweating. “Okay, but you were able to answer most of the other stuff. Right?”

“Of course.” Claire grins and then sighs. “I just worry it wasn’t enough. What if Mother thinks I’m not fit to be here anymore?”

“Hey, that’s a conversation that we’ll just have to have with her if it comes down to that.” Catherine says. “I think you’ve done an amazing job learning as much as you have in such a short time.”

Claire still looks nervous.

“Catherine’s right. And also, you’re an adult. I don’t think your mom can really make you do anything you don’t want to do.” Right? She’s just a mom. And a millionaire? Billionaire?

“That’s not the point, though. I need to prove I can do this.” Claire looks so tense.

“Claire, you’ve proven you can do a lot,” Catherine says. “And you’re in much better shape now than you were at first. Melia is already happy with your progress. I can tell.”

Claire chews her lip.

I grab her hand. “Look, whatever happens, I’m not letting go, okay? I’ll be with you no matter what.”

Claire looks at me with a serious, searching expression. “Even if it means leaving Japan? You just managed to switch courses. You would really give this all up?” Her voice catches in her throat. My heart aches just to hear it.

“Of course. I would figure it out, Claire. We would figure it out.” I would run away with her if I had to. There’s no question.

Claire’s hand tightens around mine. I can see that she’s a bit misty eyed. She nods. “Of course, I feel the same way. We will make this work, whatever is best for the both of us.”

“Together,” I say, and I mean it.

Catherine claps her hands together. “Ooooookay, we need to change the subject ASAP, people! Less doom and gloom, please. So, Rei, you started a new course? It’s official?”

She’s right. “Yeah.” Claire lights up as though a switch flipped inside her when she hears the new topic. She’s beaming now. It’s infectious. Fuck, I’m grining already. “Next semester I’ll be doing the creative writing track instead. I’m basically starting over, but hey, better now than later. Or never.”

I could have stayed in the business track and Claire would have supported the decision. But she wasn’t wrong when we talked about it before. I want to take this chance. I just hope I can manage the costs. I did lose a few scholarships but I think I can still make it work.

“You will do a wonderful job,” Claire says, still beaming. God, she looks so proud and amazing. Proud of me.

“Yeah…we’ll see.”

“Congrats then, Rei,” Catherine says. It sounds like she means it. “I’m surprised you decided to stick to economics, Claire. I thought for sure you would be chasing after your wife.” She gives us a cheeky grin.

Claire sighs. “I would love to, but creative writing isn’t for me. I love reading, but I never had a way with writing like Rei. And I think I’m starting to enjoy my economics classes now that I understand the fundamentals. Though to be honest, if I wasn’t enjoying it I wouldn’t even know what else to consider. At least economics feels practical. I can do something with it.”

Catherine gives her a quizzical look. “Really? Like what?”

“It’s a bit early to say, but I would love to help Mother with the family business. She wants to use the Francois corporation to do good in the world. She’s been pushing for better working conditions, not just in our company but industry-wide. All of the workers in our European headquarters region are unionized. She’s abandoned the practice of using exploitative labor in developing countries and is investing in fair wage efforts for the workers there. She’s also working in those locations to build up local communities.”

Hearing Claire talk so knowledgeably about her family’s business makes my heart swell with pride. She really has come so far, and she already wants to fix the world.

“Oh…I think I knew about some of that. Vaguely. How do you know that?” Catherine also seems impressed.

“Mother told me after I asked.”

“Oh, yeah, that makes sense.” Catherine is surprised by the obvious answer.

“Wait, can your mom really do all of that?” The question just tumbles out of my mouth.

“Why not?” Claire replies.

“I don’t know…if no one else is doing it then won’t it hurt the business? Like, aren't investors a thing?” I don’t know that much about their business but I know this much.

“Melia is the company’s sole owner. It’s never been publicly traded.” Catherine answers matter-of-factly.

“Yes, and Mother has said that going public is the slow death of any company. She’s been quite frank about the fact that in the past…well, Francois engaged in a lot of exploitative practices. And to be honest, I wasn’t surprised. It’s not that different from the way my family was in our past lives as nobles. We held our position of power and privilege because we exploited the lower class—commoners. But I was glad to learn that Mother has worked hard in recent years to finally remove all the bad actors inside the company, though it wasn’t easy. And the company is still making money, easily, even with all the additional costs that adopting ethical practices entailed, according to Mother.”

Claire takes a breath. “She said the whole system, the way everything is structured, is designed to fight her. Catherine’s father…well, he wants to keep the status quo. If anything he wants to make the status quo even worse in the


 name of increasing profits. Disgusting example of a man.”

“Asshole,” Catherine all but spits.

Claire nods. “And he isn’t alone. But Mother is setting an example. It’s a slow process, but she’s determined to see it through. I don’t know if this kind of work is what I’m meant for, but if I can be of some help with it then I won’t turn away. It’s my obligation as a Francois.”

God, she’s so amazing.

“But that’s not a decision I need to make now while I am still in the middle of my studies. Maybe something else is a better fit for me, or maybe there is another way I can contribute. I don’t think I’m that much of a leader; I just do what needs to be done.”

“I don’t think Melia wants to pressure you into doing it, either,” Catherine adds. “Like, everything’s changed since you…well, you know. But even before your big change I think she just wanted us to have normal—okay, not ‘normal’ ‘cause normal does not have a limo—but like, the choice to lead a relatively normal life. She never pressured me into doing anything while we were growing up. Not even to say something about my dad.”

“Your dad? Um, what do you mean?” They both turn to look at me. Claire looks pained, and Catherine sighs.

“I guess you didn’t tell her. Okay, well…to start off with, my dad is a shit. He tried to get me killed when I was six.” Catherine trembles a little, and Claire places a hand on her shoulder.

“What the fuck?”

“Yeah, he’s been the CEO of Achard Enterprises for the last twenty-odd years. Up there with all the stellar billionaires we know and love. And like, the accident where…where Claire’s dad…”

She trails off and we both look at Claire. This story is obviously hard for her to hear, but she nods to continue.

“Well, I was in the car that hit them. My mom was there too, and she died. I lost my leg. And it wasn't an accident.” She points down to her leg. “Shit… we were supposed to be talking about something less heavy.” Catherine chuckles but it doesn’t lighten the mood.

“I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have—”

“No, it’s fine Rei. Really, it is.” Catherine seems almost relieved to be telling me this. “Rei, I know I give you shit, but…you're a friend. My friend. I…God, I hate talking about myself like this. I’m a recluse, I don’t like people, mostly. You know that. But at this point you're like family, and there are some things family should know. That said, I’m really glad that you two have your own room. Even family needs some space. Especially when you two are being gross.”

That makes Claire laugh. Wow, I guess we really are that bad, huh? Yeahhhhh.

“Anyways, I’m cool with you knowing,” Catherine says brusquely. “You’ve been there for us both, and I couldn’t have helped Claire nearly as much on my own. God, I have no idea what that first night would have been like if you weren’t there.”

“You were very mad at me,” Claire says, sounding contrite. “It was completely justified, but I don’t know if I could have sorted everything out and mended things myself without Rei there.” Claire slips an arm around my waist and brings me in close.

“Oh, I was furious.” Catherine laughs. “But hey, Rei and I are like partners in this crazy situation, and it’s only fair that she knows my whole deal given everything you’ve shared with me.” She shrugs, trying to play it off, but neither of us are fooled.

I feel a lump in my throat. “Thanks, Catherine. You’re a good friend, and a good sister to Claire. That means a lot.”

Claire beams.

Catherine looks away, but I can see her ears turn pink. I’m not going to make it even more awkward by mentioning it, though. And Claire doesn’t seem inclined to, either. The silence is pretty comfortable, actually.

“Hello, ladies.”

At least it was pretty comfortable.

We all stop walking and turn around to see some random dude approaching us. You’ve gotta be kidding me. He looks way too old to be hitting on us.

“Can I help you?” Claire immediately shifts to an intimidating tone. God, that’s hot.

It makes the guy pause for a second, but it’s not enough to get him to stop or reconsider. Idiot. “Well, maybe I can help you, beautiful. It’s much too nice of a day to be out alone, don’t you think?”

Claire does not look impressed. Catherine shuffles behind her, using Claire as a barrier.

“Might you learn to count then? There are three of us. We are hardly alone.” Claire’s mean voice is doing all sorts of stuff to me. It’s unfairly distracting.

The guy laughs awkwardly. “Come on, don’t you need a guy? Doesn’t look like any of you have boyfriends around.”

I can feel Claire bristle, and her grip on my hand tightens. She quickly glances at me, but I can’t quite tell what she wants. This dude has said three sentences and I already hate him with the fiery passion of a thousand burning suns.

“We are not interested.” I shiver at Claire’s icy tone. God, she is so good at this.

“Sheesh, you could just say you already have a boyfriend.” The guy clicks his tongue in annoyance.

“Excuse you? Leave us alone now before I do something you might regret.” Divine. I’m almost starting to feel a bit jealous of this guy. I never get to see enough of this side of Claire…

The guy finally decides to back off. Coward. No taste at all. He can’t even appreciate how lucky he is to get to see this side of Claire. I barely hear him mumble “bitch” as he walks away.

“Is he gone?” Catherine mumbles from behind us.

“The nerve of that man. I’m practically hugging my wife and he doesn’t even register it.” I can almost feel the steam coming off Claire. Hot. Oh, she’s looking at me. I need to say something.

“Well, I don’t know. We kinda just pass as straight. You're conventionally hot. He probably didn’t even register me with how frumpy I look.”

“Your hoodie is adorable, Rei. It’s not your fault if he had terrible taste.”

“Okay, but nothing about us screams lesbian. And even if it did, guys would still hit on us.”

Claire pouts. “Or Bi.” Oh my God, I love her so much. “Not that I want random men to hit on us, of course.”

“Or Bi. But you know what I mean. I’m not trying to look different, or queer. I don’t really want to be seen like that.”

Claire is still pouting a bit, but I can tell she’s trying to dial it back.

“Do you want to?” I ask.

She sighs. “I don’t know. It feels wrong to hide it. It’s not something we should have to hide. I’m proud of us. I’m proud to be with you.”

Oh, wow.

“But I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable, either. That’s the last thing I want.” Claire squeezes my hand.

I wish I could muster the courage to be out and proud. Claire deserves it. She deserves the best.

Claire places a hand on my cheek. Her touch is so gentle. “We can take that step when you are ready, Rei.” It’s like she can hear my thoughts. “You’ll know when the time is right.”

I really want to believe that. I trust her. I love her.

Maybe one day I can scream it out to the entire world.

Haha. As if.


“Is that really all you want to take?”

Rei has finished packing up, and it’s only a few boxes. “It’s a lot of books.”

“But what about everything else?”

“What about it?”

“Is it not important?” It seems like she is leaving so much behind.

“Not really…I’m not going to use most of this stuff. Like, I don’t need to take the Playstation ‘cause we have a better one already set up. I am taking the 3DS and Vita. But aside from that, I don't know. I don’t need to bring all the models.”

“Are you sure? I thought you liked them.”

“Sure…but not so much that I need to see them every day. I’m fine with knowing that they’re here if I want them. I don't want to flood our space too much, and I’m not sure how much I still want to display some of this stuff. Maybe I’ll take it all with me if we settle down.”

Rei continues to sort her books, completely oblivious to the implications of what she just said. A future together.

“Can we talk about that?” I venture hesitantly.

Rei pauses and turns to look at me, confused. “Talk about what?”

“Our future.”

She processes my words. “Uhhh, what? Where did that come from? Was it something I said?”

“You mentioned bringing all of your things ‘if we settle down’.”

She blinks and panics. “Oh no, should I have not sai—”

“Calm down, Rei,” I say gently. “It’s okay.”

She stops and takes a breath. “Yes. Right. Okay. Umm, so what did you want to talk about?” She’s still so nervous. I need to put those fears to rest.

I can’t help but smile. “Rei, I want a future together.”

She gulps and reddens. But she also smiles. “I want that, too.”

“I want a home, perhaps even a pet. I also want children.”

She looks startled when I mention children. “Ohh. That…hadn’t ever occurred to me. Children.”

“I know you would be a great mother, but that’s a choice we would make together, of course. I just want you to know that’s what I want.”

She nods. “Okay, yeah, wow. Kids. You’ve mentioned that we had children in your past life, but yeah. I’ve never thought about having kids before. I never really considered it an option.”

“We didn’t have much choice in our past life.”

“Huh? What do you mean? Wait, did you get pregnant? WAIT, DID I GET PREGNANT? How? Magic?” Her panicked reaction is adorable, even if she’s jumping to far too many conclusions.

“No, Rei, calm down. After the rebellion there were many orphans. We adopted.”

“Oh. How old were we when that happened?”

“We had just turned seventeen.” Saying it out loud after so long really drives how young we were. I barely had time to dwell on it back then. But we really didn’t have much of a choice. Aleah and May chose us. How were we to say no?

“SEVENTEEN!” Rei nearly jumps from her seat. “Jeez! That feels insane.”

“Things were different. Yes, we were very young. But we couldn’t turn our girls away. They needed us.”

“So we were just thrown into the fire, then?” Rei asks.

“Yes, it was a very difficult time in Bauer. Many people were faced with similar situations..”

Rei looks thoughtful. “But we made it through? Things worked out okay?”

I feel a wide smile spread across my face. “Yes, nothing could stop us. We passed through many tribulations, grand and small. And we were triumphant every time. We had a wonderful family.” Obviously.

“So…here we are again.” Rei looks deep in thought now. “Are we going to keep doing this? I know I want to be with you this time, but what about the next one? Does this keep going? Am I going to go back to that world again, the one you came from?”

“I think so? I think we are in a repeating cycle. A loop, I think it was called. I…it’s going to keep happening, I think. I don’t know what that means for the next one, though. But if you remember, and I don’t, you have to try and find me again. Please.”

Rei takes some time to process that, but it doesn’t take her long to look up at me with determination. “I want to. I know I’ve only known you for a short time but…”

“It feels like you’ve known me forever?” This whole situation would sound insane if it weren’t for this feeling of utter certainty.

“Yeah…every rational thought says it can’t possibly work this way, that magic or whatever isn’t real. But then I see you and…I know I would do it again. Even if I didn’t know, even if I knew nothing, I know all it would take is seeing you and I would feel this way again.” She feels it too. I knew it.

“I could tell, I could tell it was you the moment I saw you, and I could tell you felt the same way I did. I could see it in the way you looked at me.” We are meant to be.

Rei blushes bright red. “Have you seen yourself? How else was I going to look at you?”

“No other way.”

“Exactly.”

“It might be a challenge to convince me next time, just to give you a fair warning.” I know I was not easy to convince in our past life.

“You mean you won't just walk up to me and tell me to date you?” She teases me for that, but I wouldn’t have done it any differently.

And I can’t help but laugh at the idea that the young me would have done that. “No, but you walked right up to me and told me you loved me. What a fright that gave me. Goodness, I could barely understand my own feelings when I was that young. I didn’t even think I deserved to be loved.”

“Of course you did. Of course you always will.”

“And you will have to convince her—that other me—of that.”

Rei nods.

“It will be a challenge,” I warn, “if I don’t remember anything next time.”

“It will be worth it.” She sounds so much like the old Rae when she says that.

“I’ll try to help prepare you as best as I can. You were very well prepared before thanks to that game of yours, and it saved us many times in the past.”

“God, I wish I could find that game. Nothing comes up when I search for Revolution. Nothing that sounds like it, at least.”

“It’s fine, we won't need it this time. I have knowledge that I can pass on to you. We don’t know how much might change, either. As far as I know, we have never shared a life directly in this loop before. I have to imagine many things might be different.”

“So this has happened differently before? Did something change to throw us together this time?”

“I…” Hasn’t it? How? “We stopped the Nur Empire…and then…” Some of my memories from that time are so fuzzy. Why?

“Is something wrong?” My confusion must be showing on my face.

“We stopped an army of demons. I remember that the Nur Empire was expanding aggressively but we stopped them, too. But I can’t remember the specifics. The Nur were fighting the demons, but the demons were working for someone. Someone powerful.” Why can’t I remember who?

Rei looks thoughtful. “Do you think we might have to fight that someone again?”

“No.” No? Why do I know that? “No, I don’t think so.”

“That sounds like it could be important.”

“I know…but I don’t think I can explain it, either. Some of my memories are strangely clouded.”

Administrator, are you prepared for loop one six seven nine…

Who told me that?

Rei looks worried, and I know exactly how she feels. It’s the same feeling I had whenever Rae made cryptic references to her past knowledge. It’s infuriating—the words are lingering just out of reach at the back of my mind, forever eluding me. The truth of the world is beyond my reach right now. But what can I do other than wait until more comes back to me? I will have to be patient and see if the answers make themselves known to me in time.

“I know that whatever comes, we will always face it together, Rei. And I will do my best to prepare you.”

“Okay…um, wow, yeah. This is a lot to take in. We’re really doing this?”

“As long as you want to.”

“I do.” She doesn’t hesitate for a second. Yet another way I know for certain that she is my Rei.

“I do, too. But first we have a lifetime in this world, and I’m sure it will have its own challenges. We are barely spring chickens, after all.”

Rei chuckles. “Yeah, I’m going to keep looking for that game regardless. Maybe it just hasn’t come out yet.” She shrugs as she takes inventory of her books again. “I’m sure I’ll feel ready to tackle all of this as time goes by. Being a parent, huh?”

I slip behind her and gather her into a hug. She sighs and nestles into me. “I loved it. I loved parenting with you and I can’t imagine doing it with anyone else.”

“So how would that even work? You said we adopted in your past life. Are we fated to adopt the same kids again? Would we even kn


ow if they were the same ones?”

“I’m not sure. They came to us from the church. It felt like fate at the time.” Would I recognize May and Aleah in this world? I’d like to think that I would.

“Would you want to adopt again…or would you rather…you know?” The question takes me by surprise.

“Rei, I have no interest in being intimate with anyone other than you, but…if you really wanted to do that with someone else, I guess I might allow it.” I would have to beat back my jealousy first, though.

Rei immediately shivers in revulsion. “Oh God, ewww! No. I didn’t mean it like that. In this world there are other ways to get pregnant. There’s technology for doing it.”

“Oh? Really?”

“Yeah, if you wanted to do it that way it’s always an option. When we’re ready. I don’t know, maybe we should just adopt, but it’s an option…so, yeah. I definitely don’t feel ready yet. Seventeen. Wow.”

It’s good to know we have options. “Yes, we still have plenty of time. We can think about that further when we’re ready. But no matter what we decide, I want you to be the one to name them.”

“Me? Why?”

“I worry that I would want to give them the same names as our daughters before, and then…what happens if they are different? Not the same people? Would I try to make them be the same, even if they’re not? Even if they do end up being the same again, however that might work, it would make me feel better if you named them. Assuming they don’t come to us with names already.” There’s still so much about how this all works that I don’t understand.

“Okay, we can cross that bridge when we come to it. And don’t worry, Claire. I know you’ll be a great mom no matter what happens.”

“Thank you, Rei.” I lay a gentle kiss on the back of her neck and she sighs blissfully.

Whatever is in store for us, we will face it together.


“Misha! Francois-san is going to kill me.”

Misha takes a long deep breath and folds her laptop, laying it to the side on her bed. “What did you do this time?”

“She keeps flirting with me! It’s too much!” I don’t know how I made it through the day with all of  the looks, the glances, the very not accidental touches!

Misha looks dumbstruck. Huh, I don’t think I’ve ever seen that before. “...What?”

“We agreed to take it slow but then she keeps flirting with me and it’s so good and I am GOING to DIE and I need it to stop but I don’t want it to stop when she looks at me with those eyes. Oh God, those eyes, I never understood what it meant when people say it looks like someone’s undressing you with their eyes but then she looks at me and now I understand and I feel like I am going to turn into jelly and melt and turn into dust and scatter into the winds, stardust, I will be stardust and never put back together again!” I need to breathe, dear God. Breathe, Rei!

“Oh boy.”

“Miiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiisha!” I dramatically collapse on the floor next to her bed.

“I can’t help you. I can’t even tell if you want help.” Why won't she help me?

“It’s too much! I ‘m going to OD on Francois-san!”

Misha sighs. “What a problem. Look you have to tell her to cool it if that’s what you want, but I can’t tell if you’re complaining or bragging. Grats on your hot girlfriend, I guess.”

“We aren’t girlfriends yet, and if we were that would mean… everyone would know if we started dating…” I don’t care if everyone thinks I’m an otaku, but…

“You don’t need to go public, but maybe just try it out? I don’t know, if what you said is true, it's also probably an adjustment for her to not be in a relationship with you. Maybe let her have an outlet? Like a date or something.” I swear, it looks like Misha is looking for an escape hatch.

“You think I should bring her on a date ? But, but, but—”

“She said she was married to you in your past life. I’m sure she’ll be happy with whatever, even if you just watch a movie or something. Yeah, just do that. She’s probably never seen a movie, right?” Misha is eyeing the door.

“Maybeee.” What movie would I even show her? Maybe we should try a game instead? She did say would like to see a game earlier. “Sorry, I know I sound insane. I feel like I’m going insane. I’ve been staring at this girl for weeks like an idiot wishing I could do anything to talk to her, and then she just walks up to me and calls me her wife! And now something is happening between us and what if I don’t measure up to her old Rei? What happens when she realizes I’m not who she wants?”

“Ummm… okay maybe I’ve been a little dismissive. This is… well, I don’t think something like this has happened, like, ever. It's like a dumb anime…”

“Those can be fun.” You don’t have to be a snob about them, Misha.

“Whatever you say…”

I huff. She can be so judgy. Still. “Look, thanks for listening. I’m sorry to dump this all on you, I just feel like I don’t know what I’m doing and she just acts like it’s all normal and she has so much faith in me and I don’t understand why. It’s like, she doesn’t  know me, how could she, but then she says something that makes me feel like she knows me better than anyone else ever has. And it’s only been one day!”

“Okay, let's take a step back. Do you want something to happen between you and her? Do you still like her, now that you’re actually talking to her?”

“Yes! I mean yes I do. She’s actually really kind and considerate. I thought that she would… I don’t know, try to downplay things in front of her old friends but then she stuck up for me and made sure they knew she wasn’t okay with them looking down on me, and I wasn’t really expecting that. It was really cool. And they definitely know something is up now, but she was okay with dealing with that.”

“Hmm, yeah that really doesn’t sound like her from what I’ve heard. It’s probably better if she just rips the proverbial band-aid off sooner rather than later. Like, from the rumors I’ve heard, she was kind of a bitch, really keen on climbing the social ladder or whatever. And it doesn’t sound like she acts that way at all now.” Misha shrugs her shoulders.

“I didn’t think you bothered keeping tabs on that kind of stuff.”

“I have my reasons.” Her expression is carefully neutral, but it’s clear she’s hiding something. “I’m sure even people outside of her close circle will notice, but honestly even if it becomes the hot gos for a bit, next week everyone will move on to  something else. Just don’t tell people that it’s because she woke up with new memories. Hell, even telling people that she’s dating you would be a better smokescreen than the truth.”

“Not you too,” I groan.

“I don’t know why you’re complaining when you could just be dating her instead.”

She opens her laptop and turns away, making it clear that Misha-erapy hour is over. I couldn’t just be dating her, right? Could it really be that simple?

Fuck we need an AC.


It’s been a hell of morning, it’s nearly noon…

“So….?”

Claire just hums, questions me. It’s just us again, her mom left, I assume to finally sleep, and Catherine is finally taking her walk.

“How are you doing?” I ask her in turn.

“How am I doing? How are you doing? Mother didn’t… say anything unkind did she?”

“What? No…. No she was… taking it better than I thought she would, we swapped numbers and she gave me a credit card.”

“Oh?”

“Yah, I… I’ll save it for later or something, but umm for getting caught… um… y’know… she didn’t want to kill me…”

That gets Claire to laugh, good.

“So yeah… not too bad. She seems nice. But seriously. How are you doing Claire? That was a lot. You… said she was…”

Claire’s pupils wander to the corner of her eyes, lost in a thought. She looks happy and solemn at the same time. Finally she sighs, “That was a lot, it’s not how I wanted it to happen, but I am glad you were there.” She lets out another long breath, “That was terrifying, I thought I was going to lose everything but I had to tell her. I can scarcely believe I talked to her again… it’s been so long for me, so long. I was a child, it was my sixth birthday and the last words I told her was that I hated her because she and Father had to miss it on account of business. I always wanted to tell her sorry… and I did.” Her voice catches, and she is blinking quickly.

That’s all I need, I hug her, I didn’t even fully realize it till I was holding her. She just leans into it.

“Thank you Rei, I’m glad I did, finally. I told her. It’s real this time… it’s her, I’ll see her again. I… I’m… still trying to wrap my head around it… but it’s good. It finally happened and it needed to happen.”

“Your mom is nice. I’m glad it went the way it did… that could have… gone worse in… so many ways.” Between finding us in a bed, or sending her away to a psych clinic.

We got lucky.

“You're not upset that I told her, are you, or about us?” I can feel her arms tighten around me as her voice wavers a bit.

“Of course not! I was worried but I trust you. And umm… what would you even tell her… you were ....”

She groans, “Don't remind, heavens I thought nothing could phase me after all the times our girls would interrupt us. Having to explain that Mother only hits Mama when she wants it and… that's was your fault by the way , you said they were asleep and that you could be quiet.” She glares at me but quickly breaks into a suggestive grin.

God I would let her do whatever to me…

“I do feel better now.” She finishes.

“Great!... um so now what?”

Claire’s eyes dart to her bed.

“Claire?” I don’t know if I can survive another… session.

I don’t care.

“Oh… I still want to spend the day… if that’s alright, with you. I completely understa-”

“No! No, I'm totally fine. To spend the day.”

Claire grins, “ Good , but… umm don’t worry… I wont…” She smirks, “ Ravage you again, for today at least.” I can’t help but whine, she at least is blushing a little from the comment.

But god I wouldn’t say no.

Shut. Up.

“Umm, I do hope you… enjoyed it at least… before our interruption.”

“YES!” God, why can’t I sound normal, “Yes, that was… god that was great… I… was I okay? I… it felt like…”

I feel a finger on my chin, and it tilts my face back up, I didn’t even register how much I was looking down, but Claire is smiling, “It was wonderful Rei, truly, just relax, it's only the beginning , it’s definitely not a race.”

Oh God.

Oh God.

“I look forward to it again, like I said, even if we start small there is much we can do, afterall restriction breeds creativity .” Oh fuck, that’s a sinful delicous smile.

“Ahhhh, ah, oh wow. Um good, great. Super. Yes… more. Later.”

“Excellent.”

“Okay, soooo, um what now… I… it’s still the weekend… did you want to study more?’

“Spirits no!”

“Huh?” Spirits?

“I know we still have a lot to cover… and Mother is expecting me to meet a level… but I am at my limit for the week. Trust me, we need to take a break or we won’t last. I have seen too many students push themselves too much.”

“Ohh… uh, I meant… nevermind. Yes a break is good, but yah, we will have to start covering more stuff if your mom wants you to take a highschool exam later. Even if it’s soft balled, it’s still going to be a lot…”

“Soft balled?”

“Oh… it’s a base… ball… term…”

I can already see she is completely lost.

“Okay, short version, baseball is a sport slash game, someone throws a ball, the other player wants to hit that ball with a bat, that’s like a club, and send it flying. They are competing against one another so the person throwing the ball, the pitcher is trying to make it hard to hit. Soft balling is when the pitcher makes it easy, I guess if there is a big difference in skill to make it more sporting, or help teach.”

“Oh, okay, that makes sense. I don’t believe we had a sport like that. Hmm, there really are a lot of turn of phrases that I have no basis for. Mother even mentioned a moon landing. Was that also an expression? What is that for? Wait… let me guess.”

Oh she is going to hate it when I tell her…

“It’s not a turn of phrase Claire.”

“Huh… what do you mean.”

“It’s literal, we landed on the moon. We have pictures.”

She can’t help but look out the window, even though it’s midday at this point and the moon is for sure not in view. “What?!”

“Yah… oh boy, yah. We have done a lot. Long short of it, we built a machine like a plane, it flew to the moon. We put a person up there, and they came back. It was very hard, it’s not something we do often, or for a while. Space is not friendly or easy to travel.”

“...Space?”

Oh boy… we were going to get to this eventually.

“The universe is massive, and has a lot of empty space, like a void. Our planet, Earth, the ground we stand on… it’s a ball of rock that’s floating in space. It’s circles around the-

“I’m aware the world orbits around the sun, as does the moon around our world… I just wasn’t aware… it’s… nothing exists outside… if you just go up?”

“Yah… right… god there is so much that you need to build up a model of the universe from what we figured out… so gravity? You understand the basics of gravity?”

“I believe so, things fall, the rate is consistent, from what I understood things theoricall all fall at the same rate, but it’s observed that some things can elude that which is probably due to… you said air pressure right?”

“Yes, exactly, thank god. Yes you have gravity, it’s basics understood. So yah a feather floats slowly because it has a lot of air resistance, because it has a lot of surface area and very little mass. Gravity is pretty important in the universe. Big objects have gravity, the bigger they are, the more gravity they have. And the Earth is big, so it has gravity, it keeps the air here too. We call that the atmosphere. But when you go high enough. There is no air. There is nothing, just empty space. Space.”

Claire nods slowly, good she doesn’t look too confused.

“Gravity is what keeps the moon orbiting around the Earth. It’s floating in space far enough away that it doesn’t crash, but it is also a big rock, just much smaller than earth. The Sun is very far away…. But it is very, very big compared to the earth…”

“Big enough that… Its gravity is what causes the world… Earth to orbit around it?”

“Exactly!”

Claire looks pretty pleased with herself, “So other planets also orbit for that reason as well?”

“Yup, stuff in space likes to attract to bigger bodies, otherwise it just spreads out slowly, less so if it’s a solid but yah. Also space is really cold.”

“Fascinating… we will have to get into it more later. There were conjectures about the nature of the world but this has been enlightening. It’s really impressive what you… we I suppose have done here. Oh… I suppose I do have one other question. Do you know what the sun is?”

“I’ll show you,” a few quick types at my phone… and volia, “Here.” Claire takes a moment to look at the image I found of the sun, it's a decent one I think.

“It’s on fire…?” She sounds a bit in awe… “Of course, it’s a candle… and since it’s so big….”


“I think it’s like a hundred times the size? At least three hundred, thousand times the mass.”

“Ohh… Ohh, how does it… you know what. Another day. This will go one forever if I keep asking questions and I can already see I have no intent to stop. My goodness.”

“Did I never say anything about this before? You know, in the past life?”

“Nothing major, you always claimed you didn't want to spoil stuff. Well more than you or… hrmm. More than things had already been spoiled.” I guess that makes sense, science has a way of complicating things doesn't it?

“Well it’s cool either way, and like with stuff like this we can do things that's fun but also can help build context… we have so many movies about space… like fictional and not everything is going to be accurate but like these are also culture stuff, so like two birds with one stone.”

“Much like Persona?”

“Uhh, yah?”

“Very clever, well… I suggest we do a bit more of that… and perhaps later …”

You have your way with my body.

She smirks, she knows exactly what she is doing to me right now, this isn’t fair. “How about you let me have something to read, I still would like to read your-”

“Veto!”

She pouts, “Rei, surely it’s not-”

“Veto!” I emphasize it by making an X with my arms.

Her pouting continues, oh god please just hold out Rei, don't lose. This is the only time it matters.

“ Fine ,” She exhales, “Something though? I wouldn't mind having a book again, perhaps Pray Love?”

“Sorry, all my copies are at my parent’s.”

“Oh Mel and Van?”

Huh? “Who?”

There is a look of confusion on her face, “Your parents?”

“No?”

“Oh…” She gets lost in thought.

“Was that my parents then? My parents are Ai and Takashi Oohashi. Here.”

“Their… completely different aren't they? Your father isn’t really large and tall?”

Dad? Tall? “Please, he’s barely an inch taller than me.”

“Oh… I… yes, you were adopted there I suppose, your situation… It was unusual in the least.” She remarks.

I can't help but shrug, “I couldn’t tell you.”

She is racking her mind, “Well they were your only family, until me of course, and then the girls.”

Daughters… huh… “Oh well I have a bunch of family here, don’t really talk to them much I suppose, but there is my brother. He can be a brat-”

“You have a brother!?”

Oh was not expecting that, “Uh yah…?”

“Sorry… Hells! I knew that. You’ve told me all this. You just never talked too much about them, and I am just so used to Mel and Van… It’s coming back to me a bit… your brother…. Younger?”

“Yah, his-”

“Shush! I can remember this!”

She is concentrating very hard, maybe I can tease her a bit… “I can give you a hint-”

“Rei hush!... He is younger, his name is… Masao…?” The focus dissolves and she grins.

Huh, yah, that’s still weird. “Wow.”

“I told you.” She gives a good laugh… oh god I love her.

“Yah, well he’s a brat. Anyways I can pick up some books when I’m making a visit.” Oh god Claire is adorable, I can see she is really trying to hold back form asking, she wants to come. “Umm, maybe you could meet-”

“I would love to!”

“Cool. Umm, but yah no books. Yet. I can show you stuff to read on your phone. I read a lot of manga on my phone.”

“Manga is… the picture novels?”

I can’t help but laugh, “Sure.”

“Rei…” She warns, “It’s very dangerous to make fun of your wife.”

Yah, she might punish us.

“I’m not! It’s cute… Yes, it’s like a novel, but it uses a lot of pictures too, and most of the text is just dialogue. Let’s do that, after some Persona.”

“Perfect, sounds like a plan… I really need to unwind after this weekend.”

“Same.”


“Such a gentleman, walking me home.”

Rae blushes and clears her throat, “Well… umm yah.”

She insisted on walking me back to my dorm after our quick dinner, the evening air was nice. This day has been nice.

“Rae-chan, I really enjoyed today.”

She doesn’t shy her face away, but she has trouble looking directly at me, “Thanks Claire-chan.”

“Rae… I should be thanking you.” I can’t help the teasing tone in my voice.

She finally musters the courage to look right at me, she seems so uncertain.

“Really, thank you.” I will repeat it as many times as she needs to hear it. “Today was really special and I’m glad you were willing to give me, this, us, a chance.” I reach to hold both her hands in my own, letting them hang between us.

Her face reddens a bit, dusting her cheeks, “I liked it too.”

“All of it ?”

Her blush deepens and she has to break eye contact again, but she nods. “I… I liked it to C-Claire-chan, I… that was my first…”:

I run my thumb over the back of her hands, “First kiss?”

‘Firstdate!” she shuts her eyes, as if that is a spell that would cease her blushing. I want to kiss her so badly.

Control Claire, you already lost control once today.

“You were my first before too, Rae.”

That surprises her, she looks at me, curious but still flushed. “Uhh?”

I can’t help but laugh and swing our arms gently, “Yes, you were also quite the gentleman on our first date then as well, it was the school fair. I think that was the day I believed you for the first time, that you really loved me. Ahh, but you didn’t make it quite that easy, you were quite the mystery.”

She hums in thought, “So today was alright?”

“Of course.”

“Even playing video games for over three hours?”

“Rae, if we don’t finish that game I will hold it against you.”

She smirks slightly, “You realize that game will take you at least a hundred hours to finish?”

Really? I won’t back down though, as if I would be beaten by a game . “Then we will just have to plan more dates won’t we?”

She gulps, “So that’s… We are dating?”

“Yes… if that’s what you want.”

“You want to date me?” The doubt in her voice needs to be dispelled.

“Rae, I love everything about you, I love being with you, I love how I feel around you, I love when you are being silly, being clever, being incredible, being adorable. I want to do this, again and again.”

She blinks for a second, “That’s a yes?”

“Yes!” This dolt .

Her lips twist into a silly grin, her face can’t contain the joy as it finally sets in and she starts to laugh. I laugh too and just enjoy the moment, hands linked before the dorm building.

“I’ve never done this before!” The joy in her voice is infectious.

“That’s fine.”

“I… is it fine if we… we don’t … can we stay on the down low?” She is smiling but I can see the worry in her eyes.

I won’t let this shatter, “I would scream it from the mountaintops if that’s what I needed to do, and I will stay quiet if that’s what you need from me. I just need to be with you.”

She blushes fiercely again, that may have been a strong proclamation but I don’t regret it in the slightest. She nods, a bit overwhelmed for words.

That is fine, this soft connection between our hands is all I need right now.

This moment can just be .

Rae eventually fidgets however, and I let out a questioning hum.

“I want to do this again.” She looks composed finally, I am a bit impressed but her blush has yet to subside, “I… we will have to do more studying and all that over the week… but next weekend can we do this again? A date? After we do that thing for Achard-san?”

“Of course… I’ll see you at class tomorrow then?”

She nods, and the link between our hands doesn’t break quite yet, she is yet to pull away,

Then she surprises me, she leans in quickly, and I feel a quick kiss placed on my cheek. Just as quick she draws back, she is the brightest I have ever seen her. She seems even surprised with herself and blinks a few times.

“GoodnightClaireIWillSeeYouTomorrow!” She stammers quickly and disengages promptly, leaving me in front of the building by myself. I can’t help but laugh at her awkwardness as she retreats away.

I love her…


It is so cruel that I do not share all my classes with Rae.

Oh how Ironic that when we first shared classes I dreaded seeing her everyday, plotting to have her leave…

Now…

Oh woe is me…

Hmmph.

It’s several hours before my next classes and here I am trapped in between. I should perhaps review my materials again but I have been doing nothing but reading.

I do need a break. I shouldn’t push myself too hard.

Maybe there is a message from Rae.

…

There isn't…

Ugh… I could message her, but she is in a class right now. I don’t want to be a distraction. Well only a distraction when it’s just us. There is something very novel about these instant messages, at least even just reviewing them again is joyful.

Oh Rae, I miss how forward you used to be, but this shy version of you is so wonderful in its own ways. And you are still just as thoughtful. I love that you go out your way to find otter videos for me.

This last one she sent… two otter pups playing… Oh goodness how can they be so cute.

Ahhh….

…I miss having a pet. I doubt we will come upon Reliare again here. I wonder what happened after… I passed on. I barely remember that last dinner.

Rae… how many times have we done these…

Loops?

Bzzzt!

Oh, a message, Rae?

… Lene.

Other people exist than Rae, Claire Francois. Lene must have booked an appointment.

Mademoiselle Claire, I am pleased to say that I was able to book an appointment for Mademoiselle Catherine this Saturday at 9 AM. I should be able to pick you at eight 8:20 AM, please make sure you are ready to leave shortly after I arrive.

Hello Lene, that is wonderful news. I greatly appreciate your expediency on the matter. Thank you very much.

Oh, no thanks are needed Mademoiselle Claire.

But I do appreciate the thought

This is wonderful, I have one additional request, Lene. I am expecting to bring a friend to a social gathering and she is in need of more suiting garments. Would you be able to take us to a tailor to purchase said garments? I was thinking she needs something stylish but a bit casual and perhaps with a more masculine style then feminine. She is not one for dresses.

I could take her to one of your usual places of frequent Mademoiselle if you are looking for clothes? Would that work for you?

Ummm…. Damn it , I would know, wouldn’t I?

I am looking for something less extravagant in price if possible, I do not want her to feel uncomfortable with this gift.

I understand, yes we have a couple places that we can visit then. Is this friend the same one that will be accompanying us?

Yes, her name is Rei Oohashi, I think Catherine would prefer it if we took her back to our home after her appointment. I doubt she would want to join us, and then I would like to make our shopping trip afterwards.

Understood, I will be ready to do such. Please let me know if you need anything else Mademoiselle.

Thank you again Lene, I look forward to seeing you again Saturday.

Success, I can’t help but chuckle. I have much in the way of help, but I am picking up the ways of this other world. Ah I should inform Rae as well that the plans have been finalized for the weekend then.

Hello Rei, Lene has informed me that she has booked an appointment for Catheirne on Saturday, and then we can go afterwards on a short trip to look for clothes. I look forward to the weekend and thank you again for accompanying me.

It will be another wonderful weekend together.


After kinda fucking up before… things have been going really well.

The fuckup wasn’t really that bad either .

I still can’t believe I’m dating Claire. The isekai stuff? Sure , more believable.

She’s amazing. I don’t think anyone in our classes realizes that she knew nothing just four months ago. And now she’s acing her classes.

We’ve even been able to dial back the constant studying. I mean, we still study a lot, but those first few months were brutal . We still have a lot of other things to cover but she’s getting there, faster than I ever would have thought.

And that’s given us more time. We still spend a lot of that time together, but it’s more fun stuff. And a lot of kissing. God, I love kissing Claire.

She’s making her way through Persona at a good pace. We recruited Makoto, the Best Girl , and Claire loves her. It’s a sign—she really is the one. And she told me she just finished PrayLove. All of it. Six light novels.

She has opinions on it. I think she was a little harsh on the first one. Like, I know the writing was maybe a bit… lacking at first but it gets so good once it gets rolling. Even if Lady Shouko dies in the second book. Claire did agree it gets better in book two. And she agreed that the strongest element of the novels was the characterization. She likes the characters a lot, and I might have had to help explain some of the themes that were baked into the Christian parts but she picked it up really fast, just like with everything else she does. She was already kinda familiar with some aspects of the religious themes; it sounds like the religion from her old life had some similarities. She really liked it.

She’s the one.

So now it’s time to bring it up. Or soon.

I might be nervous. I’ll mention it later.

I knock on the door to her dorm, and almost immediately Claire is there.

“Rei!” She grabs my hand and wow, she’s really excited. “I have an excellent surprise for you.”

I can hear Catherine sigh from the sofa. Is that relief ?

“Take a seat. This will just take a moment.”

She pops open the fridge and quickly pulls out… are those the ramekins? She doesn't say a word and fishes out the mini torch she handed me before. Okay… I’m a little nervous now .

She gives it a test flick and then… oh she’s doing it this time? Really?

She’s very focused as she goes from one ramekin to the next, and soon enough she finishes with an “ah hah!” She turns around with a spoon and dish in her hand and a very proud look on her face. Adorable.

“I made you some.” Her smile starts to look a little nervous. “It… wasn't easy, but I think I got it after a few tries.”

“A few dozen you mean,” comes the voice from the sofa.

“Hush, you.” Claire clicks her teeth in adorable annoyance.

“I don’t think I can eat another pudding for a long time, thanks to you. And didn’t you say you did fire magic before?”

“I don’t see how that’s relevant.” She's pouting.

“For a firebender you sure set off the fire alarm too many times.”

“Hush! There were no problems this time. Enough comments from the gallery. Rei, would you like to try some?”

She still looks nervous, but the banter did help.

“I would love to try some, Claire.”

God, I love her smile. She moves forward and hands me the dish. The top is warm, but the bottom is still cool. “Please be honest about how it is. I fear Catherine’s and my palates may have been… overexposed.”

The spoon crunches through the crust and dips into the pudding below. When I’ve scooped up a bit of both I give it a try. Ooooh, I can see why she kept bringing it up. It’s smooth and the crust is kinda like rock candy. “Wow, Claire, that’s really good.” I dip my spoon back in for a second sample.

She jumps in place and cheers and I can’t help but smile. “Oh thank goodness! I really had no talent for cooking before, but this time I thought maybe I could learn.”

“I’m not complaining.”

“You might when you are the tester.” Catherine sounds a bit dead. Oh come on, was it really that bad?

I don’t respond to Catherine, mostly because I’m taking a third bite. This is good. Even if the first few runs are rough, I’d stick through it. This is totally worth it.

Claire has also taken a dish for herself and is enjoying it. “I wish I had learned to make these sooner. These really are such a delight. Deceptively simple in theory but in practice they are a test of skill and proficiency.”

“Catherine, would you like one?” Claire says after she finishes savoring her bite.

“No…”

“It would be rude to not offer.” Claire feels the need to explain.

“No… besides Melia is going to be here soon to pick me up. So you two saps can be gross without me… just stay off the sofa if you do.”

“We’re not animals, Catherine.”

“ Suuuuure .” Catherine sounds super convinced . But like… I really like kissing Claire. It's not my fault.

“So, what did you have in mind for today, Rei?”

“I thought we could maybe chill… we could crack open Netflix and start the anime version of Dungeon Meshi if you want.”

I hear Catherine groan.

Did I just say Netflix and chill ? I swear I didn’t mean it like that.

Her eyes light up. “Oh, that sounds delightful. Apparently Pepi and Loretta have been watching it together too. They’re enjoying it, by their account, and I think they may have had a breakthrough .”

“Breakthrough?”

“The sort where they kiss each other.”

“ Ohhhh, that’s good for them, I guess.” I'm happy if she's happy .

Claire looks extremely pleased. “It is.”

“Okay, I’m off. I’ll see you later.” Catherine stands up and stretches. Once done she narrows her eyes at us. “No funny business on the sofa.” She points two fingers to her eyes and then at us.

Once she’s out the door Claire sticks her tongue out at her.

That cracks me up. God, I love her.

Claire washes the dishes and I get the TV ready. Wow—we haven’t really used it for much considering how big it is. I wonder if I can hook up my laptop. Maybe we can play some Persona on it later?

Claire pulls me backwards onto the sofa with her. I don’t really resist as Netflix loads.

“So this is like the… not three dee parts in Persona, the hand animated parts, you said?”

“Yes, exactly, it’s going to look like the manga, just in color. And moving. And voiced.”

She hums, and I hit play. The intro starts to play. The narrator explains the golden kingdom and then the fight with the red dragon happens.

She wraps her arms around me and God , I love this. The little things. Just being with her. She doesn’t interrupt anything, but I can feel that she’s enjoying it. She gets so focused when she does, really only laughing at the funny bits. And when she gets excited over scenes she squeezes me. Soon enough, the first episode ends and Claire finally lets out everything she was holding in.

“That was fantastic! Everything you have shown me can do so much more than any of the plays and productions from Bauer. And the animation is so beautiful and impressive. The way the dragon was moving was so colorful and fluid.”

“You liked it?” I’m grinning as I try to look up at her.

“I loved it! Could we watch the next one?”

“Sure, I think we can do a couple more.”

“That sounds wonderful.”

It does.


“Come on, Claire, just relax. Last minute cramming is not going to help”. Like I’m one to talk. I’m not sure which one of us is more anxious. Oh God, what happens if she fails? Rei, just calm down, this is not helping.

“I know! Just…” Claire sighs and closes her book. “I don’t want to let Mother down.”

I slide next to her on the sofa. “I know, and you won’t, Claire. You’ve been getting ready for this for months. And you were top of the class last term when you had to learn literally everything. You aced the finals. I’m proud of you.” I slip my hand into hers and she squeezes it gently.

“You’re right, Rei, you’re right.” She sets the book down on the sofa arm and fidgets anxiously with her free hand before setting it deliberately on her knee. “There is just so much to remember. What if there is a question about a movie I’ve never heard of that is a cultural touchstone? What if I misremember some part of history?”

I’m worried too, but she needs me to ground her. “Your mom said it would be a high school level test. I don’t think she’s trying to set you up to fail. Most high schoolers these days haven’t heard of most movies anyway. All they watch is YouTube and TikTok.”

Claire nervously chews on her lip. I guess that didn’t help. Should we have watched more YouTube and TikTok to prepare? I doubt TikTok was on her mom’s radar.

“Claire, have some tea and just relax. She’s going to be here soon, and the best thing you can do is center yourself and stop stressing. That’s what you always told me for our other tests.”

She sighs. “And that’s what you told me back in our past life. Years of working as a teacher proved that right time and again. The stakes here just feel…well, not dire exactly, but …”

“I know.” We’re still holding hands and I stand to pull her up from the sofa. She doesn’t resist as I bring her to the kitchen. “Make yourself some tea.”

She nods. “You’re right.” She gives me a quick kiss on the cheek—almost half a year and that’s still like the best thing in the world—and opens the cupboard to pull out a mug for her tea.

I can see her start to relax as she focuses on the physical task in front of her. She really has taken to making tea in the past few months and by now she does a pretty good job of it. It’s cute how much effort she put into it, along with anything related to cooking. There were a lot of interesting attempts at first. To be honest there still are, but she never gives up and I love that about her. I will always be there to help and encourage her.

Before long she’s leaning against the counter and blowing on a steaming mug of tea cupped in both hands. I love how she looks relaxing in the kitchen of our cozy shared apartment. I love that I get to have this every day. I never thought I would love how domestic this all feels. But with Claire it all feels so right.

Claire’s shoulders relax as she takes a tentative sip of her hot tea. She looks up at me and smiles.

I love you, Rei. At this point she doesn’t even have to say it; I can just hear it in her smile.

I love you too, Claire. She holds my gaze as she takes another sip, then jumps at a perfunctory knock on the door and the sound of a key turning in the lock.

We both look over to see Claire’s mom, Melia, enter. She’s dressed casually in jeans and a stylish sweater, so she must have taken the day off from work. Not always a guarantee for her weekends after all. Melia is carrying a large laptop bag.

“Hello, girls.”

“Mother!” Claire puts her mug down and runs to hug her mom. Melia is quick to catch her and return the hug. They both look so happy. After they break apart, Claire is fidgety and anxious again. “I’m…nervous,” she admits quietly.

Melia puts a hand on Claire’s cheek. “I don’t think you have anything to worry about. You’re my daughter, after all.”

Claire swallows. I can see that’s really stirred up a lot of emotions for her. But it invigorates her and she steels herself. There’s a fiery look of determination in her eyes. “You’re right, I’m Claire Francois. I never fail.” She shoots me a grin, and she lets out her absolutely perfect and divine cackle. I love her so much.

“Perfect.” Melia opens her bag and pulls out a thick stack of papers and an old-school calculator. “Whenever you’re ready, this is the test I prepared. You will have three hours. You can’t use your phone or any books or notes, but you can use this calculator. You can have a fifteen minute break at the halfway point if you want, and when you’re finished with the exam I will review it personally.” She radiates calm confidence as she sets the papers and calculator on the counter. “Where would be most comfortable for you to write this?”

“I think it will be less distracting to do it here at the counter.” Claire pulls a barstool up to the spacious kitchen counter with its cool stone countertop. “And I will also have tea nearby whenever I need it. I assume tea is allowed?” .

Melia nods. “Is there anything you want to do before we start?”

Claire thinks for a second but then shakes her head. “No, I am ready.”

They both smile.

You can do this, Claire.


It’s only been two months in and we already have a big exam. This sucks. At least I get to study with Claire for it. She was also eager to study together too. We are breaking her rule of studying on the weekend, but it is a big exam. And she did agree that extra studying is needed. It’s mostly been just that so far. We’ve been mostly just reading and going over material for the last hour.

“Rei?” Claire breaks the silence of our reading, there is a want in her prompting. I can’t help but swallow. She’s going to tease me isn’t she?

God pleasssssssse.

“Yes?” Ok that sounded a little squeamish, but I think I’m getting better at holding it together.

“I think you… we are due for a break… and do you think…” oh no, oh yes, “ You could make crème brûlée?”

Huh?

“As a treat. The sugar will help.”

Ok. That's not what I was expecting… at all. I thought she - no, stop. That's a dangerous road to go down.

Go down on me.

SHUT UP.

Okay. Focus. Crème brûlée? Can I make that?

She's looking at me expectantly, and I make the mistake of looking right at her beautiful glittering blue eyes. I need to say I can’t before it’s too late.

“Sure!”

Fuck.

She beams at me, her smile breaks wide and her hands tremble in joy. “Catherine, her crème brûlée is divine.” There is a hum of acknowledgement from the sofa.

Oh… Divine ?

How hard can it be?

Do we even have the ingredients? Maybe I can postpone it for later once I figure out what I need to do. “We will have to get ingredients and it’s getting a bit la-”

“Oh don’t worry, I may have already gotten everything we will need.” Oh she looks so proud of herself. It would be cute if I… wasn't kinda… umm… worried. “Is everything all right Rei?”

“Of course.”

Liar.

I gulp. Okay, it can’t be that bad though, right? It’s just pudding and you light the top on fire right? I’m overthinking this, obviously, I do that all the time . I can find a recipe online, I bet I can even find a video. I’m def overthinking this. I can do this. Claire is going to love it.

“Great, okay, umm just let me get it ready, I’ll need to find a recipe but let's give it a go.”

“Oh?” Claire tilts her head, her brow furls in question. Don’t make her worry! We got this!

“Don’t worry I totally got this.” I try really hard to sound confident, and Claire smiles again. We. Are. Good. To. Go.

Ok, Let's take stock of their fridge, it’s easy enough to find a recipe, six ingredients, okay that doesn’t sound too bad. I pull everything together, what’s a water bath? Hmm, I don’t see a baking pan around here, it's too late to pull back, there is no way I can tell her no. Everything else is here, Claire even brings out the little dishes to make it in, oh those are the ramekins. Ok this is making more sense. I have never had to whisk egg yolks before but it doesn’t seem too complicated? Easy?

Okay, now to let them bake. The recipe said they need like thirty minutes or so. Claire is sitting on the sofa with Catherine chatting. Sounds like she is trying to get her to try reading Dungeon Meshi again.

God I love her sooooooo much.

My phone buzzes, that’s the timer. Have to check them now.

I think I did that right? They kinda jiggle.

In the fridge they go I guess, this is going to take some time. It says they need at least four hours to cool before they are ready after baking. It's probably ideal that they get the suggested one to two days but I don't want to make Claire wait that long. It'll be fiiiiine.

“So they are going to… take a bit.”

“Oh I’m well aware. You would either let it sit for several hours, or if you planned ahead you had them ready for the next day.”

Well… I didn’t get to plan ahead.

“Okay… yeah. Right. So… it’s okay to finish them in four hours?”

“Of course! Oh the anticipation, Thank you Rei.” She shimmies from the excitement. God it’s so fucking cute. This will be fine.

“Cool, cool. Um, so do you want to get some more studying done in the meantime?”

“Yes, that was a good change of pace. I always enjoy watching you cook.”

“Oh… ahaha, thanks?”

She smiles. “I can’t wait, but you're right. We should get some studying in and it will help pass the time at least.” She’s very eager.

And she is right, we have a lot more materials to cover. It’s still surprising how much she has been able to accomplish in a short time. She is so incredible, and here I am stressing about making a crème brûlée? Did she notice how little I knew while doing it? Rae must have known the recipe by heart, she didn’t have to check her phone for it. She could probably make it in her sleep.

Shit, I have to set the timer. Okay that should be good now.

Four hours.

Just… have to wait.