“Dungeon Meshi is such a fascinating read. It starts off with a somewhat silly tone and premise but it just keeps spinning into something much more complex and it’s so poignant with it's themes. About abuse, living, surviving . People and their relationship to the world. The characters are all so wonderfully deep and fleshed out. Every character, even the minor ones feel relevant and contribute to the whole of the story. And it manages to be so charming the whole time, it’s never dull, or too dark to not make you laugh and it’s so beautifully illustrated.”

It’s so nice to enjoy a break with the girls, having snacks and drinks. My regaling of Dungeon Meshi is having mixed results though.

Loretta blinks slowly, she has been listening, but I’m not sure she is really listening . “That sounds neat Claire-chan.”

Pepi groans and pools on the table, “The Otaku ruined her…”

“It’s not that bad…” Loretta says.

“Whatever do you mean?”

“I can’t believe you are talking about an anime . Anime !”

“Manga, I haven’t watched the anime version. Rae said we could once I finish.”

“God that's worse.” Pepi practically exhales the statement.

“I… it’s an excellent read.” I don’t appreciate her tone.

“It’s otaku stuff!”

“I don’t see the problem.”

“Yah, it’s not really that bad. I’ve watched a few Shonen stuff.” See! Loretta doesn’t think it’s so bad!

“Are you kidding me?” Oh, Pepi looks thoroughly repulsed, “That’s like for stupid teenage boys!”

Loretta blushes, “What? It’s not that bad, it’s… like fun and stuff.”

Pepi just makes another face at her, I think she might be reconsidering her attraction at this moment.

“Come now Pepi, fine art is not restricted to a specific medium. And traditional writings are not except from rubbish quality.”

“Sure, but anime is like… you know?”

“No?”

“Are you for real? You would have never even thought about it before.” She’s not really answering the question.

“Okay, and I would have been wrong. And I would have never read Dungeon Meshi before, which would have been tragic."

“It can't be that good .” What is so hard to believe about this.

“I disagree, it is.” I’ve been talking a lot about it haven't I? I feel parched and could use another sip of my tea. “I can’t speak of the quality of manga, or anime in general. I still have a few volumes left of Dungeon Meshi before I would consider something else after all, but Rae has been quick to say that the medium is full of examples of great and equally atrocious works. If anything, that is the case of all mediums in my experience.”

“I’ve seen bits online, the anime does look funny.” Loretta says.

“Can you stop?” Pepi groans at Loretta’s further perceived exacerbations.

“Jeez.” Loretta pouts and looks away.

Pepi, treat your wife better than that!

“Look, I’m sure if you gave it a try you might like it too? Why not watch it with Loretta?”

Pepi’s eyes quickly narrow at me, I can see she sees my suggestion for what it is. And what are you going to do about it, Pepi?

“Look I’m not watching that fantasy otaku crap, and there is no way Loretta-chan wants to either.”

“I… Oh?” Loretta sounds dejected at the rejection. See!?I

“What?”

“I don’t know… I would have if you wanted to if…”

“Wait? Did you want to watch it?”

“I don’t know… maybe?” Loretta averts her gaze down and to the side, a little self-conscious. “Claire-chan says it’s good, and it might be fun to watch it together.”

“Why don’t we just watch something else?” It sounds like Pepi is almost pleading with Loretta, this is fascinating to watch.

“God, if you suggest another drama… come on! Haven’t you caught me falling asleep to those at least twice now.”

“I… those were just slower-”

“I don’t want to watch another drama . I’m not saying I want to watch anime , but I don’t know… this might be fun. I used to watch some with my brother when we were kids and like… Come on Claire said it’s good. It’s not like she would say that about anything.”

“She didn’t ever talk about anything before!”

“Yah, well this is better!”

“It’s better that she's talking about anime?”

“God Pepi, look no one fucking cares here anymore. Like even Claire lightened up! I like this better. Like sure high school sucked; I was never girly enough, Why are you so muscular, you're too tall, are you even wearing makeup? Fuck, I’m sick of that of that shit, and now people here don’t have the same stick up their ass.”

“ I like how muscular you are.” Pepi just barely mumbles.

“Huh?”

“Nothing, it’s not like you had a monopoly on bull shit. You know how often I got treated as poor? Because Poppa never expanded his business? He could have, but he didn’t want to, he was happy running one location, and it was very successful but that’s not what everyone thought.”

“I know, it sucked.”

“Yes!” Pepi seems like she is fighting, but it’s met with no resistance. Loretta is agreeing.

“And like… it’s over.”

“Yes Pepi-chan, it’s different now. I wish I did more… but it’s better now isn't it? I feel better.”

“I think it’s better.” Loretta adds.

“But… I don’t know… I… everything wasn’t supposed to change this much…”

“Not all change is bad.” I sympathize, a lot must have changed. Not even considering my drastic shift.

“Yah! I want to watch the anime. Come on Pepi….” Loretta focuses on Pepi.

Pepi swallows, oh there is such a need to reject on her face, but she really doesn’t want to say no to Loretta either.

“Just think, you could watch it together, Pepi-chan.” Just accept it, Pepi.

“Ugh, fine , we can watch one episode tonight, but if it sucks I’m not watching another.”

“That’s not fair, you made me watch so many stupid dramas, I can’t even remember their names.”

“One” Pepie repeats.

“I don't think you even liked half of them! The guys are always so dull.”

“It wasn’t about liking the guys. We had to know what people were talking about Loretta!”

“I’d rather know what Claire is talking about.” Loretta huffs in annoyance.

“Aawww, Loretta.” That’s so sweet of her. That, however, causes her to blush fiercely. Oh, right . She fidgets with arm as it washes over her.

“ Are you fucking serious .” Pepi mumbles under her breath, apologies Pepi. She exhales, “We start with one.”

Loretta cools down a bit and eyes Pepi, “Fine, but if you like it we will watch more.”

“ If ”

Loretta pumps her fist in victory, “We watch it tonight then.”

Pepi groans, “Only if you buy me good snacks. I want ice cream. Häagen-Dazs ”

Loretta shrugs, “Sure. It’s a date.”

“Right…” There is the barest blush on Pepi, you should just ask her already.

“You okay there Pepi.” See , you haven’t even been subtle about it recently, even Loretta is noticing it.

“Claire-chan, so what’s going on with you and that otaku anyways… she said you went on a date. You aren’t really…” Pepi is attempting to steer the conversation away from herself.

“Yeah…” And of course it works on Loretta.

Oh well , “Dating you mean?”

“Yah?”

“Between just us, yes, it's really happening. Nothing has changed. She doesn’t want to be out about it yet.”

“Hmm, okay.” Pepi is rolling the idea around in her head. She’s not particularly fond of it.

“So, you’re actually dating her?” Loretta asks, she sounds a little dejected, but whatever edge there was directed at Rae before seems to have dulled significantly. “It’s weird.”

“Yah.” Pepi echoes, eager to be aligned with Loretta again.

“She’s… polite I guess.” Loretta seems to struggle to say a nice thing about her.

“She’s cute.” Oh, that sounded too much like a correction. “She is polite too, more than she needs to be honestly. It’s fun when she lets herself be silly.”

“Even if you wanted to date a girl, like couldn’t you have… picked someone with more…” Pepi won't let it go.

“I didn’t want to date a girl, I wanted to date Rae . I honestly can’t even imagine dating anyone else.”

“Well you seem happy now at least.” Loretta concedes, and takes a big gulp from her drink.

“Yes, thank you Loretta”

“ Kiss ass. ” Pepi mumbles, this time Loretta does catch it and glares at her. So Pepi just sticks her tongue out.

I need to do something. “Have you two thought of dating?”

That causes Pepi to start a coughing fit.


Loretta pays it little mind though. “Hrmm, I don’t know Claire-chan. Guys seem… whatever around here. And it’s not like any guys were asking me out before.” She shrugs. Hrmm, it really does not seem as if Loretta has even considered it.

Pepi has though. I can’t help but grin as I turn back to her. Oh she is frustrated with me. This is for your own good. “And what of you Pepi-chan? No prospects for yourself?”

“No.” Pepi says through gritted teeth.

“Really?” Loretta says.

“I know , and she’s so pretty isn’t she?”

“Claire…”

“Yah I thought people would have been lining up to at least ask you since we got here. I don’t know… you're not like me…” Loretta is being too dismissive of herself.

“Nonsense Loretta, you are very handsome. I’m sure Pepi would agree-”

THUNK

Oh heavens, that stings. I probably earned that. Only slightly . I’m quite sure even Loretta heard that kick. Pepi shows no shame.

“Uhhh, did you…? Are you okay Claire-chan?”

I have to inhale through my teeth for a moment. “Oh must have slipped, it rather smarts but I will persevere.” Loretta still looks concerned even with my assuages, and Pepi is just short of pouting. Oh my shin feels raw from that strike. “ You do think Pepi-chan is pretty, don't you Loretta-chan?” I already bring my legs in tighter to fend off a second blow.

Loretta turns back to Pepi and decides to take in her appearance. Showing a focus she usually only uses for physical activities. Pepi freezes, like an animal exposed to lantern light.

“Yah. She is pretty, even by pretty standards. Not as-”

“You are so correct.” That was a close call, I had to stop her from sticking her foot in her mouth. Your wife does not need to hear that I'm pretty. “I think anyone would be lucky if they were to date someone like her. Isn’t that right?”

“Yah, honestly I don’t get why you haven’t. Didn’t some guy ask you out last week?”

Pepi finally recovers, and rolls her eyes. “Ugh, I was not going to date him .”

“I… don’t know. All guys seem kinda… meh to me. I thought maybe he was-”

“He wasn't. And I don’t know if I want to be dating any guys right now.”

“Well maybe no guys per say, but how-”

I’m ready for it this time, I pull my legs away, just feeling the air rush past and I dodge Pepi’s kick this time.

“Huh? What’s going on.”

“NOTHING!” Pepi, you are only looking more suspicious.

“Whatever do you mean?”

Loretta slows blinks. Twice. Thrice. “Okay?”

“I think you should consider what type of person you would like to date Loretta. That might make it easier to find them. Try envisioning them.”

Pepi is glaring at me.

“Hrmm, I don’t know… I can’t really think of a guy I think would look good…”

See Pepi?

“What about personality? What sort of character would you like?”

Loretta ponders. She really has not considered it has she. “I don’t know? Someone… huh... maybe… someone that is kind, even if they can seem a bit prickly. I want them to be loyal. I don't know, I would have to know them well I think”

I take another glance at Pepi and she has turned her sight downwards, a little difficult to read.

“Those sound like good qualities. Think on it some more, I’m sure someone will become obvious as you think about it.”

“I… guess. How about you, Pepi-chan? What are you looking for?” Loretta spends little energy thinking deeply on the matter before directing the question back to Pepi.

Pepi fidgets, “I… maybe someone muscular.” She looks up back to Loretta. Is she testing the waters?

Good.

Loretta nods. “Makes sense.” Loretta .

“I wouldn't mind if they were a bit dense, as long as they try to make up for it.”

“God, I know what you mean. Things just seem to fly over my head, but I try to make sure I'm on the same page with everyone.”

And there, I can see the little hope Pepi had, leave her body as she sighs heavily, and once again she pools on the table.

“ I’m doomed .” She mumbles with her face pressed to the table.

Little steps, we will get there .

“Oooh, having some girl talk are we?” A soft, but slightly baritone voice sounds off to the side.

Oh, it’s Yu. I’m really not used to this voice.

“Yu-san, how nice to see you. What brings you over?” I’ve had so few opportunities to see her since the party.

Her brow raises high and she dons a smile like a mask. “Oh you know, just around. Saw you three and thought I might say hello. Thank you very much Claire-chan.” Something tells me she doesn't really trust me, and I can’t fault her from what I gathered.

“How have your classes been? You are welcome to join our girl talk.” I wave to one of the seats at the table, “Feel free to have some snacks we brought, we have potato chips. They're delightful.” So crisp.

Yu glances at the spread, she considers it. She's always been cautious and that hasn’t changed. “Well if you don’t mind me intruding on you girls, I think I would enjoy that.” She smiles and pulls a seat for herself.

Loretta and Pepi both look a bit unsure.

“So what were you gossiping about?” Yu takes a chip and grins, she always enjoyed gossip.

“Unfortunately not quite gossip. I was telling the girls how good Dungeon Meshi is.”

“Claire-chan!” Pepi is just shy of shouting.

“Yu-san is fine. Really, and well right before you arrived we might have talked a bit about romance.”

“Oh.” Yu savors a second chip. “Romance is an interesting topic for you now isn’t it? So what exactly is going on between you and Rae-chan? Hmm?”

“Oh I’m sure you figured it out. You are quite clever.”

“Thank you, but honestly I’m still trying to figure out a fair bit of it. Like the why ?”

“Rae, is your friend right? You’ve known each since highschool?”

“Yes. Maybe not as close as Misha is, but yes.” She could have elaborated more.

“Well I like her, I mean it genuinely.”

Yu leans back, inscrutable as she tends to be. “Hrmmm, so what was that with Thane then?”

I need to give a truthful answer, or she will just suspect something is amiss. “I think I was making a poor choice, and I didn’t really think through my feelings or Thane-san feelings very well if I am being honest. I’m glad I realized it and stopped before I did something that would have hurt him.”

Yu nods along, a contemplative mask wielded. “And Rae is different?”

“Very, I love her.”

I can see Pepi gag from the corner of my eye. Have some dignity.

Yu at least finds it funny and chuckles. “Well, color me surprised.” She grins and pops another chip into her mouth.

“What of yourself Yu-san? Are there any prospects? I couldn't help but notice you were with Misha-chan when we saw each other last.”

That causes her to squirm, a rare treat. “And what about her?”

“You tell me.” It’s my turn to grin.

She doesn’t like that, she knows I know about Misha. “ Fucking Rae …”

“Haha, hardly. I can just be observant too Yu-chan.”

She quirks her brow, I guess she must be skeptical. “Nothing’s going on.”

“But…?”

“Nothing.” That was curt.

“Why not?”

“Because there is nothing going.” Oh that is a stained smile. Misha was also very hesitant to really say one way or another on this topic too. Even after I explained what I knew.

“Fine, could I offer an opinion?”

“You could certainly try.” She smirks.

“I think it’s a good match.”

She sighs, but doesn’t really offer much of a rebuttal to the point. Instead she diverts. “I have a question for you if you don’t mind. All of you.”

“Huh?” Loretta snaps away from her phone, when had she pulled that out? Pepi looks a bit wary.

“Of course, what is it?”

“Forgive me for being blunt but I’m curious how you all became acquainted. Pepi-chan and Loretta-chan, you don’t exactly punch in the same weight class as someone like Claire-chan here. Pepi, your family runs and owns a successful grocery super store. And Loretta-chan, your’s runs an old and well established martial arts school. Not unimpressive so to say, but hardly in the realm of an heiress of Francois .”

That remark strikes hard on their morale.

“Yu-san, that’s hardly appropriate.”

Both of them still look shamed. I… we were all nobles before, and true I was elevated above them but the way Yu implied it. It was as is…


 I don’t really know anything about their current lives, do I?

“Apologies, I was just curious what brought you together. I don’t consider it a bad thing, just you never really struck me before as the sort.” She doesn't seem intent on abandoning the topic.

I… how did I become friends with them here? I know how it happened in Bauer… but I didn’t meet either of them till just a few years ago from what I have gathered. What can I say?

“I… met them in highschool…?” Curses why did I sound like I was asking.

Pepi looks confused, of course she would be. I’m supposed to know this. She wants to ask, but instead she turns back to Yu. “Yes, we met in highschool. We were in the same class. Claire didn’t really like most of the other kids but she could stand us at least.”

“Oh how altruistic of her.”

“Hey!” Loretta snaps at Yu’s comment. “She looked out for us. You weren’t at that shit school.”

Yu raises her hands, trying to look appeasing. “All right, all right. Forgive me.”

“It’s fine, really. I understand, I haven’t always been the best person to be around. Trust me I know that.” Please girls, there is no need to snap at Yu.

“Hey, it wasn't that bad.” Oh Loretta, weren’t you saying how much more enjoyable I am to be around now. You're not at fault for that Claire . I’ll just make it better.

“It’s fine Loretta.” She still looks hesitant, she’s being very protective. “None of us are perfect, and I certainly wasn’t.

“So you’re all friends then?” Yu serves one more question.

That should be obvious.

“Well-”

“She’s-”

“Yes.” I say, stopping from Pepi and Loretta, I know they were going to say something dismissive. We serve Lady Claire. We are beneath her. It was the same tone. “You are my friends, and I don’t want that to change.”

Loretta looks overwhelmed with emotion.

Pepi looks more discerning, she’s puzzling something. That’s more worrying.

“You’re quite the merry bunch.” Another cool remark from Yu.

“And I enjoy talking to you as well, Yu-san.” I mean it.

There is a smile, genuine. I think she believes me, but unsurprisingly she finds sincerity hard to return. “Touché.” She smirks and eats another chip.

“What have you been up to, Yu-san?”

She glances to the side, and looks a little bored with the question. “Well classes are dreadfully boring, aside from that I suppose I’m just keeping tabs on everything. Never hurts to know what’s going around.”

“Ever the girl for gossip.”

Yu looks at me oddly… shite , I just said- “ Well if only … anyways I think I’ve taken up enough of your time, and your chips.” Curses, she sounds a bit terse and she pushes herself up. Her mask is back in full and she hides behind a false smile. “It was a pleasure, Claire-san and friends . Thank you and till next time.”

Lorette and Pepi say a goodbye, one couched out of politeness.

“It was a pleasure Yu-san, if you don’t mind we should meet up again when we have time. We could do something with Misha-chan and Rae-chan.”

She considers, “That sounds like it would be delightful.” She nods and then takes her leave.

“What’s up with him?” Loretta says once Yu disappears from view.

“Guys always get so touchy whenever you make any feminine suggestion.” Pepi remarks.

“I…” That was a stupid slip up. “I didn’t mean to upset him .”

“Ehh, he’d probably be cuter as a girl.” Loretta remarks and takes a sip from her drink. It sounds empty and she pouts. “Damn… you know what. I need a walk anyways. You want a drink? I’m going to go get another.”

“Nah.”

“Thank you, but I’m fine.”

Loretta pops up quickly and makes her way to the nearby convenience store. Pepi is eying me.

“Yu-chan?”

“Oh… did I?” Did I? Curses, why can't I sound nonchalant ?

“You know you’re just making me more suspicious right?”

I groan, “Fine, yes. It was a slip of the tongue.”

“Twice.”

I don’t appreciate where this is going.

“And when he asked about us… Claire-chan… how did we meet?” Her eyes are trying to bore into me.

Oh hells . “In highschool.” School yourself Claire. Simple statements. No pauses or hesitations.

Pepi narrows her eyes. “You know that's not what I am asking.”

“Does it matter the specifics?”

She flinches at the edge in my voice. I immediately feel bad, but she recovers quickly. She swallows. “You don’t know.”

She said it. She's figured it out.

“I don’t.”

Her eyes go wide. That wasn't supposed to be correct. “What? How?”

“It's rather hard to believe or explain.”

“What the fuck are you talking about? You can’t be serious? You forgot? Are you just a different person? Is this that Otaku’s fault?”

“Her name is Rae.”

That causes her to shrink a bit again, is that fear? That's wrong.

“I’m sorry, and it’s not her fault.”

Pepi lips flap silently, for a moment, “You need to tell me something Claire-chan.”

“Can I trust you won't tell anyone?”

“What do you mean?... Is something bad going to… you’re worrying me now.” There is a faint amount of panic building up in her.

“Nothing bad is going to happen, but this is… I can’t let many people know. I want to tell you, I trust you but I need you to know what I say is in all seriousness and must stay between us.”

She looks hesitant, worried, maybe even scared.

“I promise, it’s just peculiar, not bad.”

She sighs. “Fine, I need to know what the fuck is going on with you.”

“Language.” I have to shake my head, “Fine, I don’t have memories from this life anymore. I have memories from a different life.”

She's silent for what seems to be nearly half a minute. “That’s not funny.”

“It’s not.”

“You can’t be serious, what the fuck does that mean?”

“ Language , please. It’s what I said. I lived a life in a different world. We were all there, you, Loretta, even Yu…san. And of course Rae.”

“A different world?”

“Yes.”

“Claire you have to tell fu-”

“I am not fucking with you.” I let out a deep breath. Goodness. “You are the fifth person I have told. Rae knows. Catherine knows. Misha knows. Mother knows. And now you know.”

“What am I supposed to do about this? Can we fix this?” She's grasping for something.

“Do? Nothing. What is there to fix? From all accounts that I have pierced together I seemed barely awake, I wasn’t there.”

“You… it wasn’t…”

“Pepi, please tell me the truth.”

“Look it wasn’t always… sometimes you would be…” Her eyes dart back and forth, as if she is trying to replay all her memories. “You… were very hard to read. I thought you were distant at first but I guess you were just… depressed … You didn’t really talk to people much. You would do what was needed in classes, and sometimes you would put people in their place. But you helped us?”

“I think that’s because you are my friends.”

She looks quite unsure about everything, her eyes glisten faintly.

“I don’t know what was going on. I think I was not there, or just barely. But it came back, all of it, when I saw Rae that day, and I don’t remember anything from this life.”

“What’s so special about her?”

“She’s my wife.”

Pepi chokes, “What?”

“I said I love her, didn't I? We married. We had two daughters.”

Pepi is stunned.

“I’m sorry, this is a lot to take in.”

“I…” She's at a complete loss.

“I’m sorry for not telling you… I was still trying to figure out everything.”

She takes a long breath and stares at the table. “This is just what it is now?”

“I know I’m not the Claire you knew, and I know you two cared for her. But I do care for you two immensely.”

“I… I don’t know what to make of this… So you're… like okay with this? This is fine?”

“Yes, truthfully. It’s been a lot to learn, but I have enjoyed every moment of it. And I’m so glad that I still have you in my life.”

“What was it like… we were…”

“Friends of course. We first met much younger. Early in school. The two of you were learning music and I stopped some crass classmates from belittling Loretta for her inexperience. We were always close, and when we all matured, our friendship really flourished. I’m glad to have been there for you two. It's not often I get to be the maid of honor for two people at one wedding.”

“What?” She stutters. Oh, I hadn’t meant to reveal that yet. “No. Nononono, you can’t be serious!”

“I… yes. I suppose it’s pointless to deny it


 at this point.”

“Loretta? What! That's how you knew?” She’s doing all she can to not shout.

I can’t help but sigh, “Yes, honestly it took me far too long to realize what was going on between you two. I only caught on when I caught you two in the act.”

“wE weRe HavINg sEx!” She’s beaming very brightly and barely coherent.

“Heavens no… I only meant you were in the midst of kissing very passionately… I have never caught you two in that act.”

“But we’re both girls…”

“ And? I married a woman.” It's hardly that complicated.

“Look that’s… that can’t happen?”

“Why not? You want it to happen.” I know I'm right.

She swallows.

“It’s not a bad thing, in fact it is a very good thing.”

“But Loretta is…”

“Loretta has no clue, because she is Loretta . You tell her and it will click in.”

“I have to tELl her?”

“Of course, that or wait till you both boil over and one of you snaps.”

“Is… did that happen? Wait did I… what did I do?”

“No more spoiling. I’m not tampering with this anymore than I already have.”

“Oh bullshit! Like I couldn’t see you trying to play matchmaker.”

“Matchmaker?”

We both turn, and Loretta is there with a new drink in hand. A sports drink I think?

Pepi is staring at Loretta, and she is slowly turning oh very flush. This is a bit fun, I wish I had got to enjoy this awkward romance before too. A second chance is fine too.

“Oh, just something about… Yu-san. It’s not important.” Loretta shrugs. Excellent, she doesn’t suspect a thing. Hardly a major achievement, but still, a victory is a victory.

“You okay Pepi?”

“Completely.” Pepi says through her teeth.

Loretta takes her seat again, and Pepi does everything to not look at Loretta.

“Pepi… I know it’s a lot, but don’t worry too much okay? We can talk more about it later.”

Her blush starts to die down, she looks more collected now. Accepting. “Okay, fine.” She at least gives me a smile, and I return it.

“Huh? Wait, are you trying to get together with Yu-san?”

Pepi’s face twist into a grimace from that comment and she turns to Loretta, “God you're so fucking thick.”

Poor Loretta looks confused. Still, it’s not as if Loretta was too scared to make the first move.


 Woah , that was amazing. I feel like I’m still trying to catch my breath. And so is Claire. I can feel how happy she is . Wow, that was amazing. I can’t believe it. She’s lying next to me on the sofa. Naked. We just had sex.

Amazing sex.

The door creaks, and there is a gasp.

“On the sofa? MY SOFA! What did I say? I asked for ONE THING! Really? Fuuuuuuck! That’s it! We are getting a place with our own PRIVATE rooms. Oh my god, please put on some clothes. Why the SOFA? I SIT THERE!” Catherine is just shy of shrieking. Oh god I want to die . She has trouble looking at us, I mean I'm also having trouble looking at her. Claire looks nonplussed. How? “Seriously, this is not happening again! MY SOFA. MINE! No sex! We are looking for an apartment the minute you put on clothes. God!” Catherine backs out of the room and slams the door shut.

Claire chuckles.

Fuck.

Now that I’ve cooled off a bit it’s easy to notice what a mess we’ve made. Our bras and panties are flung wherever and the rest of our clothes are pooled on the floor.

God, this was embarrassing.

“The first time is mortifying,” Claire remarks. “I suppose it was a poor choice to use the sofa. It…just… happened . I’ll apologize.”

I can’t help but groan. Claire laughs and then nestles me into her boobs. Boobs… Woah, hey… wow that’s… what was I worried about?

“You okay there, Rei?”

“ Mhmhmhm .”

They're so soft…

“A large apartment doesn't sound so bad.”

“ Mhmhm .”

“It would give us more privacy, and separate bedrooms. ” She grins and raises an eyebrow. We could have a room for sex? Oh. My. God. “We wouldn’t always be in Catherine’s way. Maybe a better kitchen, too…”

“ Mhhm .”

“Would you want to join me, Rei?”

“ Mmm - wait what?” Huh?

I pull myself away from the warm, safe breasts. Claire looks a little shy.

She’s being serious.

“You want me to move in with you?”

She nods. “I understand if it’s a lot to consider…”

It is a lot,right? That would be moving kinda fast, which is a little scary.

But I want to.

I really want to.

It feels right.

“Let’s do it!”

Claire looks surprised. I’m surprised at myself .

“Are you sure?”

“Yes! God, I know it sounds insane, and maybe I’m still floating on cloud nine.”

“You can wait. Think about it.” She’s always so patient with me.

But…

“No… I want this.” I do. Fuck, I really do.

She smiles.

“I really do. I know it might be hard and things might not always go great. I might mess up.”

“I might mess up too, Rei,” Claire says softly.

“But we’ll be there for each other, right? I want to do this. Make it work. Now and the next time.”

She looks like she might cry—no she actually is crying. A tear rolls down her face. She places a hand on my cheek and pulls me in for a soft kiss.

“Together,” she says once she pulls back.

I’m grinning. “Always.”

BANG! BANG!

“YOU DEVIANTS BETTER HAVE YOUR BARE ASSES OFF OF MY SOFA!!”

Claire sighs. “I really need to apologize to her.”


I blink.

I’m not sure where I am. This certainly doesn’t look like where I was before. Where was I exactly, before ? With Rae, right? The girls were there too.

I remember being so very tired.

But I’m not tired anymore. If anything I feel amazing, revitalized.

Is this a classroom? It’s not like the academy, but the atmosphere feels similar. The desks are wrong—everything looks way shinier and slick. There are many young people, books in hand, some writing notes, even a board with notes scribbled on it. The attire is odd and foreign. Am I in another country? They all seem to be caught up in their own business. Some are sitting with books open, some are in coverstations. Some hold strange flat objects in their hands with glowing surfaces. Magic? It’s hard to tell. Regardless, no one seems to be paying me any heed.

Except for one person.

I notice her looking at me from across the classroom and feel a shock of instant recognition. It’s Rae. We make eye contact and I can’t help but smile at seeing her cute, familiar face. Strangely, she blushes bright red and immediately turns away. That is… odd to say the least. Rae is normally not one to shy away, especially from me. It’s almost innocent. She is also dressed differently in this new setting, though unsurprisingly she is wearing something more masculine—pants and a big sweater. It’s handsome and a little cute, and it really suits her.

She surely knows what is going on, right? She is still so caught up in avoiding eye contact that she hardly notices me walking right up to her.

“Rae…” I can’t keep the playful tease out of my tone. Even after all these years together, her name is still a joy to say.

She jumps in her seat and fumbles. “I wasn't staring!” She is still bright red and panicking. Why?

“What’s wrong? I don’t mind if you stare. What’s going on?”

Rae blanks and just stares at me. I can see the gears spinning in her head, “What?”

“What? You act as though it is a crime to stare at your wife.” I can’t help but give a good chuckle, the way she likes it. It’s silly, but I always feel proud of how it elicits such a reaction from her.

And this time it elicits quite the reaction indeed. I did not think Rae could turn more red. Her lips flap wordless before she finally croaks, “Wife?”

“Yes. Wife . Rae, are you okay? What is going on, why are you acting like this?” I keep my voice level, though I can feel my heart thud in my chest. She looks worried. Something is off. What is going on?

She takes a survey of the surrounding area as if to ensure a secret won't be spilled. “What are you talking about? We’ve never talked before today.” Her voice is hushed and very frazzled.

“You’re Rae Taylor.” What is going on?

She looks a bit uncomfortable and her brow furrows. “My name is Oohashi, Oohashi Rei. Who is Rei Taylor?”

Oohashi. That’s…

“Rae, where are we?” I glance at our surroundings again. I should be able to at least recognize some elements, right? Even if this isn’t Bauer. Why is nothing familiar?

“...Tokyo University?” Rae answers, confused. Tokyo? “It’s not Rei, it’s Ooh-”

“And where is that?” I feel like I already know what she is going to say.

“Where is what? We’re in Tokyo, right? In Japan? Are you okay, Francois-san?” She looks concerned.

Francois-san ? “Oh no, we are not doing this again, Rae. It took forever to beat ‘Claire-sama’ out of you. We are not regressing to Francois-san. It’s Claire, just Claire.” I snap.

She looks confused but blushes and feebly nods her head without arguing.

Japan? “Rae, this is where you grew up. This is where you’re from.” Did I…?

“Ummmm, what are you talking about?” Does she really not remember anything?

Is it just me who remembers? This is Rae’s old life, Rei Oohashi. From before she met me in Bauer. “You don’t know me…?” I’m starting to understand. It’s just me. I am the stranger here. Our history is gone. The realization constricts my heart like a vice.

Rae bounces through a rapid array of emotions, concern and confusion painting her face. “Well ummm, we’re classmates, I guess? You’re … Francios Claire. I don’t know what’s going on, but if this is a joke or something….”

“No! It’s not a joke. I would never do that to you.” I swallow. This is what Rae went through, right? She was a lost soul, reincarnated into Bauer from a previous life. I must have done the same thing and now I am in her old life.

I didn’t notice how young she looks until now; how the years have been erased. My memory of the past feels fuzzy,  but by the end I don’t  think we were young anymore. Our girls looked older than she does here.

What did she call that thing that happened to her? “Okay, Rae this is going to sound odd, but you told me before that you ikasaid? Is that the word? Ikusaid?”

Rae blinks, slowly. “Isekai?” The disbelief in her tone is very audible.

“Yes! That! You said you isekaid into my world before, and I think I have just done the same thing into this world.” This has to help her understand. Please believe me, Rae.

Rae blinks again, and then grimaces. “Look, I don’t know what joke you’re trying to pull on me but—”

“It is not a joke, Rae!” I reach for her hand and hold it.

Her blush lights up her entire face again. She almost looks like she wants to pull back her hand, but can’t follow through. “This isn’t funny, Francois-san.”

“I’m being serious. I can prove it!” Wait, can I? This is a big gamble. What if everything is different? The version of my world that she remembered wasn’t exactly the same as mine, and chances are it would be the same here. I know so much about her, but if it’s not the same…

Rae eyes the area around us. Are we drawing too much attention? She eyes my hand on hers and looks very uncomfortable.

I have to take a risk. “When you were in middle school, you had a friend you had a crush on, Kosaki, but she had a crush on Misaki, and he had a crush on Shiko, and she had a crush on you.”

Rae is stunned. Her eyes go wide with shock. I’m right! I can see it in her eyes. She opens her mouth twice before finally saying, “We can’t talk about this here.” Her eyes narrow. She pulls her hand out of my grasp and stands up, grabbing a bag that she slings on her shoulder. “Follow me.”

She leads me out of the room and starts traveling down long halls, weaving through many rooms. This is a university, she said, like the academy. There are so many students here. Everything is so different from Bauer. Is this my life now? What am I doing here? I don’t know anything about this world outside of what Rae told me.

“We’re almost there. The library should have some private rooms.” Rae interrupts my thoughts, leading us into a large open chamber full of shelves lined with thousands of books. There are so many that I can’t help but stare. We quickly pass several desks with glowing boxes on top, and then she opens a closed room. She says a quick hello and peeks inside. There isn’t a response. “Good, this one is empty.” She gestures me inside and then closes the door behind us.

The room is small and has a table with several chairs. There is an odd portrait on the wall, a shiny black picture. Is that supposed to be art ? I should sit down. As I do, I feel the weight of a bag I have been carrying this whole time on my shoulder. It’s somewhat similar to the one Rae is carrying. There is so much to take in; it’s overwhelming.

Rae also looks overwhelmed as well, albeit in a different way. She hasn’t deigned to sit down yet. Instead she has been pacing the small room for a bit. It’s best to let her sort her thoughts when she gets like this.

“How did you know about that?” she finally asks, stopping in place and turning to face me. She looks so fragile. I know why she looks hurt because of what she told me in our past lives. Part of me is relieved that she’s finally taking me seriously, but I know how much the memory has always hurt for her.

“You told me about it, in our past life. It has alway been very important to you. It was one of the first things you told me about your old life here, about the four of you. And the second thing you told me was about Misaki.” Please believe me, Rae.

She swallows hard. “You said…you said he. No one… only a few of us knew.” Rae struggles to say it. It was painful for her to tell me the first time, and I can tell it still feels so raw for her.

I get up and she eyes me warily. I can see the tears start to well in


 her eyes.

“Why do you know that?” Her voice is so small.

I move closer to her, putting her within arms reach. “It wasn’t your fault, Rae.” She pales and the tears start to flow. I can’t help but draw her into a hug. She is stiff at first, but then she chokes a sob and loosens. I hold her tightly and circle my hands across her back gently. After a short while I can easily tell when it’s time to loosen and let her go.

I take a step back and she looks at me, in a daze. “How?”

“I don’t know. I think some of my memories from later in life are less clear, but they are there. I might… have passed on…” I can only guess, but it’s what happened with Rae, so it cannot be that much of a stretch to think it could have been the same with me in my past life. I can have a second life with Rae, though. Just like we both wanted. “You did so much for me in that past life. I love you, Rae.” I can feel my eyes water. I want to use this chance to help her this time. It’s my turn .

Rae blushes again and turns away. This younger Rae is so adorable. “Please, if you are fucking with me, you have to tell me.”

“Rae, you are my wife and the love of my life. You came into my world and upended it in spectacular fashion. You saved me time and time again. You told me of your past life here, about how your friend Shiko helped you realize you were a lesbian, how your friends reconciled after your awkward crushes, and how Misaki couldn’t bear to live his life as the wrong gender. Your…” I pause, not sure if I should voice the conclusion. Rae said her life was miserable once she ventured into adulthood, empty. But it doesn’t have to be like that anymore! And telling her about the way it ended doesn’t feel right. “I want to be here for you in this life, Rae!”

“You want to be with me?” Rae is unable to look at me. An embarrassed Rae was a rare treat before but now… well it would hardly be unfair of me to enjoy it after all the teasing she put me through. Rae draws out a stressed, noteless hum. “What are you saying, Francois-san?”

“I do, romantically and physically. In body and mind.” I can’t help but enjoy being the one so sure this time. Rae makes her way to a chair and collapses, as though her legs have  turned to jelly. This is fun , but pushing too hard might be a bit cruel. She doesn’t know me here, as much as it makes my heart ache to understand that. “But only if that’s what you want. I… I know this is a lot to take in and you don’t seem to really know me here. It took me a while to come around in our last life. I don’t want you to feel like you have to do this.”

“Who said I didn’t want to do this! I mean…” She looks up at me as she says it, then her mouth hangs open. She blushes, again. “I mean…”

“Rae.” She swallows as I say her name again. “You don’t have to rush to a decision. It’s a lot to take in—” I’m interrupted by something shaking in my bag, playing a muffled tune. “What is that?”

“Huh?” She sounds dazed.

I open the bag and look inside.“What is doing that?” The sound is more audible now, and I can quickly find the offending object. I pull out a small flat thin slate that has a glowing picture, similar to the ones I saw some students holding in the classroom. Words are written on it. Incoming call… Catherine ? There even looks to be a small portrait of Catherine, albeit younger than the last time I saw her. What is this, Rae?

“Oh my God… you really don’t know anything from here…” The amazement in her voice is slightly worrying.

“What is this Rae? What am I supposed to do with it?” The object continues to vibrate and play its tune.

“Oh fuck, swipe the green circle with your finger—someone’s trying to talk to you right now.” Her language startles me. She jumps up and closes the distance. “Do you recognize the name of the caller? Wait do you even know—”

“Yes, she is a friend. I don’t think that has changed.” I follow Rae’s instructions and the circle moves under my finger and then disappears. The tune stops and a new image forms and Catherine’s name is now clearly displayed with several symbols below it. “Is this magic? Rae, you said there wasn’t magic here.”

“...Hello?” I nearly drop the object as Catherine’s voice emerges from it. Wind magic, maybe? Rae gestures to bring the device up to my ear.

“Hello?” Am I doing this correctly? Rae gives me a thumbs up.

“Oh good, I caught you Claire… Umm look, I know this is probably a huge pain but we’re out of ibuprofen and I would really appreciate it if you could get some on your way back. I know you probably don’t want to, but I kinda don’t want to die here.”

Die ? “Of course I can get that for you. Ah, where would I be able to obtain such a thing?”

I can hear Cathering let out an exasperated sigh. “Look, Claire, you don’t have to be sarcastic about it.”

“What? No! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it that way.” I move the object away from my face, “Rae, how do I get…that thing she asked for?”

Catherine’s voice still comes through even though I moved the object away from my ear.  “Claire, hello? I can still hear you.”

“Errrr, um, Francois-san, let me talk to her.” She is still calling me Francois-san ?

I pass the object to Rae and she starts to speak to it. “Hi, I’m so sorry, this is Oohashi. I’m with Francois-san and she is feeling a bit off right now. We can pick up the ibuprofen for you. Uhh, is the brand important? Oh, and can you let me know how to get to you?” Thankfully Rae seems to understand what is needed, and is quite polite too.

There is a bit of silence, then Catherine’s voice starts up again, “The brand isn’t important. Is Claire-chan okay? Why can’t she get here on her own? She isn’t using you as a lackey, is she?”

I couldn’t help but overhear that troubling implication. Oh dear . But more importantly, Rae realized that I don’t know how to get home. If we are in school I suppose I might live in a dorm. Is Catherine my roommate again? “Catherine, it’s okay. Can you please let Rae know how to find  you? It’s as she said. I am frightfully dizzy and she is helping me get back. We will get that ibu—ibuprofen for you.” I hope I said it correctly.

“Rae? Seriously? Okay fine, whatever . We are in Dormitory Sendagi, room six-seven-two. Please don’t take too long. Bye.” The sound cuts out and the object then dims and goes black. Rae hands it back to me.

“What is this? You specifically told me magic didn’t exist here.” I can’t help but turn the object over in my hand. The front side is glass, and the back side is some sort of metal?

Rea lets out a long breath. “Ooooooh boy, oh wow, you don’t know technology. You don’t know technology. Fuuuuck.”

“Rae! Language.” I can’t help but chide her.

She just quirks an eyebrow but doesn’t argue with me. “Okay so, this isn’t magic, it’s technology. It’s a phone. It’s a device that does a lot of things, but its primary function is to do what it just did. Phone other people.”

“A phone phones?” That doesn’t explain anything.

“Uh yeah. Oh God, there are going to be so many words and terms that you don’t know. Umm, how much technology did you have before?” Rae’s anxiety is starting to be worrying.

“Nothing remotely like this. Let’s see, the printing press was a recent invention but judging from your library something tells me that is trivial now…” I think I might be starting to see the problem. but it can’t be that bad… right ?

“Fuck, okay, okay, you just need a crash course about… everything. We can do that. No problem.” She pauses and takes a breath. Her eyes widen as the thought sinks in fully. “Um, Francois-san we might need to tell your friend. She’s your roommate, right? I don’t think we can do this on our own.” Rae is trying to be calm but I can hear how anxious this is making her.

It’s probably not wise to tell too many people, but I can’t keep it from everyone, right? Outside of Rae, there have to be at least a few others. “I think Catherine…chan would help, if she’s the same as she was before. So… are you saying you believe me?”

Rae pauses and a light blush dusts her cheeks. She casts her eyes to the side. “I don’t have a better explanation, and for some reason I don’t think you’re trying to lie or mess with me. Maybe you have a weird amnesia, but even then I can’t explain how you would know all those things


 about me.”

“Thank you, Rae.” I can’t help but smile. Relief floods through me. I wanted to be the one to help her, but even now she is helping me. I should be doing a better job of this.

“Sure, sure, any time. Um, about all that other stuff. The, ummm, wife stuff.” She is struggling and blushing bright red, but I just nod and let her go at her own pace. She gulps. “You are like, reeeeeally attractive and I would be—” her voice drops until it’s close to a whisper , “— lying if I said you weren’t my type.. But I… if we’re actually going to…can we take it slow? A lot is happening right now, and I’m not exactly out of the closet, publicly, I mean. I don’t think I’m ready for that.”

“Closet? Oh, closet, yes you used that metaphor before. No I understand, at times in Bauer things could also be cruel for… well, ‘non-heteronormative’ people as you put it. I want to be with you again, but I don’t want to rush you either. Just don’t leave me waiting too long, okay?” It’s a concession I am willing to make, but it doesn’t make it easier on my heart. She is right there. It would be so easy to just reach out… but alas.

Rae chuckles nervously. “Okay, well, let's start by finding your friend. Can I look through your bag? You should have a wallet in there. I hate to say it, but I’m kinda broke and I can’t cover your friend’s medicine.”

“Oh, it’s medicine? What is it for?  It’s not serious is it?” I feel a surge of concern. Catherine did mention that she didn’t want to die.

“What? Oh, no, probably not, at least I don’t think so. Ibuprofen is a type of painkiller, one of many. It’s used to help manage minor aches and pains. I use it when period cramps get bad.”

“Wait, you have something to help with those?” Is medicine so freely available here?

“Oh,” Rae smirks. “Yeah I guess we do. Welcome to the twenty-first century.” Her grin sends an arrow straight to my heart.

“Oh, don’t get too cheeky now Rae—we always had you and your healing magic before.” I shoot back.

“Wait, I had magic?” The idea seems to be a very tantalizing one for her.

“We both did. We were quite amazing at it, if I do say so myself.” I fix my gaze on her and give her my best classic villainess chortle. At least in our old life, it was her favorite.

Judging from her silly smile and blush, it’s still her favorite in this life too.


I stir as the light streaming through the curtains warms my face. There is a delightful weight spread across me in the cramped bed. As I slowly pry my eyes open, the first thing I can make out is Rei nestled into me, curled up at my side with one arm and leg thrown over my body. She is adorable. It’s hard to shift my weight, but I manage to turn around just enough to make out the clock on the bedside table.

Just past seven in the morning.

Early-ish.

“Rei,” I say softly.

“Not yet…” She mumbles. She must have been up late reading.

“I need to get up, Rei.”

She just mumbles something else unintelligible and tightens around me. This will be challenging.

I do need to get up. It’s becoming rather urgent. It’s hard to dislodge Rei without stirring her too much, but I manage. It’s not the first time I’ve had to do this, nor will it be the last. I’ll let her sleep a bit longer. Right now I need the bathroom, and then maybe some breakfast. Or at least some tea.

When I finally make it downstairs, it’s quiet. The only other person who is up and awake is Rei’s father, sitting at the kitchen table reading the newspaper.

“Good morning, Oohashi-san.”

He looks up from his paper, and nods. “Good morning, Claire-san. Did you sleep well?”

“I did, thank you. Is that fresh tea?” My eyes are drawn to the steaming teapot on the counter.

“Yes, help yourself.” He gestures to the teapot before returning to his newspaper. His demeanor reminds me of Father, in a way.

My timing is excellent—the tea is still piping hot, and I pour myself a cup. It’s green and has a pleasant grassy smell. A perfect way to start my morning.

“Thank you again for welcoming me into your home, Oohashi-san.” It really has been a delightful visit.

He turns a page of his paper. “Of course. You’re Rei’s partner, so we could hardly do otherwise. Even if the relationship was quite sudden.”

“I appreciate it. I know it was unexpected when Rei first introduced me.”

“It was. I didn’t expect the situation to turn out this way.”

That’s a strange thing to say. “What do you mean?”

“This whole thing has been a learning process. One day I get a call from the school telling me Rei is being bullied and called a lesbian. At first I thought it was just kids being cruel and there was no truth to it. There was no way my kid could be like that.” The way he says it in such a neutral tone irks me. It seems some backwards attitudes do persist between worlds.

“But she is your child,” I can’t help but reply. Gaah, I didn’t mean to use such a combative tone. I hope—

“She is, and I love her. That will never change.” Oh. Perhaps I’ve misjudged him. I listen patiently as he continues. “Being like that, being queer, I know it’s difficult. The way Rei reacted made me realize it was true, and the worst part was that there wasn't anything I could do to help her. Not on my own. Ai found a support group for gay people and their families. I was hesitant to go at first—I wasn’t sure if this was the right thing for us. For Rei. But I decided to go to a meeting just to observe, after talking with the group’s facilitator. There were a lot of different kinds of people there, young, old, in all stages of life. It wasn’t what I expected. Honestly, most of the people there were, well, normal. It was hearing the kids talk about their experiences that convinced me. Several of them were also being bullied, but the group was helping them. They just wanted to be themselves and live their lives like everyone else.”

I have never heard him say so much all at once. The few times we have conversed, he has been a man of few words. He puts his paper down and sighs. I can tell how hard this has been for him, and how much he has wanted to talk with someone about it. I want to be careful, since Rei’s family is still forming an impression of me. For all of the differences between Bauer and here, so many of the struggles remain the same.

“None of this is ever easy,” I offer gently. “I’ve had to fight for many of my friends because they were different. And coming to terms with my own identity wasn’t easy either. Everyone has their own journey.”

He nods. I’m glad he’s taking the conversation seriously. “Is it better where you’re from, at least? In France?”

Hmmmmm. If only I could talk about where I’m really from. “I’m not certain, if I’m being honest. I was still fairly young when I moved to Japan, and…I didn’t realize it about myself until I met Rei.”

He nods again. “There are so many things we don’t notice until they affect our own lives. Ai was so much better at adapting than I was. I said some things to Rei at the time that I wish I could take back, but I made sure we kept going to the support group. It felt like I lost my daughter after it happened—she was so bright and passionate before the bullying started, and then it was like she shut down. That was the worst part. But we moved forward together, and she made new friends in high school. Ai and I made sure she went somewhere where she could get a fresh start. Where the kids couldn’t have known. Things were getting better, and then her old friend…passed away. I was glad we were still going to that support group, but that was hard.”

“There are some things that you never recover from, not completely.” We have all endured so much loss.

He takes a breath. “When it happened…that’s when it hit me. I could also lose Rei. I knew I had to do everything in my power to keep that from happening. That kid had no family support. I was so angry at the kid’s parents for letting it happen, what they put them through. Any last doubts I had about supporting Rei vanished after that. Her happiness and safety are what matters.”

Tears prick the corners of my eyes as I hear how earnestly Rei’s father speaks about this. He loves his daughter so much. I suddenly miss my own father fiercely. The ache of his absence is mixed with an ache of gratitude for Rei’s supportive family. Our life in this world has so much potential with family like this in it. We are very lucky.

I also can’t help but think of Yu. She also would have tried to silently bear the pain of her condition for her entire life had Rae not done something. But for how long could she have managed?

“I know Rei appreciates your love and support a great deal, as do I. What Misaki’s family did was unspeakably cruel. I can’t imagine doing that to my own child.”

He sighs heavily. “Do your parents know…about you? And Rei?”

“Yes, they have always been supportive.” Yet another thing to be grateful for, here and in our past life.

“Good.” I can tell he means it.

“I am truly lucky. I was terrified that Mother would not approve. She found out…in an inopportune way.” Truly mortifying.

“And your father?”

“He passed away when I was very young…I know he would have loved Rei, though.” I have many criticisms of Father, but he was always supportive. I miss him.

“I’m sorry for your loss.” He takes a sip of his tea. “Well, all of that said, I have my daughter back again. I can see how happy and hopeful she is, for the first time in a long time. And I think I have you to thank for that.” There’s a small, wistful smile on his face.

“She’s helped me, too. We’re very happy together.”

He nods. “Good, good. I hope I’ve helped Ai, after all the ways she’s helped me. As long as you treat Rei right, you will always be welcome here.”

“Thank you, Oohashi-san.”

“You don’t need to be so formal, Claire-san, Takashi-san will do.” It makes me happy to hear him say that. I really feel like we’ve connected during this conversation.

“Thank you so much, Takashi-san. Rei is lucky to have such a wonderful family.”

“We’re better off together because we’re a family. I couldn’t have done it without Ai.”

“You better not be telling her embarrassing stuff, Dad.” I turn and see Rei has shambled down the stairs. She rubs her eyes, and brushes tangled, messy hair out of her face. She’s so cute.

“Good morning Rei. You could have slept in a bit more if you wanted,” I tell her.

“I woke up and you weren’t there…” She mumbles as she shuffles over and pours herself some tea. Oh, bless her.

“If you want to hear some embarrassing stories, there was the time Rei cried over a television show. I don’t remember exactly what it was—magic girls or something? The show ended and you were upset that the villainess was gone.”

Rei snaps out of her stupor and narrows her eyes at her father. “I don’t remember this. You’re making it up.”

Rei’s dad smiles. “You were six.”

“Sounds fake,” Rei counters.

“She was upset for days.” Takashi looks at me with a grin. I wish I could have seen it.

“Don’t listen to him.”

“It does sound like you, Rei.” I can’t help but grin too.

“I rememb


er the ridiculous laugh that villaness had.” Takashi-san chuckles. “What a cackle.”

“Rei has a type.” I can’t help but chuckle too, and Rei groans.

After we stop, Rei sighs and takes a long drink of her tea.

“How are you doing, kiddo?” Takashi-san asks.

“Tired. Still waking up.” Rei says after she sets her cup down, missing the deeper meaning of the question. But her father looks pleased regardless. “She was really cool, Claire.” Rei whispers.

“Was her cackle as good as mine, though?”

“I…of course not.” Rei’s face scrunches and turns beet red. “No more questions.”

“So, any plans for your last day before you two head back?”

“Not really. We have a bit of packing to do. Like I mentioned, our new place has a lot more room than the dorm so I wanted to take some stuff back. But other than that I thought we’d just spend a bit more time here at home. It’s been nice being back for a few days.”

“It’s been great having you back, kiddo.”

“I’m not a kid anymore, Dad.” Aww, her pout is adorable.

Takashi-san just hums, content, and opens up his paper again.

Rei turns to me. “Was there anything in particular you wanted to do today? You said Lene will be here around one, right?”

“Yes, she said she might even arrive earlier if traffic isn’t bad. I think I am happy just helping you pack up, whenever you are ready to start doing that.”

“Okay, sure. Let's have some breakfast first.”

“Oh, would you mind if I tried making crepes?” I really want to do something nice for our last day here.

Rei stiffens slightly. Rei!

“I found a recipe in one of your Mother’s cookbooks. It seems easy enough.”

“Oh.” She relaxes a bit. “Uh, sure. Let me help you.”

“It's a rather simple recipe, and your mother's cooking advice has been very helpful. I’m sure I can do it.”

She leans into me. “Looking forward to it, Claire.”


Claire looks like a wreck.

All of her nervous energy has returned now that we’re back in front of the apartment. She reaches for the door handle, pauses, and withdraws her hand. Then she runs that same hand through her hair in frustration.

God, it’s adorable. Okay, get it together, Rei. Claire’s having a hard time right now and needs your support.

I peek at Catherine, and she grimaces.

Seems like this one’s on me.

“I can open the door if you want,” I offer.

“No. No. I can do this. I just…”

She reaches for the door handle again and sighs. After a moment more she finally inserts the key and pushes the door open.

Melia is leaning against the counter, a mug of tea in her hands. She really does look so much like Claire. She looks up as we walk in.

“You’re back.” Her tone is level. I was hoping she would sound excited or something. Fuck, even sounding upset or disappointed would feel better than completely neutral. We have no idea what to expect. It’s maddening.

Claire nods. “Yes, I assume you had time to finish grading?” She enters the apartment and both Catherine and I follow her in. I close the door behind us.

“I have.” Melia takes a sip from her tea. I make a silent vow never to play poker with this woman.

Claire looks tense, but she marches forward and takes a seat at the counter, ready to receive her judgment. “I am ready.”

Melia nods. “It’s clear that you still have a lot left to learn.”

It chips away at Claire’s confidence, but she recovers quickly. “I know. I don’t intend to stop.”

Melia nods again. She sets her mug down and pulls up a stool so she can sit across to Claire. “Good. Because no one ever stops learning. And Rei is right—no one has perfect knowledge. That's only human. How do you feel you did?”

Claire inhales. “I know there was a lot that…I could not fully answer. History, culture, some bits of technology.”

Melia just nods.

“But I know I did well despite that. There was no reasonable way to learn everything, but I didn’t feel lost writing this test. Even the parts where I knew I lacked knowledge, I felt like I could build on what I did know to at least answer partially. I know how far I’ve come already. I can do this.”

Melia finally smiles, which is such a fucking relief. This time Claire’s the one who stays neutral.

“Yes, and I didn't expect you to have read everything.” Melia replies. “It might have seemed like I cast a long net, but I wanted to see how far you’ve come. It was interesting to read your attempt to guess the meaning of Frankenstein from context, I’ll say.” She smirks.

“So. What is your verdict, Mother?” Claire cuts right to the chase.

“Well, I will say that while Frankenstien is a term that gets used to describe something that’s cobbled together, there is quite a bit more to the novel than that. It’s arguably the seminal work of science fiction, after all.”

Catherine and I exchange guilty glances. How did we both miss that one? I feel embarrassed as an otaku.

Claire just clicks her tongue, which makes her mother laugh. The two of them are pretty cute together.

Melia reaches across the counter and takes one of Claire’s hands. “I’m proud of you.”

Claire looks up at her mother hopefully. She swallows slowly before daring to speak. “Does that mean…?”

“Claire, what do you want for yourself right now?” Melia responds with another question.

Claire answers without hesitation. “I want to keep learning. I want to stay here, at the university. With Rei. With Catherine. I want to build a life with the people I care about.” With each statement I can feel the passion well up in Claire.

Melia glances at me and Catherine. We’ve been quiet this whole time. “Girls, thank you for everything you have done.”

“I wasn’t going to let Claire do this on her own.” Catherine says quietly.

“I would have done anything to help Claire.” God, that feels nerve wracking to say to Melia.

Melia smiles and turns back to Claire. “Claire, it seems this test was a teaching tool for you in more than one sense. You’ve learned a tremendous amount about the modern world, and you’ve also learned who you can depend on in life. I’m happy with how you did, on both counts. I wrote my own notes on the exam which you can review later. Make note of where your gaps are, but also take some time to appreciate how well you did. Your French, Japanese and English are all excellent. You had no issues with arithmetic. And your abilities to think critically—well, they exceed anything I would have expected from someone just coming out of high school. I suppose that’s a benefit of having a second run at life, hmm?” Melia chuckles.

“Really?” Claire’s voice sounds fragile.

Melia nods. “Really. I was very impressed by your thesis on the Tempest. I wouldn’t have predicted you would pick that particular Shakespearean work to write about, but it was brilliant.”

Claire smiles wistfully. “I really enjoyed all of the Shakespeare I read, but that was the one I liked the most. ‘Be not afeard. The isle is full of noises, sounds, and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not.’” Claire’s ability to switch flawlessly to English is amazing.

Melia looks thoughtful for a moment, then smiles back. “I begin to think I might have underestimated you. Though to be honest, even if you had performed worse, I would have wanted to give you options. I wanted you to take this seriously, and you did. I’ve been so very proud of you since I’ve been back, Claire. I wanted you to succeed, and you’ve done just that.” She really does sound so proud of her daughter.

In the momentary silence, a thought pops into my head. “Wait, did Catherine read The Tempest with you? Oh man, in that case we should watch G-Witch!”

“The space lesbians, why am I not surprised? Nerd.” Catherine smirks at me. Guilty as charged. But I’ll bet Claire would love Miorine.

“So I passed?” Claire asks.

Melia just nods once more and smiles. She looks proud.

“I passed!” Claire pushes herself off the stool and runs right at me. I’m barely able to react quick enough to catch her as she jumps into my arms, nearly causing us both to tumble. “I passed! I passed!” She’s giggling like a schoolgirl and even with the effort of holding her up, it’s like a weight has been lifted from me, from us.

“You passed!”

“I passed!”

We spin around the living room a few more times, and the only thing I can really focus on is her. And not falling. But that’s kinda secondary. She’s laughing, she’s smiling, she’s so beautiful.

“Thank you, Rei.” The spinning stops, and Claire gets that look in her eyes. She tilts me back and leans over me, inches away from my face. Oh wow, Claire is dipping me like those scenes in romance manga. “Thank you for everything, Rei.”

She kisses me.

And…

Wow. It takes my breath away.

By the time I regain my senses, I’m upright and standing on my own and Claire has grabbed Catherine in a big hug.

“You’d better not kiss me too,” she grumbles.

Claire just laughs.

We’re all laughing.

She passed.

Melia clears her throat pointedly. I can’t help but feel a little bit nervous. Oh no, she’s making eye contact with me. Okay, now I’m very nervous. “Now that today’s exam is concluded, there’s something else I’ve been meaning to take care of. Rei. This is for you.” Melia pulls a piece of paper out of her bag and beckons me forward.

Oh no.

Claire gives me a push. “Don't worry, Rei.”

Hahaha, like that’s going to help.

Despite my overwhelming dread, I manage to make my way to Melia, who’s standing by the counter.

“Rei, I’ll have you know that you forced my hand. I had intended to do this sometime after Claire’s test, but our earlier conversation made it clear to me that it had to be today.” She hands the paper to me.

Oh God, what does she mean ‘our earlier conversation? I can’t even remember what we discussed. Is this some kind of silencing order? What did I say wrong? Am I going on a hit list?

It looks like some sort of form. Wait a minute… “Is this…?”

“Consider it to be a scholarship.”

“A scholarship?”

“Yes.”

“...Wait, seriously? That’s way too many zeros. I can’t possibly accept—”

“You can and you will.” Oh God, she’s using her mom voice. I see where Claire gets it now. “It may seem substantial to you, but compared to everything you have done for Claire and Catherine, it’s trivial.”

I gulp. “But this is far too much. And you are already barely charging me anything for this place.”

“I didn’t want to charge you or Misha at all. As you already know.”

“But—”

“Rei, if I had been forced to withdraw Claire from university, hire personal tutors and pay extra for their discretion, it would have easily cost much much more than your tuition or rent. Consider it my way of balancing the scales between us. I


 respect your hesitation, I really do, but I want to return the favor you’ve done for our family. In an ideal world, higher education wouldn't cost money, nor would it burden students with debt. This might seem like a lot to you, but it’s the least I can do. And it’s just a small part of repaying the Francois corporation’s debt to society.”

Claire places a soothing hand on my back and I immediately feel myself relax.. “Please, Rei, you’ve truly done so much for me. We just want to help you in turn.”

…we are equals, we share and help each other.

We swore.

I promised I would let her help me.

“Okay. I still feel a bit strange about it, but okay. I can tell how important it is to both of you. Thank you.”

Claire wraps her arms around me from behind. I love her so much.

Melia looks pleased. “Excellent. Thank you Rei, for this and for everything. I’m glad Claire found you.”

Me too.

“Oh, there’s cake?”

Claire is sitting in front of me on the sofa. I’m giving her a shoulder massage while she reads something on her phone. We both turn to see Misha come through the front door.

Misha closes the door behind her and eyes the cake suspiciously. It’s missing several slices. We kinda celebrated without her. But to be fair, she was out the whole day.

“Do you want some? It’s delicious—we picked it up from a bakery nearby.” Claire leans back into my massage and sighs happily.

“So it’s not homemade, then.” There is a fair amount of caution in Misha’s voice. I can’t say I blame her. Our experiments with baking have been…interesting.

Claire pouts and crosses her arms. “I’ve improved quite a bit, I’ll have you know.” She really has, through sheer force of will. I love her for it.

“And I will happily accept a slice of this store bought cake,” Misha says with a wry grin. “So I take it today went well?”

Claire gets up—boooo—and walks over to the counter. I can see Misha fishing around the cupboard for a plate. “Yes, it was arduous, and I’m nowhere close to being done with learning everything about this world I need to know. But Mother said I did well and from this point forward I should focus more on my university studies, so I can relax a little.”

“Congrats! You all really could use a break. You’ve been going pretty hard with the crash course. It’s nice that we’re on a semester break right now.”

I push myself up so I can see them over the back of the sofa. “Do you have any plans for the break, Misha?” I ask.

Misha takes a bite of the cake and smiles in approval. Geez, it’s not like we were trying to poison you or anything. “Mmm, well, not really. I had been planning to pick up some part time work before we made the plan to move in together, but I’ve managed to save a lot on both food and rent so now I’m not sure what I’ll do with the time off. Do you two have plans?”

It looks like Claire has helped herself to another slice of cake. She really does have quite a sweet tooth. “We were discussing a potential plan earlier,” she says in between bites.

“I kinda suggested we could go back to my house for a bit,” I mumble. I totally don't feel anxious about it or anything. Okay, maybe a little.

Claire beams, and all the anxiety suddenly feels worth it. But I still have butterflies in my stomach.

Misha nods as she enjoys another bite of cake. “That sounds like a lovely way to celebrate Claire’s success. Congrats again, Claire. I have to admit that this whole thing still feels a little crazy, but I’m glad you made it through.”

“It has been challenging, but I am trying my best. How have things been with you and Yu?” Claire asks.

Misha sighs. There is totally something going on there, and I can tell Claire is trying to encourage it. Even if I have no idea what it is.

“Claire, can you like, cool it? Please.” Misha shoots me a death glare. Hey, I didn't say anything. “You’re not helping.” She points her fork at me. What did I do? I still have no idea what you’re talking about!

“Do you have any idea how frustrating it is to know something like this and not be able to do anything?” Claire counters.

Misha side eyes Claire. “Yeah, I do. Thanks for that.”

Claire just huffs out a breath, then has another bite of cake. “I’m just trying to help,” she mumbles.

“Claire. I know you are, but this isn’t something we can speed up. I can’t make them have this conversation if they don’t want to.”

Them? Are they not talking about Yu? “Who are you talking about?”

Both of their heads snap to me.

“None of your business,” Misha snaps.

“Sorry Rei, I really can’t say anything.” Claire is apologetic.

Sheesh.

Misha groans. “Look, I’ll let you know, both of you, if anything changes. Okay?”

“Come on, just give me a little hint. I won’t ruin anything.” Pleeeeeeease, I hate not knowing.

“NO,” they both say in unison. This is so unfair.

“I’m sorry, Misha. I just want to help if I can.” Claire says.

“Let’s just change the subject.” Misha takes a deep breath and sets her plate down.

Claire nods, and Misha relaxes.

“So, you mentioned that you’ll have more free time now?” Misha asks Claire.

Claire nods again. “A bit more. I think there will always be something for me to brush up on, but the pressure to cram everything I can is gone. I’m not going to have to read a several new textbooks every week anymore.” She laughs.

“Cool. So do you think you might have some time…to try out something new? Something fun?” Wait a minute, why does Misha sound embarrassed? Misha doesn’t get embarrassed.

“What did you have in mind?” Claire is clearly intrigued.

Misha clears her throat awkwardly. “So, you’ve been playing a bunch of video games with Rei, right? Would you, I dunno, maybe want to try a different type of game?” She’s clearly trying to work up to something.

“Oh, of course, that sounds lovely.”

Wait, what is Misha getting at?

“Okay, great! So um, Rei’s probably never mentioned tabletop roleplaying games before, has she?”

“Seriously?” I shout it way louder than I intend to. What exactly is she trying to pull here? And with my girlfriend, too?

Misha hushes me. Wow, and I thought you were my friend.

“I assume that’s different from the roleplaying video games Rei and I have played, yes? What exactly do you mean by tabletop?”

“Yes, it’s completely different. Tabletop means that it’s played on a table with physical objects. There’s no computer, or console. Just…players, pencil and paper, and some dice. And books.”

Claire tilts her head quizzically. Okay, that’s pretty cute.

Misha continues. “I want to run a game. It’s called Dungeons and Dragons. It’s a lot like Dungeon Meshi or Frieren.”

Claire perks up at the Dungeon Meshi mention. Hey, wait a sec. “Come on Misha, that’s playing dirty.” Wow, she must really be desperate to play if she’s asking my girlfriend to be in her game.

Misha glares at me. “No it’s not, what are you talking about? Dungeon Meshi is almost straight up DnD. Let me finish and then let Claire decide for herself.”

“Let her finish, dear.”

Hmmmmmmm. I’m skeptical, but I’m powerless to resist Claire when she asks like that.

“Anyways, the name of the game I want to run is Dungeon and Dragons, D-and-D for short. It’s played by having players tell a story together collaboratively. I act as the director of that story, the narrator, and you would play as a character you create yourself. Like Dungeon Meshi, there are races such as human, elf, dwarf, halfling and so on. As the director, or the Dungeon Master as it’s called in the game, I set up the general plot of the story and present the team with challenges. We roll dice to determine success or failure of different actions and events.”

Misha sounds like she has been practicing this speech in front of a mirror. It’s kind of cute.

“That does sound interesting. You said it would be played with a group of people?” Claire asks.

“Yes. We would need at least four players, not including myself. Everyone would make their own character but me, and you would all get to roleplay them however you want.”

“Who were you thinking of asking to join?” Claire asks. Her interest has clearly been piqued.

“Well, I would ask Yu, of course. I’m pretty sure they’ll say yes. And I was thinking maybe Thane?”

Wait a minute…

“So with Rei and I that would already be enough—”

“Me?!” How did I get dragged into this?

“Yes.” Misha sighs.

“Rei, please, doesn’t it sound fun?” Why is Claire so into this?

If I’m honest, it sounds boring. And while I don’t mind playing with Misha—and of


 course I’d be happy to play with Claire—if Yu and Thane say no I don’t want to end up in a freaking DnD group with a bunch of randos. Still, Claire is giving me puppy dog eyes. “Are you sure, Claire?”

“Come on, Rei. If Claire wants to try, why not?” Misha says. Wait a minute, is she grinning? “Just imagine, Claire. You and Rei could flirt in character and hook up for the first time all over again.”

Claire’s eyes light up. Oh no.

Misha IS playing dirty, and she knows it. “Are you just using Claire to make me play your dumb game?!”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Oh, she’s not even trying to hide her smirk!

“Please, Rei.” Claire takes my hand and…oh God, I can’t say no to that face. Fuck, I am such a simp.

“Fine. But I don’t think we’ll have time to do it soon. We’re going to Chiba in a couple of days, and when we get back the semester will be starting up again.” I can’t say no, but maybe I can delay.

“That’s fine. I’m not ready yet either, and I need to make sure Thane will play. We can use the spare room, since it already has a perfect table.” Oh, don’t look so smug about your victory, Misha.

“Is there anything I need to do to prepare?” Claire asks. She’s really getting into this already.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll walk everyone through it together when we first get started. I’ll explain the rules, how characters are made, and so on. It’s easy to pick up and we’ll make sure to start off pretty small.”

“So could I play a valiant knight? I could come to Rei’s rescue.” Claire smirks at me. I can practically see the dangerous and wonderful idea playing out in her head.

Fuckkkkkkkkk…I can only guess at the specifics she’s dreaming up, but God, it sounds fun. I guess I really am about to become a DnD person.

“Perhaps! There are lots of options for classes, and ideally we want everyone’s characters to compliment each other. There are twelve classes in DnD—Barbarian, Fighter, Monk, Paladin, Rogue, Bard, Ranger, Wizard, Cleric, Warlock and Sorcerer. If we use Dungeon Meshi as an example, Falin is a cleric, Marcille is a Wizard, Liaos and Senshi are Fighters, and Chilchuck and Izutsumi are Rogues.”

“Paladins? That is a type of knight, correct? There was once an order of them in Bauer in the past. What is the difference between those and a fighter?”

“In DnD, Paladins are like holy knights. They have holy powers and are devoted to a cause, swearing a sacred oath.”

“Ooooh, that sounds very interesting. Rei, what would you want to be?” Claire turns to me with an adorably eager look in her eyes.

“Ummm, I’m not sure yet…?”

Claire pouts. Oops.

“I mean, maybe a caster or something? A Sorcerer might be fun?”

Claire nods excitedly. Okay it’s hard to be against this idea when she’s being so cute about it. “I could be your devoted shield. Oh, and you were so talented with magic before. This is going to be so much fun. I really can make whatever kind of character I want? That’s very different from Persona.”

“In a sense, yeah. There are some preset character categories but they’re flexible and have a lot of options. Ideally your character would have a backstory that fits with the setting, so I might tweak things a bit or offer suggestions that go with the narrative. And everyone will start at level one so you would only have basic equipment.”

Claire nods enthusiastically. “I think I get the gist of it. We never did anything like this back in Bauer. Well Rei and I did a different kind of roleplay, but—”

“Please don’t finish that sentence. Just. Please.” Misha grimaces in pain. Fire, on my face.

“Rei, you never mentioned anything like this to me before,” Claire says, turning back to me.

Calm down Rei. I have to cough as I try to recover from Claire’s last comment. “Well, to be honest I’ve never really had any interest in tabletop games. Misha has been trying to trick me into playing one for years now.” Why would I play a TTRPG with randos when I could play one on my own? Not to mention how hard it is to coordinate a group. Misha has been trying for ages to make this happen.

“Trick? Come on, Rei, how do you trick someone into playing DnD?”

“You trick their girlfriend into playing it?”

Misha clicks her tongue. “I didn’t trick Claire, and you're just a simp. It’s not my fault you can’t say no to your girlfriend.”

That makes Claire snort. Awesome, but unfair.

Cool, guess I’m a DnD simp now. It’s hard to actually be upset though, as it does sound like it could be fun with Claire. And it’s not like I was against doing it with Misha, just the randos it would attract. “Fine, yes. I would do anything for my beloved Claire.” I can’t help but say it sarcastically but I’m not fooling anyone. Sigh.

Claire leans over to give me a kiss. Anything.

“This just in, the sky is blue and water is wet,” Misha says in her typical deadpan. “Okay but seriously, this is actually really cool. Thank you both for giving it a shot.” Misha smiles, and we’re treated to the rare sight of seeing her look genuinely pleased. “I’ve never run a game before and I’ve always wanted to. I’ll let you know when I wrangle the other players and everything’s ready.”

“It will be nice to spend time with Thane and Yu,” Claire beams.

“And you will make sure to behave yourself around them,” Misha says firmly.

Claire huffs. “I won’t say anything to Yu.”

Misha looks skeptical, but she holds her tongue.

I knew there was something going on with Yu. God, I wish they would just tell me. It’s not like it’s a big deal if Misha and Yu get together. Anyone with eyes can tell that it’s going to happen. Even if they’re both dragging their feet to a ridiculous degree. Why is all of this such a big deal that they feel the need to hide it?

Well, whatever. I’m rooting for them no matter what the big secret is. They both deserve to be happy. They’ll make it work, if they just try.


“The pandas are so very cute, I have never seen a bear like them before.”

I hum in agreement and nod as Francois-san talks about the animals. We are finishing our meals in the zoo’s cafeteria, and thankfully the prices are pretty reasonable. We both picked out a curry dish.

“What are you doing on your phone?” She doesn’t look thrilled when I look up.

“Ohh, sorry I was seeing if I could find anything about Revolution since we were sitting down. You were enjoying the meal and I was thinking maybe I could find something since we were sitting down.” I didn’t even realize I have been on it that long, she has mostly finished her meal, but mine still has a bit left over. I feel guilty, it was supposed to be quick.

She softens, “Oh… I guess that makes sense, did you find anything? You were looking on the internet?”

“Yes, but no. I’m not really finding anything that sounds like a game you are describing. It is Bauer right, like Yu-san, that Bauer?”

“Yes, that’s… because they were the royalty.”

“Ah.”

Wait, Yu was royalty.

She giggles at me, the realization must have been visible on my face.

“Yes, Rod, Thane and Yu were the… princes and their father was the King. He unfortunately passed on when the volcano erupted and Thane later inherited the throne. Rod led the military, and Yu… umm.”

“Is it bad, did something bad happen to Yu-san?” I’m not that close to Yu, but Misha does care about him despite anything she might say to the contrary.

“Oh no! Nothing like that, it's just, I don't know how to put it, it’s not my place to say.”

Why wouldn't she want to say… is there some sort of development…

“Wait, do they get together?”

She turns away. “I have no idea what you are referring to.”

Wow she is bad at lying.

“Oh my god, they do! I knew there was something going between those two. Misha gets so mushy around him all the time, and he is always trying to act all coy around her but I see how they are when they think no one is looking.” I knew it! Oh god I am going to tease Misha even more the next it comes up.

Francois-san just pouts. “It’s not my business to meddle, and I don’t know how much things are different here.”

I suppose that's fair… but “You weren't shy when it came to me though.”

She humphs, god I love her pouting, “That’s different , and you have no leg to stand on after all the meddling you did with me, ” there is a fire in her eyes, she definitely meant it to sound that way. “At least I am being honest to begin with.”

We could meddle now.

I want to play along but the counter dies in my throat, god, I can’t keep up with her. I can’t win this game, I feel myself coming undone as she just stares me down with that smug look in her eyes.

God damn she looks so hot.

“Ummmm, so yah… I don’t think your game exists.” I have to cough to clear the thickness in my throat, “Revolution.”

“It does seem things are different from your last life. Some things are the same, but you never meet Misha, or the Bauers before. I’m not sure why that is but it is no small fortune for myself that it is that way.”

That is true. At least in most Isekais you usually get OP or some cheat. Francois kinda got the short end of the stick.

“And goodness you were so fortunate when you did this too, not only did you seem to know everything, but you ended up being one of the best spellcasters in the country, if not the world.”

“Yah it's been rough for you, magic huh? This is going to sound weird but you know a lot about me, well sorta, but I don’t know too much about you.”

“Oh, yes I suppose that is that case.” She simmers down, is more solemn as she says that. “What would you like to know?”

“Well… I don’t know? Let's start small. I like to read; manga, novels, whatever, and I like to play games. What about yourself?”

“Well, outside of…” a slight red tints her cheeks and she hazards a rare shy glance at me before recovering. ME ? She was going to say me wasn’t she? “Well I also enjoy reading, but I also enjoy sewing. I never really manage to get cooking down which is a shame. I suppose I also enjoy a game, we used to play chess or other games of the like to pass the time but you always proved to be a challenging opponent and often the victor.”

Oh

 “Cool, I hope you like the game I am going to show you then, it’s nothing like chess” Stop fidgeting your hands Rei, “It's a bit like a novel, or a play. The plot is important in it, and it’s set here, in Japan so it's like good exposure to our weird little country… but it is long and you don’t have to feel like we keep playing it if you don’t really enjoy it or anything. It’s not a big deal or any-

“Rei,” She stops my rambling, her voice is firm, but soft, “I’m sure I will enjoy it, I’ve always wanted to see this part of you.”

I can’t help but gulp, but as she looks at me, I can’t help but believe her. I really want her to like it.

How did I get so lucky?


Claire’s been pretty into Dungeon Meshi… I thought she would have been asking more questions… but a couple chapters in and she is just getting comfortable. She has definitely been slyly sinking more and more into me…

This is great. And it’s nice… cozy, I’m reading along with her over her shoulder on her phone, maybe it’s a bit harder for me to read but I hardly need to at this point. Oh, that’s the chapter done, a light chuckle from her for the silly last page.

“So…?”

“I like it, so far at least.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Don’t nerd out.

“Whatdoyouthink?”

She laughs and stretches, then leans more into me… oh. “It’s interesting, I never would have really humored the idea of eating monsters in Bauer before.”

“Monsters… what were those like? You kinda mentioned that before I think. You had magic too? What was… was it like this? I was expecting you to ask more questions while reading, but is it just familiar?”

“Hmm? Oh no, this is nothing like Bauer… we had monsters to be sure, but a ‘dungeon’ was it? That’s what they are going through right? That’s not like anything we had, and the monster are similar, you had a slime familiar-”

“I what?”

“A slime, like from the first chapter, but she looked very different, and was very clever.”

“I had a pet slime?” Really? That sounds so cool.

“Yes, the girls more or less inherited her afterwards, she was adorable, here, might you have some pen and paper?”

I reach over the bed to my desk and pull my school bag out, dragging back what Claire needs. She quickly sketches up a slime, it almost looks like one from Dragon Warrior, but still it's its own thing. It looks cute. “Daww, that would be so cool, she looks cute.”

“Relaire was very cute,” She smiles and looks at the sketch, “She was such a good companion and did so much for us.”

Ahh, I feel bad that I will never- Wait “Relaire?”

Claire slides back into me and leans up to give me a kiss on the chin, “Yes, Relaire.” She smirks.

“I didn’t.”

“You did.”

“No…”

“Rei…

“No….”

“Plus…”

“I didn’t”

“Claire.”

I can’t help but groan, are you serious? Of fucking course I did that.

“It was cute, even if I couldn’t admit it at the time.”

… “So umm, monster?”

“Yes… there were goblins, orcs, demons, we even fought a chimera together while we were students… Undead… ”

“Undead?”

“Yes.” Claire’s voice is strained.

“Is something wrong with the undead? Wait, do we mean the same thing, like a walking dead body right?”

“Yes, just that. Nothing unusual.”

“Okay…? I… nevermind, but what about ghosts? Spirits?”

“Thereisn’tsuchathingasghostsReiwhywouldyousuggestsuchathing?”

“What?”

“What? Are there ghosts here?”

“No?”

“Oh thank goodness.”

Wait…. “Claire are you a-”

“I dare you to finish that sentence Rei ”

Oh….

I lean into her ear and whisper, “ Ghosts ?”

She shudders and turns, thumping her hands on my chest, “That isn’t funny Rei!”

I can’t help but laugh as she lays a weak barrage on me, “Ghosts?”

“Rei! It’s not funny!”

“Okay Okay.” It’s kinda funny.

“Hmmph!” She turns away and just pouts fucking adorably.

I’m the luckiest lesbian in the world.

I shouldn’t tease her too much about it though… I can wait till spirits show up in Meshi…

“So how different was the rest? Like you said there was magic… you, uh we had magic?”

Her pouting simmers down, “Well, yes… do you mean from Dungeon Meshi? I think it seems different. It hasn't really gone into magic theory has it?”

“Oh… yah I suppose. It does later I guess. Sorry I just got it all in my head. How did your magic work, you said theory?”

“Well magic would be aligned with one of the four elements, Earth, Fire, Wind or Water. I was a master of fire magic, you were a rare dualcaster, and could use Earth and Water.”

“Oh… okay, yah the four elements are a common trope for magic, especially in games, there is the whole elemental weakness things too. Fire versus Water, Air versus Earth, sometimes there is Dark and Light too.”

Claire looks confused, “What do you mean? That's not how it works, Fire trumps Earth, then Earth trumps Wind, which then in trumps Water and then Fire.”

“What? That can’t be right? Fire should be good against Water too? How does that even make sense? Even Pokemon let's ice be weak to fire.”

“Poke-what? What are you talking about Rei, of course that’s how it works. What you are suggesting doesn't make sense either, how would elements be both effective and susceptible against each other?”

“Because they are opposite!”

“Oh? And how is that supposed to help Wind beat Earth?”

“How is Air more effective than Fire versus Water huh? Water just evaporates with enough heat, if something is made up of water heat can be very dangerous. And Air is light and hard to hit, Earth is slow, they attack each other's weaknesses.”

“I lived it Rei, I’m telling you that’s not how it worked.” She looks a bit upset with me.

“Sorry… Sorry Claire. I… it's just a video game thing and I can…” But like how is fire good versus a rock?

“Get a little too into it?” She quirks her brow.

She does know me, “...yeah.”

She chuckles, “Don’t worry, I-”

My phone starts buzzing on the bed, and we both stop to look at it. It’s a call. “Sorry, do you mind if I check, we can keep going after.”

She nods, so I grab it. Oh… it’s Shiko.

“Hi?”

“Thank god,” She sounds exhausted, “I need help, my assistant bailed and I need hands to help sell at the event next saturday.”

“What?”

“Ami… that bitch flake just flaked out, Rei it’s a big event, I need to sell my doujins but I can’t man my both by myself. Come on, you have helped out before.”

“Who is it?” Claire asks, it must be easy to hear Shiko.

“It’s Shiko.”

“Are you with someone?” Shiko asks.

“Shiko?” Claire sounds excited, uh I-

“Hey who is that-”

“It’s Claire… uh my…”

“Holy shit.”

I barely register as Claire leans next to my ear with the phone, and answers for me, “Her Girlfriend, Hello Shiko.”

“Oh fuck yes, my baby gay has grown up.”

Claire laughs, “We can help Rei.”

“What, I… are you sure, you don’t even know what you are offering.”

“Your friend needs help doesn’t she?”

“Yes I need help, listen to your girlfriend Rei.” Shiko’s voice comes from the phone again.

Oh no, they are ganging up on me. “I… can you tell me more… where is it?”

“Close to you, this one is in Tokyo, it’s easy for you to get there.”

“Ughhh, is it going to be the whole day?”

“Unless I sell out first, come on, I’ll pay you both, and I’ll treat you to dinner afterward. Please Reiiiiiiiiiii!”

“We should help her, she needs it, and I want to be of help if I can.”

“Fine-”

“Yes!”

“But Claire’s never been to one of these before so I need you to… not throw her in the deep end okay?”

“Pftt! Who do you think I am?... Okay, FINE , but honestly we will probably be too busy anyways.”

“Wait…” Oh god damn it, it’s not just normal doujin either is it? “What kind of doujin are we talking about?”

“I’ll be selling safe ones, but I have a big stock of ecchi and hentai that needs to be sold too, come on you aren’t scared of your GF seeing some boobs?”

Oh god, of course she is going to be selling those too.

“I don’t mind.” Right Claire is here still. “It’s not a big deal for me, if anything I am a bit interested to see whatever Shiko makes.”

“But….” aaaAaaaAaaaaaAaaaaaAaaaa

“Sound like it settled, Thanks Claire-san, make sure she doesn’t flake like fucking Ami.”

“Hey! I already agreed.”

“We will be there, it was nice talking to you Shiko.”

“Damn, your girl is hot and nice, Thanks Claire-san, I’ll talk to you later Rei, I got to make sure these are printed cause fucking Ami isn’t here…. Bye.”

The phone’s line dies.

Claire looks satisfied… but… there are… god am I being weird, I feel weird. Shiko’s stuff can be really…. Extreme… and umm… Claire seeing that… She’s going to think I’m weird or gross.

“Rei, are you going to be okay? We are just helping her?”

“Yes… sorry I just… in my head.”

“What are we selling exactly, doujin? Ecchi? Is this like a manga?”

“Yes… doujin are like fan made manga… sometimes it’s orig


inal stuff, sometimes it’s like fan made stuff of big things, of like, um, Dungeon Meshi.”

“Ecchi?”

Fuck…. “Thaaaat’s…. lewd stuff, um ecchi is really suggestive stuff and hentai… is um, well just sex?”

“Oh, okay.” wait, she hardly seems bothered. “I thought it might have been something like that, Shiko makes it herself? Is it good?”

Very

“What? Really? I… yes Shiko is… good, I… she does a lot of…”

“Yuri?”

“Why do you know what?” She laughs and just tips her head towards me, “Of course it's because of me, god how shameless was I?”

She laughs some more, “Enough to keep things interesting, it’s a good thing, It will be fun.”

Wow, it really does not seem like a big deal for her, but of course… sex isn’t a big deal for her. She umm… has done a lot… with…. Look, I haven't done any of this. I don’t need to justify why I’m nervous to myself about this!

And she says it’s fine, but she hasn’t seen it…

Or what I have liked.

“Rei, we don’t need to make a big deal about it… really. I’m sorry If I am making light of something you are uncomfortable with. I thought you liked this sort of thing?”

“Yes!” Very , “No! But like… it’s different when I’m… reading it… and my… girlfriend is… the one…”

“What’s wrong Rei, you can talk to me about it, I’ve talked to you about everything.”

“But I haven’t!”

Shit.

Claire looks a bit surprised, almost ashamed, no... God damn it Rei just keep a handle on yourself.

“Rei I’m s-”

“No it’s fine, it’s just me. It’s not you, you're great. You're also so kind, gentle, and accommodating. You know all these things about me… and I… I don’t know?...” It’s hard to look at her directly.

“Rei, I’m here for you, I’m not perfect. I’m pushing you too much aren’t I”

“You’re not, I shouldn’t be so-”

“Rei, there is nothing you need to do or be. Just talk to me.”

“I don’t know… I…” I can't look at her…

What if I’m not who you think I am?

I feel a weight on my back. It's her, she is leaning on me and wraps her arm around me, it’s nice. I’m being dramatic.

You need to tell her something.

“I’ve not really talked to many people about this… stuff… just Shiko really and Misha a bit, and Misha probably thinks I talk about it too much, but like no one else really. I’m anonymous online about it. I’m not a loud and proud lesbian like…” her   “it’s… scary.”

“Is it scary that I know all these things about you?” Her voice is very level.

“I don’t know… a little? Maybe? I… I trust you but I don’t get it… it’s…. It’s like…”

I trusted Kosaki too…

Her hug tightens, god I must sound pathetic. “Thank you for telling me Rei, I know it’s not easy.”

Not easy for me, you mean.

“Rei, I’m here for you, now, tomorrow, and the next time. It’s been a long day, a long weekend and you were there for me the whole time. But I am here for you too. It doesn’t matter what you need, I will help you too, okay?”

It’s really easy to believe her when she says it like that.

“Yah… sorry for being so…”

“There is nothing to apologize for.”

“But you have all these things to deal with, you shouldn’t have to be worrying about my hang ups, I should be the one helping you.”

“We help each other Rei, you need help too and I will die before I ignore your needs. Promise me you will let me help you, that you will ask for help. You don’t need to shoulder it all yourself.”

“I… really? Are…?”

“Yes Rei…” She loosens her grip on me, and moves to bring us face to face. Her face is serious, firm, “Rei, swear to me, We are equals, we share each other’s burdens. You will let me help you as you have helped me. You won’t be alone.”

“... seriously?”

She just holds her stare. She means it.

“Okay… I won’t?”

“Rei, say it.”

“Ah…. okay fine. I swear… that we are equals, we share and help each other.”

“And you won’t be alone.”

“And I won’t be alone.” I have to gulp as I finish saying that… wow saying it out loud… feels… a lot. Something very intimate. Our private oath.

She smiles, and that makes it feel right. She leans in and gives me a chaste kiss, it’s short but something about it makes it feel so much more.

With this, a contract is formed.

God, I'm such an otaku.

Okay, I won’t fuck this up.