5 Back

I opened my eyes expecting to wake up in the comfort of my room, but then heard Shin's loud snoring. It's night. I got up, my stomach won't stop bothering me. I thought when you get to a certain point the stomach would just give up.

Shin's still asleep, I'll leave him like that. He went through more emotions than I did, he's probably more tired than me. I'll walk around and maybe I'll see some stars I recognize.

North star? I got my compass now at least.

Found constellation... Leo. I remembered Amber cried a lot for Leo in Fairy Tail while I had to go buy 3 buckets of ice cream. Binge-watching Fairy Tail while ignoring all the homework we had to do for tomorrow. Y-You know... I kinda miss that...

Before I knew it, my face felt wet. My hands moved as a reflex to dry it off, but then I realized, I was crying. I was crying?

Why am I crying? This is so m-much better than the other world so why? Why am I crying? What do I even miss there? The world there had nothing to miss, right? Who would I cry for? I can't get it out of my head. I'd cry for Amber, Misa and Damon.

Wait... my name is Terumi Hiroto. I'm 16. I have no siblings. My parents are... my parents are...

They're... they're

As I was thinking suddenly flashes of memories started to show themselves inside my head.

"I'm home! Where's everyone?" I saw myself, younger, brighter. I know this empty atmosphere. I know what day this flashback's on.

My uncle stood there. Silent. He couldn't look me in the eyes, but he hugged me. After minutes of silence, he told me to get ready. To make sure I wear all black.

Car crash huh? Funny how everything can just be lost so easily. I was never close to my relatives, after all, they lived an ocean away. My uncle was my only relative in America and he didn't have enough to support himself.

I blinked once...

Saw me alone, looking at their grave. The kid's trembling hands as he held onto his family's last photograph together.

I blinked again...

Amber's parents took me in. Amber talked cautiously, trying to not trigger my grief.

Looking away, I found myself again.

This time it wasn't a child, but me right now. Wearing a school uniform inside the castle's bathroom. My finger, lingering on my soul flame skill on the menu.

Why would I be doing tha-

A floating [Information] icon appeared along with some information, disappearing after I pulled my finger back. Everything's blurry... like it wasn't meant to be seen. Like it was forgotte-

"Forget huh?" I heard my own voice, but I wasn't the one speaking.

Looking into the mirror, I pressed my right hand onto my head, "Soul flame".

What?! When did this happen?!

Shin finally woke up, "Where am I?", snapping me out of it.

I don't think that flashbacks work that way, but I can't say I've ever had a flashback about something I might've erased with my not so useless flame.

"Welcome back to reality" I played with the menu, repeated exactly what I saw.

"Right... I'm in hell, I forgot. What are you doing anyway?" Shin got up to see me mess around, finding the information icon.

"Expiramenting," I opened the information icon and it actually worked.

[Soul Flame]

[The bigger the flame produced is, the more the flame will devour the target's memory/souls. The smaller the flame is, the longer it can last. User may choose which part of the soul to erase first]

So...

I figured out how to erase my memory, but I didn't do it well enough. Well... aren't I the unreliable narrator?

At least now I can really say, "I can't remember what I've forgotten," I tried doing a British accent randomly, weirding Shin out.

"Uhh... I'll just ignore that. Let's get going, we haven't tasted a thing since yesterday." Shin got up and started walking. I'm glad we somehow still have energy, welp at least we can call this intermittent fasting.

"My stomach agrees very much!" I followed.

As I walked I tried to ignore the constant questions I had. How much did I erase? How much can I get back? How did I get the memories back? Just flashbacks? Do I just have to think about something really really hard?

What else have I forgotten?

We used all the energy we had left to go back to the castle, vines ran down the grey stone tower. I didn't remember how old it looked, maybe I didn't realize. It was only a small resting place, I didn't pay much attention to it.

Hungry... thirsty... tired.

"I didn't explore this place much... where's the kitchen?" I supported my own weight, holding onto the walls.

"Don't know. I only remember the common room,"

"There's a common room?!" Even though I was tired, I somehow managed to shout.

"If they're not asleep, they should be hanging out there," Shin casually strolled as I tried my best to keep up. Being a level higher sure does make a person's stamina increase huh?! Meanwhile, I'm dying here!

My shaking hands fell onto the antique-looking doorknob as I started to twist it, stopping when I heard something familiar through the wooden door.

"You look like a mess, keep this up and you'll start looking like you're homeless too," It was Misa's voice, but it sounded a lot... gloomier.

"I'm FINE, Misa. I never bothered to take care of my appearance anyways! This is just minor insomnia..." Amber's range of emotion she placed in a single reply was... strange to say the least.

"You're still holding onto the thought that he's alive aren't you?"

"They're alive." She spoke with certainty, "They'll get back, they'll get back s-stronger before..."

A loud sound of something sharp hitting a target silenced the room followed by Amber's shouting, "Bullseye!"

What the hell?! That almost gave me a heart attack and it was just Amber playing darts?!

"They're dead. Lying to yourself won't make it true. You saw them fell, you SAW the monsters inside the cave. We're not running with our tails between our legs again. Give up on them already," Kyle really believes that huh? Scared little boy running away from the monsters?

Just the thought made me smile.

Guess what? I'm alive you little brat!

"Oh really?" Shin's exhausted body opened the door.

"Did you miss me?" I taunted with a smirk.

The common room. Fancy couches with a bar at the end that Misa blocked off the moment she saw it. The only rational soul that wouldn't let teenagers drink their selves to an early grave, Misa was laying down on the sofa while Amber was playing with her metallic darts. Kyle, trying to reach beyond the wooden planks used to block the drinks off.

Something feels... different. I feel like... I became shorter compared to those 3. Amber even looked skinnier, paler. She wore an all-black outfit, covering every skin below her chin, even dark red gloves and a mask.

"Heh, we both know the only person I'd ever miss is myself" Might be hard to believe but that translates from Amber language to English is 'Welcome back'.

"Yeah, I miss you too. Just give me water, food, literally anything would be nice," I forced a little more energy out of me.

"Wish you were dead, all the flowers we bought for your funeral ain't cheap," Kyle whispers to me then walked out

"Why thank you! Feeling's mutual!" I said with a smile until finally, he was out of sight.

My eyelids feel so heavy... my muscle relaxed on its own... finally... everything went black.

Slowly, I opened my eyes... everything looks blurry as I wait for my eyes to focus properly. My stomach's still growling again... my lips are so dry... my throat... thirsty...

"Oh, your awake" Amber's head poked into the room to find me shivering

"W-Water... I need water,"

Immediately, she disappeared, coming back a second later with water as she teleported.

"Water, my lord," She served it like some sort of butler.

How did she...

"I levelled up a lot while you were gone," she said with a playful smile.

How does she keep reading my mind-

"I know many things, Hiro. A lot of things you don't even know about yourself. A lot of things you didn't know happened," she whispers into my ears making me shiver.

"You know too muc-"

All of the sudden there was a scream from the room next door. It's a girl's scream. My guess is it's about Shin, I'm here getting played by Amber while his there probably gonna get kicked in the head by a tsundere.

Shouldn't the room be soundproof usually when the main guy screams only the other love interests get in the room at the perfect time the main love interest falls on the main guy, it's always this way.

"True, they should really soundproof it geez," Amber looked disappointed like it was ruining her fun...

"Is it satisfying reading my mind? You need to stop your occlumency"

"I'll never be satisfied,"

"God I hope you're satisfied," I chugged the water down my throat, filling like I was in the oasis for a slight second before snapping back from another one of those screams.

If misunderstandings will continue, it'd be a pain to manage, "Should we..."

"Help them? Sure. Shin won't last long with that kind of thought process anyway," There was a strange tone that hid in her last sentence... it almost felt like... pity.

Amber looked at me after opening the door, "You don't have to analyse everything I do. Can't a demon like me say things without any rhyme or reason?". That sly gaze...

"I know you wanna be a villain, but you're no demon, you evil witch," I followed her into the hallways.

From the prior scream, they're next door...

"Witch? We both know that title's too good for me." Amber opened the door to find Shin and Mia almost kissing. Instantly, both of their faces became red. They started to make eye contact and then what happen you might ask? Mia's a Tsundere and right now I think she started to be a Deredere. Which means... his head will be very VERY damaged.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to-"

"Shut up BAKA!"

It's...

It's beautiful...

It's like we're in an anime...

"I know right?" Amber whispers to me

"Stop reading my mind..."

"It's not an on and off switch thing, unfortunately,"

Wait... wait second, this makes no sense. In these kinds of stories, the main love interest would be an obedient servant. It never starts with a Tsundere. Only the ones where they got everything they ever wanted from the start that the main love interest is Tsundere.

"Which means by us being self-aware of these tropes. We're twisting unchangeable fate by our actions. We're not supposed to know these tropes, but we do and we're changing them ever so slightly, though, I feel bad for altering this one... Shin's head trauma is the cost. From the stuff I've been reading, these kinds of narratives are from harem animes" Amber finished my thought.

"Stop finishing my thoughts and yeah we need to change it back somehow"

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Amber showed a devilish smile.

"Yeah"