A New Stage 1

No, this world I inhibited, it's no one else's but mine. It's almost sad how many years I have spent in this place. Breathing the same moving air, and those gentle breezes that carry it. Trees that sway to those zephyr's whims, and their leaves that act not to the will of the tree, who is not willing to separate, but the machination of this script.

My life is like that too. Theirs shouldn't.

Their life should be determined by themselves. Not that script.

'Let sleeping dogs lie'

"What's the matter?"

Mrs. Yuki looked at me with a perturbed expression. Her concern for my tears were evident on her face. But my eyes held a firm determination to save her before she lost that life in her eyes.

"I won't make the same mistake twice, Mrs. Yuki."

"Eh?"

I was determined to flip this script; Sango was the start.

'Let slip the dogs of war!'

"Mrs. Yuki, do you trust me?"

I outstretched my hand.

"Mrs. Yuki, I want to flip this world on it's axis and set everyone free!"

I looked Mrs. Yuki directly in her eyes, she seemed startled and confused at this change in my demeanor.

I want to break free too, everyone should live the way they want too. Everyone; including Satoru.

But how do I explain this to Mrs. Yuki without seeming insane? I must hold my reigns to allow Mrs. Yuki to process what I'm telling her.

"Certainly, I trust you… But can you tell me what you mean in flipping the world on its axis?"

A foot in the door! With this hold I can gradually start applying more strenuous questions that start to stress this subtle connection.

"Yuki-san don't you think that this world is a little strange?"

"W-what do you mean by that? What about here is strange?"

"Yuki-san, in our class we have 28 students. Can you name all of them?"

There are no 28 students, there aren't even 10. In my class there is only Satoru, Sumiko, Sango, Yasuko, Kohaku, Friend A, and I which is only 7 people. However, how do people address me or Friend A? Sango directly calls me Friend B. Though, I guess Kohaku called me Friend B one time so that must dictate that my name is definitively Friend B.

What am I?

"Well, there is you… What's is your name again?"

Mrs. Yuki scratched her chin and looked up to try to jog her memory.

Was it me who gave myself my own name? Or was I always like this? Or perhaps when Kohaku called me Friend B it was a sort of proximity thing to Sango like some sort of gestalt? Is this world trying to piece things together?

Is the world trying to remember me?

If so, what sort of thing is this world? Did it forget itself?

Mrs. Yuki assumed the thinker pose in a supreme attempt to remember my name.

I suppose gaining sentience broke the gestalt.

"Ah! I remember now!"

"Huh?"

"I remember that I don't remember!"

I immediately deflated as I assumed that I was wrong; but as it turns out I may be right. Somewhat at-least.

Though, this gives me a thought: suppose that this is a gestalt. Assume that it is in perfect symmetry, and my sentience is a break in that, who or what is trying to fix it? The meaning of repeat, this script, it's all coming together. A restart is the script's, or the world's, attempt to get back on track; however, my very existence causes everything to derail. I must break this gestalt before it fixes itself.

I look at Mrs. Yuki and grab her hand.

"You really are an airheaded teacher, Yuki-san."

With my other hand, I wrap it around her waist. It was almost like a Tango pose. Her exquisitely beautiful eyes looked dazed, her mouth was slightly open, and it felt like she was holding her breath. There was a visible blush on her cheeks

"Y-You're… What are you doing?"

"I'm doing what I should have from the start."

I kissed her, my eyes were open observing everything. Time stretched into eons, but that was fine because this is my world. Between those lines is my place, where I belong: a perfect actor doesn't need a script to live by. From now on, this world is my stage, and all my lines are my own!

Mrs. Yuki held her eyes shut for the entire duration of the kiss and only opened her eyes when we separated. She was breathing heavily and was at a loss of things to say, she could only open mouth words and look bewildered.

I stood, confidently, and renewed. I felt taller, or maybe this place was too small for my ambitions. I looked back at her and took a step back.

I felt like shit, what had I done?

Was this me, I-I mean who am I?

I'm Friend B aren't I? But then who was that?