04 | Taking Advantage

After talking to Golden Lily for an hour, Cain finally understood his situation.

Well, somewhat.

Lily was from the Eros Dimension, a place where descendants of the God of Love Eros live in order to spread their god's name through helping others with their love problems.

The poster was because of an administrator's bad taste and habit of trolling people.

Cain's situation was a special case. According to Lily, because Cain himself had no idea what he actually wanted, it was necessary to spend a little more time to fully understand his own feelings.

This was where Lily comes in.

Golden Lily No.03 was a 'system' that was capable of traveling to multiple timelines. Cain was given the options to either. A.) Travel alone or B.) Travel with the person of his affection, though the latter will have no idea.

Their relationship will be set as whatever Cain desires. Be it friends, strangers or even lovers. This will help him realize if being lovers is what he truly wanted for himself, or if the thing that he wanted was to just let go of every lingering feeling that he has for Rain.

By traveling with the other, his feelings will either disappear for good or get deeper and deeper until he could only drown in it.

Seeing that Lily assured that the person of his affection, aka Rain, will never remember any of the world travel and it will take only a couple of minutes in his own world, Cain agreed.

In any case, spending one lifetime with Rain might wear out his feelings.

Lily, the system, saw his decision and commented. [ Host, what a predictable answer. ]

Cain pouted a little from the system's words.

Yeah, yeah. Wearing out his feelings or whatever, everyone knows Cain just wants to take advantage of the situation to experience what it's like to be in a relationship with the person he's been in love with.

[ Host, it's actually not an embarrassing thing. Every single Host had chosen the second option. ] The system assured him.

Cain tilted his head, "Uh huh? Really?"

It made sense. Cain thought.

Humans are selfish and it's inherent in their bones to take advantage of a situation that could benefit them. Especially if the situation was such a harmless one.

Rain will never remember it. It will only take at most an hour or so to travel to multiple places. Maybe it won't even take that long. Maybe after one world, Cain will be able to realize his own feelings.

[ Yes. ]

"So when are we leaving? " He asked.

The system answered. [ Whenever the Host wants. ]

Cain thought about it and decided that the sooner the better.

[ Then which world would the Host prefer? There are three options to choose from and all of them are relatively simple. ]

He was surprised. "Ah? Options?"

It suddenly felt like those quick transmigration novels he came across before. Cain thought about it and realized that it really is quick transmigration, isn't it?

How cool. This entire predicament seems to be straight out of a novel.

Though he himself found it unnerving how he easily accepted such settings. He couldn't even find it himself to not trust the system, Lily.

He knew it was a bit wrong and illogical to be this calm over such a turn of events. He himself was aware of how odd his reactions were but Cain also doesn't have any idea on how to react. Should he panic? Refuse? Scream and call the police even?

In any case, none of it doesn't really matters.

He plopped down on his bed as he said, "What are the options then?"

Three panels appeared before him the next second. Each with simple text written in them.

[ Highschool Best friends to Lovers AU ]

[ Strangers to Lovers AU ]

[ Childhood Friends to Strangers to Lovers AU ]

Options have never been more blunt and straightforward as they are now in the panels.

Anyway, Cain didn't even hesitate from the options. He saw his favorite trope and his heart immediately started beating at a ridiculously irregular pace. So fast he couldn't breathe properly.

[ Which one is it, Host? ]

Cain tapped the panel of his choice.

[ Oh! How simple! ]

"My choice.. ?" Everything listen is simple.

[ Should I connect to the transportation hub now, Host? ] The system asked after a few minutes of multiple configuration.

"Go ahead."

[ Well then, let's go! ]

In the next second, Cain felt like he was falling and everything around him melted into small tiny pixels that dissipated one by one. Cain watched the scene with slight awe.

It was like being inside a 3D movie.

A few seconds later, the empty feeling under his back disappeared and instead, was replaced with a warm and light sensation.

He jolted up, startled.

He was in a classroom, and judging from his previous position, he was dozing off at his desk. Draped over his shoulders was a black jacket.

Beside him was a large open window where a stream of warm breeze was coming from.

When he looked down, he saw a basketball court full with students in PE uniforms. They were quite loud with cheering and all.

"You're awake?" He stiffened when he heard the familiar voice coming from behind him.

When he turned around, he was greeted with the sight of a younger looking Rain watching him with a small, subtle smile on his lips.

Though he was younger in age, Rain still towered over him with his tall height.

"Rain?" Cain's heart started beating so fast again. He was thankful that his voice didn't waver nor crack because he might actually die from embarrassment if that happened.

Rain raised his brow. "Yes? "

Rain was looking at him. Was close to him. Was smiling at him. In a school uniform that fitted his tall and slender body. If Cain was not wrong then the jacket draped over him was Rain's too.

He looked way softer than he does in their world, losing the aggressiveness and sharpness in his eyes after being in the music industry for almost three years.

He found him first.

Cain suddenly wants to hug him.

The smell of a summer afternoon under a wisteria tree made its presence known.

His heart suddenly ached, killing the excitement and hope that surged up from nowhere.

Cain became sober in an instant.

This was not real, Cain remembered.

What did Lily tell him again..?

Ah, right. He remembered when he was talking to Lily earlier. The system told him solemnly.

[ Never lose yourself because everything is but a borrowed time and manipulated scenario.]

Maybe because he had imagined this scene multiple times in the past that he almost forgot the crucial truth.

He shouldn't have picked this Highschool Best Friends to Lovers at all.

He's just gonna fall in love deeper and deeper isn't he?

"Cain? What's wrong?"

Cain didn't realize that he was showing a pained expression after the sudden headache of realizing that he might have made a mistake of choosing his favorite trope for his crush and him.

He smiled at Rain lightly, using the ability to lie through his teeth in front of the guy that he had mastered for months, he answered. "Yes, don't worry."

"Are you sure?" Rain looked hesitant.

God, he's so cute.

"Yes, I'm sure."

Rain looked like he didn't believe any of it, still, he was the type to never force someone.

"Okay then. Just tell me if you're not feeling good. "

Cain was about to explode from the other's cuteness. "I will."