Dead?

The three talked for awhile. Mrs. Birch pretty much listened to the two's complains and pitched in at times.

Things went smoothly unexpectedly although Mark and Carmen still doesn't get along very well despite how similar they are.

...

At home, Mark was lying in his bed reflecting back on the words Mrs. Birch said. Although he heard the confirmation from Mrs. Birch herself. Mark still couldn't believe it.

'Can I change myself as well? Would I become brave enough...? I really want to become an artist...'

Mark felt like some of the hesitation in his heart is gone.

He got up from the bed no longer wanting to waste time.

'I need to draw.'

Grabbing a pencil with his left, Mark took a drawing pad out from the bag with his right hand.

'Bianca. I want to draw her again... Better. This time, I want to draw her better than I did...'

The pencil touched on the paper with his hand guiding it. Like water flowing in the spring, the pencil is moving very slowly.

Mark's eyes are following as the pencil start forming a curvaceous figure.

He thought about opening the laptop to see the picture of Bianca but decided against it.

Mark wants to draw her from his perspective and the pencil start forming not Bianca but a girl that he himself doesn't recognise.

Grey hair with eyes the colour of blue. Her lips as vibrant as cherries.

Mark's drawing start straying from what he had in mind but to what his heart is longing for.

Everytime he looks back at the sketch, a new idea pops up.

A new way to make the girl in there stunning.

...

Four hours passed...but Mark hasn't put down the pencil yet. Everytime he stopped, Mark would stare at the sketch as if asking himself...is this enough?

...

2 AM right now. Mark just got a new way to make her look good. His mind and hand were back at work again just to be interrupted...

"MARK- WHY ARE YOU NOT SLEEPING!"

The shout of his father woke him up from concentration.

He jumped up from the chair while the pencil on his hand scratched the sketch worth hours of drawing.

Mark's expression changed from fear to sorrow as he witness a big scratch on the sketch.

"GO TO SLEEP IMMEDIATELY!"

"NO!"

Overwhelmed with emotions, he shouted.

"What did you say?.."

Seeing his father's face red from anger, Mark usually would do as the man says but not this time..

"I'm already 16 for god's sake! Why can't I have a decision of my own?!"

"Oh, so now you want to be an adult?!... Who's feeding you all the food you're eating?! Whose house are you living in?! Who do you think raised you up to this age? You f***ing ungrateful brat!"

Mark sat in front of the wall with his hand covering the head while his knees shielding the body from the beatings.

After fifteen minutes, the man left after sating his anger satisfied with the result.

In the corner of Mark's room, there's a figure lying on the ground...

...

Opening his eyes groggily, Mark looks around.

His heart starts beating rapidly realising he's no longer in his room.

'What the heck...where am I...?!'

He got out of the bed and looked out the nearest window but the intruding sun light caused him to cover his eyes.

"It hurts! Fuck!"

...

It has been half an hour since Mark woke up.

He's sitting with two females who call him "Zane" in a dining room and what's worse is they might actually be right.

His face is different. Mark's arms that should only have skin and bones have ACTUAL muscles on them.

The body that should have bruises from the beating yesterday are not there at all.

'Did I die? How did my body and face change so much?...Why are these ladies calling him Zane? Why Zane? It's the name of the MC from an eroge game...Something's fishy.'

Mark have many questions in his head but he didn't ask them out loud.

He ate the peanut sandwich from the plate quietly while the two ladies are looking at him with their eyes squinting.

"Zane, are you doing alright?"

Hearing the older lady's question, Mark didn't know how to answer it.

'I might actually be dead from getting beaten by my own father and now possessing your whatever guy named "Zane" with no memories whatsoever.

Lady, do you think I'm fine? I'm FUCKING HAVING A QUARTER LIFE CRISIS! LKJELRJDFSDOFJDLKJW'

His mind is swearing at her endlessly but in reality all he did was smile at her brightly and nod.

Yes, just nod.

'Everything'll be over soon...I'm just having a very realistic dream where I can actually taste peanut butter sandwich. I give props to my imagination.'

Looking at the boy, Amy didn't know what to do. He has been going out everyday and only come back at late night for last two months.

She wanted to give him a lecture but after hearing from Brandon that he was only working part-time in Brandon's pizzaria...Amy let it go.

She didn't want to pressure the boy who's still suffering from his father's death and moving out to a rural town far away from his friends.

Fortunately, Zane decided to quit his part time job yesterday since he needs to go early for school today.

Amy tried to make him get used to living with them but he's really reserved... Not letting her wash his dishes. Cleaning his own rooms..

She couldn't find a way to interact with him at all. Even worse, Bianca would insult him every now and then.

'sigh'

"Zane, I know it's hard moving to a new school but I hope you try to make friends. Forget about the past, okay? Kids in this town are mostly friendly! Bianca will help you. Right, Bianca?"

"Uhh it's okay..." Mark said mindlessly but then he stopped as his mind replays the sentence he just heard.

Bianca?

Mark stood up in shock as he looks at the girl with widened eyes beside the lady carefully...

Big chest...

Round Butt...

Smooth thighs...

'And that familiar face!' Mark didn't connect the similarities between the characters from Deliquent's Summer Journey and these real ladies.

What kind of pervert would immediately recognise that anyway?! Everyone would be worrying about their future and panick in this kind of situation.

The only reason he got it is because of what Amy said.

{Zane, I know it's hard moving to a new school but I hope you try to make friends. Forget about the past, okay? Kids in this town are mostly friendly! Bianca will help you. Right, Bianca?}

'Freaking hell.. She said it two times as if to remind me..'

...

Mark sat back down and finished his breakfast eagerly not wanting to stay any longer.

He rushed straight towards upstairs to his room for an item.

Mark found the phone he was searching for under the blanket.

He pressed the button to open it. Since Zane didn't put password on his phone he could access the phone without worrying.

'If today's Zane's first day of school...'

Mark opened the banking app on his phone intending to find the income of it.

There's a really good reason why he wants to know how much money he has.

In the original timeline, the game starts with protagonist moving to a rural town and working part time in a pizzaria.

The guy was saving money so he can buy a webcam and streaming equipments before he attends his new highschool.

This money won't only be used for that. It'll also be useful when going on dates with the girls or helping other characters to get more charisma.

Basically, money rules the world and this game takes it quite extremely.

Mark has never seen any other game that tell players to make money as much as they can at the beginning of the game.

The first time he played, Mark didn't work that much part time job because he thought it was only for buying one-time items and he could possibly go back and work part-time in the pizzaria whenever he wants...

It was a cruel end...

He spent 3 hours wooing Bianca and had to restart because that fuc- Brandon said his pizzaria is full right now and the only way to make money at the time is to have 1000 subscribers and he was at 394.

No savepoints saved him since what kind of sane person have a savepoint to the beginning where you have to grind?..Isn't it better to just start over and grind again?...And that's what he did for another 2 hours.

'In summary, make money before you get laid...'

Mark thought as he sighed while searching for the app.

"Oh, found it."

Balance - $4,200

"Not bad..."

With this, he could definitely spend it on something useful.

'I mean...I'm not Zane. Why should I spend it on something like that?"

Mark thought amused as he laughs.

It would be funny if a notification popped up in front of him like he's a game character lol...

[Yes, it would be funny.]

...