Fateful Encounter Pt. 2

The girls sat down on a nearby table in total silence while on their phones, and it was only then that I realized what a total creep I was being. What in the world am I doing, watching them like some kind of stalker?

I stood up and readied myself to leave, but as soon as I did, a faint glow caught my attention. Particles of light formed a bright apparition next to the girls and out popped Alice, the third of the sisters.

"Phew," she sighed. "What a day."

My hand instinctively grabbed onto my mouth to cover what very audible gasp would've come out. What was that? Magic? Does magic exist outside of anime?

Surely not... Maybe it's my eyes. I have been reading too many fantasy mangas lately. Yeah, that must be it. At least, that's what I would've believed had Alice not raised a finger, which caused the others' phones to float into the air.

"Hey!" Lana shouted.

"What did I say about getting too comfortable with human technology?" Alice said in a scolding manner.

"Who's getting comfortable?! I'm just roleplaying as a human!"

"Next thing you know, you're gonna be glued to your phone like all the other mortals out there. Remember when we were walking in the streets? All those soulless machines going about their day with their heads down, staring at their phone? That's going to be you one day if you keep this up."

"Tch, chill out. I was just looking at some funny cat videos on the internet. Hey, hey! Now that I think about it, can we get a cat?"

"No."

"Eh?! Why~?!"

Alice sighed deeply before turning to face Chloe. "And you? What's your excuse?"

"I was just... browsing... on... social media," she mumbled with each word getting quieter than the last.

"Social... media...?" Alice said. "Wait, is that why I caught you staying up so late last night? You were doom-scrolling?"

"I-it wasn't doom-scrolling! I was just... U-um..."

"Uh-huh. Eventually, you're going to neglect your duties and become corrupted by mortal technology. Tsk, tsk. I expected it from Lana, but you, Chloe? You didn't make an account, did you?"

"I... may have."

"Chloe..."

What in the world is happening? Why are they acting as if a smartphone or the internet weren't invented decades ago? What... did she mean by 'human' technology? These girls... They can't be demons, can they? Most importantly, how am I supposed to get out of here?!

"Look, it's no big deal. Now, give me my phone back!" Lana yelled as she reached up to grab her phone. Immediately after, her face lit up as she fixed her attention on another video. 

"Lana..." Alice muttered.

"What? We're just living as humans would. If we're gonna blend in, we gotta act the part, don't ya think?"

"I... I would like my phone back as well... please," Chloe slightly raised a hand and said sheepishly.

"Seriously... What am I supposed to do with you girls?" Alice mumbled as she sat down next to them.

Mortals? As in... us? Humans? Why are they talking like they aren't humans? I could say that they're roleplaying or something, but this seems like a stretch. There isn't a single person around to witness their theatrics.

Could they really be something else entirely? That would certainly explain their unique features, but still! How am I supposed to rationalize any of this? But more importantly... Why am I still ducked behind this bookshelf, eavesdropping like a stalker?!

"So, first time attending a university for all of us," Alice said. "How has day one been going?"

"Doesn't seem that different from grade school," Lana replied. "Similar concept, different people. It's all the same."

"The subjects are a bit harder. Our first class, calculus... I don't think I retained anything in that entire hour and a half."

"Same. And I don't think there was a single second where I didn't have somebody's eyes on me. Especially during the break time between each class. I had like twenty boys ask to exchange Line IDs. How about you, Chloe?"

"Um..."

"...Oh~?"

Lana quickly slid her chair over to Chloe, throwing her arm around her shoulder with a cheeky smile.

"Go on, Chloe. We ain't here to judge. Now, tell us. How many boys?"

Chloe gulped. "I had... t-twenty-seven."

At that moment, Lana's expression visibly changed. "Eh? Eh?! Wait, what?! How did you get more than me?!"

"And you didn't accept any of them, right?" Alice asked.

"I didn't," Chloe said.

"Neither did I," Lana shrugged. "None of them caught my attention. I even remember some of them when I delivered their threads."

"Come to think of it, there was that one kid... what was his name? Ah, Inoue Goro! Have you guys met him yet?"

"He was one of the boys who tried to exchange line IDs with me."

"Same here," Alice added. "What about him?"

"His fate is to die in a car accident seven years from now," Chloe said. "I remember when Lana was super depressed, so she measured a whole generation's worth of threads that reeked of death. That kid happened to be one of them."

"C-can we please just drop that?!" Lana shouted.

Fate? Threads? Death? Just who are these girls? Could they really be demons? If so, I'm dead if they find out I'm here, but that won't happen. I just need to relax and wait until lunchtime ends. If I'm lucky, they won't even hang out here for much longer.

Suddenly, as if my own thread of fate willed it, my foot smacked against the leg of the table behind me when I took a step back. The ensuing thud, as quiet as it was, echoed in the silent chambers of the massive library.

My heart seemingly stopped, and I forgot how to breathe. At that exact moment, only two words were present in my head. 'I'm screwed.'

A hand burst through the bookshelf in front of me, grabbing me by the collar and pulling me through the mountain of books. My back slammed onto the ground, sending a painful vibration across my body.

I didn't even have time to think about what just happened, because now... I had their full, undivided attention.

"My, my. What do we have here?" Alice smirked with a truly sadistic face.