Tied in a Knot Pt. 4

Sometimes, I question why I exist. What is my purpose on this Earth? Why do I continue to wake up every morning and start my day, fully knowing what headache will soon follow?

"Hey, Enzou! Enzou!" Lana spluttered nonstop as she had been for the past several minutes.

"I don't recall giving you permission to use my first name," I sighed, rubbing my eyes.

"Eh~?! But you call me by my first name!"

"That's because you only have a first name."

"I do? Oh yeah, I do, huh? Anyway! Now that school is over for the day, whatcha gonna do?"

"I don't know."

"Oh, really? That sounds cool. I don't really know what I'm gonna do either. Maybe go to a spa? I read something that a head massage feels rea~lly good. Oh! How about a bar? Eh... It's too early to go to the bar. Or maybe, and hear me out here... The mall! Hehe! I could go for some new clothes. Isn't there a festival coming up in a couple of months? I need to look for a nice kimono."

I let out a sigh and turned to face her with as much conviction as my expressionless face could muster. Lana, in my opinion, is the easiest to face among the sisters. She's both ways extroverted and a real conversationalist. The problem is that I lack every single quality that she has, so our compatibility is insanely off. Nonetheless, she doesn't care. Not one bit.

"By the way, this is the library," I mumbled.

"Yeah?" she said with a clueless smile, completely missing the point.

"That means you need to be quiet so other people can study."

"But... There's no one here besides us."

Oh yeah. I totally forgot that rarely anyone comes to the library during afterschool times. They're all either partaking in extracurricular activities or going home.

"Still, quiet down," I said.

"Okay, okay..." she whispered, but that didn't last long at all. "Whoa! Hey, hey! I just had a brilliant idea! Wanna hear it?"

"No."

"Perfect! So anyway..."

Her voice faded away as I tried to concentrate on the textbook in front of me. Questioning my existence? Yeah. This is one of those moments. Keyword, 'one.' Only one.

A couple of minutes into my weekend morning jog, I stopped to catch my breath. My eyes caught something near a small building to the left. At first, I attributed it to my imagination, but then it flashed again.

From a small window nearest to the roof, a face was popping in and out, up then down. But it wasn't just anyone's face. It was Chloe with a smile unbefitting of her usual timid self.

"What... the hell is she doing?" I muttered.

After checking if the coast was clear, I inconspicuously made my way over to the building. When I opened the door, she was already there waiting for me.

"What?" I said.

"Nothing," she replied. "I just wanted to say hi."

"Hello."

And then I immediately shut the door, but it opened back up just as quickly.

"H-Hey!" Chloe’s voice wavered like she wasn’t sure if she wanted my attention or to hide behind a corner.

I blinked. "Was there something else you needed?"

"Um… N-not really, but shouldn't we… I don't know. Chat? Have a conversation? Isn't that what human friends normally do when they see each other?”

"Friends? Since when were we friends?"

"O-oh…"

Her expression faltered immediately, her hands fidgeting with the hem of her sleeve. And now I feel like an asshole.

Out of the three, Chloe was the quiet one—timid and soft-spoken, like she might disappear if the wind blew too hard. Compared to her sisters, she carries this strange, calming air that could crumble very easily.

Take right now, for example. In Chloe's world, if she decides we're friends, then we're friends—simple as that. Reality didn't have much say in the matter, much less me. But the moment her expectations fell short, it was like watching a kitten get scolded. Her shoulders slumped, her voice grew quieter, and suddenly, I was the bad guy for pointing out the obvious.

"Sorry. I worded that wrong," I sighed. "What I meant is that I just don't like being around people. You know how it is since I'm 'fateless.' Never had a friend until now, so it's gonna take some getting used to."

"Ah... Ah! I see," she said, a bright smile growing on her face. "Then what you're saying is that I should take it slow, right?"

"S-something like that."

"Alright! I'll do that then."

"Thanks. And here, as an apology..."

I reached into my sling bag and pulled out an onigiri. The moment she saw it, her eyes shot wide open. Something else I learned is that Chloe is an extreme foodie.

"You can have it," I said.

"R-really?! I mean... Are you sure, Aikami? It looks like your bag could only fit one, so this must be all you have."

"It's fine. There's a neat little shop in front of my apartment building that sells these. I can just stop by and pick up another one."

"Oh. Then in that case..."

Chloe took the onigiri and assessed it, tilting it all over to get a good look at every angle. Finally, she sank her teeth into the top. Are those... stars? Floating around her eyes? Probably. Had I not known that she was a goddess, I would've thought it was just my imagination.

"It's delicious~" she smiled while chewing.

Again, this is only one moment. Most of the time, I run into them on campus. I should've considered that lucky because of course, fate was never on my side.

While I was sitting down in a small tapioca shop, minding my own business with my laptop in front of me, someone sat down no more than a full seat next to me.

I ignored them at first, hoping they'd move first, but they never did. So for once, I took the initiative and readied myself for a confrontation. With a deep breath, I pulled off my headphones and turned to face them.

"Excuse me, can you—"

The stranger tilted her head to face me. "Hm?"

It was a girl with long black hair and a pair of sunglasses. She was dressed very casually in a T-shirt and some shorts. Maybe it's because of my instincts, but I realized this person isn't a stranger at all.

"...Alice...?" I mumbled.

"Oh. Hello, Aikami," she smiled, pulling her sunglasses off. "Fancy meeting you here."

"Let me guess. This was all just a coincidence that we happened to be here at this exact place, in this exact moment, and you chose to sit next to me of all people, unknowing that it was me."

"You're quite smart, aren't you? Yes, that is exactly what happened—a coincidence. Perhaps one could call it... fate."

She held up her cup of tapioca tea and took the longest sip imaginable. I could clearly see each pearl zipping up the transparent straw, all the while Alice kept her gaze on me.

"Am I really supposed to believe that?" I mumbled.

"Who knows? Mortals are foolish by nature. At the very least, if you did believe it, I wouldn't have been surprised."

"I'm not that dumb."

"Again, who knows?"

By the time she finished her second sip, the cup was already half empty. I looked over at my cup, which I had bought twenty minutes ago, realizing that I had only drank a quarter.

"You're glaring at me quite hard there, Darling," Alice smirked. "Am I that attractive?"

"Wha...?! What are you saying?"

"Hehe, oh my. That's quite the reaction. I suppose I was right all along."

"You're wrong."

"Oh? Then am I to take it that you don't find me attractive?"

Alice leaned over with an alluring glare. What the heck is this...? She's way too close to me, so close that I can feel her breath.

"I-it's not that..." I gulped.

"Is it really not? Are you now saying that I'm wrong? Me? A goddess?"

Well, that clearly wasn't the right dialogue choice. What am I even supposed to say? My heart is pounding so hard that it feels like I'm about to pass out.

At long last, she backed away with a soft giggle. "You're too easy to mess with, Aikami.

"What the..."

"If there's one thing that mortals are good at, it's being entertaining and amusing."

"What a twisted and conceited way to describe us."

"Worry not. At the very least, it gives us a reason to stick around a bit longer while we figure out your situation. And regarding why I came to get you today... Hm. They should've been here by now."

"...Huh? 'They?' Who's they?"

Suddenly, the front door to the tapioca shop slammed open, followed by the subtle ring of the shopkeeper's bell. Everyone turned their heads to see two girls poking their heads in, twisting left and right.

The moment they saw me, their faces lit up. Only the gods know what disaster will come next, and coincidentally, those very gods are here.

"Aikami!"