Tied in a Knot Pt. 2

I'm not the most confrontational person, and neither do I claim to be bold. I'm not immune to fear, so if I happen to see something terrifying, I'm not embarrassed to say that I'd fall off my chair.

"Agh!" I screamed as I fell off my chair. "W-what the hell are you doing here?!"

"Eh?! Hey! No need to be so rude!" Lana exclaimed. "Look at you, falling off your chair as if I'm terrifying to look at! And why are you asking me that? I was here first!"

"Wha...? But this is my usual spot. Wait, you know this! This is exactly where we first met, remember? You pulled me through that bookshelf right there."

"Hmph! I don't know what you're talking about."

Doubtful is an understatement to describe the way I feel right now. This seems way too convenient, but for my own sake, I'll just keep my mouth shut. After all, I just cursed at her... a goddess.

Thankfully, it wasn't Alice since she's the most... How should I say it? Deadly? Murderous? Something like that.

"Well, I'm just here to snack a little," I said as I got up from the floor.

"Here? In the library? How come you don't go to the commons?"

"Too crowded. Too noisy. Too many things that can annoy me. Wait... You literally met me during lunchtime in the library, so you should know this."

"Dunno what you mean. Anyway, you're like the epitome of an introvert."

"Yeah? Well, couldn't have said it better myself." I pulled out a sandwich from my bag and took a bite. "What about you, Lana? Why are you here? I never took you to be the studious type."

"Ah, that's cuz... Hey! What did you mean by that?! I study!"

"Doubt it."

She quickly reached over to flick my arm with her fingers. Maybe it's because she's a goddess, but I felt that flick resonating through my entire body. It stung so badly that I unintentionally dropped my sandwich.

"O-ow..."

"Ah! Sorry, Aikami!"

Just as quickly, she reached for my shoulder, and I could've sworn I heard a pop. The sandwich wasn't the only thing to hit the floor, as I began tumbling downwards.

"Ack..."

"Ah! Oh, crap! U-um...! Just hold still, Aikami! I gotcha!"

She knelt next to me, planting her hands on my chest to perform CPR. At that moment, I felt every nerve in my body blaring like an alarm. Something was urgently telling me that if I didn't stop her now, my ribcages would be reduced to atoms.

"S-stop, Lana..." I mumbled. "You're not... helping..."

"Eh?! T-then what I do?!"

"What in the world is going on here?" someone asked.

From behind the corner, Alice stepped out. I'm not sure if I should be glad or scared that she decided to show up now.

"Help, Alice!" Lana exclaimed. "I think I flicked Aikami too hard, so I tried to help him, but I think I also dislodged his shoulder, and then he fell on the floor, so now I'm trying to do CPR, but he won't let me! I don't know what to do! What if he dies?! Then my hands will be stained with the blood of a mortal!"

"Calm down, Lana," Alice sighed. "Let me take a look."

Alice stepped over and knelt next to me. First, she slid her finger up my chest, stopping it at my neck. Then, a faint glow appeared, before it sprung out like a web all across my body.

Suddenly, the pain in my arm and shoulder gradually faded. Normally, how it's supposed to work is you'd wait a couple of days for the pain to go away. For me, that just happened in the span of a few seconds, which felt extremely weird.

"Anything broken?" Alice asked.

"Um... No, I don't think so," I replied. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it. And Lana..."

The moment Alice glanced over, Lana visibly flinched with a nervous look on her face.

"Y-yes, Alice...?" she gulped.

"Why are you messing with Aikami?"

"Hey! I wasn't the one who met up with him! He sat down next to me!"

"Here?"

"Yeah!"

"Isn't this where we first met Aikami? Out of all the places you could've picked to relax during lunchtime, why did you choose here?"

"U-uh..."

See? Alice has the right idea. I knew I wasn't being paranoid, thinking that it was far too convenient. Wait, now that I think about it... Didn't I also find Chloe just a couple of aisles away from here? And why is Alice suddenly here?

"F-fine!" Lana said, finally giving in. "I did come here on purpose, but that's only because I've been curious about Aikami."

"That's not a valid excuse. We agreed to leave him alone. The mind of a mortal can not handle our existence. Even now, Aikami's fate could be twisting due to our interference."

"I know, I know, but I couldn't help it! A human... without a thread. Whoa~ How did it happen? Why did it happen? Is that even possible? Well, Aikami is a living example, so it has to be. But then how can someone be fateless when the laws of the universe literally don't allow it to happen? There were too many questions left unanswered, and as the one who delivers fate itself, I just had to try and figure it out!"

Alice rested her hand on her forehead while sighing. It was clear that she had grown tired of Lana's impulsive antics. I can't necessarily blame her since I somewhat feel the same way, especially because I'm not understanding any of this.

"I apologize for this, Aikami," Alice said.

"Eh? I mean... Y-you don't have to apologize, Alice," I said. "It's not like it was that big of a deal. Well... At least before my shoulder got dislodged, but yeah."

"Waaa~!" Lana exclaimed, tackling me back to the ground. "I'm sorry, Aikami! I didn't mean it! I promise I won't do it again! In fact, I... Eh? Aikami?"

I wanted to reply. I really did... but contrary to before when it was only my shoulder, I think my whole spine is broken now.

"NOOO! Aikami!" Lana exclaimed. "I didn't mean it! I swear! Um... Are... A-are you okay?"

"...Step aside, Lana," Alice muttered.

"Eep..."

Alice went through the same procedure, and again, I was completely fine. This is definitely something I shouldn't be getting used to.

"Thanks," I sat up and sighed.

"A-Aikami..." Lana mumbled, tears flooding out of her eyes.

"What the... It's fine, Lana. Just... If you can help it, just try to keep your distance. At least an arm's length."

"Okay..."

"Now do you see the foolishness of your decision, Lana?" Alice asked. "Again, what would've happened had I not been here? Ugh... From now on, we are not allowed to approach Aikami. Since he has a thread now, there's no need to worry, so let's... let's just..."

She stopped mid-sentence to stare at me. What now? Why is she looking at me like that? It's making me anxious.

"You... What did you do?" she asked cautiously.

"W-what are you talking about...?"

Alice quickly dropped on top of me, pinning me down to the floor.

"H-hey! What are you...?!"

I stopped myself when I saw her wide eyes looking deep into mine. It's like she's trying to find something, but what can it possibly be for her to... do all this?

"Alice?" Lana called out.

"His thread... It's gone."

"What?"

"The thread we gave him! It's... not there anymore."

Lana dashed over and hovered her face above mine, just like Alice did. This is way too much. They're leaning in so close that I feel like I could pass out at any second now.

"It's true..." Lana gasped. "I can't see his fate at all. He's... fateless again."

"Hey, guys... You're kind of scaring me," I mumbled. "What is that supposed to mean? I thought Lana gave me a thread already."

"You're right," Alice said as she stood back up. "When she gave you that thread, I saw it clearly. You would make new friends in your classroom and form close relationships with those who once ignored your existence. However, I don't see anything, not even the slightest hint. You could die tomorrow, and we wouldn't know."

I'm not too sure I understand everything she's saying, but it definitely sounds serious.

"Then... What can I do about it?" I asked.

She stood upright again and threw her fingers at her chin to contemplate. After a few seconds, she sighed and looked away.

"For now, give me and my sisters some time," Alice finally said. "We'll figure something out. In the meantime, just do as you do normally, Aikami. Once we find an answer, or hopefully a possible solution, we'll come and get you. Understood?"

"Um... I mean... Not to sound disrespectful, but can't you guys just ignore me completely? It's not like I've done anything bad, right?"

"No can do. You're a fateless. For some reason, you defy us, the Goddesses of Fate. It shouldn't be an issue for us to investigate you, no?"

I guess that makes sense. Still, I don't wanna believe it just because I know I have to meet with them again in the future. Another chance that I could die. But, realistically, what choice do I have here?

"I'm not sure I understand, but alright," I sighed. "I'll listen to you for now."

"Good. Lana, let's go."

"...Yeah. See ya later, Aikami."

Just like that, they disappeared in a flash of light.

This is weird. Extremely weird. Is being fateless really that bad? My life hasn't been that bad up until now, so I'm sure if I keep moving forward as usual, then nothing bad should happen. But, if these goddesses are worrying about someone insignificant like me, then... should I also be worrying?